Absolute monarchs ruled though the policy of absolutism. Absolutism declared that the king ruled though divine right with a legitimate claim to sole and uncontested authority (French State Building and Louis XIV). On this basis, Louis XIV of France and Suleiman I of the Ottoman Empire were both absolute monarchs. Each ruler believed that his power belonged to him and him alone due to divine right. They showed their absolute power by living lavishly, increased their power by waging wars, and kept their power by ensuring complete loyalty of their subjects. Suleiman and Louis ruled absolutely by assuring they had all the power for themselves. Suleiman believed that the entire world was a gift to him from God (Hooker). When Suleiman heard a rumor that his son Mustafa may be plotting to over throw him, he had his son and grandson assassinated. Suleiman did not allow any defiance in his empire. He demanded that every subject proclaim their loyalty. Those who were too slow to proclaim their loyalty were declared his enemies; he even went as far as killing three rebels with his own hands (02/04. Discovery). Louis also believed that his kingship was due to the divine because he believed himself to be appointed by God (The Rise and Fall of Versailles). Since Louis did not want to share his power, he fired the current chief minister and appointed himself to the position (Steingrad). No one could tell him what to do because he was the only power in the realm (The Rise and Fall of Versailles). Monarchs often displayed their power by commissioning buildings and monuments. Louis and Suleiman were no exceptions. Louis had one of the greatest palaces in the world build in the middle of a swamp. This showed his absolute power because no builder ... ... middle of paper ... ...4 May 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. . Hooker, Richard. "Suleyman." Jewishvirtuallibrary. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. . Steingrad, Elena. "Biography." Louis XIV. N.p., 26 Nov. 2007. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. . Strayer, Robert W. An Outsider's View of Suleiman I. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. 655-57. Print. Strayer, Robert W. French State Building and Louis XIV. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. 657-58. Print. The Rise and Fall of Versailles (Part 1 of 3). N.d. YouTube. YouTube, 14 July 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. .
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
The palace of Versailles was built by King Louis XIV of France and the Escorial was built by King Philip II of Spain. The two kings each had their differences about their beliefs on how to rule, yet there are some similarities. Louis XIV believed in showing off his power and being open. Philip II was a simplistic guy devoted to Catholicism. They both had military to spread their beliefs and ideas. Despite the kings’ beliefs, their palaces reflected their ideals.
nation. In order to become a true absolute ruler Louis xiv needed to make sure
... 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.
In the seventeenth century, the ideology of absolutism was established in France under the reign of Louis XIV. Subsequently, France’s success initated other monarchs to rule as an absolute power including Prussia and Russia. The Russian Tsar, Peter the Great and the Prussian ruler, Frederick William the Great Elector have achieved great success throughout their reign as an absolute monarch. These rulers have also portrayed similar methods of acquiring supreme control over their monarchs and becoming a sovereign power.
Louis XIV is not the only ruler to have established an absolutistic reign. Throughout history, a plethora of monarchs have believed that they were limited only by divine law. Thus, a true absolute ruler can be defined as one that abides by the belief that it is their right to define and decide the law. Because of his profound impact on France during his own reign, historians often point to Louis XIV as an example of this absolutism. Known as the Sun King, Louis XIV ruled over France from 1643-1715. However, Louis XIV was unable to take full control of France until 1661 when Mazarin, Louis XIV’s chief minister, died (Wolf 133).
McKay, John P., et al. "Republican France." A History of World Societies. By John P. McKay. 9th ed. Vol. 2. N.p.: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 742. Print.
