Louis used Versailles as propaganda for his role as an absolute monarch. Being an absolute monarch meant there was no authority above Louis; he was chosen by God. The regal and refined architecture of the Palace of Versailles reflects both the reputation Louis XIV desired to have and his core values as a ruler. The exterior architectural designs of Versailles are meant to convey the dominance and power of an absolute monarch. All throughout the landscape there is symmetry which signifies disciplined strength.
Absolute 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.
Peter the Great and Louis XIV had similar successes in their famous buildings. Louis XIV built the Palace of Versailles to demonstrate power and control, Peter the Great built St. Petersburg, “window to the west” to show control of nobility of the city. They both were determined to make their buildings last to prove their ruling would go down in history. Versailles was for luxury and entertainment through gambling, most that is still present today through parties and concerts. St. Petersburg was used for social gatherings for men and women, forced to socialize 3 times a week and to have rituals often.
Louis would put in place massive construction project such as aqueducts and the Palace of Versailles. These projects not only improved their city, but it also gave people jobs to do. Louis also put in place many programs to improve quality of life in France. Louis established centers for both arts and sciences because he did appreciate those things. One of Louis’ most famous projects was the Palace of Versailles.
King Louis, also known as the sun king was a very extravagant ruler and had absolute control of France for the time of his reign. During this time, Louis spent large amounts of money on his interests, while having great influence over the people with a strong personality and making sure other influential people did not go against him. One of the effects on France by Louis XIV”s rule was the damage he did to the economy with things such as his own extravagances and a large amount of spending on the Versailles palace. Many other conflicts, such as the widespread persecution of Calvinist Protestants (known as Huguenots in France) and France’s involvement in many unsuccessful war campaigns caused France’s deficit to be double the amount of the yearly income of France. The damaging habits of the king and the damaged economy nearly pushed France to disaster and were just one of the many problems that emerged from the reign of Louis XIV.
During his reign, Peter wanted to do many things to change the way of life of Russian culture. He shifted the new capital of Russia, St. Petersburg, away from the center of Russian civilization. The capital had an un-Russian rectilinear street pattern, and the capital had a distinctly European architecture. To make Russia a more western-civilized community, he taxed on beards
This is most of the great, cultural achievements of Peter The Great in Russia. Peter The Great was a great role model and military leader. Although Peter impacted Russia negatively and positively through westernization and opening Russia to the West(Riasanovsky 1). Overall Peter had huge impact on
Annually, millions of people travel to northern France to view the grand and pompous Baroque style of the Palace of Versailles’s Hall of Mirrors. Built in 1698 during the reign of Louis XIV, the Palace of Versailles stood for over 100 years as “the primary residence of the kings of France and the seat of the government,” and in 1979, the Palace of Versailles and its gardens were decreed a World Heritage site by the UNESCO. An examination of the Palace’s Hall of Mirrors will reveal a dramatic use of light, symmetry, large-scale frescoes, a shell for painting, sculpture, and stucco, and an opulent use of rich color and accessories common to a French Baroque-style interior. Louis XII (r. 1610 - 1643) used the initial residence as a hunting lodge and retreat for his family, and in 1624, he commissioned Jacques Lemercier to build a chateau on the site, which remains as “the exterior façade overlooking the Marble Court.” From 1661 to 1710, Louis XIV oversaw the residential transformation of the majestic complex surrounded by gardens. All of the design were “intended to glorify the king.” Architects Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Robert de Cotte, and Louis Le Vau oversaw the renovations and additions.
Peter the Great is responsible for Russia’s westernization; he enforced Western ideas, technology, and culture. By attempting to cultivate the western European way of life, Peter made Russia diplomatic, military, political, commercial, scholastic, literary, and industrial (“Peter I.” 1). During his reign Peter the Great developed a number of policies, and he dramatically reformed his country. Like any ruler, Peter encountered a few problematic incidents,
15). Finally, although most of Louis’s millitary efforts were laid to waste in “ill-advised wars,” he did increase the size of his country and made it “more territorially secure” (Schunk para. 14). Unfortunately, the negative effects of his rule outweigh the positive effects. As described in the article, “Louis XIV, king of France,” of The Columbia Encyclopedia, Louis’s vast spending on his palace at Versailles, along with him participating in needless wars such as the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714), left France in a state of debt and “greatly weakened [France] militarily” (“Louis XIV, king of France” para.