Louis XIV: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 10:23, 18 April 2019

1638-1715. French king, also called roi-soleil (sun king).

When his father, King Louis XIII, died, Louis XIV was not even five years old; that is why instead of Louis, his mother Anne of Austria reigned alongside with Cardinal Mazarin for the first years of Louis’ life. There were many wars during this time, for example against Spain and Germany, which cost a lot of money. The magistrates were not content with this development and thus claimed reforms which were met by Anne. After 1648, the Fronde, an uprising of the French nobility, tried to get control over the country.

As another rebellion started, Anne had to escape from Paris with her children. From this time on, Louis XIV disliked the French capital. As Louis wanted to prevent any further revolts, he tried to restrict the rights of the nobility. He found the means and methods to make the people belonging to the nobility to live at court with him, which made it possible to better control them. The court resided at Versailles and whoever wanted to be considered influential and important had to live there, too. Versailles came to stand for splendour, luxury and entertainment. Entertainments at Versailles used baroque splendour to indicate political power. Successfully so, as the palace and gardens became the model of elegance and culture for all courts in Europe and many a ruler tried to copy it.

Centralisation and unity not only concerned court culture and politics, they also were a principle in religion. Louis fought several religious groups (e.g. Jansenists and Huguenots). The Edict of Nantes which had guaranteed them religious tolerance was declared void in 1685 and many Protestants fled to England (and Prussia).

Louis' minister Colbert developed another version of centralisation pertaining to the economy: mercantilism. Its principles demand that France should export goods, but should try to import as little as possible.

On June 9 1660, Louis XIV married Maria Theresa of Austria who was the daughter of Philipp IV of Spain, whom he had defeated earlier. But he is more (in)famous for his many mistresses. This mixed pleasure with political business: Louis thereby demonstrated his attractiveness and potency.

During his reign, France was involved in the Thirty Years' War, after which the country had become a (or rather the) European super power. After 1660, Louis XIV was at war with several countries, for example the Netherlands, Spain and England.

The French population was suffering during King Louis XIV’s reign: due to the high amount of wars, taxes had to be raised or were newly established.

Sources

Levron, Jacques. Kleine Geschichte großer Nationen. Frankreich. Gütersloh: Media Books, 1976.

For further reading: http://www.louis-xiv.de/

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-French king, so-called ’roi-soleil’ (sun king), born in 1638 and died in 1715.
+-1715. French king, also called ''roi-soleil'' (sun king).
 When his father, King Louis XIII, died, Louis XIV was not even five years old; that is why instead of Louis, his mother Anne of Austria reigned alongside with Cardinal Mazarin for the first years of Louis’ life. There were many wars during this time, for example against Spain and Germany, which cost a lot of money. The magistrates were not content with this development and thus claimed reforms which were met by Anne. After 1648, the Fronde, an uprising of the French nobility, tried to get control over the country.
-As another rebellion started, Anne had to escape from Paris with her children. From this time on, Louis XIV disliked the French capital. The family was able to return to Paris some time later, but there were several other rebellions taking place. As Louis wanted to prevent any further revolts, he tried to restrict the rights of the nobility and parliament and erect an absolutist regime. He found the means and methods to make the people belonging to the nobility to live at court with him, which made it possible for him to better control them. The court resided at Versailles and whoever wanted to be considered influential and important had to live there, too. Versailles came to stand for splendour, luxury and entertainment. Entertainments at Versailles used baroque splendour to indicate political power. Successfully so, as Versailles became the model of elegance and culture for all courts in Europe and many a ruler tried to copy its architecture.
+As another rebellion started, Anne had to escape from Paris with her children. From this time on, Louis XIV disliked the French capital. As Louis wanted to prevent any further revolts, he tried to restrict the rights of the nobility. He found the means and methods to make the people belonging to the nobility to live at court with him, which made it possible to better control them. The court resided at [[Versailles]] and whoever wanted to be considered influential and important had to live there, too. Versailles came to stand for splendour, luxury and entertainment. Entertainments at Versailles used baroque splendour to indicate political power. Successfully so, as the palace and gardens became the model of elegance and culture for all courts in Europe and many a ruler tried to copy it.
-Centralisation and unity not only concerned court culture and politics, they also were a principle in religion. Louis fought several religious groups, like people believing in Jansenism and the Huguenots (French Protestants). The Edict of Nantes which had guaranteed them religious tolerance was declared void in 1685 and many Protestants fled to England (and Prussia).
+Centralisation and unity not only concerned court culture and politics, they also were a principle in religion. Louis fought several religious groups (e.g. Jansenists and Huguenots). The Edict of Nantes which had guaranteed them religious tolerance was declared void in 1685 and many Protestants fled to England (and Prussia).
 Louis' minister Colbert developed another version of centralisation pertaining to the economy: mercantilism. Its principles demand that France should export goods, but should try to import as little as possible.
-On June 9th, 1660, King Louis XIV married Maria Theresa of Austria who was the daughter of King Philipp IV of Spain, whom he had defeated earlier. But he is more (in)famous for his many mistresses. This mixed pleasure with political business: Louis demonstrated his attractiveness and potency.
+On June 9 1660, Louis XIV married Maria Theresa of Austria who was the daughter of Philipp IV of Spain, whom he had defeated earlier. But he is more (in)famous for his many mistresses. This mixed pleasure with political business: Louis thereby demonstrated his attractiveness and potency.
 During his reign, France was involved in the Thirty Years' War, after which the country had become a (or rather the) European super power. After 1660, Louis XIV was at war with several countries, for example the Netherlands, Spain and England.