Louis XIV: The Greatest Leader of France
The Days of Elegance
The term "splendid" is one that most English speaking people are
familiar with. To most of those people it has a meaning related to the
overall appearance or feeling of what ever is being described. Webster's
dictionary defines the term as: 1. magnificent and sumptuous. 2.
distinguished or glorious. Splendor is more that that. It is an adjective
that could be used to describe something so great and breath taking that
one is left awed. The word splendid is often associated with the palace of
Versailles, which was built Louis XIV. In the production of this grand
structure there was no cost spared. It became a symbol of France, and a
model by which all other palaces would be judged. Louis XIV received a
great deal of criticism from onlookers as he used the French equivalent to
millions of dollars to built this outstanding structure. There is still
some speculation as to whether or not this was a good investment. It has
been argued that the money could have gone to the poor or needy. The
palace of Versailles was controversial, but in high insight, it is clear
that Louis XIV made a sound decision in its erection.
As Louis XIV took the throne, he was faced with several problems. He
knew that he did not want to reside and rule in Paris, so against the will
of his advisors he chose a hunting chateau as the site of his new palace.
He also knew from history that the nobles of his domain had in the past
and would continue to cause trouble in the form of uprisings and other
conflicts. Louis XIV sought absolute power, and he knew that he would not
be able to obtain this if preoccupied by civil conflicts. His solution to
this problem was building Versailles and inviting all of the nobles to
reside there. This was a brilliant scheme to keep the nobles out of the
politics of the country. He preoccupied them with tasked normally
associated with chamber maids, thus allowing him to rule as an absolute
monarch. The splendor of the palace was a key factor in this plan because
with out it, the nobles would not have a willing to leave their homes and
move to Versailles.
The historical account, The Splendid Century , written by W.H. Lewis is
a very useful tool in understanding the life of Louis XIV. It tells of his
life, his goals, his motives, and the means by which he achieved those
that he had earned the position as the ruler of Europe the entire and would soon take
As you wrote in the assignment sheet, Louis XIV and Peter the Great both wanted to do great things. They had many goals in common, as well as many different goals, and, though the two had much in common, worked in very different ways to achieve said goals.
The Wall Street Journal published an article by Victoria Ruan that was titled “In China, Not All Practice Tough Love”. In her article, she briefly discusses what we think of as typical behavior between children and parents in China. She describes the brutal relationships between children and their parents when it comes to schoolwork and being the best possible student in the class. Ruan states how in years past children have been pushed in their studies by their parents to the point in which children start to lose their individuality and love for “not so important” hobbies. According to Ruan, chinese parents don’t just push their children to extremes in order for their children to be as smart as possible, the main goal of this “tough love” mannerism is to ensure that their children have a happy and successful life. However, Ruan believes that in recent years we now have less reason to believe in these stereotypes about chinese parents and their children.
The task set before this kind and good-hearted king was doomed to fail. Just as the grass-snake told him in the Book of Merlyn, "You will fail because it is in the nature of men to slay, in ignorance if not in wrath. But failure builds success and nature changes. A good man's example always does instruct the ignorant and lesson their rage, little by little through the ages, until the spirit of the waters is content: and so, strong courage to Your Majesty, and a tranquil heart" (White, BOM 128)
King Louis XIV was a showy and self-absorbed king. His palace was representative of his personality and ideals. The Versailles palace architecture displayed Louis XIV ideals of secular issues. He cared more about spending money to show off his power. Unlike the Escorial, Versailles was centered on “The Sun King” instead of religion. At one point Louis XIV stated that “he was the state”. This statement was saying that Louis XIV represented the center and best of France. An example of this was that King Louis XIV lived in the middle of Versailles. Versailles was also very ornate and had the atmosphere of freeness. However, the Escorial was very basic like Philip II.
After the occurrence of the Fronde, an open rebellion of the nobility to reduce the power of the king, Louis XIV realized that he could no longer trust his nobles. Because of this, Louis called for the construction of Versailles, a grand palace located outside of Paris. He ordered all his court to live at Versailles so that they would lose interest in political power, having no need to rebel. This would allow all to see the “one king” aspect of Louis’s goal.
heard this, he figured that no matter what he did he would become the king.
