The Built Environment At The Gardens Of Versailles

Louis XIV’s excessive grandeur made the French economy weak. His palace at Versaille, his constant need to gain more territory, and the crumbling of France’s economic system and caused the greatest revolution the world has ever seen. His grandiose estate, the palace at Versailles, required half of Louis XIV’s revenues to maintain. Although this palace may have kept up appearances for the sake of foreign

The film is not entirely based on the positive details about Louis XIV or Versailles, but also the terrible working conditions during the building of Versailles. According to the film, it was very dangerous to work on the construction of the palace. A lot of people died on the site. People were very upset about the working conditions.

One of the main sources used in this essay was a general historical overview from the end of the 15th century up until the French revolution. The source is subdivided into essays and gave detailed descriptions apropos to France’s political, economical, and social circumstances during the time period of 1715-1789. Apropos to artwork, Vigée Le Brun’s, ‘La reine en gaulle’, was looked at in order to have a better understanding as to what the chemise à la reine was like and since this painting was done during the time period by the artist, it seemed appropriate to incorporate this painting as source to the essay. With regards to museums

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

The scientific revolution and the enlightenment began to alter the everyday life of people in France. Navigation became a huge part of many people’s lives. Men began to study the sky’s more to figure out where they were on the sea’s (Turner 482). The study of the sky led some to make hypotheses about the universe. During this time there was a rebirth of the quest for knowledge. Universities grew during this time; it became more popular to know how to read and write. And the middle class society began to grow and grow. At this point in time monarchies have more power than ever before, they rule everything, including the churches and the military (Davis 55). Louis XIV build Versailles in hopes of creating the richest and most powerful nation in the world. Nobles are invited to

Louis XIV, the ruler of France from the late seventeenth century to the early eighteenth century, claimed, “I am the state.” He considered this to be absolutism. His goal, also acquainted with absolutism, was, “one king, one law, one faith;” Furthermore, Louis wanted to promote religious unity, royal dignity, and security of the state. In order to achieve this goal, he had to rule with a firm hand, laying down the law for all to see. Louis XIV’s absolutism fostered in four major parts: the building of Versailles to control the nobility, the breeding of a strong military, the improvement of France’s economy, and, while quite harsh, the brutal extinction of religious toleration.

He built Versailles, a beautiful palace outside of Paris for his nobles. Lined with gardens and filled with fountains + opulent architecture + decorations Versailles was a veritable playground for the nobles. There were balls, fancy clothes + huge numbers of servants, and most of the nobles¡¯ incomes were spent on these luxuries. Thus, the status of the nobles was high and they were wealthy + lived an indulgent lifestyle, but they had no political power in the French government.

Another great piece of evidence supporting the statement that Louis XIV is the best example of an absolute monarch is his palace at Versailles. This palace was bigger than any other palace, more expensive, and better in just about everyway, except for being good for its country, France. The palace at Versailles was originally built as a small hunting lodge by Louis XIV’s father, Louis XIII in 1624. In 1669, Louis XIV decided to expand the palace, and moved into the palace in 1682 while parts of the building were still under construction. The palace was of monumental size, with a around 2,000 rooms, 15,000 acres of gardens and lawns and woods, and costing what would cost an estimated $2 billion in 1994, a extremely large sum of money for France. To run the fountains, it would cost so much money and use so much water that Louis’ workers would turn the fountains on when they saw him coming, and turn them off when he passed. The palace usually held about 7,000

Expanding bureaucracy and reducing the power of the noble class was a massive factor in gaining absolutist control and centralizing state power; therefore, it was utilized by many absolute rulers. While Cardinal Richelieu was ruling for the young Louis XIV, he extended the use of the intendant system, the intendants were commissioners for France’s thirty-two districts. These officials were appointed by the king and directly responsible to him, thus increasing the monarchy’s direct hold over the districts, rather than leaving the nobles in charge. In addition, the intendants were required to check up on local nobility, which would further diminish noble authority. Once Louis XIV was officially in power, he refused to call the Estates General, which was essentially ruled by the nobility, to give himself sole political decision making authority. Next, he established the Palace of Versailles.

Ever since man began building structures and settling land, art has manifested itself in our architectural creations. Whether it be to celebrate or worship a God or Gods, a grand sculpture to bury a powerful leader or remember them by, or to show a culture’s dedication to specific values, our architectural constructions have led to some of the finest art this Earth has ever seen. The Taj Mahal and Palace of Versailles are two great examples of such art. By examining each of these individually, and then comparing and contrasting them, it will become clear that no matter how different looking these buildings may be, they still serve the same purpose to the civilizations that erected them.

An analytical summary of Louis Marin 's "Classical, Baroque: Versailles, or the Architecture of the Prince"

Another thing that Louis changed was the appearance and way of life of France. These great towns of France went under a sort of "metamorphosis". The landscape was altered and monuments were built everywhere. Louis decided that he wanted to isolate the center of government from the city of Paris, so he constructed the palace of Versailles. It was an object of universal admiration and enhanced French prestige. It became Louis’ permanent address in 1682 and was also the home to thousands of the more important nobles, royal officials, and

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.

Citation- Price, Munro. The Road from Versailles: Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the Fall of the French Monarchy. New York: St. Martin 's Press, 2003.

This dominance was no accident but rather was planned by King Louis XIV and his finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Jean-Baptiste Colbert declared “fashion is to France what the gold mines of Peru are to Spain.” The King and Colbert deliberately used fashion as a propaganda move to promote France and Versailles among the French people and inspire awe from foreign governments. In addition to inspiration, fashion provided Louis XIV with a distraction to occupy the minds of those at court while he manipulated political matters. By creating an elaborate dress code and complex social rules and manners, the King maintained control over a large group of nobles and soldiers living at Versailles. All who resided at or visited Versailles were expected to adhere to these regulated mannerisms of court etiquette.