How Did King Louis XIV Of France Present Himself As An Absolute Monarch?

Louis XIV is one of the most famous examples of an absolute ruler. Louis had a complete control over his country. Louis’s father had died leaving France in a civil war. Louis XIV obtained power after his father died and through hatred over the nobility that threatened his life and his mothers, though Cardinal Mazarin ruled until Louis XIV took power after Mazarin’s death. He vowed he would never be so weak that he could not have power. Louis XIV was an absolute ruler of France he centralized government, military powers, taxation, and further weakened aristocracy to become a more powerful ruler.

In the 17th century, the European world entered the age of absolutism. An absolutist is one who has complete and unrestricted power or absolute authority in a government (Merriam-Webster). Louis XIV and Peter the Great were both famous absolute monarchs in Europe. One thing I did read was how similar Peter the Great and Louis XIV were as well as both being such incredible leaders. Although both of these rulers came to power when they were very young and were able to do incredible things during their time, from my point of view I believe that Louis XIV was the best example of an absolutist. Although during his time Louis XIV was one of the most disfavored kings in France, he is now viewed as one of

After suppressing revolts by the Fronde in 17th century France, King Louis XIV had become the supreme ruler of the country. Without any challenges to his power, he was able to practice absolutism, which is the concentration of power and symbolic authority in royal hands. With this power Louis XIV had many great achievements in France. He improved the tax system, religion, trading, and court life.1 Jean Domat was a juror who was supported by the king himself. He dedicated his life to explain and justify the importance of the role of absolutism in French society. The culmination of this work can be found in his legal digest, On Social Order and Absolute Monarchy. Many interesting ideas about the theory of absolutism can be found in his writings. It explains the essential environment for absolutism, defines the origin and necessity of government, and demonstrates the duties of the sovereign.

During the XVII century, most of the European countries were ruled by more or less absolute Monarchy. Born in 1638, Louis XIV will have the longest reign out of all French ruler ( 72 years). A few years later, while Louis XIV’s reign was at his apogee, another important ruler of this era get to the throne: Peter the Great. Both of these rulers, known for being an absolute monarch, have been influenced by the traumatic event of their childhood. For Louis XIV, it was the insurrection of the nobility against the royal power, known as the Fronde; Forced to flee Paris, he will hold a grudge against this feudal power . As for Peter The Great, it was the rebellion led by his step-sister, after the death of his brother with whom he ruled as Tsar, that will influence his way of ruling the kingdom.

Louis XIV turned France around from an unorganized feuding country to one of the most organized, powerful, innovative monarchies in Europe. In addition, he managed to advance civil equality among the people by turning all the people into his loyal subjects (Norton, p.175). How did he do all this? The armed forces that had formerly been a private enterprise who had been fighting against each other or had hired themselves out for payment, was taken over and consolidated into one entity fighting, by the king for the king. He made war an activity of the state which produced peace and order in France while strengthening the fighting power of France against other states (Norton, p.175). In addition, he put soldiers in uniform, taught them how to march in step and housed them in barracks which assisted them in becoming more susceptible to discipline and control (Norton, p.175). There was now a hierarchy in place and was able to get a greater degree of government control that put him on the top as the commander in chief of the army due to his power and the creation of the first large civilian administration (Norton, p.176). This was the first time that ministers of war consisted of civilians and this grew the armies power exponentially. Louis XIV also overhauled the grandeur of France when he took an old village Versailles and turned it into the palace of Versailles that became known as one of the most splendid marvels in Europe so much so, that it became the envy of lessor kings.

Of all the absolute rulers in Europe, by far the best example of one, and the most powerful, was Louis XIV of France. Although Louis had some failures, he also had many successes. He controlled France’s money and had many different ways to get, as well as keep his power, and he knew how to delegate jobs to smart, but loyal people.

