King Louis Xiv Essay

Louis XIV reigned for seventy- two years, the longest of any king in France. During Louis’s reign, he was referred to as the Sun King. The reason for this name was because the sun was his chosen emblem. He believed that just as the planets received everything they needed from the sun, the people got their necessities from him, the king. After Louis XIV’s death, he became known by the French as Louis the Grand Monarch and his ruling was called the Grand Century. Louis thought of himself as the state so, therefore, he cared for his country as he would care for himself. This king believed in the divine right of kings. Louis was also very generous in spending his money. Extravagance was a part of his character and he showed it best when he built

Three ceremonies occurred on a daily bases. There was a ceremony for when the king woke up, took off his hunting boots and when he went to sleep. In the morning, when Louis woke up, one hundred fifty people would accompany him and would help him dress. Louis made the nobles completely dependent on him. For the first time in a long time, the nobles were satisfied with the king and his presence. The purpose of the officials were basically to serve and entertain Louis. When the Sun King brought artists and authors into the palace, they would intently listen. King Louis brought all of France’s officials and nobles to one place and weakened their influence by using them for purposeless

Because the estate was so big and costly, it helped drain France’s treasury that was already weakened by war. The government was never able to raise enough money to pay for the expensive building no matter how many systems of taxation they tried to form. After attempting to make a tax from which no one was exempted and failing, the national debt was temporarily abandoned. Titles of nobility were sold to anyone who were willing to purchase them. This did bring in some money, however, nobles didn’t have to pay taxes and were not allowed to be involved in businesses. Additionally, some of the furnishings used in Versailles were sold to raise revenue for their deep