Comparing the Leadership of Queen Nzinga and Louis XIII

Naming yourself a great leader isn't the same as establishing the respect of a great leader from the people you rule, for example, Queen Nzinga was able to rule sufficiently and protect her kingdom from, slavery, constant wars, famine, and bankruptcy, whereas Louis XIV, although creating a new society failed at providing such fortifications. In 1663, when Louis XIII had passed away, five year old Louis XIV had to take up the throne, and although he made immature and unreasonable decisions, he later made his mind up to make a more centralized state. For this reason there were constant wars with foreign countries and domestic civil strife. Louis XIV’s most acknowledged decision was the employing of John Baptiste Colbert as Minister of Finance, under whom the French economy flourished, hence creating a centralized and fortified state for the first half of his reign. However, later in his reign, due to extravagant wars, and continuous financial problems, Louis XIV’s new society collapsed. Similarly, Queen Nzinga took over the throne after the death of her brother in 1623, fought many battles and wars, however, was able to keep up a strong centralized and government, and was able to protect her people from the Portuguese for as long as she lived.
To be a great leader one mustn’t be egoistic rather they should be assertive and considerate for their people’s benefit. For example, the Portuguese lusted after the slaves because they needed them to work on the sugar plantations in Brazil, and saw Ndongo as a valuable entree into this lucrative trade, however, Queen Nzinga risking her own life did whatever she can to protect her people from being enslaved. Although Queen Nzinga fought many battles, however, she did try to keep alliances w...

... middle of paper ...

...ophe posed upon the lower class.
Although Louis XIV was unsuccessful in generating a new society, however, he had many accomplishments that signify him as a great leader. While, regardless of being a female, Queen Nzinga was able to inherit a rather strong kingdom, whereas Louis XIV’s attempt’s led him to a catastrophic failure. Although Queen Nzinga achieved many accomplishments, however, in compare to Louis XIV, after her death all of the prosperity of Ndongo washed-out, and soon after the Portuguese took direct control of Ndongo and its advantages. Though, Louis XIV had many downfalls during his reign, he did after all was able to keep a fairly centralized and thriving empire for the first half of his reign. Every ruler has their own way to govern and in this case, an individual may say that Queen Nzinga was relatively more reasonable than that of Louis XIV.