During 1789 and decades prior, peasants toil in the fields and reap the diminishing wheat stalks. Bound by the law set by the king, they suffered paying the nobility’s and clergy’s expenses with whatever income they had. When not in desperate poverty, the Third Estate would muster any energy to exert disdain to their king, indifferent behind palace walls. With Voltaire's and Rousseau's conceptions, commoners imagined a government where the nation was in potency, not the monarch. Yet, King Louis XVI taunts this bubbling tension by claiming these privileges were well-deserved, insinuating that his people were literal breadwinners, obligated to pay tribute. With high tax rates, a radical government where the people were free of ridicule circulated

For my source I chose a note written by King louis XVI. This Source is commonly called “the kings note on fleeing Paris”. King Louis the sixteenth was a very well-known king from the mid to late 1700’s and was the king of France. He was able to complete several huge accomplishments such as establishing equal rights amongst religion for those who did not personally consider themselves to be a member of the catholic faith, supporting American revolutionary efforts, and even refusing to raise taxes which, as a king, directly affected how much he earned from his time with the crown. However, because of these things like funding other countries revolutions, he sent France into a depressed financial state that hurt the middle and lower classes of

King Louis XIV was born on September 5, 1638 in a place called Saint-Germaine-en-Laye, France (Louis XIV Biography). Louis XIV became King of France in 1643 and he began to reform France and make changes to France. Louis XIV ideology was the ideology of an absolute monarch. Louis XIV believed that all kings ruled by divine right. He believed that God gave him the authority to rule France. He believed he was the French state and that he should be in complete control. Cardinal Richelieu was a man who helped guide Louis XIV when he became king. Richelieu pushed for absolutism and Catholicism when Louis was King. Richelieu also made sure that Catholicism remained strong in France. Cardinal Jules Mazarin was a man who took over after Richelieu and one who Louis listened to very dearly. Mazarin told Louis to “Distrust everyone”. Mazarin told Louis to keep his ideas to himself and to keep everything secret. King Louis XIV had a group of people or a “Cabinet” that Louis trusted. Mazarin told Louis that there were two ways to achieve glory. One was to build a large and expensive palace and another way was to increase your countries territory. King Louis XIV built a huge palace called “The Palace of Versailles”. Louis’ palace was very beautiful inside and outside and he spent millions of dollars of this palace. Inside, gold was everywhere, gorgeous pictures and paintings were on the walls. Louis XIV was referred to as the “Sun King” because Louis stated “I am the state”. Louis said

King Louis XIV was known as the Sun King “source of light for all his people.”

Louis VII was a Capetian King of the Franks from 1137 until his death. He was the son and successor of King Louis IV of France, or most commonly known as Louis the Fat. He was married to Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe.

My monarch, King Louis XIV, deserves the title of most absolute monarch more than any monarch because of his many superior accomplishments. King Louis was the catalyst for economic growth in France during his 72 year reign. With the help of Jean Baptiste Colbert, he was able to make France self-sufficient. France was able to make anything it needed, which kept more money in their economy. He supported the economy even more by giving French companies tax benefits while putting tariffs on any imported products. At the same time, he encouraged his citizens to move to Canada, which was a French territory, to jump start the fur trading market.

He reigned in France for 72 years, and during 54 of them he personally controlled the French government. The 17th century is labeled as the age of Louis XIV. Since then his rule has been hailed as the supreme example of absolutism government. He epitomized the ideal of kingship. During his reign France stabilized and became one of the strongest powers in Europe.

The era known as the Baroque period includes the seventeenth and most of the eighteenth centuries in Europe. The Baroque style was a style in which the art and artists of the time focused upon details and intricate designs. Their art often appeals to the mind by way of the heart. During this time the portraits began to portray modern life, and artists turned their backs on classical tradition. Much of the art shows great energy and feeling, and a dramatic use of light, scale, and balance (Preble 302). Buildings were more elaborate and ornately decorated. These works of art created history and altered the progress of Western Civilization. Architecture such as the palace of Versailles, and artists like

The reign of Louis XIV was the longest of the modern era, and during his time, France reached remarkable achievements in art and architecture, such as the Palace of Versailles. Louis XIV was responsible for creating the lavish complex that was filled with Baroque interiors and surrounded by French and English gardens. In its later years, it was further renovated for other kings then given to the Republic for public use. Through its elaborate ornamentation and massive scale, the Palace of Versailles represents the glory of the Sun King and expresses the power of the French monarchy.