European History: The Reign Of Louis XIV

Louis XIV designed his reign in a way that made it one of the most influential rulings in European history, and his state-building and centralizing methods were deeply comprehensive. His reign was successful from when he assumed power until his death as a result of the complex and progressive way that he exercised power, which was through the combination of the symbolic and structural exercise of power, and these complimented each other in order for Louis to exercise his power at the apex. In terms of the symbolic exercise of power, Louis focused on aspects such as the Palace of Versailles, courtly life, and patronage of the arts, whereas the structural power was used to structure the actual government, recreating the French army, and reforming France’s economic system to build the overall political and economic atmospheres. It is noted that though his power was unchecked, that does not translate to his power having certain restraints. His power is derived from divinity; therefore the laws of God bind it. There is a sense of limitations to his power, but much of it was personal restraint, such as his extravagance and excess that was obvious in his diplomacy, his bribes, and his wars that may have potentially led to the eventual collapse of the French political sphere.
Despite the effect that his policies may have had later on in French politics after his death, the Sun King’s reign was long and deeply consequential on world history, and he ultimately left the legacy of the modern state
structure.