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Over the course of Louis’ rein, he showed that he was a bad monarch because he abused his power. Ultimately, he made the citizens unhappy. Louis believed that Kings “are born to possess all and command all” and their power should not be questioned. This caused him to make impulsive decisions without thinking of the citizens opinions because they were not supposed to question him. If his power was questioned Louis was quickly able to say that God gave him the power to make decisions therefore they were right. Louis’ luxurious life was very costly and put the country in a lot of debt. Louis would create large building plans and would frequently star wars. There were no laws that refrained Louis from spending this money so he was able to waste
One of the most notable of which would be his decision to completely reconstruct a new palace at Versailles. Such a great expenditure is blatantly criticized in Doc 7 where the Duc de Saint-Simon states, “the foundations and groves have buried more money than could ever appear”. Such expenditures, undoubtedly funded by taxpayer dollars expose Louis’ extremely self-serving distribution of funds when it came to matters of his own comfort. However, it is important to realize that Doc 7, written by a noble, must also be read with a watchful eye. The Duc de Saint-Simon’s assertions could possibly, though construction of a new palace would likely cost a tremendous amount of capital, be riddled by bias as a result of the absolutist King’s extreme suppression of nobility perks and privileges. The idea that Louis acted in his own interest in terms of capital distribution may be explained away by such bias had it not been for the evidence presented in Doc 4. Though on the surface it seems to show the public’s appreciation for the King, one must acknowledge the fact that an ‘inscription on a ceremonial arch of great architectural importance in Tournai’ was most likely commissioned by the King, and again funded by taxpayer dollars. Such a commission would expose the fact that the words stated in the inscription is not the point of view of the French people, but rather the desired
nation. In order to become a true absolute ruler Louis xiv needed to make sure
O: Rage and revolt can describe the country of France at the time of the Revolution faced because of turmoil and struggle they faced. Different estates were formed based on what you did and your class in society. The people of society wanted more say in the government and decisions that King Louis XVI made. The public didn't approve with much of what King Louis did. His lack of ability to be a strong king and leader affected his reputation to the public eye. King Louis was tried for committing treason to the country of France. Treason is the attempt to kill a sovereign and overthrow the government. Some of the reasons were his attempt to flee to Varennes, living in Versailles which was not in Paris, and reforms he passed as a ruler. These actions performed by King Louis isn’t what a King does, but that doesn’t prove any
King Louis XIV was one of the most influential rulers of France during the 17th and 18th century. However, despite the fact that he believed his actions were intended to help the state prosper, he ruled arbitrarily and selfishly in his own interests overall. By using money to fund wars, dispersing political power, and revoking the Edict of Nantes, Louis left France struggling to reclaim order. His economic, political, and religious decisions eventually led to the devastation of France and its people because he was acting for himself and not for France.
When Louis the XIV began his rule in 1643, his actions immediately began to suggest and absolute dictatorship. Because of the misery he had previously suffered, one of the first things he did was to decrease the power of the nobility. He withdrew himself from the rich upper class, doing everything secretly. The wealth had no connection to Louis, and therefore all power they previously had was gone. He had complete control over the nobles, spying, going through mail, and a secret police force made sure that Louis had absolute power. Louis appointed all of his officials, middle class men who served him without wanting any power. Louis wanted it clear that none of his power would be shared. He wanted "people to know by the rank of the men who served him that he had no intention of sharing power with them." If Louis XIV appointed advisors from the upper classes, they would expect to gain power, and Louis was not willing to give it to them. The way Louis XIV ruled, the sole powerful leader, made him an absolute ruler. He had divine rule, and did not want to give any power to anyone other than himself. These beliefs made him an absolute ruler.
Louis XIV is considered the “perfect absolutist” and he has been said to have been one of the greatest rulers in France’s history. He came up with several different strategic plans to gain absolute
Louis XIV, rule of France began in 1543, when he was only four years old. His mother was the Hapsburg Spanish Queen, Anne of Austria, and served as his regent, although Chief Minister Cardinal Jules Mazarin, truly commanded the power of the monarchy. In 1648, when Louis was nine, the Parlement of Paris rebelled against Mazarin, in a series of civil wars known as the Fronde. During this time Louis XIV often lived in poverty, without proper care or attention and often in fear and humiliation, although this lifestyle only lasten until 1653, when Mazarin won, it greatly impacted Louis’ attitude towards the people of Paris, and the nobles.
