Louis XIV: The Sun King Of France

Louis XIV, ruler of France at age 5. He strongly believed in his divine right to rule over people, and claimed himself the title of Sun King. The sun became a symbol of his endless power, and just how the sun is in the middle of solar system, The Sun King is the center point of the whole nation (Age of Absolutism 9). Louis XIV also was the key of the creation of Versailles. A huge, majestic display of his wealth and power, that travelled to people of other nations to know that Louis XIV was a very influential figure in France. Throughout his time, he faced many problems which he countered with solutions that sometimes is successful and other times not. Louis XIV left a large impact on the history of France.

During Louis XIV’s

Many citizens in France, mostly those of the upper class, hated Mazarin because his decisions of increasing tax and strengthening the central government (World History- Patterns of Interaction 520). There were violent anti-Mazarin riots tore apart France, Louis XIV never forgot the extreme violent actions along with the fear. When Mazarin died, Louis was left with the problems he left behind. Another problem he faced was mostly based on the many conflicts involving the Huguenots; French Protestants. Before, Henry of Navarre set up the Edict of Nantes that allowed religious freedom and showed tolerance to the Huguenots (World History- Patterns of Interaction 518). Louis removed the Edict of Nantes which instead of relieving the conflicts over religion in France, he created more problems for the economy.“Perhaps he was motivated by religion, but it is more likely that Louis, who believed in the motto,

Louis XIV, along with Jean Baptiste Colbert expanded the bureaucracy and assigned intendants to collect taxes (Age of Absolutism 11). First, he had to solidify his ties with the Middle Class, which he taxed, and decided to check the power of the Church and nobles, to see if he truly was the absolute ruler of France. Jean Baptiste Colbert believed in the theory of mercantilism. So to strengthen the economy of France once again, Colbert wanted to make the country self-sufficient by manufacturing goods themselves and selling them within the boundaries of France. “Skilled foreign workmen were persuaded to settle in France and to pass on their skills to native artisans” (The Age of Louis XIV (1643-1715) Shennan). Some industries were to be started by learning from skilled workers from other countries and practicing the skills from them. To further the idea of mercantilism and protect the industries, Colbert put high tariffs on goods from other places. This caused more citizens to stop relying on foreign products and buy their own manufactured goods (World History- Patterns of Interaction 520). Another step Louis took to solve problems was to recruit soldiers, so the country could win wars to gain land for France. Louis believed the country was too small, in order to go towards the goal of a larger territory, he decided to work on the army