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The reign of King Louis XIV
Absolute monarch Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV - the Sun King _ Louis XIV - the Sun King _ fl
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King Louis XIV When Louis XIV took over the French throne, he was thrust into middle of the Thirty Years’ War. However, as Louis was only five at the time, he did not do much ruling. The Thirty Years’ War ended with France losing some of its military reputation. Louis grew up with a hatred for the nobles due to the insurrection during the beginning of his reign. Because of this, Louis XIV would never trust the nobles and would spend his reign slowly taking their power away from them. Louis XIV ruled for seventy-two years, from May 14, 1643 to September 1, 1715. During his time as king of France, Louis implemented many changes throughout France; some for the better and some for the worse. Louis XVI was born on September 5th, 1638 into the Bourbon family. At the time, the Bourbon family was the ruling family in France. Louis XIV’s birth was seen as a miracle, as his mother, Anne of Austria, could not have a child for 12 years. Louis took over the throne when his father, Louis XIII, died on May 14th, 1643. When Louis XIV took over power he was only four years old, so all decisions were made by the chief minister, Cardinal Mazarin (Schunk). Louis XIV truly took over the throne upon Cardinal Mazarin’s death on March 9, 1661. Louis XIV then swore to take complete control over the government. Louis began to call himself the “Sun King” as a symbol of his absolute power (Ellis 511). Louis XIV greatly centralized power in France through many changes to the government, including appointing intendants, nobles that were loyal to Louis XIV and collected taxes, recruited soldiers, and enforced his policies and building the Palace of Versailles (Ellis 512). The Palace of Versailles became the home of Louis XIV and the nobles (Ellis 512). Ther... ... middle of paper ... ...nd was a sign of his apparent overabundance of wealth (Ellis 512). Although King Louis XIV’s time in control of the French throne did not have a huge impact on Europe as a whole, it had a major impact on France and the French people. His reign started out well, with military victories that expanded France’s territory. However, starting with the limiting of the nobles’ power, things began to take a turn for the worse. Louis XIV built the Palace of Versailles in the town of Versailles, twenty kilometers outside of Paris. This led to an increased resentment of the King, as he had distanced himself from his citizens. The Palace of Versailles, coupled with the expensive territory wars, placed France in a massive amount of debt. To resolve the debt, high taxes were placed on the French people, causing a further decrease in King Louis XIV’s popularity with the people.
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
While England lost its power to the nobles, France was able to control them .Instead of having the live among the peasants and the middle class, Louis XIV built the Palace of Versailles in order to force the nobles to be near the king to make sure that they were unable to create conflict with the will of the monarch. This way, the nobles no longer were the people that the middle class would run to when they had a
His use of the arts was somehow to prove that through his expensive taste, his rule as an absolute ruler meant security. King Louis XIV “believed that luxury was not only necessary to the economic health of France but also the prestige and very survival of the royalty, and the French monarchy” (Dyer). Believing that images and artistic production have the power and ability to shape other people’s perception, King Louis XIV took
Louis XIV controlled France’s economy. He began to heavily tax to support the military reforms. Louis agreed not to tax the nobility, therefore taking away the right for the upper class to have a say in where the taxation money was spent. This gave more and more power to the king. He could spend the money that he was getting from the poor and middle class in any way he pleased without upsetting the nobility. Unfortunately for Louis, the poor could not provide the money he needed. Soon, with the help of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis introduced mercantilism in Europe. He regulated the flow of trade, making sure that France was exporting more than it was importing. To accomplish this, he raised the taxes on imports and lowered those on goods made in France. He encouraged skilled workers and craftsmen to immigrate to France, offering them goods and privileges.
King Louis XIV was a showy and self-absorbed king. His palace was representative of his personality and ideals. The Versailles palace architecture displayed Louis XIV ideals of secular issues. He cared more about spending money to show off his power. Unlike the Escorial, Versailles was centered on “The Sun King” instead of religion. At one point Louis XIV stated that “he was the state”. This statement was saying that Louis XIV represented the center and best of France. An example of this was that King Louis XIV lived in the middle of Versailles. Versailles was also very ornate and had the atmosphere of freeness. However, the Escorial was very basic like Philip II.
The church was also brought under control, and Louis sought to do away with all other religions by revoking the Edict of Nantes. Political power was given to noblemen, who were seen as possible opponents, and they were made to reside part of the year at Louis XIVs’ court in Versailles in order to display dominance over them (458–459).... ... middle of paper ... ...
