Category: Louis XIV

Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, was the French King that had the throne since the age of five. After Louis XIII died, Louis XIV succeeded to the throne and was rented by Anne of Austria, Louis XIV’s mother, as Louis was too young to rule. Anne was assisted by Cardinal Mazarin who was an Italian diplomat and politician who served as Chief Minister to the King of France. After Mazarin died in 1661, Louis XIV was now in charge. When Louis XIV was 10 years old, civil conflicts, known as the Fronde broke out where there was a dispute between the parliament of Paris and the monarchy. People were unhappy with the amount of power the king and the monarchy had. The Fronde eventually fell and made the French monarch stronger, and began what would be an absolute monarch. In the following 55 years, he would no longer appoint Primer Ministers and the power was monopolized. Backed by the diplomatic achievements of two cardinals, Armand Jean de Plessy Richelieu and Jules Mazarin, Louis XIV made France a centralized kingdom with an absolute monarchy. He would become the longest-reigning monarch of a sovereign country. His name is associated with the whole political current of absolutism. Louis initiated France’s modernism and led it to the top of Europe as he shaped France followed by the rest of Europe.

France in the 17th century was divided into three estates. The clergy was the top estate and accounted for 1% of the French population, the nobility was the second estate with 3-4% of the population, and everybody else was at the bottom. The first and second estates held all the privileges – one main privilege being that they did not have to pay any taxes. In the days of absolutism, monarchs across Europe embraced the idea that they had the divine right to their absolute rule. France was already on its way to becoming an absolutist state. 17th-century France was the richest and most populous country in Christian Europe, with a population of about 19 million. France’s social hierarchies grant the top class with the most wealth a host of privileges, including tax exemptions, and no one can rebuild France’s fiscal foundations. Louis XIV’s absolutism itself made it impossible for France to create a national bank to mobilize social wealth to support the long war. Therefore, France’s measures to raise military spending include raising tax rates, issuing short-term credit notes, transferring future tax rights, repaying creditors with high-interest rates, and selling officials.

France under the rule of Louis XIV was somewhere between the Middle Ages and modern times, and its institutions and values were very different today. Although power has become more centralized and bureaucratic, the policy is still dictated, determined, and implemented by the monarch. While Louis XIV sought to rule in a rational way (impersonal bureaucracy), he managed not to let the bureaucracy give orders on his behalf, but to ensure his own power (highly personified absolute monarchy). Louis XIV is the god-like creator of this government, the sovereign and infinite God. In the early period of Louis XIV, the development and prosperity of the French economy, politics, ideology, and culture was the result of the long-term development and accumulation of the society, and it was also the embodiment of the multi-faceted adaptability between the feudal autocracy and the capitalist economy and culture.

Jean-Baptiste Colbert was the most prominent and important of all of Louis XIV’s officials. Colbert oversaw finances and public works, He drove the kingdom’s economy, including overseeing French expansion into North America. While Colbert was praised for improving the economy and helping it come out of bankruptcy, it is noted that the king’s excessive expenditure on wars caused France’s impoverishment. Louis XIV lived a lavish lifestyle during his rule. He began what was considered the ‘Age of Absolutism’.

The construction of Versailles was one of Louis XIV’s strategies to centralize power. Louis XIV completed the efforts of Richelieu and Mazarin to establish an absolutist state. He limited the powers of the nobility by turning them into members of his court, disarming them as magistrates. The king wanted to prevent further uprisings like the Fronde, he cut off the aristocracy from their old jobs and appointed officials for this while compensating the nobility with valuable gifts and lavish celebrations. The once powerful high nobility willingly left their castles in the provinces, only a few could afford to maintain their own court societies permanently. In order to keep up with the times and to follow the latest court fashions, many aristocrats went into debt or received arbitrary pensions from the king. The Palace of Versailles became the official seat of government in France on 6 May 1682, replacing the Louvre in Paris. Being assigned an apartment in Versailles was an important privilege that also gave the illusion of being part of the government at the center of power.

In the process of maintaining the autocracy, Louis XIV reformed the French administrative system. In particular, he placed the French armed forces, previously virtually independent of the king under the firm control of the state. He strengthened the idea of the ‘chain of command’ in which he would be the ‘supreme commander’. He increased the size of the army and successfully merged various military units as infantry and artillery into a single and unified army force. Louis XIV’s foreign policy was both vanity and power politics. Louis XIV was a vain man who saw conquest as the road to glory. At the same time, he intended to expand French territory, thereby strengthening French security and establishing France as the hegemon of Europe. Louis XIV’s desires sparked a series of conflicts that eventually made France the enemy of most of Europe.

Louis XIV greatly improved the royal power, strengthened the despotism of France, and influenced the despotism of other countries through the attack on religious authority. He did everything in his power to prove his famous saying ‘I am the state’. He thought of himself as ‘God’s duty’, and nobody was allowed to overpower him. His goal was ‘one king, one law, one religion’. Louis XIV was a devout Catholic and attended Mass most days. Catholicism was predominant in the country, but Protestant was a significant minority too. Louis XIV was not religiously paranoid, but he looked at things from the point of view of the divine right of kings. The king, therefore, believed that the existence of minority religions threatened the principle of absolutism.

