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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
a lot of money. Louis spent too much on unnecessary things which then harmed the country. In 2018 in the US people are allowed to practice whatever religion they want, however during this time, King Louis was able to make laws to prevent this. He was determined to make France entirely one religion and stop people from practicing other religions. He disregarded the Edict of Nantes which allowed people so practice Prostatism. King Louis XIV was a bad Monarch because he did more harm than good for his country. At his death he left his country moneyless. There was little to do so he virtually set them up for failure. He also failed to recognize the citizens wants and needs, further harming the country.
Louis had a controller of general finances named Colbert, and he “reduced the annual treasury deficit by economies and more equitable, efficient taxation, although tax exemptions for the nobility, clergy, and some members of the bourgeoisie continued. Louis led many military attacks and wars to expand his territory and build up his economy. He started to tax the people and use this money to build palaces and other architectural structures. Louis added nobles to his army so they would not think that their power was declining. This also helped to strengthen his army and thus he led several military attacks to build his state. In the War of “Devolution (1667-1668) he claimed that those provinces had "devolved" by succession to his Spanish wife rather than to her half brother Charles II, who had inherited the Spanish crown.” By doing this, he received some valuable towns, and this helped to expand his territory. But Louis did not always win battles, there were a few times where his army was defeated. In 1683, Colbert died and several disasters happened thereafter. After several defeats, Louis XIV decided to settle down to a more “sedate
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
Much like Britain and their need for money, King Louis XVI needed money due to causing France to become bankrupt with his costly
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.
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
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 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.
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
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.
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...
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.
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