When Louis XIII built his hunting lodge on the hillside of Versailles in 1623 , I suspect he never imaged the true master piece of French Baroque architecture it would become and that it would continue live throughout history in all its glory, almost viewed as a physical timeline of the history of France. Versailles was the seat of absolute monarchy and became its own symbol, it became the physical representation for power. Looking past its extensive historical background, the palace of Versailles has such a complex architectural and artistic influence as nearly four generations of French king royals have lived in the palace continually expanding and renovating it to match the current styles and inspirations of that era. In creating Versailles, …show more content…
By closely analysing the chateaus art and design you gain a different understanding in how the history in this particular era unfolded. The Palace of Versailles became the symbol of the absolution and decadence of the ancient Regime and the French monarch and truly conceived the way Louis XIV “the sun king ” wished to represent power for his court.
Although it is known that the palace of Versailles was created by King Louis XIV, its foundation of the palace starts long before then in 1623 when King Louis XIII underwent construction to build a royal hunting lodge made of brick and stone in a town located 17 kilometres from the centre of Paris known as Versailles. Louis XIII commissioned the Baroque architect Philibert Le Roy who did several modifications towards the lodge but it remained the same until his death in 1643 and Louis XIV toke the French throne . For his reign as King Louis XIV chose the sun as his emblem, it represented Apollo, the God of Peace and the Arts it also represented the heavenly body giving life to all. This is how he ruled by creating Versailles he made a world where all orbited around him, the sun king. He imposed his etiquette on the court, the rules of superiority in which the
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He designed the Hall of Mirrors, the north and south wings or the palace, the grand and small stables and the royal chapel at Versailles and added a second story . Every ceiling was detailed with different scenes representing power and absolution, the Hall of Mirrors was used as a pathway giving access to the Kings apartment yet in its own right was a spectacular to be seen by all who passed through, it provided enough room to accommodate the courtiers in the daily routine of the King. Comprising of 17 mirrored arches reflecting 17 matching windows totally to 357 mirrors used . The ceiling-painting done by Charles le Brun portrays the history of Louis XIV’s reign and the war against Holland and its allies (1672-1678) and the war of Devolution (1667-1668) . The central subject is entitled, The King governing alone, “one sees Louis XIV face to face with the great European powers, turn away from his games and pleasures to contemplate the crown of immortality held out to him by Glory, and which is pointed out to him by Mars, the god of War. ” The palace is filled with paintings from many different French artists, most were done by the main decorator of the palace, Charles le Brun, Jacques Louis David’s Coronation of Emperor Napoleon I and coronation of Josephine at Notre Dame de
Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, was an absolutist monarch of France who sought to heavily suppress the power of novels while simultaneously promoting the ideals of a “divine right monarchy”. A man notorious for his incredible spending on various personal ventures, such as the extremely costly construction of a new palace at Versailles, Louis XIV was often the subject of criticism and mockery, especially from the nobles who hoped to discredit him and his absolutist regime. Overall, Louis XIV did predominantly act in a manner with his own personal agenda in mind, as seen through his Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, occurring as a result of his desire to have his country fall in line with his own beliefs, his unrelenting expenditures
While England lost its power to the nobles, France was able to control them .Instead of having the live among the peasants and the middle class, Louis XIV built the Palace of Versailles in order to force the nobles to be near the king to make sure that they were unable to create conflict with the will of the monarch. This way, the nobles no longer were the people that the middle class would run to when they had a
Strayer, Robert W. French State Building and Louis XIV. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. 657-58. Print.
I wander down the Hall of Mirrors in the French Palace of Versailles. Soon after I am thinking of the converse style, and recall that German Architect Mies van der Rohe has created the most simplistic a...
When Louis the XIV began his rule in 1643, his actions immediately began to suggest and absolute dictatorship. Because of the misery he had previously suffered, one of the first things he did was to decrease the power of the nobility. He withdrew himself from the rich upper class, doing everything secretly. The wealth had no connection to Louis, and therefore all power they previously had was gone. He had complete control over the nobles, spying, going through mail, and a secret police force made sure that Louis had absolute power. Louis appointed all of his officials, middle class men who served him without wanting any power. Louis wanted it clear that none of his power would be shared. He wanted "people to know by the rank of the men who served him that he had no intention of sharing power with them." If Louis XIV appointed advisors from the upper classes, they would expect to gain power, and Louis was not willing to give it to them. The way Louis XIV ruled, the sole powerful leader, made him an absolute ruler. He had divine rule, and did not want to give any power to anyone other than himself. These beliefs made him an absolute ruler.
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.
Frightfully stimulated as a child from a home intrusion by Parisians during an aristocratic revolt in 1651, Louis XIV realized his rule would be decisive, militant, and absolute (458). His lengthy reign as Frances’ king and how he ruled would be the example that many countries throughout Europe would model their own regimes under. With this great authority also came greater challenges of finance and colonization. In the 17th century, the era of absolute monarchs was the means to restore European life (458). Louis XIV exemplified absolutism, and his ruling set the example for other monarchs throughout Europe.
Louis XIV is considered the “perfect absolutist” and he has been said to have been one of the greatest rulers in France’s history. He came up with several different strategic plans to gain absolute
The Parthenon is an amazing Greek temple that was built 2,500 years ago. Even the architects of today have numerous questions about how it was constructed and how it has held up through its eventful past. The Parthenon's detailed appearance is not its only meaningful quality. The Parthenon was constructed as a temple to the goddess, Athena, and as an icon of the Greek people themselves. The Parthenon represents the Greek ideals of humanism, idealism, and rationalism.
"The Crystal Palace is a partial picture of the age; an exposition of the comforts and luxuries, the manners and attainments which belong to our civilization."
Of all the absolute rulers in European history, Louis XIV of France was the most powerful, and the best example because of his successes, being able to continue his complete control even after failures, his ability to be able to use France’s money in any way he wanted, such as the Place of Versailles, taking away the nobles power, and his ability to delegate impotant jobs to smart yet loyal people.
One of the most important elements of Versailles that affected Louis XIV’s reign was the use of propaganda. The Palace contained “paintings, statues, tapestries” (Page) and a general grandness that significantly promoted Louis’ name. Louis himself was a “prominent subject in the artwork” (Montclos 330) and was portrayed as handsome and god-like. Even in the aspects of the Palace where Louis wasn’t literally being represented, the grand nature of Versailles sent out a message that the King was living lavishly, and was therefore very powerful. Louis XIV used the grandiosity of his Palace and the art inside to promote himself to his people.
The Palace of Versailles was the official home of the Kings of France from 1682 until 1790. Originally, a hunting lodge built in 1624 by Louis XIII, but then was expanded by Louis XIV in the beginning of 1669. With beautiful architecture and amazing landscape, it is one of the most well- known and beautiful palaces in France. Its garden is so unique and one of Europe's largest. It played a huge responsibility in French government and was used for some of the biggest meetings of Kings and Queens. It is a very reflective place for the French and showed a basis of culture for the people. The small structure became the base on which was constructed into one of the most extravagant buildings in the world. The Palace of Versailles is a famous French landmark due to its elaborate construction, its role as a center of government, and its influence on French culture.
Beautiful scenery. Love. New experiences. Finding these things in two very popular cities. The Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower both are very popular tourist attractions, maybe for their beauty or perhaps their archeological structure. Who knows really but here’s a few similarities and difference between the two. Although the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty are different as well as similar the facts are clear.