‘God has given you all the qualities of greatness you must put them to use.’ As the ‘theocracy’ king, Louis XIV tried his best to hunt down the enemies of Catholicism to realize ‘a faith’; as the founder of the absolute monarchy, he firmly controlled the religious power under the royal power. The rapid rise of religion in France can be traced back to 496 AD when the Frankish leader Clovis was baptized in Rome and officially converted to Christianity. In the era of Louis XIV, there were mainly Catholic, Jesuit, Jansen, Quiet, Huguenot, and other religious sects in France. Louis XIV elected a bishop to restore the Gallic Church in his favor. In this case, it is his duty to establish a prosperous Catholic Church, and he should ruthlessly hunt down the enemies of Catholicism. From this point of view, Louis XIV faithfully served the Reformation. Since he is the protector of the Jesuits and considers himself the absolute master of the theocratic state, of course, he will inevitably conflict with all matters (other denominations) opposed to Catholicism in France.

The measures mainly include the following aspects: first, repeal the Edict of Nantes. When he first assumed political power, the king solemnly swore that he would continue to carry out Henry IV’s edict of religious tolerance. At that time ‘the Huguenots were the most industrious, enterprising and loyal subjects of his kingdom.’ The French king finally signed the decree repealing the Edict of Nantes on October 18, 1685, and four days later the decree was officially announced. Although it was only the king’s personal act, it was universally welcomed. The people at the court applauded the king’s intention to eliminate the Huguenots. It was officially announced that Protestantism had been wiped out, and ‘there is no longer any legitimate religion in France except Roman Catholicism.’ Catholicism has never been so powerful in France, and it firmly controls the hearts of the French people. Second, the promulgation of the ban; in 1685, the authorities banned Calvinists from hiring Catholics as servants, for fear that their masters would corrupt and poison the servants. The following year, a decree was issued, ordering them to fire the servants of the Huguenots so that they may be arrested as homeless people. At that time, except for the attempt to force Protestants to convert, the methods of persecuting Protestants continued to change.

The Palace of Versailles revealed Louis XIV’s essence of absolutism. It was the palace of Louis XIV – a high-quality masterpiece of French baroque architecture. It was a powerful symbol of the absolute monarchy which future kingdoms would try to recreate. Louis XIV ascended the throne as a child and reigned for several decades, dying aged 78 in 1715. He accomplished absolutism in his kingdom and was at the peak of his power, politically and socially. Only his costly wars – the War of Spanish Succession – led to France’s economy to ruin. His imposing court at Versailles became the ideal of many European royal courts. 20,000 people worked here while the Sun King acted from here in a centralized manner.

I am currently living in the seventeenth-century Europe and am taking a trip. I am currently taking a trip as King Louis XIV of France.

I was born on September 5, 1638, in Saint-Germaine-en-Laye, France. I came to power when I was four years old to be able to clean up the mess Cardinal Richelieu’s had done. I implemented reforms which improved commerce and trade, known for corruption and had accumulated immense power and from 1653 to 1661. I had imprisoned and replaced him with Jean-Baptiste Colbert. I also introduced more efficient taxation which included aides and drones.

The major challenge was that the rich used the outdated tax causes to pay the least tax. The Glorious Revolution, is also called the Revolution of 1688, which was the overthrow of King James II of England. This event was when William of Orange took the English throne from James II in 1688. The event brought a permanent realignment of power within the English constitution. The Revolution occurred when James II succeeded his brother, Charles II as King of England. He was a Catholic who had no intention of compromising on issues of religion. He became openly Catholic and tried riling with no Parliament. “King Louis assumed the throne as King of France at the age of 4, following in his father’s footsteps. The young king underwent several years of rigorous training in military techniques and academic subjects before gaining the requisite knowledge and skills to begin acting as king” (Accomplishments of King Louis XIV).

It took me some time to gain the academic and military skills needed to rule, although confidence was another story. As the time passed, I became more familiar with the academy and military skills needed to rule. “In 1648, when Louis XIV was still shy of 10 years old, the Parliament of Parish rebelled against his chief minister, Mazarin. In an attempt to overthrow the crown, they waged a civil war, called the Fronde, against its supporters” (A&E Television Networks”).

Throughout the war, I suffered many difficulties, which included starvation and poverty. Once the war ended Mazarin had begun to build an elaborate administration as I stood by and observed his mentor, by then I was already of age, but was still scared to question Mazarin’s authority. Although, I was given this position at a very young age I still found the way to manage things and make things happen, as I was young, I still had the help of many individuals to be able to make guide me to make things right even when others though it wouldn’t come out good.

I thank God for the individuals, who took their time to guide me through this process as King Louis XIV. When I was given this position, I was totally lost, but with the help of others I got many things done.

King Louis XIV of France was an extremely powerful individual and is the prime example of an absolute monarchy. King Louis is one of the most prominent figures when thinking about the French monarchy as under his rule France was considered a global superpower at the time. Being appointed the throne at only 5 years old after the death of King Louis XIII his mother became his regent until he was old enough to rule France himself. Due to being appointed the throne so early Louis the XIV believe that it was his god given right to rule and though that no one had any right to dispute that fact. An early indicator of how powerful he would become was when Louis first began his rule and immediately continued his predecessors work. Which involved the creation of a much more centralized government so that those of higher standing in the government would hold much more power.

One of King Louis XIV most successful plan to not only gain power but also pacify nobility was the Palace of Versailles. King Louis converted a hunting lodge on the edge of Paris into one of the most spectacular sites of its day. During his reign King Louis turned Versailles in to a full-time royal residence. It became a place where those of high or noble standing could go to experience an extravagant lifestyle. High quality apartments and high-class events where all very common at the Palace of Versailles. However, the price to of living this lifestyle was to serve King Louis on a near constant basis. One of the most extreme examples of servitude was handing King Louis his night robe was considered one of the highest honors to the nobility residing at Versailles.

