Louis XIV Absolutism
Historians of three centuries have both defended and ridiculed King Louis XIV's controversial reign. Many people have hailed him as a great king; mighty as the sun he took for his emblem. Being "great” as a king entails putting people before personal ambition, taking only necessary military action, achieving big things for his country, and instilling a sense of national pride in the people he rules. Louis the XIV did indeed instill national pride but his other faults negate his claim to "greatness”. The epitome of absolute monarchy was under Louis XIV. This was clearly evident throughout France for sixty-one years, during which he brought a centralized control never before seen. His total control over all aspects of government and culture was …show more content…
There were restrictions on the individual rights and liberties of people living in the absolute French regime, however, the political, economic, and cultural benefits that developed from Louis XIV's absolutism justify the restrictions put on human rights in France. Louis XIV implemented several political reforms, challenging the old feudal system of government, and bringing French politics into eighteenth century. In addition to advancing political policies, French absolutism stimulated the French economy, strengthening commerce inside France, while protecting the nation from a flood of European exports. As well, supported by the absolute reign of Louis XIV, French culture rose to a new level of prominence, and French customs spread throughout …show more content…
Internationally, Louis XIV's absolutism distinguished France as a powerful and admirable nation. By 1680, France was considered by many nations as ". . . the dominant power in Europe.” Louis encouraged colonies in North America, building a strong navy for their protection. The armies of Louis XIII and Mazarin were a "hard bitten, hard-fighting, undisciplined, ill-fed, badly paid rabble, held together by the prestige of famous generals and colonels, living by loot and extortion, things of horror and terror to the civilian population, friend and foe alike.” In 1682, the system of enlistment
Age Of Absolutism Dbq
733 Words | 3 PagesKing Louis XIV of France recommended absolute rule because he believed that the less people there are to exploit it. (Document 3) I agree with him and I believe it is one of the reasons for the prosperity of absolutism. When one person controls an entire country,
How Did Peter The Great Influence Louis Xiv
577 Words | 3 PagesAbsolute monarchs centralize their absolute power. Louis XIV and Peter the Great are exceptional examples of an absolute monarch. Louis ruled in France from 1638 – 1715 and Peter ruled in Russia, but he was not liked by many people. They both had all four characteristics of an absolute monarch. Louis centralized his power by keeping nobles busy with court life, he increased revenue by supporting the arts and literature and reformed taxation with the help of Jean Baptiste Colbert.
King Louis Xiv's Role In Tartuffe
1001 Words | 5 PagesMoliere was specific in mentioning King Louis’ power over the country to foreshadow his role in Tartuffe. Instead of appealing to the King to save the day in a believable fashion, Moliere creates a comical play to allow the audience to come to the realization themselves. People blindly follow the king, similarly to how Orgon and others blindly follow Tartuffe. King Louis XIV ruled the country for seventy-two years, during which time people grew to trust that he was doing what was best for the country, without ever knowing what he was doing.
French Revolution Dbq Essay
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To What Extent Was King Louis XVI Responsible For The French Revolution?
1350 Words | 6 PagesThey began the French Revolution, which wouldn’t have been possible if Louis’ actions hadn’t been as drastic as they were. To a greater extent, King Louis XVI can be held accountable for the main causes of the French Revolution due to the wars that he refused to drop because of his stubborn personality and the National
Differences Between Louis Xiv And Peter The Great
763 Words | 4 PagesDuring the 1600s and 1700s a new type of monarch emerged known as an absolute ruler. Some of these rulers were Louis XIV, the Fredericks of Prussia, and Peter the Great. These rulers believed that a monarch had a divine right to rule and should only listen to God. All these rulers had characteristics that defined them as absolutists. Louis XIV was constantly at war during his reign which resulted in a powerful army.
