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The Influence Of Absolutism In Europe

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Absolutism is an important topic in European history. The most famous absolutist ruler in Europe was Louis XIV of France, also called the Sun King. He characterized absolutism in France in the 17th and 18th century with the famous quote “L’État, c’est moi!” or in English “I am the State!”. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, absolutism can be defined as the political doctrine and practice of unlimited, centralized authority and absolute sovereignty. It is a form of government, where one ruler has the absolute power and the people have no saying in political decisions. Furthermore, the leader is said to be chosen by God and he is the only one that can change laws in a country. Louis XIV’s reign of 72 years was luxurious, powerful and the aristocracy enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle. In addition, his life had a strict order and every minute was planned. Choosing the sun as a symbol is a major indication to his highly powerful life as King of France and like the sun was the center of the universe, France was the center of the continent. Still, all the luxury and comfort of the aristocracy had a bad impact on the other citizens of France. How did they live during the reign of the famous Sun King? The life of commoners and servants was very different from the life of the monarch and the established social order kept working for many years in history. With so many workers and people living in one place, there must be a good organization of the daily life. How was daily life

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