But there were some limitations on King Louis XIV power and that comes from the fact his regime mostly only worked due to his intendants who were overseeing many of the financial aspects of his reign such as taxes.

Finally, one of King Louis XIV most prominent powers was the ability to wage war as during his time on the throne he waged many large and small campaigns. Some of the main wars being The War of Devolution which gained France a large amount of territory in the north and The Dutch War which afforded more land to France in the east. While these wars were very expensive, they clearly outlined King Louis polices.

European State Consolidation in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth century and New Directions in Thought and Culture in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

Before the Scientific Revolution, the Renaissance was the biggest cultural and scientific movement in Europe. As a result of the Renaissance, new ideas were introduced, partially influenced by the formation of Protestantism and new skepticism towards the Catholic Church. There were numerous religious disputes in countries like France and England, where monarchs tried to adopt either Catholicism or Protestantism in order to unify their empires. This led to conflicts between different kings trying to gain the throne, as they each embraced different religions. By embracing a certain religion, countries started to become independent and very powerful by expanding their territory and forcing religious conversion onto the conquered people. Similarly, nations like Spain tried to exert their political dominance through the conquest of contesting states and persecution of Calvinists and Lutherans. After the Renaissance, powerful monarchs like Queen Elizabeth, I, and Philip II emerged, determined to increase the power of their nation and gain prosperity. During the Scientific Revolution, new monarchs like Louis XIV adopted similar authoritative practices and tried to make their empire focused on one powerful ruler. From the Renaissance to the Scientific Revolution, governments continued to be centralized around one powerful monarch, and countries’ desire to conquer new territory and expand their influence was maintained, while intellectual movements shifted from being based on religious art and baroque design to more secular thoughts based on scientific observations.

From the Renaissance to the Scientific Revolution, governments continued to be centralized around one powerful monarch. Similar to how Elizabeth I and Philip II set up a powerful empire revolving around a monarch, Louis XIV adopted a monarchy based on political absolutism in France. Louis XIV’s absolutism had been laid by Cardinal Richelieu and his successor Mazarin, whom helped centralize the empire( Kagan, 179). Richelieu was able to represent Louis XIII like a very powerful king, and ultimately paved the way for Louis XIV’s power. In Addition, he was able to bring the center of culture back to France, allowing Louis XIV to have an extremely powerful empire to control. However, this centralization by Richelieu and Mazarin led to rebellions by French nobles known as the Fronde(Kagan, 179). As a result, Louis XIV couldn’t trust the nobility and concentrated even more power on the monarchy, to ensure that the monarchy was the single most powerful institution in France(Kagan, 179). On the other hand, although he concentrated enormous amounts of power into the monarchy, he never tried to abolish institutions made out of nobility, and even tried negotiating with the parlements, when making a decision that might affect them( Kagan, 180). Similar to how Philip II built El Escorial, Louis XIV built a very large palace called Versailles. Not only did it exemplify the power of the monarchy, but it was the largest secular structure in Europe(Kagan, 180). Louis XIV wanted to show that he was above the nobility, and denied Bernini’s request to build Versailles. Instead, he wanted only French people to build the palace in order to preserve French culture. With the help of John Baptiste Colbert, new mercantilist policies were created such as a surplus of receipts over expenses, shipbuilding, and expansion of the military. Colbert also led to more French territory in the Americas and increased production in the wool industry. Through his economic and cultural surplus, Louis XIV increased French nationalism and showed that he was the center of the universe and deserved the title of “Sun King” through his absolutist empire.

From the Renaissance to the Scientific Revolution, countries’ desire to conquer new territory and expand their influence was maintained. One example of how

From the Renaissance to the Scientific Revolution, intellectual movements shifted from being based on religious art and baroque design to more secular thoughts based on scientific observations. Through the Renaissance, baroque design and religious art were idealized, as new groups of thought such as realism influenced a variety of painters and writers. With the coming of the Scientific Revolution, however, realism and individualism faded away as new competing ideologies such as empiricism and rationalism overwhelmed philosophers. Shifts towards a more secular form of study started when different astronomers started to form different pictures of the universe and developed several alternative Ptolemaic systems, which were very controversial(Kagan, 204). In addition, two different forms of reasoning emerged, being deductive and inductive reasoning. While deductive reasoning, formed by philosophers like Descartes, focused on translating a general hypothesis into data, inductive reasoning used by Francis Bacon started with the data. In Addition, Bacon was regarded as the father of empiricism and criticized the belief that most truths had already been discovered(Kagan, 209). While women in the Renaissance were idealized to be the perfect housewife and were deemed unfit to participate in political and scientific affairs, some women such as Maria Sibylla Merian and Emilia du Chatelet made significant strides in astronomy and physics. Margaret Cavendish, another example of such a woman, critiques men’s experimental beliefs in Observations Upon Experimental Philosophy(Cavendish,10-11). Cavendish’s purpose is to highlight the errors in some men’s beliefs, and emphasize that women could have an equally impactful influence in science as men. As the Scientific Revolution arrived, women’s role in science and education drastically increased with new and influential women making major strides in astrology and medicine.

