Comparing Elizabeth I And Louis XIV

Elizabeth I of England (r. 1558-1603) and Louis XIV of France (r. 1638-1715) both had profound impact upon their states. The emergence of English absolutism under Elizabeth introduced a phase of religious uniformity, military moderation, and cultural grandeur. In France, Louis effectively utilized his power to create a state utterly unified and subordinate to him, leading to his success as a monarch. Although the policies of Elizabeth I and Louis XIV differed concerning the finances of their states and dealings with foreign affairs, they both ultimately managed to a achieve a powerful, centralized rule, illustrated by the enforcement of religious uniformity, and resulting in a flourishing of the arts and sciences. Despite differences

Louis’s method for this was to forcibly remove all Protestants from France. He did this through the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Written in twelve articles, this essentially banned Protestant worship, abolished Protestant churches, prevented Protestant emigration, and took away Protestants’ right to work (Robinson). This had adverse effects on the French economy due to the alienation of the industrious Huguenots. The removal of the Huguenots hurt France, but to Louis, establishing France as an exclusively Catholic state was essential in his plans for his rule, and ultimately it helped unify France in its customs. Elizabeth differed from this in that rather than abolishing one religion and forcing another, she sought to unify Protestantism and Catholicism into one faith, regulated and controlled by herself. The Act of Supremacy and the Act of Uniformity passed by Elizabeth are what instituted this. The Act of Supremacy dictated that Elizabeth have “ultimate control of the Church of England,” and receive the title “Supreme Governor of the Church in England” (elizabethi.org). The Act of Uniformity united Catholic practice with Protestant doctrine. “The Prayer books of Edward VI were fused into one, and were to be used in every church in the land. Church attendance on Sundays and holy days was made compulsory, with a twelve pence fine to be

As a result of minimal internal conflict coupled with renaissance thought, people within England found themselves free to enjoy and produce plays, as well as develop scientifically. William Shakespeare, widely considered the greatest playwright of all time, emerged during this period. Elizabeth particularly enjoyed his work (Rowse). His plays, more sophisticated than anything that preceded him, reflected the development of society as a whole (Rowse). Scientifically, the work of Sir Francis Bacon and Dr. John Dee made leaps and bounds. Francis Bacon developed an early form of the empirical scientific method, based on induction. Dr. John Dee translated the works of the Greek mathematician Euclid and wrote the Mathematical Preface, suggesting a system for the sciences based on math. He also applied his knowledge of Euclidean geometry to help the Royal Navy (Rowse). The advancement of playwriting and scientific thought is a crowning achievement of Elizabeth’s reign. In France, Louis also directly supported the arts and sciences. He established a school of art for painting and sculpture, as well as a school of science, both in Paris (Sommerville). Louis appreciated theatre and attended many ballets, especially those by Lully. French playwrights emerged such as Racine (galegroup.com). Italian Baroque sculpture and painting was prominent in France and