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 surrounded himself with the great artistic and intellectual minds of his time, including playwright Moliere, painter Charles Le Brun, and composer Jean-Baptiste Lully. (History.com Staff, 2009 10). Furthermore, he constructed many programs and institutes to enlighten France’s inhabitants and transform France into the center of culture in Europe (Biography.com Editors, n.d. 11). Even today, France is a paradise for tourists looking to enjoy the culture that Louis XIV worked tirelessly to achieve. Not only did Louis enjoy the arts and sciences, he also dabbled in architecture. Wanting to show the entire world his great wealth and power, Louis XIV had undertaken his greatest architectural endeavor yet. In 1669, Louis decided to radically transform a royal hunting lodge in Versailles into the greatest Palace that the world had ever seen (Evans, n.d. 12). This momentous undertaking took over 36 000 workers, 6 000 horses, and fifty years to realise (Travels in France: 2 Versailles to Tours, n.d. 13). Today, the Palace of Versailles is the epitome of opulence and displays the vast amount of riches and powers that King Louis XIV obtained. From military and politics to arts and architecture, the greatest monarch in history truly does not leave much to be
...s was from a military stand point, which was rare for him. In 1667, Louis attacked a portion of the Netherlands that was owned by the Spanish. This resulted in the gaining of 12 towns, which encouraged Louis to attack the Dutch Netherlands, which did gain him a few wealthy port towns, before ending in disaster. Louis’ last great success was the building of the Palace of Versailles, which as described earlier was a feat never before matched by a ruler.
Louis fought his early wars for defensive purposes— to secure France’s northern border and to remove the Spanish from strategic towns. However, the Sun King pursued many subsequent wars to increase his power and influence. For example, Louis believed that if France had once historically controlled a region, France was justified in winning the region once again. Louis believed, as a divine right ruler, that he had the authority to break truces at will. Consequently, Louis made many enemies out of nearby countries, including Spain, England, and the Netherlands. After Louis won the Campaign in the Franche-Comte region in 1668, Europe was not interested in having France become the preeminent power in Europe. Louis believed that trade would generate wealth and by keeping trade within his own colonies, he could capture the profits that would have been otherwise outside of his control. By reorganizing the administrative and financial aspects of his kingdom and developing trade and manufacturing, he improved the prosperity of his empire. Louis sought to finance his military objectives from this new income stream, but ultimately, it was not enough. Louis XIV’s many wars, and the lavish life at Versailles, exhausted France of funds. Since only the lowest French classes such as the farmers paid the
One of the most important elements of Versailles that affected Louis XIV’s reign was the use of propaganda. The Palace contained “paintings, statues, tapestries” (Page) and a general grandness that significantly promoted Louis’ name. Louis himself was a “prominent subject in the artwork” (Montclos 330) and was portrayed as handsome and god-like. Even in the aspects of the Palace where Louis wasn’t literally being represented, the grand nature of Versailles sent out a message that the King was living lavishly, and was therefore very powerful. Louis XIV used the grandiosity of his Palace and the art inside to promote himself to his people.
Some people think that Louis XIV was very important for the future prestige and importance of France. Louis XIV developed diverse manufacturing capabilities, more roads, more ports, more canals, an expanded navy and merchant marine, and all these gave France the potential for greater prosperity. This was looked upon highly by some people, but others were more impressed by the king’s building skills. His greatest remaining monument is Versailles. Versailles was used for residential and government purposes, but it also drew a lot of attention because of its beauty. The palace was filled with a glamorous court.
It is often debated whether or not the reign of King Louis XIV had a positive or negative effect on France. Although there were improvements during his reign in transportation, culture, and national defense, there were far more negative aspects. He depleted the national treasury with his liberal spending on personal luxuries and massive monuments. His extreme fear of the loss of power led to poor decision making, which caused the court to be of lower quality. King Louis XIV’s disastrous rule brought about a series of effects that influenced the French Revolution in the following century.
Louis' cultural goals were a large success. He changed French trends and etiquette, and was a major patron of the arts, meaning, he supported the art movements and artists, encouraging them and financing them. Because of Louis, France led Europe in the arts. He loved music and theatre. Louis was a great patron of the arts; he exceeded Augustus of Rome in his art aiding. He created the city of Versailles by turning his father's hunting cabin into a magnificent palace in the village of Versailles. Construction began in 1668, and wasn't done until 1710, but Louis moved in on May 6, 1682--showing his impatience.
The Palace of Versailles was the official home of the Kings of France from 1682 until 1790. Originally, a hunting lodge built in 1624 by Louis XIII, but then was expanded by Louis XIV in the beginning of 1669. With beautiful architecture and amazing landscape, it is one of the most well- known and beautiful palaces in France. Its garden is so unique and one of Europe's largest. It played a huge responsibility in French government and was used for some of the biggest meetings of Kings and Queens. It is a very reflective place for the French and showed a basis of culture for the people. The small structure became the base on which was constructed into one of the most extravagant buildings in the world. The Palace of Versailles is a famous French landmark due to its elaborate construction, its role as a center of government, and its influence on French culture.