From the Renaissance to the Scientific Revolution, countries’ desire to conquer new territory and expand their influence was maintained, and their governments continued to be centralized around one powerful monarch, while intellectual movements shifted from being based on religious art and baroque design to more secular thoughts based on scientific observations. A similar figure to King Louis XIV was Alexander the Great of Macedonia. Both Alexander and Louis shared a similar type of government, with a powerful monarch being in charge. In Persia, Alexander adopted the absolutist type of monarchy, identical to that which Louis XIV ruled within France. Through his absolutist rule, Alexander the Great was able to conquer vast territories and increase the amount of power held in his empire. Although Louis XIV poured money into palaces and architecture to represent the power of his nation, Alexander the Great showed his power through conquering new lands and making a powerful military. While King Louis XIV and Alexander the Great had different political environments, both of them utilized an absolutist form of government in order to increase the power of their nation.

France is a magnificent place that holds the world’s most beautiful art pieces and landmarks. Last summer I had the opportunity to travel within Europe and I decide to go to the fashion capital of the world Paris. My top destination was to visit a landmark located outside of Paris which was the Palace of Versailles. “It is located in the city of Versailles, Yvelines département, Île-de-France region, northern France, 10 miles (16 km) west-southwest of Paris.”. Before this became a famous landmark that is visited from all over the world, it used to be home to a royal man named Louis XIV. This landmark is filled with beautiful architecture and the building itself is guarded by beautiful golden gates. This paper will go on to further discuss the history that is behind this magnificent landmark.

In 1629 king Louis XII had built a hunting lounge that was then later reconstructed by king Louis XIII 14th inherited this building and transformed it into a lavish chateau (Marin,1991). But in 1666, even bigger changes were made and in the span of 50 years king Louis XIV had completely transformed the area into a landmark that contained multiple buildings with lavish architecture which now presently known as the Palace of Versailles (hallard, 2008). But to build what he desired Louis XIV needed to build his capacity and he had realized he needed to take away the power of the noble people. They were administering their spaces without requesting a contribution from the king and they wanted to still be able to the last bit of freedom they had but the king didn’t allow it.

For him to have the option to make these lavish and obnoxious changes to be done at the Versailles he needed to obtain funds to do all of this. So, he depended on state assets just as his private riches to assemble such an extravagant palace. The royal residence cost as much as two billion dollars to develop. The greater part of the cost was in materials of gold, silver marble, and different beautiful stones that gave the lavish ambiance within and outside the palace. Louis XIV expanded his capacity by building the royal residence and was perceived by the state for building such a delightful milestone.

But this lavish spending and careless lifestyle of the King and queen did come at a deadly cost. The economy went downhill as the royals spent frivolously on materialistic wants and the cost of the Versailles being at 200,000,000,000 dollars that had drastically affected the economy (hallard, 2008). This caused an outrage and had angered the people and they started to protest against the royals for misusing their fortunes while the peasants were going through great suffering and struggling to provide for their families with basic essentials such as food and water.

Within in the building king, Louis had created separate areas within the building which were designated for the king and queen that had overlooked the beautiful garden and fountains. He then later extended the place for the royal family and then created another building where over thousands of staff lived which include the cooks and maids(Riding,2007). Also in 1710, Louis XIV built a royal chapel that had beautiful architectural detail (Riding,2007). The architecture that took place in the Palace of Versailles was led by Louis the XIV and the main building was constructed with brick stones. The time period in which the place was being constructed was during the time period of the Italian renaissance. The Italian renaissance was highly influenced by the rebirth of classical culture in the 15th century(Riding,2007). The architecture was influenced by order and the different styles of columns and circular arches. But instead, King Louis XIV had taken influence from the baroque period which was derived from the 16th and 17th century. It was known to be a time period that was inspired by lavish and extravagant detailing. “The Baroque style is characterized by exaggerated motion and clear detail used to produce drama, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, architecture, literature, dance, and music” ( Boundless, n.d.) What had made the baroque style unique was the intense emotions and passion that radiated within its work. The whole place had been constructed with its priority. The placement of rooms and buildings were all beautifully strategized so the royal family was able to be placed in the center of the place which had a view of the entire landmark.

According to PBS, “Versailles, which is capable of holding up to 20,000 people, has 700 rooms, more than 2,000 windows, 1,250 chimneys, and 67 staircases. Not only did the immediate royal family reside there, but the palace also housed many members of the French nobility, as well as all official government offices” (Grubin,2006). This shows how massive the structure is and how many people it’s able to withhold. This large place had different areas that were for different people or events. There were multiple sections that were significant within the place which will be further discussed within the piece.

The queen’s apartment was located in the northern end of the place. The queen’s apartment was sectioned into the bed chamber, the noble’s room, the royal table antechamber, and the guard’s room. This was owned by the famously known Marie Antoinette who was married to King Louis XIV and was the last queen of France before the revolution. Her main room was called the chamber which was her bedroom where she had given birth to her first child Marie Therese Charlotte in 1778. This bedroom was filled with a floral design which was embedded within the bedroom walls and furniture. She had later renovated her bedroom which had resembled an opulent style, which was looked at as highly luxurious and elaborate.

From the time, this bedroom was built is had been occupied by their different queens who consisted of Marie Therese, Maria leszechynska, and Marie Antoinette. During different time periods, these women were married to King Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI. An interesting fact about his bedroom was that 19 children were born within the time 3 queens had occupied the room (Goubert, 1970). Another beautiful aspect about the room was the gold detailing present within the ceiling and the furniture which gave it a lavish appearance.

