Top Dog Analysis: Louis XIV
Louis XIV was an extremely influential person during the development of monarchies in the 17th and 18th centuries. Louis XIV’s most influential contribution to Europe was the development of Absolutism.
Louis XIV was born in 1643, and began his reign of the French throne in 1654. Louis started and enforced a belief of the divine right of kings. After his parents had a hard time conceiving children for many years, his birth made many people believe he was “God given” and extra privileged. With his revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Louis made sure that his rule was being followed, and he attempted to minimize revolt against himself. He believed that the religion of the ruler should be what the rest of his realm followed as well. With his divine rule, Louis was able to back up whatever changes and laws he decided to make with the fact that he was God given and therefore backed up by God.
Louis XIV also made many changes that provided for centralized power. He appointed Jean-Baptiste Colbert as his financial minister. Through Colbert, Louis was able to enforce a mercantilist system through France. This system made sure that there was no tax evasion or embezzlement.
Louis found patronage of the arts to be extremely important as well. He had residence at the Palace of Versaille for many years, a grandiose, over-luxurious palace where he would invite various nobles to stay for extended periods of time. Although it came off as only being for social purposes, Louis really used this to his advantage to supervise the nobles and make sure he still had power over them, and that they weren’t developing their own power and reforming.
Louis XIV was extremely important because he was the first leader to really establish ways to become absolutist in Europe, through mercantilism, divine right, and clever supervision of nobles within his realm that allowed him to become the single authority.
Louis XIV was born in 1643, and began his reign of the French throne in 1654. Louis started and enforced a belief of the divine right of kings. After his parents had a hard time conceiving children for many years, his birth made many people believe he was “God given” and extra privileged. With his revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Louis made sure that his rule was being followed, and he attempted to minimize revolt against himself. He believed that the religion of the ruler should be what the rest of his realm followed as well. With his divine rule, Louis was able to back up whatever changes and laws he decided to make with the fact that he was God given and therefore backed up by God.
Louis XIV also made many changes that provided for centralized power. He appointed Jean-Baptiste Colbert as his financial minister. Through Colbert, Louis was able to enforce a mercantilist system through France. This system made sure that there was no tax evasion or embezzlement.
Louis found patronage of the arts to be extremely important as well. He had residence at the Palace of Versaille for many years, a grandiose, over-luxurious palace where he would invite various nobles to stay for extended periods of time. Although it came off as only being for social purposes, Louis really used this to his advantage to supervise the nobles and make sure he still had power over them, and that they weren’t developing their own power and reforming.
Louis XIV was extremely important because he was the first leader to really establish ways to become absolutist in Europe, through mercantilism, divine right, and clever supervision of nobles within his realm that allowed him to become the single authority.