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It was the threat of the Huguenots and French nobles that required the French kings to develop spies that can infiltrate French society. During Louis XIV's reign, remaining rights of the Huguenots were taken away and French nobles felt the loss of their power as Louis centralized the state. This led Louis to use informants within the Huguenots and nobles as a way to undermine them. Thus, critical to a central state bureaucracy that efficiently ran the country was a country that required spies at every level so that rebellious areas of France can be know before any major problems broke out. Spies among the poor commoners and nobility became well know, creating a type of police state. The Affair of the Poisons and other conspiracies led to a more paranoid state for the French monarchy.<ref>For more on spying within France during the age of Louis XIV, see: Jeffreys-Jones, R. (2013) <i>In spies we trust: the story of Western intelligence</i>. First edition. Oxford, Oxford University Press.</ref>
[[File:4089186399 10e8826a8e z.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 1. Louise Renée de Penancoët helped spy for Louis XIV.]]
==Before and After the French Revolution==