The room before entering the apartment itself was known as the guard room. This was an area where there would be 12 guards always on duty to protect the queen at all times and this room had been the only room known to be preserved within her apartment. The other section of the apartment was known as the royal table antechamber. This was used as a place where the queen and fellow royal family members would enjoy their lavish dinners while at her request had music playing as they were fine dining. The last section of the queen’s apartment consisted of the noble’s room. This is where the queen would hold ceremonial events and have discussions amongst the royal women.

The king’s apartment was on the opposite side of the queen’s apartment which was located in the southern part of the palace. His apartment included 7 rooms which were the Hercules room, the room of abundance, the Venus room, the Diana room, the mars room, the mercury room, and the Apollo room (The King’s State Apartment, 2020) Comparing the king to the queen’s apartment she seemed to have much more of a modest apartment compared to the kings lavish Italian style apartment that was filled with different sculptures. One of the most beautiful rooms within the king’s apartment was the room of abundance that was filled from ceiling to flooring with marble. It had a beautiful fireplace centered in the middle of the room and this is where the king would hold events. This was an area where people joined one another and were able to chat as they were able to have a drink. Another beautiful room was the Apollo room which catches the eyes of many due to its royal red color that is printed with the walls and the gold crown molding lines the entire room. The purpose of the room was to be used as ceremonial room “The celling was dedicated to the Sun King, the arts and peace. The symbol of the sun, adopted early on by Louis XIV, is illustrated through the image of Apollo on his chariot surrounded by allegorical figures (The King’s State Apartment, 2020)

Another important part of the palace is the hall of mirrors. The hall of mirrors contained 3 different sections the first being the hall of mirrors, the second being the peace room and the last being the war room (Velde, 2013). This is the most well-known part of the place do to its beautiful ambiance and gorgeous detailing across the massive room. “Following on from the victory over the three united powers, depicted in the War Room, the whole length of the Hall of Mirrors pays tribute to the political, economic and artistic success of France” (Bériou, 2020). The ceilings were painted beautifully and inspired by Louis XIV and his time as the king of France. According to Riding, this hall contained 357 mirrors, 17 glass doors, marble walls, chandeliers, and ceiling paintings, it remains — as was the Sun King’s intent — a sight breathtaking in its majesty” (Riding, 2007). Overall the room’s impeccable architecture and detailing make it the most famous room within the palace.

Lastly, one of my most favorite spots within the palace is the beautiful Gardens of Versailles. The landscaping within this palace is truly magnificent and it was created by the world-renowned artist named Andre Le Notre. This garden was French inspired “The embroidery parterre, or a formal flowerbed garden is a theme specific to French gardening that harks back to a veritable tradition. This type of garden is geometric in nature and traces symmetric, arabesque lawns in front of buildings” (Paris City Visions, 2019 ). He had created such an astounding work of art that can be not matched by anyone for its time.

This beautiful landmark is a vastly known destination that people seek all over the world to visit and explore its beauty. the history behind this extravagant palace is surreal that someone was able to build something far beyond its time and looking back at this structure knowing someone had called this their home is quite impeccable. The way that this developed from a hunting lodge to a full-blown palace where there can fit up to thousands of people is just another thought to add to this unreal structure. Overall this shows that the frivolous spending habits come to a cost where they were later on killed due to the unlawful crimes they committed while being in power.

In the year of 1638, an heir to the monarchy was born, Louis XIV, without knowing that one day he would assume personal power. His mother was Anne of Austria and his father was Louis XIII. Louis XIII passed away when Louis XIV was only 5 years old. His mother, Anne of Austria, took on his rule until he was old enough to do it himself. Then seven years later he assumes absolute power of the French nation, knowing that in the previous century of rule they were tough times. King Louis XIV became an absolute monarch in 1661, with the support of four major problems. These were the problems of the Fronde, the building of Versailles, and the Economic difficulties towards the nobility and the Protestants. King Louis XIV symbolized himself as the Sun King, and his reign lasted 72 years, the longest that Europeans had lived.

During the early years of King Louis XIV’s reign, the Fronde broke out. This was a consequence from Louis XIII’s problems of his power being undermined and the lack of a male heir. In the beginning of Louis XIV’s reign, he had been left with major chaos because the previous monarchs had many unrested problems. King Louis XIV had the opportunity to prove himself worthy as King of France. In the previous years, before he had taken power, many problems had surged with the sudden death of Henry II in 1559. During the following years of this death, multiply religious wars, of reformation and counter-reformation, took place, and rebellions of Protestants who had feared the loss of their rights. During the power of Louis XIII, he was undermined because of his role as king and of the absence of an heir to the throne. Louis XIII trusted a noble man, the first minister Armand-Jean du Plessis, to help him assert France’s power and to fortify his power as King. During this time from 1635-1959, there was constant warfare, which lead to the civil war in 1648-1653, the Fronde. King Louis XIII died, and a minor king was left to rule, Louis XIV. For a couple of years, his mother was in charge. This made people more agitated and madder because France was being ruled again by a foreign person. Afterward, when Louis XIV took on his role as king, he needed to do it effectively in order for him not to lose his power, as the crowds and nobles were threatful to this. With all the problems he was left with especially the Fronde, he had to prove himself right. The Fronde was an experience to Louis XIV that he had to exam in order for him to be able to face the problems that unhealed during his time as ruler. This helped him gain formative experience in which he could relate to and experience if he were not to do a good job as a ruler. For example, The Ormee revolutionary party in Bordeaux served as an example that demonstrated the danger that the monarchy was dealing with the Fronde. A letter written by a notable Bordeaux dated May 23, 1652, was written when the Fronde was almost at the climate suggests that according to him, “You will no doubt be surprised to learn that our Ormee is strong enough to outlaw our parliament and force it to cease dispensing justice.”

