Dévots

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Dévots (pronounced /devo/ and meaning "devout people" in French) was the name given in France in the first half of the 17th century to a party following a Catholic policy of opposition to the Protestants inside France, and alliance with the Catholic Austrian empire abroad.

Attached to the privileges of the intermediary organs of power between the king and the people (parlements, provincial estates, aristocratic officers), the dévots opposed the development of an absolute monarchy, rejecting a centralized government in the hands of commoners from the bourgeoisie appointed by the king (as opposed to aristocrats who inherited their offices in the intermediary organs of powers). They inspired the policy of the regent Marie de Médicis and later opposed Richelieu, who was pushing for an absolute monarchy and sought an alliance with Protestant powers against the Habsburg Austrian and Spanish empires. Although the Day of the Dupes (November 10, 1630), which confirmed Richelieu as prime minister, marked their political failure, the dévots nonetheless remained very influential (notably with the fervently Catholic regent Anne of Austria). Their influence was felt through the Society of the Holy Sacrament (Companie du Saint-Sacrement) until 1665.

One of the primary targets of Molière's Tartuffe is the dévots, whom he criticized for being hypocritical in their faith. They were chief among the critics of the play.

Although King Louis XIV definitely established the absolute monarchy, the dévots remained active almost until the French Revolution, being very influential with Louis, duke of Burgundy, grandson of Louis XIV and heir to the throne, and with Louis, dauphin de France, son of Louis XV and heir to the throne, both of whom never reigned.