Louis XIV communicated absolute power through divine right theory and the palace of Versailles: which included, symbols and paintings. Jacques Bossuet said “His divine majesty, delegated by His providence to execute His design….” divine right theory. The divine right theory is God put King Louis XIV on this earth to serve as a ruler of France. There is no doubt in his mind that thats his sole purpose, in which that should be accepted as the truth. This theory was very useful to Louis XIV because he was able to gain the trust of the people. With Bossuet being a well know law professor, attorney, and legal official much trust from the people was given to him. When he published his book that had this belief on it the people
He used war to obtain more land to have population increase. Another thing that increased revenue through war was the growth of jobs. Some of these kind of jobs could’ve been farm workers to grow crops. To show how much war/army was important to Louis was that he had very carefully prepared for every war he was sending his men into. War was a big topic back then because the technology had been changing. Guns had a big part in this because the took a long time to reload and a lot of the times they had missed their targets. “France: not only was it the strongest and most populated country in Europe, but it had also failed to reach what have been considered its natural limits…” shows that even though they are strongest and most populated in France doesn’t mean that it will be the most successful. All countries have their problems and obviously keeping up with their population was one of them. In 1668 the Dutch were trying to force Louis make peace with them. They wanted him to remove a menace for when the war with Spain had resumed. They had irked him so much that a war was about to break out. Louis XIV had carefully prepared for the war that was about to happen between them and the Dutch. June 12 was the day that Louis and his army reached Rhine, while defeating the Dutch. After this victory France’s army and France itself had an increase in their reputation. Later on, the Dutch had appointed a new commander in
Much like Britain and their need for money, King Louis XVI needed money due to causing France to become bankrupt with his costly
During the medieval times, in order to be an effective and well-liked ruler, a monarch was to be just, a strong soldier, and a pious leader. According to Jean de Joinville’s Life of Saint Louis, King Louis IX was the model of an ideal medieval monarch because he exhibited the virtues previously mentioned. Louis IX was far more than just a legitimate and educated French king. He displayed sincere piety throughout his life, which prompted him to rule his kingdom with fairness and peace, as well as gave him the bravery needed in battle knowing God that would protect him.
In order to gain the power he desired as an absolute monarch, Louis used a few key techniques that were very successful. His first and most necessary step to get all control was to take all of the nobles’ power, and make it so they were completely under his control. He first did this by taking the nobles’ positions of power, and either getting rid of them by doing it himself, or giving the jobs to loyal middleclass or some nobles who were completely loyal and under his control. Louis had very simple reasoning for doing this, which was that if the nobles had any power or control, they would have a better chance of overthrowing him, and that since there can only be so much total power, the more they had, the less ...
... move, defunding any revolts they might plan, and preoccupying their time with petty social matters instead of matters of the state. If Louis’ reign was not supported by the enabling qualities of the Palace of Versailles, his reign would certainly not be as absolute as it was.
These types of decisions define why Louis XIII is an important example of the primacy of the king over all other sources of political and governmental power in the 17th century. Certainly, Louis XIII’s rise to power defines the lack of checks and balances that would typically be a part of a lesser monarchy in which the aristocracy could have an influence on governmental decisions. However, this was not the case with Louis XIII, since he had gained complete control over the government through military might and the wealth of the royal family. This historical example defines the primacy of the absolute monarch within the context of the king’s role in governing in 17th century
The French citizens were correct in overthrowing the French monarchy because King Louis XVI was a poor leader. One of the qualities that made King Louis XVI a poor leader was that he was not interested in ruling the country. According to the World History Textbook, “He was easily bored with affairs of state and much preferred to spend his time in physical activities.” (Beck Roger, Black Linda, Krieger, Larry, Naylor Phillip, Shabaka Dahia, 653) It is obvious that King Louis XVI was more interested in personal enjoyment then the livelihood of his country. He would rather be noble having fun rather than being a leader making decisions for his country. When King Louis XVI was removed from power, he was given what he wanted, the escape from the affairs of state. Another example why King L...