Another of the major components that helped Louis XIV gain power and retain it was with the palace of Versailles. The upcoming evidence suggests that Louis XIV had absolute power of France and established a court system that no other had done. He was very specific in picking his people for his court which made them feel not dominated by him but neither as if he were a prince or at their level according to Mademoiselle de Montpensier. At court Louis XIV did not choose like previous monarchs to fill their governments with family members which could eventually lead them to dominate or weakening him. For instance, anyone that could overrule him he did not choose. In a Memoir of the court of Primi Visconti of 1679 said that “…At court they want only humble persons who have no secret intentions.” The people who were at court he controlled them in a way that they didn’t feel controlled but, he was using them to his advantage. Saint Maurice a reporter and marquis presents that at this court, Louis XIV was very serious about business because every day of the week he worked there for three hours in the morning took a break, and came back to work again afterward. He didn’t deviate from his work at all. He had a great ethic and routine to how he was managing his time. He of course wanted to know everything that was going from affairs of state, of parliament, and from his judges, “…I wish you could see the King: He has the manner of a great dissimulator and the eyes of a fox.” In 1678 the Court was officially in Versailles. Moving the court from Paris to Versailles, had an extreme impact because he could control them completely and his power. This Court that moved to Versailles was divided into three different groups: the Louis XIV family, a seat of government where they ran the affairs, and the highest nobles. Only the highest nobles lived in this palace. The King wanted the highest nobles to live there in order to know everything. He commanded and ordered them to move to Versailles. A memoir from Primi Visconti speaks of how marvelous this place was, “Speaking of Versailles, the palace seemed to me to be inferior to many others in Paris, and yet it is unprecedented in size…The garden and the fountains are marvelous.” This palace was a very important factor in gaining power because it proved how controlling he was.

King Louis XIV was faced with many economic difficulties during his reign. During his reign, he had a very organized way of how to manage France. He always wanted to know what was happening. On a regular basis, instructions and information were sent back and forth from the provinces to the court.

From the years 700 to 1700, Europe knew many several large and diverse empires, kingdoms, and nations. To maintain power and coherence in these large territories rulers adopted varying systems. Three high-profile rulers who faced this challenge were Charlemagne (ruler of the Carolingian Empire from 768-814), Louis XIV (King of France from 1643 to 1715), and Count-Duke of Olivares who enforced policies in the kingdom of Spain under Philip IV. Charlemagne ruled all of western Europe only excluding the British Isles, Spain, and southern Italy. To maintain this vast empire, Charlemagne engaged in many wars that provided the aristocracy with new lands and wealth. This consolidates the loyalty of the nobles to him. After military victories, in order to avoid increasing the territory, he must rule but still profiting from the lands he gained, Charlemagne established kingdoms that were autonomous in their administration but who had to pay him tribute. To effectively rule his territory, Charlemagne organized his administration around geographic units called counties. The counties were ruled by counts, whom were sent from distant locations in order to cut the count from his family ties. To keep his reign unchallenged by the people, Charlemagne continued the obligation of protecting the Roman popes, who in exchange “offered the Carolingian monarchs the legitimacy of divine sanction” according to the book. Charlemagne had his decrees, called capitularies, written out in Latin to avoid the falsification of government policies and strengthen governmental procedures. Later in history. Louis XIV, conscious of the potential threat to the crown that the nobles constitute, built “le château de Versailles” where the nobles were required to stay for some time. In the Versailles Palace, life revolved around the king and cultural activities that glorify the king thus preventing the nobles from being independent of the king. To further reduce the power of the nobles, Louis XIV appointed men from the professional class to hold government offices thus inhibiting the nobles from accumulating power. In exchange, Louis XIV granted wealth and privileges to nobles, increasing the noble’s dependency and loyalty to the king. Louis XIV established a highly hierarchical administration with him at the head, followed by his council of state. At the bottom of this hierarchy was the intendants who enforced his policies at the local level. To unify his people under one religion, Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685 and forced the Huguenots to convert to Catholicism thus establishing his ideal of “one king, one law, one faith”. Louis also financially supported artists, historians, composers, scholars, and sculptors who celebrated his achievements and spread a positive image of him. In Spain, the Duke of Olivares, who lived from 1587 to 1645, served King Philip IV (1621-1665) and attempted to strengthen King Phillip IV’s reign. In the 1620s, the Spanish monarchy faced economic problems that loosen the grip of the King on the Spanish kingdoms. In order to resolve this problem, Olivares proposed the establishment of national banks and proportional taxes. Olivares attempted to make all the Spanish kingdoms contribute proportionally to national defense. To reduce the power of the nobles, Olivares attempted to suppress the privileges of the nobles from the different kingdoms present in the Iberian Peninsula and establish the direct submission of these various kingdoms to King Philip IV.

