Comparing Elizabeth I And Louis XIV

Elizabeth I of England (r. 1558-1603) and Louis XIV of France (r. 1638-1715) both had profound impact upon their states. The emergence of English absolutism under Elizabeth introduced a phase of religious uniformity, military moderation, and cultural grandeur. In France, Louis effectively utilized his power to create a state utterly unified and subordinate to him, leading to his success as a monarch. Although the policies of Elizabeth I and Louis XIV differed concerning the finances of their states and dealings with foreign affairs, they both ultimately managed to a achieve a powerful, centralized rule, illustrated by the enforcement of religious uniformity, and resulting in a flourishing of the arts and sciences.
Despite differences

in their dealings with military affairs, both rulers managed to develop a cohesive absolutist state. Louis tended to be largely militaristic, abolishing the Colonel General of Infantry, allowing him to exercise direct control over the troops. He also introduced a draft, and enforced order and discipline within his troops (Chartrand). Louis waged multiple wars, including the War of Devolution, the Franco-Dutch War, and the War of Spanish Succession (Sommerville). Louis “primarily aimed at expanding French territory by force of arms. He thought in this way to acquire glory” (Sommerville). Though his conquests laid a significant financial debt upon the French people, the wars ultimately were a success in that he achieved his goal of glorifying France and establishing himself as a force with which to be reckoned with (Bio.com). This was the first time France truly rose to a position of superiority within Europe, making Louis’s military conquests central to the effectiveness of his rule and the success of his nation as a whole. Elizabeth took a much less aggressive approach to military affairs, preferring to stay out of war if possible. While Elizabeth did slightly enlarge and strengthen the English navy from 24 to 36 vessels, she did not fund a standing army, and only utilized her small navy when it was absolutely necessary for the security of the country, exemplified primarily by her crushing defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1558 (Alchin). Elizabeth’s lack of military involvement aided her in staying out of major wars while still keeping England itself secure, an important part of her role as a monarch. The moderation of Elizabeth and the militarism of Louis both contributed to the power of their states and the effectiveness of their rules.
Elizabeth focused on reducing her country’s debt and only making minor changes to England’s economic system, while Louis lavishly overspent and changed the financial priorities of France with the help of Colbert. Both helped their respective states. When she came to power, Elizabeth “inherited a difficult financial situation and a debt of £227,000. Over £100,000 of this was owed to the Antwerp Exchange who charged an interest rate of 14%” (Trueman). Elizabeth worked hard to reduce this debt by cutting spending on the army and removing “the sin of usury,” allowing her to borrow from within the nation, supporting internal growth. This ultimately would allow Elizabeth to reduce the English debt immensely, and supported England’s economic welfare as a whole (Trueman). Liberation from debt was one way in which Elizabeth succeeded in effectively managing her country. Conversely, Louis chose to spend excessively on his wars and on the palace at Versailles, which put him in immense debt but aided him in establishing a successful absolutist regime. This debt was in spite Colbert’s economic reforms within France, which modernized the French economy by introducing mercantilism but did not contribute significantly to the removal of the debt (Ganse). As previously mentioned, despite the economic burden placed on France by Louis’s wars, France managed to achieve a position of European prominence through them. In Versailles, considered one of Louis’s greatest achievements, Louis used his sovereign authority and influence to move all nobility to this place of grandeur (Bio.com). The benefit Versailles gave to Louis as both a symbolic display of his absolute authority and influence, as well as a literal centralization of French nobility, seems to outweigh the economic strife caused by the millions spent on it. Overall, the economic policy of both monarchs benefited their states, though not in the same ways.
The introduction of religious uniformity to their states was a major way both rulers demonstrated their absolute authority.

Louis’s method for this was to forcibly remove all Protestants from France. He did this through the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Written in twelve articles, this essentially banned Protestant worship, abolished Protestant churches, prevented Protestant emigration, and took away Protestants’ right to work (Robinson). This had adverse effects on the French economy due to the alienation of the industrious Huguenots. The removal of the Huguenots hurt France, but to Louis, establishing France as an exclusively Catholic state was essential in his plans for his rule, and ultimately it helped unify France in its customs. Elizabeth differed from this in that rather than abolishing one religion and forcing another, she sought to unify Protestantism and Catholicism into one faith, regulated and controlled by herself. The Act of Supremacy and the Act of Uniformity passed by Elizabeth are what instituted this. The Act of Supremacy dictated that Elizabeth have “ultimate control of the Church of England,” and receive the title “Supreme Governor of the Church in England” (elizabethi.org). The Act of Uniformity united Catholic practice with Protestant doctrine. “The Prayer books of Edward VI were fused into one, and were to be used in every church in the land. Church attendance on Sundays and holy days was made compulsory, with a twelve pence fine to be

collected if people did not attend, the money to be given to the poor” (elizabethi.org). This obligatory church participation, though criticized by Puritans and Catholics alike, aided in unifying England (Manning). With one church subordinate to the ruler and not multiple churches following various beliefs, Elizabeth was able to display her supreme status as Queen. Both Louis and Elizabeth successfully used religion as a tool for unifying their states, despite internal consequences that came as a result.
An effect of the solidification of these states was a proliferation of the arts and scientific advancement.

As a result of minimal internal conflict coupled with renaissance thought, people within England found themselves free to enjoy and produce plays, as well as develop scientifically. William Shakespeare, widely considered the greatest playwright of all time, emerged during this period. Elizabeth particularly enjoyed his work (Rowse). His plays, more sophisticated than anything that preceded him, reflected the development of society as a whole (Rowse). Scientifically, the work of Sir Francis Bacon and Dr. John Dee made leaps and bounds. Francis Bacon developed an early form of the empirical scientific method, based on induction. Dr. John Dee translated the works of the Greek mathematician Euclid and wrote the Mathematical Preface, suggesting a system for the sciences based on math. He also applied his knowledge of Euclidean geometry to help the Royal Navy (Rowse). The advancement of playwriting and scientific thought is a crowning achievement of Elizabeth’s reign. In France, Louis also directly supported the arts and sciences. He established a school of art for painting and sculpture, as well as a school of science, both in Paris (Sommerville). Louis appreciated theatre and attended many ballets, especially those by Lully. French playwrights emerged such as Racine (galegroup.com). Italian Baroque sculpture and painting was prominent in France and

exhibited at Versailles (metmuseum.org). Louis, through the personal promotion of the arts, cultivated an environment to encourage artistic development and growth within France. Both Elizabeth and Louis were lovers of art and promoters of science, which was enabled by the stability maintained within their states.
The impact of both Elizabeth I and Louis XIV were monumental for their countries. Louis’s ushering in an absolutist state centralized French government and reduced tension with nobility, giving him ultimate authority over France. In England, the fusing of Catholicism and Protestantism provided national unity within the church, the lack of an army helped Elizabeth reduce her nation’s debt, and her achievements as a monarch were coupled with the thriving of English drama and science. Despite contrasting views on military affiliation and financial management, Louis and Elizabeth both achieved their goals in that they managed to solidify their states and rule effectively, displayed by the introduction of religious uniformity, and culminating in a period of artistic and scientific greatness.