The main purpose of Henri IV, the legitimate king of France, was nothing else.
To rebuild this ruined kingdom.
And simultaneously, to place this unstable new dynasty on solid ground. As the first monarch of the Bourbon line, following the collapse of the Valois dynasty, Henri knew that his family's claim to the throne remained precarious, contested by powerful noble factions and foreign interests who questioned his right to rule.
For that, he needed enormous funds. Very enormous funds that would allow him to address the kingdom's countless needs while also projecting the strength and magnificence expected of a French monarch. The royal coffers had been emptied by his predecessors' extravagances and the costly wars that had torn the realm apart.
Thanks to the excellent fiscal policies and miraculous sale of offices by the Duke of Sully, Maximilien de Béthune (later the Duke of Sully), fortunately, millions of livres began to accumulate in the royal treasury.
