Louis 14: A Brief Biography Of King Louis XIV

Still, the negative aspects of France’s rule under King Louis XIV far outweigh the positive ones. His reign can best be described by the statement “L’état, c’est moi,” (I am the state) that is attributed to him. King Louis XIV spent state money to pay for his own luxuries and monuments that glorified his image. It was also customary for the artists King Louis XIV sponsored to include direct or indirect allusions to him in their productions thus creating a god-like image of him. The Palace of Versailles alone used 5% of France’s income. This liberal

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.

When he was nearly five years old, King Louis XIV acquired the throne of France, one of the most powerful states in Europe at the time, although Louis’ intention was to expand this supremacy further than any antecedent king had before. Directed by Cardinal Mazarin for the first 18 years of his rule, King Louis XIV developed an affinity for absolutism early on, a form which he would pursue in almost every aspect of his life, begetting consequences that both harmed and benefited him. His title as “The Sun King” became synonymous with autocrat, especially when Cardinal Mazarin died, leaving a young Louis with the reigns to France. Over the span of his 72-year reign, King Louis XIV brought about governmental reform, triumphed in wars, and established his royal estate Versailles, each of which, among others, provided their own challenges and defined Louis’ reign and character as perceived by those around him and abroad. Every aspect of Louis’ rule has been interpreted deeply, exposing faults in some while revealing strengths in others, creating an imbalance of accomplishment which has produced debate over Louis’ overall success in his role as the King of France. However, King Louis XIV’s susceptibility to flattery and immoral persuasion, paired with his personal motivations and immoral decision-making, deem him an inadequately educated monarch who fell vastly short of ideal, for the entirety of his monarchy ultimately left France deprived of resources and its people impoverished.

Louis XIV was crowned king of France at the age of four, but it was Cardinal Richelieu who was entrusted with governing France until Louis was ready to take control. When Cardinal Richelieu died when Louis was twenty three, Louis expressed his readiness and his determination to become the

Through Louis XIV wars his people groups economy was backing off and getting to be distinctly poor, so that left his kin to not need him any longer. During his time a head he cleared out a positive foundation and a legacy of the French Empire. Lord Louis was known as the most effective leader of his time.

Louis XIV became the ruler of France in 1643. Louis is the best example of an Absolute Monarch in the 17th- 18th century. He Was known for his particularly aggressive foreign policies, for example he invaded the Spanish Netherlands because he believed it belonged to his wife. No one had any say over him. Alternatively, Under the Queen Elizabeth, England experienced a generally positive era filled with expansion and exploration.

Although Louis XIV, also known as Louis the Great, brought death and destruction through his wars, there are many positive aspects of his reign, such as the creation of Versailles and the building of France’s national army. He did what had never been done before. He changed the lifestyle and the attitude of France by creating one of the most powerful monarchies ever to be built and at the same time, reassured all the nobility and other wealthy groups of their political and social standings. He made it clear that he was the final decision maker yet he still needed the help of the nobility and other authorities.

The wars lasted until 1653. In 1661, Mazarin passed, and at age 23, Louis XIV took power of the government, marking the beginning of a period. Louis would rule alone, only asking advice at his discretion (Judge 2). He approached his rule with the beliefs that the functions and duty of a king were to wage war and secure recognition of his glory, and he soon proved that the King was to be absolute, adopting the name “the Sun King” in tying himself to the God Apollo (Judge 16). He inherited this absolutism, the claim to rule by divine right and based off of monarchical authority. Absolute monarchs were not limited; they controlled all competing interest groups, regulated all religious sects, kept the law and armed forces under exclusive control, and dominance was often established through the threat of punishment and violence. An absolute monarch was responsible to God alone (Lossky

King Louis XVI was king from 1774 until 1792. King Louis XVI became king due to his father death 1765. He was the last Bourbon family member to be king. In 1770, King Louis XVI married Marie-Antoinette. King Louis XVI was born August 23, 1754, in the castle of Versailles. His birth name was Louis Auguste de France. He was son of Louis, Dauphin of France and grandson of Louis XV. His mother was Marie-Josephe of Saxony. She was the daughter of Frederick Augustus II of Saxony who is also the King of Poland. Louis Auguste grew up very healthy and strong, he was also very shy. He was educated by a French nobleman and study religion and humanities. He surpassed in many different subjects such as Latin, history, geography, and astronomy. He also achieved fluency in Italian and English. With him being so

Louis XIV is described as an absolute monarch because he did everything himself pretty much. He centralized all taxation, justice, and military under his own authority. Louis XIV had a lot of accomplishments as a ruler. His monarchy was held for the longest time ever in European history, which was a little less than 73 years. He also put in policies on domestic and foreign affairs. He also established many different centers for artistic studies. Although Louis didn’t have many real challenges, some challenges that he left for his country was leaving it bankrupt

To began with, the factor that pushed Louis XIV to push his belief of “one king, one law, and one faith” was the Fronde. The Fronde was a twelve-year civil war between the monarchy and the nobles who were fed up with their treatment under Louis XIII. After this war ended, young Louis XIV claimed, “I will never be a straw king.” By this he meant that he will become a strong leader and find out ways to control the nobles. Furthermore, Louis succeeds in establishing himself as “one king” by spending his money on his palace, Versailles, where he orders the nobles

Louis XIV's power in France actually led France into a lot of success initially. France was the dominating power in Europe up until the early 18th century when the treaty of Eutrich was signed. Although France was the European powerhouse, Louis did some stupid things in his time of rule. He had absolute power over his country and never forgot the noble Fronde that tried to take his power, so he locked up the nobles in Versailles and didn't allow them to leave. Also when building the palace of Versailles, Louis spent a large sum of the country's total revenue on the construction. Along with bad choices from his advisors, many Huguenots were sent out of the country leaving a hole for skilled workers that could not be filled and the crown lost

His name was Louis XIV also known as “Louis the Great” or “Sun King”. He was the monarch of the House of Bourbon. His country, France, is a catholic country after the biggest fight of religious war. France is an absolute monarchy. Louis XIII the father of Louis XIV established

Some people think that King Louis XIV did more harm to France than good. They cite his lack of moderation in managing his money. They also point out that Louis denied religious liberties to the Protestants of France and tightened control over his Roman Catholic subjects by revoking the Edict of Nantes. They also claim Louis’ war efforts were very costly and drained the treasury of France. Some say his arrogance, including his emblem of the “Sun King”, turned “his” people away from him. They think that Louis only cared about himself and what he wanted and didn’t think about future France.

Louis XIV was charitable. He did open a veterans’ hospital in 1670 to house ex-soldiers. He opened academies for dance, inscriptions, sciences, architecture and music. These academies set standards for taste. He annexed valuable land such as Flanders and Franche-Comte. Louis’ decision to suppress the Protestant religion can be seen as a political move to join France under one religion and to build national unity.