Charlemagne, Louis XIV, and the Count-Duke of Olivares all understood that the nobles represented potential threats to the crown but they dealt with it differently. Charlemagne kept the nobles satisfied by offering them land and wealth after his numerous military victories, Louis XIV subtly decreased the noble’s power and influence by keeping them in the Versailles Palace and out of government office and increasing their dependency on him, and Count-Duke of Olivares established direct policies that suppressed their privileges. The strategies employed by Charlemagne and Louis XIV to diminish the power of the nobles were successful whereas Olivares’ failed, maybe because his policies were to straightforward. Charlemagne and Louis XIV achieved bureaucratic efficiency by establishing small territorial units, and counties, in the case of Charlemagne and employing intendants who enforce policies at the local level in the case of Louis XIV. Olivares, failing to subordinate the various kingdoms to Phillip IV, “failed to bring these areas under central government control” as mentioned in the book. To keep these large territories under control and the people satisfied, economic growth was very important. Charlemagne kept his empire rich thanks to his various military victories and the kingdoms that paid him tribute. The France of Louis XIV knew significant economic growth thanks to mercantilism, the set of policies of the minister Colbert (1619-1683). Conscious that a strong economy is critical for state power, Olivares attempted to enforce taxes that were proportional in the Spanish monarchy. Olivares’ pressure to pay proportional taxes and defense contributions led to “separatist revolts in Portugal, Catalonia, Sicily, and Naples”. Louis XIV and Charlemagne succeeded to reduce the power of the nobles, establish the economic growth necessary to control their territories, and ruled effectively. Olivares failed to reduce the power of the nobles, in fact, “Spain could never escape the grip that the old families had” according to the book. Elsewhere, “the Spanish government failed to encourage economic growth”.

The realization of self, one’s own desires, and humankind were the revolutionary thoughts brought on by the Renaissance. The aftermath of these developed thoughts and concepts within the population of Europe was what allowed the monarchs of the 17th century to paint the image of divinity alongside monarchy: “the divine right to rule”, where the power dynamics between the church, God, religion, and the monarchy itself became increasingly blurred.

The Baroque era symbolized the celebration of the church; in more forms than one. It celebrated the insignificance of science, in protest to the thinkers Renaissance had given rise to. It aimed to establish and maintain the power of the church that had gripped Europe for centuries. When the grip seemed to have loosened over the years by the realization of the population; the desire to strengthen their hold became dire and of utmost importance. The usage of the monarchy to establish their strength and prove the Divinity is what is evident throughout the era; using King Louis XIV as the prime example. King Louis XIV further made use of the political and social situation at the time to his advantage: to show support to The Divine, and make use of science to reason with the people and establish authority over his reign.

Rococo, an era defined by luxury and the lighter themes of life as compared to the darker movements that had taken place in the past, was evidently at the rise in the time of King Louis XIV. The characters, layout, and settings acknowledge through various points in the series the oncoming of the ideals that the Rococo time period called for.

Versailles: The Aftermath of the Renaissance

Humanism, the realization of self and authority, and the importance of man in contrast to Divinity and Divine rule; the concepts nurtured by the era of Renaissance were captured intricately by the French Monarch King Louis XIV and portrayed like so in the BBC Two series: Versailles. Using the foundations laid down by the Renaissance, King Louis effectively made use of the political situation of his time to aid his rule. The church, which required assistance in authorizing and establishing their authority in Europe at the time, sought solace in King Louis XIV, who became the embodiment of their Divine Religion.

King Louis XIV declared his throne and right to rule as Divine, seeking support from the church and lending it just as well. King Louis XIV took immense advantage of the already developed mindset and effectively established his image as the representative of religion and Divinity, claiming so to strengthen his rule. The limits between man and God had been blurred to such an extent that the monarchy itself became a representation of the religion: the king’s word had become equal to that of God, and the service to the king was equal to that of service to your Lord. As clearly stated in the very first episode at (38:50), as the king was to become the manifestation of the divine religion, his dwelling was to be portrayed so as well.

“The Greeks knew what glory was: their buildings were temples for their gods. We will build a new temple…. A dwelling place of the divine and of the people.” (continued.)

This theme is also most explicably portrayed at 25:37 in the very first episode of the series: the king is seen seated behind a perforated screen as commoners and nobles alike gather in a chapel to pay homage to the Holy Lord (refer to Fig, 1, Appendix 1). The light illuminates a golden cross in the middle of the chapel, drawing away the emphasis from the King, who is seated behind it, through dark shadows and lighting provided only from within the chapel. This accentuates and exaggerates the theme: the king ruling behind the authority of Religion. This has effectively emphasized and implied the King’s tactic of creating the illusion of his obedience towards the church, whereas he may be the one with the upper hand.

This aspect is further highlighted by the presence of a large golden cross above the bed chambers of the King, symbolizing that being in the presence of the king is considered Holy and an act equal to that of worship. Furthermore, his bedchambers further adorn a praying alter, further accentuating his reliance on religious power to assert his authority. The intricacies and extravagance of his living quarters mirror and compete that of the chapel itself, further blurring the limits between the monarchy and religion once more (refer to Fig 2-3, Appendix One).

King Louis XIV’s presence is always shadowed by the presence of religious ornaments in the blurring backgrounds; including frescos and paintings that symbolize the importance of sacrifice to the church and religion (refer to Fig. 4-6, Appendix One).

