LouisXIV09

media type="custom" key="4649803" Script King Louis XIV was born at Saont-Germain on September 5, 1638. He was the king of France from 1643- 1715. Under his rule the French monarchy reached its peak of absolute power making France the ultimate power in Europe. Louis XIV's grandfather, Henry IV, reestablished the French monarchy after the chaos of the Wars of the Religions. The rulers and ministers, Henry IV, Louis XIII, Cardinal Richelieu, and Cardinal Mazarin paved the way for Louis XIV to be the first king of France to be absolute ruler within France. His father was King Louis XIII and Louis’s birth was greeted with immense national rejoicing. He was even called le Dieudonné ,  the God-given". On the 16th of May 1643, Louis XIII died and Louis XIV, at the age of 4, became king of France. Since he was only four years old at the time his mother, Anne of Austria’s, lover Cardinal Mazarin, governed the country. Mazarin remained in power until his death on March 9, 1661, when Louis XIV stunned the court by announcing that he would here on out direct the government himself. For the next 50 years, the government remained under Louis XIV's personal control.

With Louis’ position in government came great arrogance, but he was always thinking of his duty as King and devoted his reigned to the wellbeing of his people. He absolutely detested abuse of privileges, corruption, and whenever he encountered them, he disposed of them right away; ironically, his desire for personal glory led him to bring France into several wars at an extreme cost of his people. In fact, he admitted on his death bed that he loved war too much. One of Louis' ministers, Nicolas Fouquet, was Mazarin's most important lieutenant. He was charged for peculation. Louis, revealing his fear of another Fonde, intruded on the sentence and changed it from banishment to imprisonment for life so that he could not threaten Louis' throne.
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For the next 11 years, King Louis XIV's main goal was to restore, due to Mazarin’s neglection, the French economy to health and vigor. However, in 1672, shocked at his failular to destroy the economy of the Dutch, he invaded their country with the help of England. This turned out not to be as easy as expected. William of Orange, supported by a fast growing number of allies, resisted the armies of France and England. The war lasted for six years and ended with the Dutch economy as strong as ever. Louis then started the policy of deliberate aggression toward bullying his neighbors and crossing onto their territory. By doing this, he aroused fear throughout Europe which forced him into the War of the League of Augsburg which lasted from 1689-1697. The war gave France the possession of Strasbourg, but it was at the cost of France's energy which it would need in the coming war. The War of the Spanish Succession. Charles II, the last Hapsburg of Spain, was going to die without having an heir and would leave a vast inheritance. Louis and the Emperor were the people at the top of the list for the inheritance. They had agreed to split the inheritance evenly between themselves; however, just before his death, Charles offered to make Louis's son, Philip, the sole heir. Louis, against the advice of his Council, agreed to the terms of the agreement. This meant that France and Austria were definitively going to war. This war lasted from 1701-1714 and had and incredible amount of damage afflicted to France. Thanks to the determination of Louis and his people, the war did not end in disaster. Phillip kept the Spanish throne, and the only loses of land were those of which were overseas. However, industry and commerce were at a standstill. Peasants suffered an unexpected load of taxation. Louis's death the next year was almost as rejoiced as his birth.
 * . **

Louis XIV religion was very bigoted and unintelligent Catholicism. He regarded himself as God's deputy in France. He would not allow any challenges to his authority from the Pope or anyone else. Because of this, he was involved in a series of disputes with successive popes. These disputes led to the suspicion that Louis might make a break with the church just like Henry VIII did. In 1685 he nullified the Edict of Nantes which had been granted to Protestants so that they would be tolerated in France. He forbade the practice of Calvinism and expelled all of the Calvinist pastors; he forbade lay Protestants, under savage penalties, to emigrate. These actions made Louis very popular. The Jansenists, a rigorist sect within the Catholic Church, was greatly despised by Louis. He had such a hatred for them that he reversed his anti-papal policy in the hope that the pope would support him in ridding of the Jansenists. Louis got his wish, when they were condemned by the bull Unigenitus in 1713.
 * . **

Louis did not start the idea of governing France by a group of overlapping councils or the administration of the provinces by intendments. However, he did take over these systems and made them more efficient and he extended the system of intendments to all of France. The government under Louis also became more bureaucratic. This bureaucracy, contrasting from the intendments, became permanent. Louis believed that any government was better than the semi anarchy government that was around during the old days. However, many people argue that he did carry the sense of regimentation a little too far by speeding up the process of France becoming a centralized government.



King Louis XIV was born in 1938. He was the king of France from 1643 to 1715. Under his rule the French monarchy reached its peak of absolute power making France the ultimate po wer in Europe. Louis XIV's grandfather, Henery IV, reestablished the French monarchy after the chaos of the Wars of the Religions. The rulers adn ministers, Henry IV, Louis XIII, Cardinal Richelieu, and Cardinal Mazarin paved the way for Louis XVI to be the first king of France to be absolute ruler within France and to make France the dominate power in Europe.

Louis was born at Saont-Germain on September 5, 1638. His father was king Louis XIII and his birth was greeted with immense national rejoicing. He was even called le Dieudonné​, the God-given". On the 16th of May 1643, Louis XII died and Louis XVI, at the age of 4, became king of France. Since he was only four years old at the time his mother, Anne of Austria, governed the country. However, since his mother was involved with Cardinal Mazarin, he ruled the country untill Louis was old enough. Marazin remained in power untill his death on March 9, 1661. After Marazin's death, Louis XIV stunned the court by announcing that he would here on out direct the government himself. For the next 50 years, the government remained unded Louis XIV's personal controll.

