Louis Xiv's Absolutism

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.

According to the text book, an absolute monarch is a king or queen who has unlimited power and seeks to control all aspects of society (McDougall little, 1045). In more simple terms, it is a ruler who can do just about anything without having to get permission from anyone, or having to worry about the repercussions. This was a trend that started in the 1600’s by European leaders who were rich, and didn’t

King Louis XIV was one of the best cases of absolute monarchs, he was leader of France for a lengthy time. Additionally, Michael Gibson wrote about how insignificant Russia was until Peter turned it into a “great power feared by all” in document 8. He desired leaders to read his work so they had the ability to learn and flourish from his writings. Gibson decided to display both sides of a leader thought to be great. This, in turn, made him unbiased and more trusted by other respected bodies in his field.

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.

In the time before King Louis XIV’s reign, 17th century France was involved in several civil wars, there were no secure borders and the aristocracy acted as local rulers. In 1643 when Louis XIV came to power, he thought that he needed to secure both France and his own rule. He decided to build a new palace complex 12 miles outside Paris. To him, isolation meant security, he would be away from the plotters and schemers in Paris. He also believed that having all government departments and ministries living within Versailles would centralize the government and create reform.

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.

The leader of the semi-nomadic Turks that were around until 1922. He founded the Ottoman Empire in the 13th century.

An absolute monarch is a ruler by divine right who has control over every portion of his kingdom. The most famous absolute monarch, Louis XIV, had the longest reign of any of the French kings. Louis achieved this as a result of his reformed laws, foreign policy, a smart economic advisor, and his decision to deny power to the nobility. Although some of these ideas could be viewed as having a negative impacting on France, overall Louis XIV's absolute government was beneficial to the development of his country.

The Palace of Versailles is one of the most infamous works of European architecture known to man throughout history. Brought to life by King Louis XIV, otherwise known as the Sun King, his reign of absolutism directly affected the architecture and design of the Palace, turning it into a lasting symbol for absolutism.

Luz Cristina Miramontes FR 400 GWAR 4/15/2016 Louis XIV’s ballets: a form of absolute monarchy 17th century France, a transformative period for French society, which gave rise to the French monarchy, an absolute monarchy ruled by the eccentric King Louis XIV. Having become King at a young 4 years-old after the death of his father, Louis XIV, guided by his mentor Mazarin, believed that it was his divine right to be king and that his authority was given to him by God. Because of such belief, through God’s grace, he instituted an absolute monarchy. The monarch is regarded as a great figure of power in the sense that his first priority was to make his kingdom, France, the best it could be.

Louis XIV had a passion for glory and used it to fight four wars because he was motivated by personal and dynastic considerations.

The society at that time was divided into two, the nobles and the clergy on one hand, and the working class on the other hand. Literature at that time was very restrained and steady. All the literature works and materials that are found or to be found are only focusing on the upper classes lives. Also, arts and literature at that time in France only represents on side of the reality, while all the huge working class remained ignored and

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.

A Comparison of the Characteristics of the Absolutist Rule of Charles I of England and Louis XIV of France

Louis XIV, France’s Sun King, had the longest reign in European history (1643-1715). During this time he brought absolute monarchy to its height, established a glittering court at Versailles, and fought most of the other European countries in four wars. Although his reign had some negative aspects; on balance, Louis’ reign was primarily a benefit to France.