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The reign of King Louis XIV
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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. During his reign as ruler of France, King Louis spent large amounts of money on protecting and expanding the natural borders of France. He spared no expense in building up an army which would
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
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 the two kings had many differences their militaries were surprisingly similar. They both had military troops that guarded and walked around the palace. The kings’ military was not only used for protection but also for spreading their beliefs and ideals. Their military was alert and ready to protect if there was to be an attack on the palace. King Louis XIV and Philip II both would have enough troops to go to war and express their thoughts but also enough to protect the palace.
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 finance the wars, taxation had to be raised, and everyone including the nobility had to pay (they used to be an exempt). Nearing the end of King Louis’s reign, France was bankrupt, resulting the people of the state to be at odds with their king. “France’s resources and finances were ultimately drained, leading King Louis and the state of France in debt, which made the people turn against him” (Eggert). Regardless, when it came to the arts, his rule as an absolute monarch has led him to contribute so much in various branches of creative activity today. Comparing the given examples, his use of the arts was one of the most important ways King Louis XIV introduced and glorified his rule as an absolute monarch to his people.
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
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.
He also was able to get an easy supply of taxes and soldiers under his new and improved French government. Before he could get very far, however, he had to gain public favor and shape the public opinion. To do this he used reforms of propaganda and thus caused people to think that they were getting the better end of the deal, but were actually, subconsciously giving Napoleon their approval for his actions. Among some of the methods he used for propaganda included getting all of the printers and book sellers to swear an oath to Napoleon and all newspapers fell under state control, so Napoleon gained access to almost everything that the citizens of France were able to read. Many of the gains from the French Revolution were kept, such as equality before the law, and careers open to talent.
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.
This is one other example of the apparent successes. of the liberal approach that Louis adopted. However, this only causes governments and the public to be torn in two directions while the king remains in the middle of the problem, which means he leaves himself isolated and open to criticism when a problem arises. In conclusion, Louis XVIII was successful in dealing with economic and external problems because this did not affect any different factions. it was a benefit to the whole nation.
King Louis XIV was not a very favorable King. According to Britannica Academic In 1685 King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in order to create an orderly society. The Edict was originally passed in 1595 by Louis’s grandfather (Henry IV) which granted religious freedoms to French Huguenots. King Louis XIV also ordered the destruction of Huguenot churches and schools. King Louis forced the Huguenots to undergo baptism and exiled all Huguenot preachers if they refused to renounce their faith. King Louis XIV held the idea of “one king, one law, one faith”. King Louis XIV put France into many wars, wars tend to be very pricy, but some advisors thought military glory was the foundation of French Power Louis tried to balance the two, though it is a contradictory position since military preparedness is very expensive. Which did not work every well. King Louis’s wars ended up lasting most of the end of the 17 century and involved most of the major European powers. One of the wars was the “War of Devolution which was in 1667-1668) the war was then King Louis XIV invaded the Spanish Netherlands. King Louis beat the Spanish but he was forced to make peace with the British, Swedish and the Dutch Republic. King Louis also started the “ The Dutch war which lasted from 1672-1678”, “The Nine Year’s of War that lasted from 1688-1697” and “ The War of the Spanish Succession that lasted from 1701- 1714”. This war