The Sun King Louis XIV

Improved Essays
Alex Day
Mr. Haller
Global 10
January 5, 2016
I am the State Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, is one of the most famous rulers of France because of the long lasting effects his policies had on the French nation. Born on September 5, 1638, he reigned for 72 years and achieved his goal of creating an absolute monarchy. In order to do so, Louis reorganized France’s political system, enforced the worship of one religion, created a uniform legal system and a central seat for power, which became Versailles. He was known as the “Sun King” because of the splendor of his court at Versailles. Today, he is most remembered for Versailles (which is visited by millions of tourists every year). Louis XIV identified himself directly with the governing
…show more content…
He taxed the poor to build it and it is very costly to maintain. Everyone who wanted to see Louis XIV had to go to the palace. If they did not go to see him Louis would disregard them and act as if he did not know them. The Palace at Versailles is still a famous landmark today and was a major meeting point for many nobles. The palace at Versailles illustrates a time when kings and queens had immense wealth and power. Louis XIV epitomized the notion of an absolute monarchy, one that wielded unquestioned power until the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, when Versailles came to represent the vast excesses of the ruling classes. Until that time, Versailles remained the center of the court, where French monarchs lived and reigned. The Palace at Versailles, former French royal residence and center of government, is now a national landmark. It is located in the city of Versailles, northern France, 10 miles west of Paris. As the center of the French court, Versailles was one of the greatest theaters of European …show more content…
Under the guidance of Louis XIV, it was transformed into an immense and extravagant complex surrounded by stylized English and French gardens; every detail of its construction glorified the king. The additions were designed by such renowned architects as Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Robert de Cotte, and Louis Le Vau. Charles Le Brun oversaw the interior decoration. Landscape artist André Le Nôtre created symmetrical French gardens that included ornate fountains, expressing the power of humanity, specifically, the king over nature.
Declared the official royal residence in 1682 and the official residence of the court of France on May 6, 1682, the Palace of Versailles was abandoned after the death of Louis XIV in 1715. Seven years later in 1722, it was returned to its status as royal residence. Further additions were made during the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI. Following the French Revolution of 1789, the complex was nearly destroyed; it was subsequently restored by Louis-Philippe. By the 20th century, though it was occasionally used for congresses of the French parliament or as housing for visiting heads of state, the primary use of the palace lay in tourism.
Louis XIV’s system of absolute monarchy successfully functioned under his two successors until the outbreak of the French Revolution in

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    An absolute monarchy could only be successful under the leadership of an extraordinary ruler who had complete power over his people. An absolute monarch should be able to overachieve the abundance of obstacles placed in front of him. King Louis XIV was able to obtain much of his prodigious power by creating a new, modernized army. Louis was an exceptional mastermind at trade and he had dramatically increased France’s revenue. These actions allowed him to have the unique ability to create such a powerful army.…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the article, "Palace of Versaille History,"On the morning of October 6, 1789 a mob of angry Parisians, mostly women, marched to the Palace of Versailles demanding bread. They stormed the Palace, ran up the Queen's Staircase and broke into the Guard's Room, then into the antechamber," The people were revolting against the government. They were really angry and crazy. The people had, had enough. France began rebelling leading to the French…

    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    King Louis XVI - The Awful Leader King Louis XVI, born August 23, 1754, was the last King of France and he wasn't a particularly strong leader. Although he’s one of the most famous monarchs in the 18th century who went down in history, he miserably failed at his job. The kings before him, Louis XIV and Louis XV, put the country in debt and the unemployment dropped to 50%. He was a beloved king at the beginning of his reign, but as he made more decisions he slowly became a despised king. His people stormed the Bastille to show a defiance towards him, his family got charged with treason, and he was guillotined by his people on January 21, 1793.…

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    He began his reign at roughly the age five and was therefore able to have enough time to turn the monarchy around. When he came into full power, he was able to build his splendor palace of Versailles which came with both power and debt. As he continued his reign and made sizable decisions about religion and war, he ended up only getting into more debt and had some of his people turn against him. Although Louis was able to change the government from a weak rule to an extremely powerful absolute monarchy, it did not hold. Only a few decades later, the people had had enough and the debt was so big that the French power, government, and country dissolved…

    • 1717 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Louis XIV: The Sun King

    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Alex Day Mr. Haller Global 10 January 5, 2016 I am the State Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, is one of the most famous French kings because of the long lasting effects of his policies. Born on September 5, 1638, he reigned for 72 years and achieved his goal of creating an absolute monarchy. In order to do so, Louis reorganized France’s political system, enforced the worship of one religion, and created a central seat for power, which became Versailles. He was known as the “Sun King” because of the splendor of his court at Versailles. Today, he is most remembered for Versailles (which is visited by millions of tourists every year).…

