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The reign of King Louis XIV
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The reign of King Louis XIV
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There is just something about Paris, France that draws in millions of visitors every year. Maybe it is the cobbled streets, or the picturesque cafes down small alleys, or perhaps it is the “love in the air”. In the City of Lights, there is just so much to do and explore. Millions of tourists flock to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower every year, but only a few miles away lies another jewel, a palace so magnificent the gods wept at its beauty. The Palace of Versailles is a stunning structure built by Louis XIV to glorify France during the 16th century, and it exudes French sophistication and extravagance. Louis spent years transforming a mediocre hunting lodge into a grandiose palace, perfecting every last detail. This opulent palace however, had its own secret agenda to lure the government out of Paris and into the Versailles under Louis’ watch. The beautiful 16th century Palace of Versailles alludes to the powerful rule of Louis XIV but it also serves as a gilded cage to his court, all while exemplifying French Baroque architecture and elegance.
The Palace of Versailles leads back to the regime of Louis XIV. Louis inherited the crown in 1643 at the young age of four, much too young to rule, especially in the midst of France’s chaos. Anne of Austria, his mother, and her Chief Minister, Cardinal Jules Mazarin, ruled on Louis’s behalf. Mazarin died in 1661,however, Louis took over with a revolutionary announcement: he would rule without a prime minister, thus all power will fall solely upon himself. He believed he was divinely appointed to lead France and used “L’Etat c’est moi” or “I am the State” as his motto. Louis chose the sun as his personal symbol of dominance, creating himself a legacy as the “Sun King” (History.com).
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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 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
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.
nation. In order to become a true absolute ruler Louis xiv needed to make sure
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.
This is known as divine right. King Louis XIV an earlier ruler before Louis XVI was a monarch that used this way to rule France. For, Louis XIV, the sun was his symbol of divine right. Apollo represented the Sun as the God of peace and was a heavenly body that gave life. “Like the Sun God, Louis XIV, the warrior hero, brought peace to his people; he protected the arts and dispensed all the graces” (History Court Characters, n.d). Being a monarch using your power of divine right isn’t bad cause in trying to harm your country, it is using your power in such a way to make life better for a nation. The Palace of Versailles was built to resemble this power “he insisted on the resemblance carved in stone: the decor of Versailles was filled with depictions and attributes of the god” (History Court Characters, n.d). When Louis XVI inherited the throne and resided in Versaille, it was not to live an aristocratic life, it was to show his divine right and resemble his ancestor Louis XIV “Sun King.” The Sun King represented peace and grace to his people. No harm was meant intentionally by his rule as
Machiavelli, Nicolo (1532) The Prince. In Peter Bondanella’s and Mark Musa’s (eds) The Portable Machiavelli. (pp. 77-166) New York, New York: Penguin Books.
5. Niccolo Machiavelli, Selected Political Writings: The Prince and The Discourses on Livy, Hackett Publishing Company, 1994.
When Louis the XIV began his rule in 1643, his actions immediately began to suggest and absolute dictatorship. Because of the misery he had previously suffered, one of the first things he did was to decrease the power of the nobility. He withdrew himself from the rich upper class, doing everything secretly. The wealth had no connection to Louis, and therefore all power they previously had was gone. He had complete control over the nobles, spying, going through mail, and a secret police force made sure that Louis had absolute power. Louis appointed all of his officials, middle class men who served him without wanting any power. Louis wanted it clear that none of his power would be shared. He wanted "people to know by the rank of the men who served him that he had no intention of sharing power with them." If Louis XIV appointed advisors from the upper classes, they would expect to gain power, and Louis was not willing to give it to them. The way Louis XIV ruled, the sole powerful leader, made him an absolute ruler. He had divine rule, and did not want to give any power to anyone other than himself. These beliefs made him an absolute ruler.
Versailles was a symbol of absolute monarchism. It was cut off, elaborate and expensive. An example of how cut off Louis XVI was from the rest of France is that he made a single excursion into provincial France and that was a trip to Cherbourg. Politicians these days cannot be seen to be cut off from the outside world and elitist. It is resented by the people. It may have been less resented in the 18th Century but there will always have been a few grumbles coming from certain factions relating to this. As already stated Versailles was expensive to run. People do not mind an expensive home for their King, President or Prime Minister if all is going well in their own country economically. However, as already shown France was not and people were living in desperation outside of Versailles. The vast inequalities between Versailles and provincial France were huge and in times of economic trouble. People become questionable about their leaders living in splendour when they are in
Brew, Charl Anne. “The language Of Stained-Glass Windows.” Arts & Activities, Oct. 2010: 30. Academic OneFile.
...ack, Jeremy. From Louis XIV to Napoleon: The Fate of a Great Power. London: UCL Press,
The Sun King, Louis XIV was only four years old when he succeeded his father to the French throne. Often not cared for, he nearly drowned because no one was watching him as he played near a pond. (The Sun King) This began to shape in his young mind, and gave him an early fear of God. Louis was also shaped by the French Civil War. In this, the Paris Parliament rose against the crown.
"Machiavelli: The Prince Chapter XVII." Machiavelli: The Prince: Chapter XVII. Trans. W. K. Marriott. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
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.