Essay On King Louis Xiv

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Many absolute monarchies have risen and fallen from power but none have been as great as King Louis XIV. He took up his kingdom at the age of five after the death of his Father, King Louis XIII and ruled for another seventy two years, the longest reigning of any monarch in Europe. He brought up France from an insignificant country in Europe to a great power. His great leadership was really prominent through his ability to centralize power, pacified nobility, increased revenue, and how he was able to control his army in the countless battles he fought. Even with his many flaw he still proved to be the one of the best absolute monarchs of the 17th century. The legacy he left behind is still studied and very well documented till this day. King …show more content…

Instead of appointing a new adviser he took total control and became the head of France. Louis XIV planed to unify France, but they only way he could do that was to rid France of its non-christian people. His word was far superior than any law and so he revoked the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes provided “a measure of toleration, civil rights and liberties, and security for French HUGUENOTS.” (Nantes, Edict of). The law made the king pay for support of the reformed church and give money to many Huguenot leader. It gave Huguenots the right to live and worship anywhere in France, while also letting them hold nobel positions and attend college. The nobles saw the Edict as some way to take power away from the King rather than something that is right; providing a measure of toleration, civil rights and liberties, and security for French HUGUENOTS. (Nantes, Edict of). King Louis XIV in order to gain favor with the Church did away with the law but brought up many problems in France. The Huguenots were very talented in the arts and help boosted the economy but with them gone France suffered a huge hit to its financial problems it had been going through. Throughout King Louis XIV rule he demonstrates his total control over his government by issuing war and changing around laws but always with his country in …show more content…

His war like behavior is shown more prominently in the later parts of his life when saying “I will burn you….I will neither rest nor sleep until [Louis XIV] has done so.” (Horne). Although they would lead to France falling into huge debt they still proved to Europe that they were not a forced to be reckoned with. Louis XIV wanted to expand France but other countries opposed viciously; Alliances were formed in order to stop France from even trying like the Triple Alliance, the alliance was made up of England, Sweden, and the United Provinces were enough to scare them into stopping. Louis XIV wanted to go to war with Spain but his financial advisor Jean-Baptiste Colbert convinced him to instead fight the Dutch. The Dutch at that time were in control of the Dutch East India Company that monopolized trade with Asia. Jean-Baptiste Colbert knew that if they fought against the Dutch France would be able to gain “a larger share of European trade for French merchants.” (Dutch War). France won many battles and them seems almost unstoppable. They captured big Dutch cities during their war, “ Utrecht fell on 30 June, Nijmegen on 9 July” (Dutch War), further proving their dominance and strengthen over their enemy. The Dutch tried offering peace but Louis XIV kept fighting to destroy the Dutch. Although continuing to fight in this war proved to only worsen France’s financial state, France’s army were

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