    • 1561 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The nobles even had to survive through his generosity, this gave much power to Louis. Lastly, Louis increased the military 's France by tenfold. This was done by Louis having skilled men from the street and having a lottery to bring people in and join. In 1635 France’s military was at 25,000 by 1959 it went up to 250,000. King Louis XIV was the best absolute ruler throughout history because of his ability to gain absolute control over France by using his strategic and skillful policies.…

    • 1608 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Longest ruling monarch of France, but a mind with intelligence below mediocrity. Louis XIV is the most susceptible to the corruption brought on by controlling France by himself. He is known as the most influential monarch from the seventeenth century and, ever since his rule, has been hailed as a major example of the most extreme form of rule, absolutism. Louis XIV believed in the divine right of kings meaning the power of the king, and his right to rule, is derived directly from God. He revoked the Edict of Nantes which brought about the idea of there being “one king, one law, one religion.”…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    King Louis Xiv Essay

    • 1761 Words
    • 8 Pages

    At age 23, Louis assumed the title King Louis XIV of France and became an official monarch of the House of Bourbon. He had Versailles converted into a royal and extravagant palace, and forced the royal court to live there. As he grew older, his reputation as a great and powerful absolute monarch grew. As a result of Mazarin’s death, Louis XIV became extremely greedy for power. Therefore, he was titled ‘the Sun King.’…

    • 1761 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Versailles was King Louis XIV’s palace, which “emphatically demonstrated the new centralized power of the French monarchy” (Sivers et. al., 575). In order to bring the nobility under his control he “required their attendance at his court, which then became the only route to power and influence”…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Louis used the Versailles to isolate people so it was easier to control them and see what they were doing. He decided to have the nobles live with him at Versailles. By doing this, he increased his royal authority as a ruler and the Versailles system isolated the nobles from their estates and their people. The nobles couldn’t causes rebellions because nobles were wasting their time on social issues. This made the nobles depend on Louis because when they decided to move into Versailles, Louis took them from their homes which gave more power to the intendents.…

    • 205 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    There are several reasons why Louis XIV of France is the one of the greatest and the most memorable king of the world. The initial reason is he was the king in the golden era of Europe. Louis XIV was Europe's longest reigning monarch and he had the strong commitment to expand France's territories. He became a king since he was five, and he was on the throne for 72 years. When he was young his mother had to served as his regent until he grew enough to undertake this big duty.…

    • 232 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    King Philip II of Spain and Louis XIV of France were great rulers of their time, ruling similarly but different, with each one of their ways reflected in their palaces. Both of these rulers felt a strong need to exercise and flaunt their power and wealth among their people and other countries, building large and extravagant palaces to show it. Although both of them did show their extreme wealth in their palaces, Louis XIV was by far more extravagant in this as seen in his brightly colored walls and intricately detailed paintings on the high ceilings. King Philip II’s palace, on the other hand, was more bland in color and shine but still beautiful and spacious, lined with hallways and rooms filled with precious, expense artwork. Another difference…

    • 287 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Louis 9V: The Sun King

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Louis IXV reigned was between 1638-1718, being known as the Sun King and a direct representative of God. He was the one who made changes to the monarchy which the golden age had brought in art and literature. During his reign he was the King that looked over Royal Court Versailles. Another aspect of Louis IXV reign in 1661 he ruled France without a Chief Minister, who he was the first to perform this type of reign and began a country as a dominant European power. In his final decades as King there were several wars in France that had depleted the resources they had and the mass withdrawal of the Protestant pop after the revocation of Edict of Nantes.…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    His tactics let the monarchy maintain power within Europe and its own borders despite the chaos of the Thirty Years War. Unlike his predecessor Henry IV, Richelieu moved to contain Protestanism. During the rule of Louis XIV the French government met the zenith of its absolutist progress. King Louis XIV's rule was the longest rule in the history of Europe. He believed that God made kings his earthly rulers and that they were to obey only God.…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    At the court of Versailles, Louis created a culture that was surrounded around the appreciation of French culture in all areas of art, including the dramatic arts, literature, music, and visual arts. Louis XIV was determined to centralize control of the arts, and he wanted his reign to be famous for its artistic brilliance. He placed significance on recognizing the most prized French talent, and he gave pensions to many artists and commissioned their works. He believed that musicians, poets, and painters were vital to establishing France’s artistic supremacy. Artistic dominance and self-sufficiency were consistent with both the ambitions to dominate Europe.…

    • 180 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays