Similarities Between Elizabeth I And King Louis Xiv

of the most notable monarchs to ever rule in Europe have been Queen Elizabeth I and King Louis XIV. Elizabeth I was Queen of England and Ireland from November 17, 1558 up until her passing in 1603. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, the childless Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. Louis XIV, also known as Louis the Great or Sun King, was a monarch of the House of Bourbon who ruled as King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His time in power of 72 years and 110 days is the lengthiest of any monarch of a major country in European history. A monarch may exercise the most and highest authority in the state or others may wield that power on behalf of the monarch. They were both powerful, but exercised their

power differently. Queen Elizabeth I practiced constitutional monarchy, this is when the governing powers of the monarch are restricted by the terms of a constitution. On the other hand King Louis XIV practiced absolute monarchy, where the monarch’s power is unlimited among his or her people, since he successfully increased the influence of the crown and its authority over the church and aristocracy. Both rulers also saw the citizens play different roles in shaping the government. Queen Elizabeth saw them as her children; she took care of them and supplied them with what they needed. While King Louis saw them as peasants; everything revolved around him hence the fact that he called himself the Sun King.
Queen Elizabeth I was seen as charismatic and as a protector of the people.

Elizabeth was praised as a heroine of the Protestant cause and the ruler of a golden age. She took the citizens of England under her wings and nurtured them by providing for them and taking care of them. By reading the documents provided, which include different speeches and letters; we can see how she and King Louis had different views on how to control their respective countries and how they saw citizens’ role on shaping the country. In the “Speech to the Troops at Tilbury”, by Elizabeth to the land forces assembled at Tilbury (Essex) to repel the anticipated invasion of the Spanish Armada, it is clear that she cares about the people, or at least tries to be persuasive to remain with the crown. In this speech she acts humble and loving to her nation and its citizens. She stated that she will live and die amongst them in the heat of battle and the she will lay down for her God, for her kingdom, and her people, her honor and her blood, even in the dust.” Although Queen Elizabeth I was considered to be a weak monarch in terms of war (she was peaceful), this speech really got the people going, and she said that she will reward everyone off the virtues shown in the field. The queen wants to make the people happy and make them like her. In Elizabeth’s I “Farewell Speech” in 1601, she mentions that her duty is to make her citizens happy and wants to see them prosper. In other words she states that

she is an instrument of God sent to make her people content. While King Louis XIV sees himself as an instrument sent by God to be hailed by the people; he wanted the nation to please him. Both of these rulers are Divine right monarchs, this means that they believed they were placed on Earth by God in order to rule.
On the other hand, King Louis XIV was a stronger ruler than Elizabeth in the sense that he was an absolute monarch, like I stated earlier, he became one of the most powerful French monarchs.

During Louis's reign, France was the leading European power and it fought three major wars. In the document written by Jean Domat, it is stated how King Louis XIV governed France. He wanted citizens to be submissive and obedient to the government, “since God himself established it”. This document also states that each individual owes obedience to the laws, even the unjust ones. This is a type of monarchy that would translate to a communist dictatorship nowadays. King Louis XIV believed that he as the head of the country was taking the place of God. Louis XIV tried to keep power by being authoritative and creating fear on the citizens, while Elizabeth kept power by being likeable to the people. In the “Memoirs of Louis XIV, His Court, and His Regency” it states how the king treated the nobles like servants and how they had to wait in line for a mere chance of getting to speak to him. In the Letter to his Heir, which doesn’t only provide practical advice for the king’s heir; it also provides us with insight into royal attitudes and priorities. In this letter the King explains how all his secretaries of state, chancellor, and Controller had to go through him and receive his command. When Louis XIV was in his deathbed he advised his heir with these words, "Do not follow the bad

example which I have set you; I have often undertaken war too lightly and have sustained it for vanity. Do not imitate me, but be a peaceful prince, and may you apply yourself principally to the alleviation of the burdens of your subjects” (Philippe de Dangeau's Journal). He did not want his heir to be like him, Louis XIV wanted him to be peaceful and be better to the citizens of France. Louis took all the power away from the church, to acquire absolute power. He imposed his religion, Catholicism, to his nation, while Queen Elizabeth I was relatively tolerant and avoided systematic persecution regarding religion.
In conclusion, both Queen Elizabeth I and King Louis XIV had different views on what was the role of the citizens in shaping the state. Because of this, they ruled their respective countries differently. Elizabeth I was persuasive with her nation, she wanted the citizens to like her and them to be happy with how she ruled. On the other hand Louis XIV was authoritative and believed that the citizens should be submissive to him and abide by all of his rules, no matter if they were unjust rules. After all, they were both going for the same goal; to keep the crown. Although Louis IV and Elizabeth I both did it with different styles of ruling, they both ruled for lots of years until their death.