The Difficulties Of King Louis XIV

France was already undergoing major financial difficulties when Louis XIV took the crown and his poor handling of the situation only served to make things worse. When King Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette took the throne in 1643 after the death of his grandfather, the country was already in severe debt due to the mismanagement of the country from the two previous monarchs and from the French loss in the Seven Years War. Louis XIV, however, plunged the country into further debt through his decision to aid America in the American War of Independence, for the purpose of avenging the country’s previous loss and for strengthening foreign ties. King Louis XIV sent 1.5 billion livres worth of supplies and support to America for their war. In order to make
In addition to this, there was incredibly poor weather and the combination of the two difficulties made food so scarce, that bread, the staple of the French diet, was literally fought over to the death. In conclusion, King Louis XIV inherited a country already undergoing a financial crisis and simply made matters worse. Alongside the financial difficulties France was facing, the country was also under massive social strains due to the inequitable estate system. As well as financial difficulties, France had long-withstanding social difficulties resulting from their heavily weighted/tiered estate system, where the upper two estates (nobility and clergy) represented only 3% of the population, but had the greatest amount of property, wealth and power. These estates also did not have to pay taxes, unlike the poorer third estate and these estates were determined by birth. Louis