His Character
Louis XVI frequently showed gross and brutal selfishness, however, he was actually courteous, considerate, and showed great loyalty to his friends and allies. With his posostion in government came great arrogance, but he was always thinking of his duty as King and devoted his reigned to the wellbeing of his people. He absolutly ostracized abuse of prevliges, corruption, and whenever he encounter them, he disposed of them right away, Ironically, his desire for personal glory led him to bring France into several wars at an extrmeme cost of his people. In fact, he admited on his death bed that he loved war too much. One of Louis' ministers, that was inherited from Mazarin named Nicolas Fouquet, was Mazarin's most important lieutenant. He was charged for peculation. Louis, revealing his fear of another Fonde, intruded on the sentence and changed it from banishment to imprisonment for life so that he could not threaten Louis' throne. Aother example of Louis' paranoia is that he did not let any great nobles, not even his own brother, onto the council because he was suspicious of any of them becoming to powerful.

Military Activities
For the next 11 years, King Louis XIV's main goal was to restor, due to Marazin's neglection, the French econmomy to health and vigor. However, in 1672, shocked at his failular to destroy the economy of the dutch, he invaded their country with the help of England. This turned out not to be as easy as expected. William of Organge, supported by a fast growing number of allies, resisted the armies of France and England. The war lasted for six years and endded with the Dutch economy as strong as ever. France had gained many lands from the war. Louis then started the policy of delibrate agression toward bullying his neighbors and crossing onto their territory. By doing this, he aroused fear throughout Eroupe which forced him into the War of the League of Augsburg which lasted from 1689-1697. The war gave France the possesion of Strasbourg, but it was at the cost of France's energy which it would need in the coming war. The War of the Spanish Succession. Charles II, the last Hapsburg of Spain, was going to die without having a heir and woudl leave a vast inheritence. Louis and the Emperor, were the people at the top of the list for the inheritence. They had agreed to split the inheritance evenly between themselves; However, just before his death, Charles offered to make Louis's son, Philip, the sole heir. If Louis refused the inheritence would pass directly, without division, to the Emperor's son. Louis, against the advice of his Council, agreed to the terms of the agreement. This meant that France and Austria were definitivly going to war, Due to Louis's greed, Britian and Holland were brought into the war. This war, and it was the last war, lasted from 1701-1714 and had and incredible amounte of damage afflicted to France. Thanks to the determination of Louis and his people, the war did not end in disaster. Phillip kept the Spanish throne, the only loses of land were those of which were overseas. However, the population of France was sharply reduced by famine. Industry and commerse were at a standstill. Peasants suffered an unexpected load of taxation. Louis's death the next year was almost as rejoiced as his birth was.

Louis XVI religion was very bigoted and unitelligent Catholicism. He regaured himself as God's deptuy in Fracne. He would not allow any challenges to his authority from the Pope or anyone else. Becasue of this, he wsa involved in a series of dispute with successive popes. These dispute led to the supision that Louis might make a break with the church just like Henrey VIII did. To make it definiate that he did not want to break fromt the church, he put lots of pressure against the Protestants in France. in 1685 he nullified the Edict of nantes which had been granted to Protestants so that they would be tolerated in France. He forbade the practice of Calvinism and expelled all of the Calvinist pastors, he forbaded lay protestants, under savage penalties, to emigrate. These action made Catholicism prevail and made Louis very popular. The Jansenists, a rgorist sect within the Catholic Church, was greatly dispised by Louis. He held many campigns throghout his reign against them. He had such a hatred for them that he reversed his anti-papal policy in the hope that the pope would support him in ridding of the Jansenists. Louis got his wish. The jansenists were condemneed by the bull Unigenitus in 1713. However, these campigns outraged the French people and the Jansenists cause gained considerable popularity. Louis, did not start the idea of governing France by a group of overlapping councils nor the administration of the provinces by intendents. However, he did take over these systems and made them more efficient and he extened the system of intendents to all of France. The made government much more efficient. This efficiency lasted untill after his death. The government unded Louis also became more bureaucratic. this bureacracy, contrasting from the intendents, became permanent. Louis beleived that any government was better then the semianarchy government that was around during the old days. However, many people argue that he did carry the sense of regimentation a little too far. Govermental centralization, is one of the sources of problems in France today. Louis did not start this centralized government, nor did he end it, but it can be said that he did speed the process up. The Fronde was a civil war in France that involved the noble anarchy and Louis was determined to keep them in line. Throughout his entire reign he tried to undercut the independent position of the nobles, especially the richer ones, and turn them into courtiers. The position within government that the nobility were most attracted to was Versailles. No nobleman could hope for an appointment to any import government position without paying constant court at Versailles.
 * Domestic Policy**

Personal Life
Louis was married to the daughter of Phillip IV of Spain, Maria Theresa. Louis also had many mistresses all of which were very jelouse of each other. He had a number of illegitiment children. He was very fond of these children and tried to get them positions in government higher then they deserved which caused lots of trouble.

Wrong C. (1973). Louis XVI. //the McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of world biography//. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.. 2009). The Fonde. //Wikipedia//. Retrieved (2009, September 25) from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fronde

P. 588, volume `6 The McGaw-Hill Ecyclopidiea of World Biograp