The beginning of King Louis XIV’s rule over France involved reforms and internal development, while his
King Louis XIV, also known as the “Sun King”, wielded a very large amount of power in France. Due to being an absolute monarch, King Louis said “I am the State”, meaning he had the highest authority in France and that he was France itself (Outside Information). However, Louis XIV had a desire to strengthen his authority and power, and flaunt his wealth to other countries. during his reign and took steps to strengthen his control over his people. This caused many negative effects on the people of France at the time, but it will also affect the people of France in the future, such as the start of the French Revolution.
The reign of France’s Louis XIV (1638-1718), known as the Sun King, lasted for 72 years, longer than that of any other known European sovereign. In that time, he transformed the monarchy, ushered in a golden age of art and literature, presided over a dazzling royal court at Versailles, annexed key territories and established his country as the dominant European
When he was King of France he called the Estates general into session in a new effort to raise taxes, and France staggered on the verge of bankruptcy. Louis not only left France in debt but oppressed & manipulated the people with his power. The Estate General convened in 1789, third estate representatives broke loose and declared themselves the National assembly. They drew up the declaration of the right of man and citizen (riots arose and ideas of the Declaration spread), and these actions launched the french revolution. More and more riots became violent as heads of leaders appeared on sticks waved in the air, and the people wanted a new leader whose rule would benefit them as a whole, rather than drag the nation down for their own benefit.
The debt of King Louis XIV was very troublesome. It caused his once powerful and rich kingdom, to plummet. The article Memoir of the Reign of Louis XIV, by the Duke of Saint – Simon: Louis de Rouvry, states, “He wished to reign by himself. His jealousy on this point unceasingly became weakness . . . He liked nobody to be in any way superior to him.”
While the contributing factor to the success of these developments in the growth of the French state also belongs to Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Louis XIV achieved his goal of an absolute monarchy, however why did he
In 1789, in response to the Tennis Court Oath, he signed the Constitution which expressly shared political authority with the National Assembly. In making this agreement, Louis clearly and publicly demonstrated that he understood and agreed that the authority of France was shared by its people (Brisbane Girls Grammar School Humanities Department, 2018). The defence will likely argue that Louis had come to believe in a political system where power was shared and where he was a monarch supported by the Constitution. The evidence available to us negates this argument.
Louis XIV, the Sun King, ruled as “God’s representative in the political affairs” of France and as a result, he “made France the strongest country in Europe” (Palmer 145). Politically, Louis improved the unity and discipline of the army and sought to expand the borders of France. Taxation was always a problem, however, he depended on his minister, Colbert, to advance France economically through his Commercial Code and Five Great Farms. Religious toleration of the Huguenots in France decreased because Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes, which gave civil rights and the ability to worship in the southern towns to French Calvinists. Socially, France was made of three estates, which included the clergy, nobility, and the rest of France, as well as the Versailles nobles.
We talked about this briefly in lecture. People in that era thought of the king as a god. Even if you were a part of the royal family, you still could not be higher than the king. Louis XIV wanted to have absolute power and wanted to deter anyone who thought of overthrowing him. Also, everyone else must stand until king or queen leaves.
Furthermore, Louis XVI Built the palace of Versailles specifically to control the nobles. He had all of the nobles come and live with him. In their place, he sent his loyal workers to spread his control throughout the land. With the nobles at Versailles, all the people of France were all directly connected to their king, and he had all of their loyalty. This was a feat never accomplished in England, the nobles were never totally controlled.
Over the next few years, not a single detail got by him. He spent eight hours of each day at his job. King Louis XIV was someone who wanted to know everything and make every decision. In time, he achieved what he was wanting. Over forty years, his monarchy had started around eleven civil wars.
In 1789, France was precariously balanced on the edge of chaos. King Louis XVI was ruling monarch of France. King Louis’ youth depicted him as reckless, thoughtless, and unwise. A series of bad financial and political decisions, lead to his unpopularity among the people of France. King Louis was young, distracted and misguided.
Overall, Louis XIV showed throughout the time of his reign, he wanted complete power and control over everyone, and
By weakening his nobility, Louis XIV had to ability to make sure anything that happened in France was under his control. These nobles did not even have to ability employ someone without specifically asking their king for his permission. An example of his authority over French nobles is shown in a meeting he once prevented from occurring
Before his son can take over he had to be old enough to be a king. Until then Louis the XII’s wife Anne took the power and some of the noble man and other people of the country were not happy with this and they rebelled but their rebellion was