The very beginning of the series starts with the dialogue ‘If you must find a paradise, you must build it yourself’, signifying Versailles as a representation of paradise itself; again overlapping Divine themes with that of the monarchy. The very heart of Versailles, its hall has a fresco portraying the ascent to heaven (refer to Fig. 6, Appendix One). The complete ornamentation of Versailles, gilded walls and doors, and ornate sculptures adorning the walls of every hallway add to the experience of it being the representation of paradise.

The King had made effective use of the existing mentality of the people of that era to appeal to them, to promote himself and his rule as the ideals of religion: by humanizing the scale of Divinity and Divine rule by embodying himself as the descendant and successor of such authority. The scale of religion and the embodiment of and manifestations of it had been decreased to such an intimate scale, in stark contrast to what it had been like in previous European rules.

Versailles: Reflection of Baroque Ideals

The baroque era was highlighted by the conflict between science and religion; the thinkers that the renaissance had given rise to had explored many areas of science and were beginning to question the authority of religion, with the focus shifting towards logic and reasoning. Once more we observe King Louis XIV making effective use of the opposite ideas as well; promoting himself to his people as the Sun King. He used logic, reasoning, and scientific analogies to appeal to his population that were vary of him, and once more strengthen his hold on his kingdom. This is observed in the very first episode, where the King’s architect symbolizes his palace (Versailles) and his presence as the Sun around which other aspects of reality must orbit (23:31):

“You sire, are the Sun and around you circulate not just our celestial court but those who seek to harm you.”

The constant comparisons being drawn towards the King and the Sun, related to the population of his that were growing vary of the authority and corruption of the catholic church and were in growing favour of the Protestant, Great and Holy Rome. He appealed himself to them as such. This is highlighted by his continued monologue:

(continued): “A royal tabernacle of the Sun… With a great hall of light that will follow the sunrise, and shine to all corners of the globe, so they might all see the glory of France.”

Working so promote his own ideals of monarchy, King Louis XIV made clever use of preexisting Baroque ideals to conjure up this dialogue and comparison of himself as the Sun, to follow along the dialogues of the mindsets of the people at the time.

The King’s portrayal as the Sun King is often exaggerated and emphasized by the presence of light illuminating his presence. The presence of skylights and exact position of light as that of the stance of the King lay importance to these aspects as well.

Hence, the Great Hall of Mirrors of Versailles made use of the kingdom’s finest artisans and sculptors, to create a hall of illusions: utilizing the scientific ideals laid down by the mannerist movement to establish his authority and likeliness over France. The strategic placement of the hall in contrast to the rest of the palace makes use of the movements of the Sun, and that being emphasized and exaggerated by the presence of mirrors and to create the illusion of endlessness of light and the hallway itself: all of this contributes into creating an ethereal experience, making efficient use of the scientific analogy into symbolizing King Louis XIV as the true monarch of his time. The King made use of many of the most renowned thinkers to study Sun patterns and movements to create and build his most glorified hall of mirrors: again making use of the baroque ideals at the time to strengthen and celebrate his own authority as the one true ruler of France, and Europe

Versailles: A glimpse into Rococo

The Rococo time period was one that celebrated the lighter themes of life and was distasteful of the preceding movements in Europe. It highlighted and marveled at the smaller, more delightful aspects of life. The era glorified the beauty of simplistic life and drew away from the harsh themes of sacrifice and religion put forward by the church during the baroque eras, and strayed away from the rebellious nature of the Renaissance.

The rise of these themes has been hinted at through the same continuing monologue of the King; continuing as follows:

“As a land and as a people, we know that true power comes not only from our army but from the inner beauty of our immortal soul.”

Continuously, throughout the series’ first episodes, there have been hints of the advent of the Rococo era by drawing emphasis towards the lesser important circumstances: balls, extravagant and elaborate schemes, and showcases of enjoyment, not only by the King himself but the common people as well. Attention is drawn towards the smaller cabins, lakes, and gardens on the peripheries of Versailles, accentuated using cremes and lighter shades that define the art and era of the Rococo time period. The ambiance created and reflected by these scenes captures the essence of what is being yearned at the time by the people, not outrightly but privately, in the privacy of the character’s own mind. They provide a glimpse into what is yet to come, a period of more elaborate musings and luxury, not overshadowed by the heavier themes the previous movements had brought upon. This ambiance and experience are created by background music, which is most often completely absent or very solemn, however during a scene where one is walking through a garden or enjoying the waters of the lake, the music shifts to a lighter tone. The ambiance is highlighted by brighter colours and warm colour schemes; hinting at the art movement that Rococo brought upon.

Conclusion

The BBC Two show has effectively captured the essence of the era and rule of King Louis XIV, by use of cinematographic details and written dialogues that subtly imply the occurrences of the past, present, and future, without outrightly explaining the entire contextual setting by disrupting the experience of the series itself. The very first monologue, given by the king, I believe very effectively captures the ongoing, past, and political themes of the series by implying occurrences in the past, directly addressing the concerns of the present, and hinting at what is yet to come. King Louis XIV made effective and efficient use of his power and authority as a monarch to define himself as a ruler, and maintain the power he had been bestowed upon.

The series reflects upon the actions of the King, and how he manifested his ideals and morals into his living space: the Palace of Versailles. To conclude, here is the monologue in full:

“A place of true wonder. To remind us of the great and ancient past under our feet and from whose roots we all now grow. As land and as a people, we know that true power comes not only from our army but from the inner beauty of our immortal soul. She will cherish us, and as her children, we will always know her as our home. From all around the earth men will venture here to look at her, those that do will never leave, will never forget.”