Summary Of Jean Domat's On Social Order And Absolute Monarchy
763 Words | 4 PagesPost Thirty Years war left France looking for a new leadership style that would give plenty of stability. What France received was Louis XIV, who would reign under the new absolute monarchy government. During Louis’ reign, divine rights controlled rank in society. This left many confused on why they were picked to be at the bottom of society, and why the king was given his power. Jean Domat, a royally appointed juror by king Louis helped explain a better understanding of the new system of governance to the people of France in his writings.
Louis XIV: An Absolute Monarchy Of France
513 Words | 3 PagesLouis XIV treated the people of France unfairly and he didn’t seem to care about their well-being. Louis XIV suppressed the Catholic church, and Nobles. He made the Nobles wait on him. Louis XIV weakened the power of the nobles and excluded them from his councils. This supports my thesis that Louis XIV was the best example of an absolute ruler because this shows he truly only cared about himself and he made sure that he had all of the power, by weakening the power of all of the nobles.
Absolutism And Revolution Portfolio: Similarities And Differences Between The French And French Revolutions
1014 Words | 5 PagesUnit 2: Absolutism and Revolution Portfolio In this unit, you examined the American and French Revolutions. The American Revolution, sparked by conflict over British rule and influenced by Enlightenment ideas, broke colonial ties with a monarchy and yielded a new nation. The French Revolution, inspired by the American Revolution as well as the Enlightenment, freed French citizens from an absolute monarchy and secured equality before the law for all male citizens.
Absolute Monarchies Dbq
1380 Words | 6 PagesAbsolute monarchies had all the power in Europe. Their kingdoms were powerful and accomplished. Although absolute monarchies empowered and enriched their kingdoms, they were still largely detrimental because of King Louis XIV of France, debt, Frederick the Great’s seizure of Silesia, and the city of St. Petersburg. King Louis XIV of France was an absolute monarch.
Absolute Monarchy In Eastern And Western Europe
1427 Words | 6 PagesFrance began building toward absolutism when Henry VI created the Edict of Nantes in efforts to reduce the violence in the country and gained many supporters. When Richelieu temporarily took the throne he centralized the government and established the supremacy of the king's law. When Louis XIV finally became king, Franch was already well on its way to an absolute monarchy. He went even further by diminishing the power of the nobility and gave them only ceremonial tasks until they we no longer relevant in the political
Why Did Absolute Monarchs Grow Their Power In The 1600s
674 Words | 3 PagesIn the 1500s and the 1600s the feudal system was beginning to fall. Different countries were trying new different types of governments instead of the dysfunctional feudal system. The feudal system consisted of many different nobles ruling over their own land. It was not a uniform system of ruling over the country. There were small city-states run by a singular ruler.
How Did King Louis Xvi Cause The French Revolution
797 Words | 4 PagesThis completely challenged Frances current system of an absolute monarchy. France also suffered through several years of poor harvests further increasing the gap between the rich and the poor. The years before the French Revolution would trouble both financially and socially, influenced by many more factors than the decisions of King Louis
Louis XIV: An Absolute Monarchy
1797 Words | 8 PagesSince Louis XIV inherited his monarchy at the mere age of five years old, his nation was run by Cardinal Mazarin until his death in 1642. After the cardinal’s death, Louis began to reform France through his absolute rule which is apparent in the words he uttered the day he came into power: “Messieurs, I have come to my Parliament to tell you that, following the law of the land, I intend to take over the government myself; and I hope with the goodness of God it will be with piety and justice” (Horne 107). Even when he just began to rule, Louis XIV had full intent to take over France absolutely for the betterment of the country. The main principle of his absolute monarchy was weakening his nobility so that they had little to no control over the state. This was quite simple when he forced his nobility to live in the Palace of Versailles, planning various parties and banquets in order to keep the nobles preoccupied so that he could truly rule France.
Characteristics Of An Absolute Monarchy
754 Words | 4 PagesLouis XIV had control over everything after reconstructing the french government and he had all the decision making power. During his period of rule, which was from 1643 to 1715 he had brought his empire to the top of the chain. He made it very clear that he would hear everyone’s opinion but his decision would be his decision and wouldn’t be influenced by
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