The glare of the sun blazed over France for seven decades during the most elaborate rule in European history. King Louis XIV was the sovereign king of France at age four, born on September, 5th 1638. His reign lasted longer than any other monarchy in history from 1643-1715. He was the god given child to his mother Queen Anne of Austria. She held the title Regency during her son’s younger years. France was in a total eclipse state politically with nineteen million subjects and a weak financial situation. The sovereign suffered from neglect from his mother, she allowed servants to raise and see to the day to day needs of his majesty. During an outing he nearly drowned due to a lack of supervision. Although evidence shows strong neglect his mother
People like King James I thought that the kings had the same power of God (James I). King James believed that that the kings could judge anyone and do anything without being held accountable for it. Just like God, they could create and destroy anything, they could kill or grant life to anyone. If they are not followed, if the members of the government do not follow their leaders’ orders, then they are worthy of death (Bossuet). The monarchs believed that whatever they did was right. They did not treat people with the respect they deserved. People at that time did not have the right to change anything in the government. Louis XIV made it possible for some of the nobles to have a voice in the government by building the Palace of Versailles where he would be able to control more of the
First of all, I overshadowed many of Louis XIV’s accomplishments in the previous paragraph. His most important accomplishment is that he established France as a military power that could not be competed with until the French Revolution long after his death. Philip II of Spain created a rich and powerful nation that, for a time, was one, if not the most powerful country in the world. Even after Spain's humiliating defeat against England, the country remained a force to be reckoned with for years. At least when it comes to militaries, absolute monarchs are extremely useful. Four of the the five countries I analyzed (France, Spain, Prussia, and Russia) were all centers for art and literature too. Religious tolerance was a rarity in the 16 and 17 hundreds, but one to the few countries to have it was Prussia, and they had an absolute monarch. In conclusion, I believe that absolute monarchs generally bring more good than harm to their nations because of their support for the arts and their military and economic
Absolute monarchies were very dominant political systems during the age of absolutism. The aspect of an absolute monarchy that made it so successful was the complete control that each ruler was able to gain over the country. The dictionary definition of an absolute monarchy is when there is one ruler whom has total control without laws or a constitution to hold him back from giving any orders. This was a very helpful system for many of the rulers during the Age of Absolutism. During this time it was common for one person to be head of state however the rulers who took upon this political system were sometimes negatively affected. There were four main examples of rulers who affected their whole government negatively due to their absolute monarchy. These rulers were Louis XIV(the sun god), Peter the great the tsar of Russia, Charles I, and Philip II. These rulers were able to grow large empires through the ideas of a absolute monarchy. However, their empires were also weakened by absolutism because as enlightenment ideas came to the people they began to realize the unfairness going on. The people began to yearn for equality and started to revolt
In general, absolute monarchs developed their nations more than they harmed them. With Catherine the Great being a absolute monarch she did a lot for her country. Catherine ruled for a total of 34 years. During which she made good educated choices for her country. She was a patron of the arts because she believed it to be important and that is could build Russia a reputation as a center of civilization. She also built more schools for girls and boys. Catherine also write up the “Nakaz” declaring that every man be equal. She also worked to change the feudal system for people that were owned by landowner for life. These laws she wrote from the ideas of another absolute monarch. Catherine did many things for her country during her reign. By also winning wars to get new and more territory. Another absolute monarch that did a lot for their country was Peter the Great. Like Catherine he established a great nation. Peter built the up his army and made them better trained. Plus, he put the Russian orthodox church under his control. As well as reducing the power of the nobles. He gave power to his country with him as ruler. Overall, absolute rulers were better for their country because they knew what was wrong and knew how to fix it.
Louis was born in 1638 and had taken over as king at the young age of only four years old. When Louis took over as King he did not rule, he was king but was obviously to young to make decisions for 19 million people he was responsible for (Britannica). The person who made the decisions was Prime Minister Jules Cardinal Mazarin. While Mazarin made decision
Lavish, Luxurious, and Elaborate all describe this expensive, gold plated Palace. In order to express his wealth and power, King Louis XIV demanded Versailles to be built as a symbol of the authority he had over France and Europe. Although Versailles accurately portrayed such symbol, marked as “being one of the world’s most beautiful buildings, the palace of Versailles was also one of the most expensive” (“The Palace of Versailles”) and detrimental to France’s economy. Rich with its affluent history and culture, Versailles, stands as one of the most impactful contributors to the French Revolution.
His concept of royal authority was the divine right to rule absolute power. His declaration, “L’état, c’est moi” (“I am the State”) illustrated his status that God’s chosen regents cannot be bound to parliaments. However, he kept local authority loyal to him and satisfied by not limiting their power. He and his ministers supported financial privileges of local institutions. Louis consulted parlements with economic regulations before coming to conclusions that would affect them. Many regional parlements supported the monarch in this way. Louis clashed with Paris’ parlement and subsequently, he reduced the parlement’s power by placing the policy to register laws before questioning them; this is an example of his supremacy in the court. In the palace of Versailles, nobles struggled for sovereign favor than disputing in individual wars. His absolute monarchy stabilized France and centralized a strong government that would endure for many