Chapter 17- State Building and
Absolutism: France
Roy BenDavid
Per.5
12/19/12
King Louis XIV (1643-1715) Overview
• King Louis XIV built off from his fathers
monarchy to form a new and more
extreme absolute monarchy (Steingrad).
• Absolutism- belief that the monarch
has absolute power over the state.
• Divine rights of kings- belief that the
monarch is a direct
representative of God on Earth.
Louis XIV (Louis XIV of France)
• Louis XIV’s new absolute monarchy soon became sought after
by monarchs throughout Europe (Shennan).
Versailles
• 1680’s King Louis XIV moved the capital from Paris to
Versailles. This was due to the horrors of his childhood in Paris
during the civil war (Chambers 492)
• Gave him distance between himself
and the Parisian mobs that allowed
him to focus on government reform
(Chambers 494).
Garden in Versailles (Introducing Versailles)
• Became the symbol of
the absolute monarchy throughout Europe (Chamber 494).
• Versailles became a very cultural place that participated in
various cultural activities ranging from art and architecture to
literature and playwriting (Saint-Simon).
New Patronage of the Arts
• Louis XIV was a patronage of the arts and opened new
academies throughout France (Steingrad).
• From the year 1663 to the year 1672 a multitude of new
artistic academies had begun. Ranging from music to
architecture to art to sculpting
(Steingrad).
• This new culture also became
evident in his own capitol of
Versailles. The same patronage
of art and architecture was
seen throughout his capitol
(Chambers 492-3).
Ceiling Painting in Versailles ( Greensleeves Hubs)
Art of the Time
Painting (Louis XIV of France)
One of many paintings praising Louis XIV
(The Battle of Blenheim 1704)
Another depiction of Louis XIV (Apotheosis of King Louis XIV)
The Councils
• Louis XIV’s government was made up by four
councils. The main council being the Council
d’Etat otherwise known as the high council
(Geant).
• The high council was made up of the King
and a few other members. Louis XIV went
against tradition and did not appoint family
to the High Council (Steingrad).
Louis XIV (Louis XIV of France)
• The councils would help Louis run the government but
ultimately Louis had ultimate rule and final say over everyone
(Geant).
Louis XIV Government Reform
• Gave himself the power to form and enforce laws. Allowed
himself to implement his own policies unopposed (Chambers
494).
• Took power away from Parliament and added to his own
power. By stripping away Parliament’s power to form laws the
state is entirely under Louis XIV control. (Stiengrad).
• Drafted new codes of civil procedure (1667) and criminal
procedure (1669). The new codes completely reformed the
judicial process.
• By the end of his reign Louis XIV had gained more power for
the monarch through his government reforms.
Economic Reform and Jean-Baptiste Colbert
• Colbert, a member of the high council,
tightened up tariff and tax control to
help make taxation more efficient.
Although there were tax exemptions
within the wealthy overall the revenue
from taxation increase (Steingrad).
• New commerce and industry, new
oversea economics and colonies overall
helped increase revenue (Steingrad) Jean-Baptiste Colbert (Hodges)
• Yearly Colbert cut in to the debt of the treasury and gave
Louis XIV more financial flexibility (Steingrad).
Military Control
• Louis XIV’s was able to win control of
the
military for the French State
(Chambers
494).
• Marquis of Louvois, a member of the
high council, was an important military
advisor for Louis XIV. Louvois
emphasized the importance of the
army
and war for France
Marquis of Louvois (Francois-Michel le Tellier,
Marquis De Louvois)
(Chambers 494).
• Under Louis XIV the military grew substantially and upgraded
the navy heavily.
Louis XIV’s Foreign Policy
• Began his reign with the Peace of Westphalia that helped
France receive settlements (Shennan).
• Louis XIV’s relationship with other countries was often
determined by the influences of the marquis of Louvois and
Colbert (Chambers 494).
• Overall wanted to expand the boundaries of France from
where they started ( Chambers 495).