Hasidic Judaism came into this world around the 18th century. During this time many of the Jewish people sought out a new approach to their Jewish life. Baal Shem Tov is the founder of Hasidic Judaism. He encouraged unschooled and underprivileged people to focus on mysticism and to be more emotional. One must be, “Less focused on gaining knowledge and more focused on feeling exalted”(http://judaism.about.com); this was one of Baal’s main focuses. From that, Hasidic Judaism was created; successors to Baal or a rebbe/rabbi, headed different groups or courts, which were derived from the original form of Hasidism. The United States was introduced to Hasidism through immigration. During the 1940s and 1950s Hasidism flourished, bringing more and more Hasidic courts. Rapid growth of the Hasidic courts, made New York known for having one of the largest populations of Hasidic Jews in t...
In the sixth chapter of the fifth Distinctio Walter Map describes his rising up to the throne but also depicts the aspect of the English king. The physical description of Henry II was not very detailed, and it’s possible to say that Map wants to adapting the figure of the king to a codex of characteristics that a king should have, neglecting the defects that the time could have left on the king’s aspect after 34 year of reign. However describing the king he shows his proximity with him, he was so close that not only remembers his physical aspect but relates some court’s rumours as the king’s fear of getting fat that constricted all the court to follow him that was “constantly on the move”. But beyond the physical description there are other signs that show of his majesty. Henry II was described as a courtly king, and we can strictly relate that description with the system of the curia regis in which Walter Map was involved and which saw the king as its chief, and as a literate king which could speak different languages, which love read and have an extraordinary memory. The clergy in XIth and XIIth centuries proposed the necessity for a king to be a rex litteratus that could read the Holy Scriptures, confronts himself with the ancient authorities and understand the wise suggestions of his counsellors. The reverse, as John Salisbury said will be an
Parenting is one of the greatest honors, commitments, and trials a person will go through. It will test resolve, health, and even sanity but it can also provide the greatest sense of love and accomplishment in a person’s life. Whether a parent’s style is strict, laissez-faire, or somewhere in between, the choices made by parents for their children will leave their marks on the character and development of their children long into their lives. Amy Chua knew this. She also knew how dangerous it would be to her children’s future to raise them in a style that would leave them open to falling short of the opportunities they would start with due to her own, and her parents’, successes and she resolved not to allow this to happen on her watch (22). Although she has repeatedly, and sometimes correctly, been criticized for her parenting style, Amy Chua demonstrates throughout her book a definitively visible result and a love, though sometimes misconstrued, that is fully evident in all the dedication she has given to her daughters' development into outstanding people. Through exhibiting confidence in what her girls can achieve, maintaining great expectations of what they will accomplish, and most importantly devoting as much time as possible to directly raising the girls to be their best, Amy has shown that great love, coupled with great tenacity, given in a “Chinese mother” style, proved to make an enduring mark on her children’s development.
Good parenting skills can go a long way in a child’s life. Different cultures believe different methods are efficient when raising their children. In “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” an excerpt from “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom” Amy Chua, a professor at Yale Law and a Chinese mother herself, states and argues why Chinese mothers are superior and the most effective when raising their children to be successful by utilizing personal anecdotes.
... move, defunding any revolts they might plan, and preoccupying their time with petty social matters instead of matters of the state. If Louis’ reign was not supported by the enabling qualities of the Palace of Versailles, his reign would certainly not be as absolute as it was.
It provided him with clarity and level-headedness because he was free from the distractions of his previous life’s luxuries. Although his departure from the palace was necessary for him to pursue enlightenment, the way in which it was executed was selfish
All in all, there are various Chinese parenting methods, but the common ground is that Chinese parenting is strict. Strictness is the symbol of Chinese parenting. Because of strictness, almost all of American parents think this parenting style is not good for children’s development. However, Chinese students’ ranking keeps rising in the world in reading, science, and math. Depending on that, should more parents consider using Chinese parenting method?
With the king and queen being royalty to their subjects in the kingdom their wealth had given them everything