Within the context of the period 1689-1789, to what extent was the French Revolution mainly a product of economic distress?…
Once upon a time, long ago in France, lived a king, Louis XIV and his beautiful wife, Marie Antoinette. Louis received a lot of debt from previous kings, and borrowed a great deal of money to help the American Revolution in their war against Great Britain. Louis who wanted to help improve the lives of common people was in a tough situation, when banks refused to lend him more money, and to make matters worse, Marie Antoinette gave Louis poor advice, interfered with the government, and spent excessive money on jewels, gambling and gifts. She was then known as Madame deficit. Not too far away from the King and Queen lived Jacques.…
King Louis XIV was a man of strength and courage with many ambitions that he was fully determined to achieve. He dedicated most of his rule taking steps to accomplish the goal of “one king, one law, one faith” for the country of France. By one king he aimed for the ruler to have supreme power over armies, government bureaucracy, and culture. This would eventually lead to the overall influence of the French upon other countries and their kings. By way of one law he aspired for the nobles to no longer rule over separate states but for one government with supreme power. King Louis had a desire for an absolute monarchy. As a result he would not be legally bound by any institutions or other persons in the country. This inclination was not easily met or as successful as he had hoped. Louis XIV sought religious unity between the French people, one faith. To do this he revoked the Edict of Nantes. King Louis XIV did not achieve his entire goal to the extent which he had anticipated but overall he was victorious, leaving a huge impact and influence on the French society and Europe as a whole.…
Want an effective leader? Then Louis XIV would not be a great choice. I believe he is an ineffective leader because of a few reasons; one, he lost all four wars that he placed wages on, leading France to bankruptcy. Two, he failed at his goal of becoming the master of Europe. And third, because protestants would not convert to Catholicism, he threatened to kick them out if they didn’t convert or execute them if they stayed, because they left, the businesses they owned and ran, left with them. In fact, I thought Louis XIV was effective at one point because he was very smart about something; he built Versailles and paid the nobles well to live…
Courtiers both respected and feared him because of the considerable influence he wielded with the king. Louis XIV trusts Bontemps above all others and Bontemps' devotion to his king knows no bounds. Bontemps was present for the secret marriage of Louis XIV to Madame de Maintenon. It was said that the secrets of the kingdom pass through the hands of Bontemps, though the loyal valet never asked for anything from his king. However, he was not above asking the king or his ministers for a favor on behalf of another.…
The Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745-46 were the two most serious threats to the Hanoverian crown in 18th Century Britain. Although there were numerous smaller attempts at returning the Stuarts to the throne the ’15 and ’45 remain the closest to succeeding. This essay will look at several of the contributing factors to the failures of these risings.…
The exclusion crisis stemmed from the fact that James, the Duke of York was a catholic and the only legitimate heir to the throne in a country which greatly feared Catholic absolutism and the universal monarchy of Louis XIV. Furthermore, James marriage to Catholic Mary of Moderna who was also a client of Louis XIV was a pivotal factor in creating the crisis as it resulted in fears of a Catholic succession line. Historians debate how far the exclusion crisis strengthened or undermined his position, some suggest that it increased his power by allowing a working relationship with the Tory Anglicans where he successfully implemented his prerogative powers and made the Whigs seem radical, whilst other argues that it showed how Charles could not…
Louis XIV stressed the five major factors of absolutism were as follows: the King must be God-like, king must be in control, King must be the wealthiest, that conformity ( the idea of converting mass population from one religion to another) be implemented, and the King must have a strong military. These are the 5 rules of absolute monarchy. So it would seem that Louis XIV did believe in absolute monarchy as his reign was exactly that. He alone a was the ruler with absolute control over the entire country, and its economy. He had an advisor, but he mostly just made sure that the money was in order and everybody supported Louis. Being heavily Catholic, Louis forced Catholicism onto those who weren't. He expressed himself as the self-proclaimed…
The ruler is one of the most important parts of a country. They can cause gain or loss for the people, and sometimes even a mixture of both. An exemplary leader can bring great change to a nation, and there are many who have caused incredible reforms. For example, Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery in the United States, and King Louis XVIII of France inadvertently caused a revolution. Though Louis may be well known, the most famous of France’s rulers was arguably Napoleon. His military success and determination led to a huge amount of power within his French Empire, but ultimately a great fall. The entire nation of France was able to appreciate Napoleon and give him perhaps more credit than he is due; they saw him as a beacon of hope. Much of Napoleon’s rule consisted of extreme changes to France’s society and church, but other areas, such as education, individual rights, and government, were hardly affected.…
