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The absolutism of Louis XIV
Absolutism and the french revolution
The absolutism of Louis XIV
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France and England both worked with the middle class, and they both centralized power, yet France gained an absolute monarchy, while England didn’t. What was the difference between their growing of royal power? In addition to centralizing power and working with the middle class, they got rid of the nobles and they both had kings who refined the countries. However, when England got rid of the nobles, they didn’t gain any royal power, and their kings didn’t benefit their search for royal power. Unlike England, French absolutism succeeded due to its ability find their way around the nobles and powerful and determined kings. 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 …show more content…
Differently, England failed at absolutism as a result of unstable, unpowerful, and differently minded kings and their failure at overpowering the nobles. France was able to gain more royal power than England, leaving them with complete control over their country, and left Europe without complete control. Learning how countries gained an absolute monarchy is important in the modern world because from this, people learned how to develop modern governments. Afterwards, countries started to decide whether it would be in their best interest for sovereigns to be under the law, rather than above the law. The old need for an absolute monarchy turned into a need for a government that was right for the
Louis XIV of France used his grand and gaudy Palace of Versailles as a “pleasure prison” for the nobles while Peter the Great sent all of his nobles to St. Petersburg – both of these actions made it difficult for nobles to rebel. In France, Louis XIV ridiculed the nobility by sending them to the Palace of Versailles and busying them with silly little jobs and knit-picky rituals. He gave them these useless jobs to prevent them from ban...
During the fifteenth to nineteenth century, there were several leaders from different countries, who abused their powers as absolute monarchs. The misuse of their powers led to downfall of their country. An example of an absolute monarch who abused their powers is Louis XIV. He is a very important figure in history because he would make decisions and everyone would be under his power and control. For example, he controlled all the taxations, military power and justice. Furthermore, he did not set a list of defined rules. What this meant was that whatever he wanted to do at the time became the law and he could change it anytime. Louis built the Palace of Versailles which demonstrated the wealth and power of the monarch. The expenses for building the palace ended up with peasants unable to pay the increased tax. The country was enraged, countless suffered from poverty and famine. The proposition of a revolution was spread and Louis divine rights were being stripped away. The inevitable failure of absolute monarchy led to the uprising of the Reign of Terror and Napoleon Bonaparte. After the beheading of the King and Queen, France ...
would change became reality. This was a threat to the power of the king. The different
In the Age of Absolutism, both England and France had strong absolute monarchies and leaders. Though Louis XIV, monarch of France, and Charles I, leader of Britain, both served as their country’s king and served in this role in different ways.
Analyze English and French Monarchs The English and French monarchies prior to their major revolutions experienced what one could call turbulence throughout their rulings. The corruption, political and serious economic issues strained the monarchs relations with the people, leading to future problems. The tense relations soon bubbled over into radical and violent revolutions that completely engulfed the countries. Louis XIV's successful rule as an absolute monarch, and Charles I of England's attempted rule as an absolute monarch did not sit well with the people, as they felt their voices were not being heard and their rights were being impeded upon.
While absolutism benefited Louis XIV and France during the 17th century, other countries were unable to sustain his model as long as he did. This model dispersed to as absolute monarchs were seeing the world change from when the Sun King reigned (491).
During the late 17th and early 18th century, many European nations such as France and Russia were absolute monarchies. Even countries such as England had kings who at least attempted to implement absolutism. Indeed the concept of absolutism, where the monarch is the unquestionably highest authority and absolute ruler of every element in the realm, is certainly appealing to any sovereign. However, this unrestricted power was abused, and by the end of the 18th century, absolutism was gone. Absolutism failed because the monarchs' mistreatment of the population caused the people to revolt against their rule and policies. There are many factors which caused this discontent. For one, there was a great loss of human lives. Louis XIV of France participated in four wars, while Peter of Russia ruthlessly executed anyone who stood against his will. Secondly, monarchs attempted to change religious beliefs. This was notable in England where rulers such as James II desired to convert the Anglican nation into Catholicism. Finally, the burden of taxation was more than the population could support. France was brought into huge foreign debt, English kings constantly attempted to raise money, and Peter of Russia increased taxes by 550 percent. These are some of the key reasons why absolutism failed in Europe.
Absolutism was a period of tyranny in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries because monarchs had complete power to do whatever they pleased. Since absolutism is a "monarchical form of government in which the monarch's powers are not limited by a constitution or by the law" essentially there are no boundaries for actions the monarch can and cannot take. The absolutists did not focus on the people under their rule, they ruled by fear and punishment, and believed they were equal to God.
The 17th Century saw the height of absolutism in Europe. The monarchs Louis XIV, who ruled France from 1643 to 1715, and Peter the Great, who ruled Russia from 1682 to 1725, both obtained absolute power in their states. Both subjugated nobles, both developed armies, and both failed to address social inequalities. Both Louis and Peter were traumatized early in their reigns by noble uprisings. The Fronde, an attempt by French nobles to decentralize the government by limiting the king’s power, began in 1650.
... 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.
... then a noble. These governors were required to spend a large amount of time at Louis’ extensive palace of Versailles, which allowed Louis to monitor the generalités very closely. Religiously, Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes and declared France a Catholic state. Louis hoped that religious unity and centralization would lead to stronger unity in the country as a whole. He expelled or executed any Protestants who refused to convert, and the Catholics supported most of his actions. Although he delegated most of the power in France to himself, Louis did acknowledge the power and authority of the Parlement of Paris, which helped to regulate local administration and taxes, but overall, Louis stripped the nobles and aristocracy of most of their powers. Louis XIV long rule gave France the time it needed to transform from a divided nation to a centralized and powerful one.
This historical study will define the absolute monarchy as it was defied through the French government in the 17th century. The term ‘absolute” is defined I the monarchy through the absolute control over the people through the king and the royal family. All matters of civic, financial, and political governance was controlled through the king’s sole power as the monarchical ruler of the French people. In France, Louis XIII is an important example of the absolute monarchy, which controlled all facts of military and economic power through a single ruler. Udder Louis XIII’s reign, the consolidation of power away from the Edicts of Nantes to dominant local politics and sovereignty in Europe. These forms of absolute power define the role of the monarch in controlling the people without the influence of the nobility or a parliament in the decision making process. In essence, the various aspects of absolute monarchy will be defined win the example of , Louis XIII as the sole sovereign of his people during the 17th century.
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 role in the French government and was used for some of the biggest meetings of Kings and Queens.
The expenses of Versailles created oppression on the people of France financially. Life at Versailles was designed to keep France above all of the other European powers by showing off their wealth. "As king of France [Louis XIV] was the embodiment of France — and his palace was meant to display the wealth and power of his nation" (Jarus, 2018). This meant that Versailles was as lavish as possible, Louis incorporated his father's small hunting lodge into the palace and added both a north and a south wing, along with nearby buildings that housed ministries. Versailles contained many gardens, statues,
Spain: Declining absolute monarchy, Catholic. The throne lapsed into uncertain inheritance in the early 1700s (sparking the "War of Spanish Succession" in which Louis XIV installed a Bourbon claimant) and never wholly recovered its power. The Spanish monarchy resisted most reforms and innovations associated with the Enlightenment. France: Strong absolute monarchy, Catholic (Bourbon Dynasty). Louis XIV and Louis XV reigned during most of this period and built up centralized royal power, greatly diminishing the strength and independence of the nobility.