Louis Xii's Decree Francois Decree

It is often debated whether or not the reign of King Louis XIV had a positive or negative effect on France. Although there were improvements during his reign in transportation, culture, and national defense, there were far more negative aspects. He depleted the national treasury with his liberal spending on personal luxuries and massive monuments. His extreme fear of the loss of power led to poor decision making, which caused the court to be of lower quality. King Louis XIV’s disastrous rule brought about a series of effects that influenced the French Revolution in the following century.

The lifestyle in France, just like in all other European countries, has changed dramatically since the early 1700’s. People went from farmers to factory owners to all of the professions of today’s society. The main reason for the great changes in lifestyle that occurred in France was the Industrial Revolution, which urbanized most of France. But the Industrial Revolution was not the only thing that changed France. The monarchy fell the church changed, and the role people had in their jobs and family life change drastically.

In 1685, Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes and put the Edict of Fontainebleau in its place. Because of this document, all religious toleration for Huguenots (previously allowed by the Edict of Nantes) was no longer allowed, leaving them with two options: convert to Catholicism or leave France. Through this law, Louis achieved national religious unity.

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.

The 16th and 17th centuries brought up the proposition of an absolute monarch, this is a ruler with total power over a country or territory. The idea of kings being chosen by God, or the divine right of kings, lead to absolutism, which was seen throughout Europe. Monarchs could be tyrants, they could take away the rights of their citizens. Monarchs could also be prosperous, improving their country economically, military, or gaining foreign alliances. Europe's absolute monarchs left the 16th and 17th centuries prosperous due to the fewer conflicts, the morals of monarchs, and everybody had an equal chance at upward-mobility.

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

In the late eighteenth to the early nineteenth century, France was undergoing major changes. Before the French Revolution, France was experiencing political, social and economic problems. During this time period France was unstable, and wasn’t able to keep up with the new arising Enlightenment ideas. In addition, there were high taxes, unequal power distribution and social inequality. The French Revolution not only impacted the citizens of France, but people from other countries as well.

Old English dates back to approximately the year 700. If you go back even farther, Dutch, German and old English can all be traced back to the same source. French had a large impact on the English language during the medieval centuries primarily because England was ruled by the upper class that spoke French. English today has spread across the globe. People around the world will adapt English into their own cultural practices.

To begin with, the French production method that outdated towards other countries, predominantly turned into the root of the French Revolution. As in 1789, French economy laid on peasants and artisans (Soboul 1974, p. 27). At the same time, there were many developments of overseas trade and big industries in other parts of the world, especially Britain, which was France’s rival to achieve the authority in Europe. As a result, the French economic agents intended to transform their approach, as it happened in Britain. In fact, France just responsive to modernize in the transportation and communication section. It seemed less willing to change the

Monarchs who hold the divine right to rule appear time and time again throughout history. Oftentimes, they use this ‘mandate of heaven’ to exercise full and absolute control over the governmental system of their society. This form of government is called an absolute monarchy. Absolute monarchy is a tool that, wielded well, can become extremely prosperous for both the kingdom, as well as the king that presides over it. On the other hand, when less capable figures attempt to harness the power of absolutism, it can lead to political and societal upheaval, and it usually does not end well for the one that tried to use it. King Louis XIV was able to achieve mastery of absolutist rule because the French government had been primed for absolutism

King Louis XIV inherited the throne when he was only five years old. King Louis XIV of France, the absolute monarch, changed France's military and government. Hebuilt the Palace of Versailles, enhanced France's military, and involved most of Europe in war.

When it come to which leader was the most absolute I would say that Louis XiV of France. While his earlier policies were a bit heavy handed and were unpopular enough to cause rebellion he quickly learned from his mistakes. He then took a much subtler approach to absolute rule and by the end of his rule France had expanded greatly and the crown had a stranglehold on both domestic and foreign policies. The first of his many great decisions was that he appointed no Chief minister that way no noble could simply challenge a single man, they had to challenge the entire crown. He had also made many of the people who would form his councils those who had just begin to rise in the social structure. This tactical move ensured their loyalty and competence

King Louis XIV distrusted the Protestants and everything they stood for. Because of that, he revoked the Edict of Nantes and

The 17th and 18th centuries were a tumultuous time for France and its colonies, as the slave trade grew and power shifted from nobles to the king, and the system of government slowly changed. The goal of absolutism was stability, order, and to achieve a unified state, building the power and strength of France, and ultimately of its Sun King. However, this shift in power caused tension which came to a peak in 1789 at the start of the French Revolution with the storming of the Bastille, as well as delegitimized the authority of the monarchy. Louis XIV curbed the power of the nobles in order to create a standing army and absorb more power for an absolutist regime, and instead created intendants, or nobles of the robe chosen from the upper middle class, to help manage the country. The cruelty of the slave trade in the New World caused a growing unrest among the French people. This in combination with the absolutist rule beginning with Louis XIV in France angered many, resulted in revolts breaking out, and eventually led to the French Revolution.

The transition of Medieval to Modern happened over a long period of time. The middle ages marked a dark time in Europe’s history, and the people were anxious to get out. The Renaissance began, and art emerged to create a brighter society. During the Reformation, the country shifted away from the Roman Catholic Church, and many Protestant religions emerged. The Scientific Revolution also marked a change in medical to modern by creating new ways to look at the world and mathematics. The Age of Discovery marked yet another change in Medical to modern Europe when new technologies emerged in order to navigate around the world. Along with many other rulers, King Louis XIV changed France into a country looking to expand, which differed from