• Louis XIV’s aspirations and power caused other European
nations to form an alliance. This also resulted in the formation
of the balance of powers between the nations of Europe
(Chambers 496).
Louis XIV’s Domestic Reform
• To begin his reign Louis XIV tried to end the religious tension
between the Catholics Jansenists and the Protestant
Huguenots. By removing the Edict of Nantes Louis removed
the little toleration the Huguenots received (Chambers 498).
• Louis also tried to bring his tighten his control on the outer
most remote reaches of France. He sent representatives
called Intendants to the provinces to help keep control of his
nation (Louis XIV and Domestic Policy).
• Another main goal Louis had was to boost the overall foreign
trade by the creation of new port cities. Although he only
became successful in the West Indies (Chambers 498).
Growing Military Tension
• When Louis started to loose land that he had gained in the
1680’s he blamed Louvois and immediately took away his
power in 1690 (Chambers 497). Louis now lost the military
genius that had helped him win land in the past.
• William III of the United Provinces and Emperor Leopold
became great foes of France and Louis XIV. Together William
III and Leopold seemed to overpower the French. When
William took the throne in England he became much stronger
(Chambers 496).
• Even with the economic downfalls and famines of the 1690’s
Louis XIV was able to form the greatest army in Europe.
Louis XIV’s Main Enemies
William III of the United Province
and England(Lendering)
Emperor Leopold of the Holy Roman Empire
(Kilkenny)
The War of Spanish Succession
• Charles II left the throne without an heir
and his first choice was Philip, Louis XIV’s
grandson. Although Louis refused to unite
the thrones of Spain and France as well as
not allowing the Spanish empire to begin
foreign trade (Chambers 497).
• Louis XIV was now open to attacks in 1701
by
William and Leopold, who created a
Grand
Charles II (Charles II)
Alliance (Shennan) .
• Later the English with the duke of Marlborough and the
Austrians with Prince Eugene joined in against
France(Chambers 497).
• France was able to survive through the military defeats with
Louis XIV’s reforms still intact (Chambers 497).
After Louis XIV
• Louis XIV’s successor Louis XV was a weak leader that put his
trust in his chief minister. Under the reign of Louis XV the
structural weaknesses of the government were exposed
(Chambers 500).
• Fleury was the chief minister of Louis XV and had almost all
authority over the government for some period of time.
• The financial and political problems that steamed from after
Louis XIV reign would make way to years of hardship, leading
up to the French Revolution.
Work Cited
“Artwork” Apotheosis of King Louis XIV of France”? Artwork No. 129712.” Apotheosis of King Louis XIV of F
France Art Poster by Charles Le Brun
“Francois-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois.” Wikipedia. Web. 17 Dec. 2012
Geant, A.J “The Government of Louis XIV.” Louis XIV. Web. 17 Dec. 2012.
Hodges, Miles H. “Movers: Enlightenment.” Movers Enlightenment By Miles Hodges. 200. Web. 19. Dec.2012.
Hub, Greensleves.” Paris; A Photographic Guide to Versailles and Sacra-Coeur.” Hub Pages. Web 19 Dec 2012.
Kilkenny, Niall.” Polish King Jan III” Polish King Jan. 2009. Web 17 Dec. 2012.
Lendering, Jona “Some Expressions.” Some Expressions. Web. 19 Dec .2012.
“Louis XIV and Domestic Policy” Louis XIV and Domestic Policy. Web. 17 Dec. 2012.
“Louis XIV of France.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Dec. 2012. Web 12 Dec. 2012.
Saint-Simon, Due De. “Internet History Sourcebooks.”., Aug.1997. Web. 17 Dec. 2012.
Shennan J.H “ The Age of Louis XIV” The Age of Louis XIV (1643-1715). Web 17 Dec. 2012.
“Spanish Succession.” :Battle of Blenheim., 2002. Web. 17 Dec 2012.
Steingrad, Elena. “Minority” Louis XIV., 26 Nov. 2007. Web 17 Dec. 2012.