King Louis Xiv Essay

1144 Words3 Pages

“I am the state”, with a mere four words, King Louis XIV shook Europe’s very core. When discussing the greatest monarchs of all time, the debate begins with and ends with one name: Louis XIV. Coming into power at the early age of four, Louis XIV held a seventy-two-year long grip over France, advancing it into an age of prosperity and enlightenment. Under Louis’ rule, France became the most powerful nation in Europe and feudalism was almost non-existent as Louis maintained absolute control over France during his rule. Not only a military and political genius, “the sun king” was also an advocate of the arts. During his reign, Louis XIV ushered in a golden age of arts and music, going as far as establishing several institutes for the arts and …show more content…

His greatest endeavor involved transforming a royal hunting lodge in Versailles into one of the most opulent palaces of all time. He succeeded. Known famously as the palace of Versailles, it serves as a testament to the greatness that was King Louis XIV, the greatest monarch in history.
Born on September 5, 1638, to Louis XIII, King of France and his Hapsburg Queen, Anne of Austria, Louis XIV was the miraculous son to twenty-three years of childless marriage (History.com Staff, 2009 1). After his father’s untimely death on May 14, 1643, the four-year-old Louis XIV ascended to the throne. However, due to the emperor’s immature age, Louis XIV’s mother and Queen regent, Anne of Austria temporarily ruled over France alongside Cardinal Jules Mazarin, France’s chief minister and Louis’ godfather. Despite coming of age …show more content…

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

Show More
Related

  • Differences Between Louis Xiv And Peter The Great

    674 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Sun King Louis Xiv Dbq

    1280 Words  | 3 Pages

    Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, was an absolutist monarch of France who sought to heavily suppress the power of novels while simultaneously promoting the ideals of a “divine right monarchy”. A man notorious for his incredible spending on various personal ventures, such as the extremely costly construction of a new palace at Versailles, Louis XIV was often the subject of criticism and mockery, especially from the nobles who hoped to discredit him and his absolutist regime. Overall, Louis XIV did predominantly act in a manner with his own personal agenda in mind, as seen through his Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, occurring as a result of his desire to have his country fall in line with his own beliefs, his unrelenting expenditures

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast French Absolutism

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Comparing King Louis XIV of France and King Philip II of Spain

    478 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Duc De Saint-Simon: King Louis XIV Of France

    511 Words  | 2 Pages

    He moved his court because he did not feel safe in Paris and could watch over his court officials due to living so close to one another. This piece certainly provides evidence of what Louis himself valued, but perhaps these attributes are needed to effectively rule with absolutism. Throughout this entire document, the author is implying how great Louis is as a person and an effective ruler. He even goes to list his issues: “All his faults were produced by his surroundings...soon found out his weak point, namely, his love of hearing his own praises” (Saint-Simon). Louis cared deeply regarding his personal image and these weaknesses do not seem that drastic, but according to him, “It was this love of praise which made it easy for Louvois to engage him in serious wars” (Saint-Simon). The text gives historians information about Louis’ love-affair with Mademoiselle de la Valliere, compelling his courtiers to spend more than they earned creating a dependency, and other interesting details regarding his life that are excluded in textbooks. Overall, this document provides a deeper insight to King Louis XIV personality and justifications for why he chose the actions he did. Duc de Saint-Simon, someone that resided at the Palace of Versailles, can provide information about a man that ruled with an iron fist over his

    Read More

  • Peter the Great and Louis XIV and Absolutism

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    Louis XIV of France used his grand and gaudy Palace of Versailles as a “pleasure prison” for the nobles while Peter the Great sent all of his nobles to St. Petersburg – both of these actions made it difficult for nobles to rebel. In France, Louis XIV ridiculed the nobility by sending them to the Palace of Versailles and busying them with silly little jobs and knit-picky rituals. He gave them these useless jobs to prevent them from ban...

    Read More

  • Louis XIV and Peter The Great

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    nation. In order to become a true absolute ruler Louis xiv needed to make sure

    Read More

  • Absolute Monarchy in Different Empires Throughout History

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • King Louis Xiv Essay

    1432 Words  | 3 Pages

    Louis XIV was an absolute monarch in France from 1643 to 1715. His father died when he was just four years old, making Louis XIV the throne’s successor at a very young age. Because of this, he ruled for seventy-two years, which made him “the longest monarch to rule a major country in European history” (Eggert). But it was when he was twenty-three years old when he decided to rule without a prime minister, believing it was his divine right. Translated by Louis de Rouvroy, Duc de Saint-Simon, the author of the book The Memoirs of Louis XIV:

    Read More

  • The Most Successful Absolute Monarch in Europe was Louis XIV of France

    1549 Words  | 4 Pages

    Of all the absolute rulers in European history, Louis XIV of France was the most powerful, and the best example because of his successes, being able to continue his complete control even after failures, his ability to be able to use France’s money in any way he wanted, such as the Place of Versailles, taking away the nobles power, and his ability to delegate impotant jobs to smart yet loyal people.

    Read More

  • The Palace of Versailles and the Absolutism of Louis XIV

    1705 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • King Louis Xiv Research Paper

    1292 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • King Louis XIV: A Disastrous Ruler

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    King Louis XIV's 72 year reign was incredibly influential in shaping French history. King Louis XIV’s childhood was traumatic because of “La Fronde” which was a noble rebellion against the monarchy. This experience taught King Louis XIV to distrust the nobles. It was for this reason that he eventually excluded nobility from the council and surrounded himself with loyal ministers whom he could control. He also separated the aristocracy from the people of France by moving the court to the Palace of Versailles. One of the most notable of King Louis XIV’s decisions was that he refused to appoint another Prime Minister after the death of Prime Minister Mazarin. Every decision, from the declaration of war to the approval of a passport, went through him personally. During his reign as king, France participated in several wars including the War of Devolution, in Anglo-Dutch War, and the War of the Spanish Succession. Another major action he took was the proclamation of the Edict of Fontainebleau, which revoked the Edict of Nantes, imposing religious uniformity through Catholi...

    Read More

  • The Absolute Monarchy Of France In The 17th Century

    731 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Taking a Look at the Palace of Versailles

    1325 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about King Louis Xiv Essay

Open Document