Why Is Louis Xiv So Difficult To Rule
1
Sarah Seng
History 130
Chapter 15 Summary
April 23, 2018
This chapter beings with a tale about the Marquis of Canillac who did not have a good
reputation in the land. Because of his reign, he was able to collect taxes on special occasions, but
abused this privilege by collecting taxes annually. This ruler was influenced by Louis XIV and
his extremely long reign. To make a long story short, Louis XIV tried to have power over
everything and everyone possible, including the clergy. Absolutism became a well-known term
during this period and basically was a political theory that sought to ?encourage rulers to claim
complete sovereignty within their territories.? As an absolute monarch you could ?make laws, …show more content…
dispense justice, create and direct a bureaucracy, declare war, and levy taxation, without the
approval of any other governing body.?
These monarchs were viewed as a husband or father
ruling their household ? essentially not having to answer to anyone about what went on in their
household. This became the norm for the sixteenth and seventeenth century which, up to this
time, had been filled with destruction and chaos.
Louis XIV developed a complex, yet simple, structure of government to rule the 36
generalities that France became divided into. Rulers of the areas were often not born or raised in
the area they ruled ? thus not being connected anyway to the area they ruled. Louis sought to
unify France when it came to religion ? thus selecting one religion in which people in this area
could believe in and practice. But, he was met with fierce opposition. Louis met this opposition
with a large army and raging warfare in which many churches and schools were destroyed. Louis
2
did not support the Edict of Nantes that had been adopted in the previous century. Protestant
clergy men were exiled from the land, and supporters of this faith were condemned to live a life
of slavery and their children were baptized as Catholics against their
will.
Although Louis sought to impose the system of absolutism on everyone around him, some
surrounding areas fought hard to keep their current government system as evidenced by the
republican oligarchy which remained in place in Venice. John Locke was an important individual
from this time. Locke held the belief that ?humans had originally lived in a state of nature
characterized by absolute freedom and equality, with no government of any kind. The only law
[he felt] was the law of nature, by which individuals enforced for themselves their natural rights
to life, liberty, and property.? Governmental power was contractual and conditional, thus
meaning if government abused their power, society had the right to intervene and thus
?overthrow? or ?dissolve? the government.
Sarah Seng
History 130
Chapter 15 Summary
April 23, 2018
This chapter beings with a tale about the Marquis of Canillac who did not have a good
reputation in the land. Because of his reign, he was able to collect taxes on special occasions, but
abused this privilege by collecting taxes annually. This ruler was influenced by Louis XIV and
his extremely long reign. To make a long story short, Louis XIV tried to have power over
everything and everyone possible, including the clergy. Absolutism became a well-known term
during this period and basically was a political theory that sought to ?encourage rulers to claim
complete sovereignty within their territories.? As an absolute monarch you could ?make laws, …show more content…
dispense justice, create and direct a bureaucracy, declare war, and levy taxation, without the
approval of any other governing body.?
These monarchs were viewed as a husband or father
ruling their household ? essentially not having to answer to anyone about what went on in their
household. This became the norm for the sixteenth and seventeenth century which, up to this
time, had been filled with destruction and chaos.
Louis XIV developed a complex, yet simple, structure of government to rule the 36
generalities that France became divided into. Rulers of the areas were often not born or raised in
the area they ruled ? thus not being connected anyway to the area they ruled. Louis sought to
unify France when it came to religion ? thus selecting one religion in which people in this area
could believe in and practice. But, he was met with fierce opposition. Louis met this opposition
with a large army and raging warfare in which many churches and schools were destroyed. Louis
2
did not support the Edict of Nantes that had been adopted in the previous century. Protestant
clergy men were exiled from the land, and supporters of this faith were condemned to live a life
of slavery and their children were baptized as Catholics against their
will.
Although Louis sought to impose the system of absolutism on everyone around him, some
surrounding areas fought hard to keep their current government system as evidenced by the
republican oligarchy which remained in place in Venice. John Locke was an important individual
from this time. Locke held the belief that ?humans had originally lived in a state of nature
characterized by absolute freedom and equality, with no government of any kind. The only law
[he felt] was the law of nature, by which individuals enforced for themselves their natural rights
to life, liberty, and property.? Governmental power was contractual and conditional, thus
meaning if government abused their power, society had the right to intervene and thus
?overthrow? or ?dissolve? the government.