Provincial Autonomy and Royal Authority

Religious wars strengthened provincial particularism that had never fully disappeared despite Capetian and early Valois centralization. Protestant-controlled areas developed autonomous governmental structures. Catholic League provinces rejected royal authority deemed heretically compromised. Even royalist provinces negotiated obedience rather than simply accepting commands. This fragmentation threatened to dissolve France into constituent provinces.

Languedoc exemplified provincial autonomy's persistence. Its Estates retained significant fiscal powers, negotiating rather than accepting royal tax demands. The Parlement of Toulouse jealously defended regional privileges against royal encroachment. Protestant strength in the Cévennes created religious diversity the monarchy could not eliminate. Royal governors required local cooperation, achievable only through recognizing provincial distinctiveness.

Brittany, incorporated into France through Anne of Brittany's marriages, maintained separate institutions and identity. The Parlement of Rennes, Breton Estates, and distinctive legal system survived throughout the period. Royal efforts at standardization met fierce resistance defending Breton liberties. The province's strategic position and potential for foreign alliance required careful royal management respecting autonomy.

These provincial variations demonstrated that France remained a composite monarchy rather than a unified state. Royal authority operated through negotiation with regional elites rather than uniform command. Religious division exacerbated existing particularisms, creating alternative legitimacies challenging royal supremacy. Henry IV would need to reconstruct royal authority acknowledging these realities.