Louis the XIV was king of France from 1693 to 1715. He was an example of how to rule for many of the political leaders of the 18th century. An absolute ruler is defined by seven traits. Pacify and subjugate nobles, and centralize power around oneself. Another is to make both money and war. Dominate culture, make religion and finally build something worthy of your glory. Two Enlightened despots that took after Louis were Joseph II of Austria and Peter the Great, Czar of Russia. Both rulers had enlightened and despotic characteristics. Yet Joseph was more Enlightened and Peter more despotic. Both characteristics were important to have a strong nation, but as Peter exemplifies having more despotic characteristics helps a ruler maintain power and strengthen the nation, more so then enlightened ones. Joseph II takes full power in 1780 after his mother Maria Theresa dies, instantly he begins to institute many enlightened ideas. Joseph is radical and makes many changes to long withstanding traditions in Austrian society and government. First, he grants religious freedom and cuts off communication between his state clergy and Rome. Though Austria had always been staunchly Catholic, now a person of any religion could practice it freely. This is a very enlightened idea much before its time. Also, it was one of his only major changes which were kept after his reign ended. This was how Joseph II fits under the trait of making religion work for you; he actually tried to make it work for everyone. Another enlightened reform he implemented was a universal law code in which all Austrians have to follow the same rules and suffer the same punishments. He eliminates noble privileges, in matters like taxation, and crimes. This reform angered the nobility and almost put the nation in crisis. But it was one last reform which set off a spark of rebellion. Joseph II outlawed serfdom, he freed millions of peasants. They were free to go wherever, and choose…
From 1638 to 1715, the people of France had a lot of different opinions about Louis XIV. Most importantly, Louis XIV was the strongest king of his time (Beck 598). He made France the most powerful country in Europe. In 1660, France had about 20 million people. This was four times as many as England and ten times as many as the Dutch Republic (Beck 601). France’s army was ahead of other states’ weaponry, training, and armies in size (Beck 601). Louis XIV also led expeditions to expand France’s boundaries. His expeditions led to gaining 12 towns. He also gained several towns in a region called Franche-Comte. He then decided to fight in other wars, but he did not succeed (Beck 601). Least importantly, Lewis and begun to spend a lot of France’s…
King Louis XIV was the absolute ruler of France from 1638-1718. He came into thrown at the age of five and ruled until his death just before his 77th birthday. Louis was a strong, powerful and lavish ruler of France. He believed in the Divine Rights of the King and ruled with total authority. King Louis faced many problems, and attempted to solve them by issuing policies however they did not all have positive effects on France. King Louis worked to improve the economy and industry of his reign, became a patron of the arts and lead France into constant warfare.…
People rarely think of saintly actions when monarchy is mentioned. After all, most of the famous kings are famous for their lack of virtue rather than their piety. In this regard, King St. Louis IX of France is an exception. This king lived a pious life and has over 65 miracles attributed to his prayerful intercession after his death. Being the only French monarch to receive the title of saint, the rift between Louis and an average king is quite a large one.…
To answer this question, I would have to say that I do agree with the decisions made by the french assembly on sending citizen Louis to the guillotine. King Louis was the worst king France had seen, and to kill him would clean the government of dysfunction caused by the terrible decisions he had made in his tenure to the throne. The King had no knowledge of what it took to rule people, and he had barely any capability to keep any of the classes happy all at once.…
The nationalist perspective of King Louis XIV is that the head of the country is the nation and for society to prosper the people have to be willing to serve and follow the leader’s will. The source’s perspective can be shown throughout history by the beliefs and values he had during his reign in France. The source believed in the uses of a social hierarchy and the absolute monarch. The social hierarchy benefited the people who were part of the Roman Catholic Clergy or nobility. These people received privileges and were not required to pay taxes. The rest of the population had a difficult and challenging way of living. They were required to serve the king by paying taxes which lead to poor living conditions, in which some died from starvation. The absolute monarch allowed all the power in France to be consolidated in the hands of the king. This allowed for King Louis XIV to be the main voice in France and gave the power to decide how the country will operate. These ideals were the main contributions to start of the French Revolution, many people felt that they deserved better rights which lead the nation members to revolt and seek a better constitution. The source would disagree with J.D Vance’s idea to bridge the gap between the rich and poor. King Louis XIV would believe that he should not have to…