Louis XIV As The Most Absolute Monarch

“An absolute monarchy is a type of government in which the monarch rules with an absolute control, with no limitation from any law or type of constitution (Totally history, 2013)”. 

Born on September 5, 1638, Louis XIV was destined to become the next ruler of France, he assumed power in May 14, 1643, when he was just four years old and along his side was his mother Anne of Austria and the chief minister Mazarin. When Louis started his reign France was politically corrupt, weakened, and divided by the rebelling nobles, but Louis XIV was very determined to unifying France and gain power, resulting in the establishment of France as the dominant European power. Louis XIV reign lasted for seventy-two years, the longest in European history. Louis XIV successfully controlled the nobility, peasantry, military, religion, and the taxes and government spending of France, embodying the definition of an absolute monarch.

Louis XIV had helped get France out of mediocrity by putting an effective rule to reduce the power of the nobles, glorified England with an era of art, literature, music, architecture, and he was also an intelligent monarch by using his religious learning to convince the people to do things the right way or his way, and that’s why he called himself the sun king. Louis XIV, Louis is one of the most powerful and effective monarchs in history, he had taken a shocking decision to rule without a chief minister, breaking tradition and astonishing everyone around him. This did not only make Louis XIV one of the ultimate dominant powers in Europe but also they made himself greatly looked upon as a strong and absolute monarch. To illustrate his status, Louis had chosen the sun as a symbol which cultivated the powerful image of the Sun King, this was important because it had later on helping France by creating vast amounts of programs that helped promote the arts in their French culture taking France to the Golden Age. Louis had complete control over his decisions were ways of ruling and thoroughly embodied the definition of an absolute monarch my centralizing France and having complete dominance.

Louis absolute power had helped him govern France with complete control, especially control over religion, taxes and government spending, nobility, and military. He promoted religious unity through his title as the Sun King and suppressed the Protestant religion, he had a strong influence of religion and god and “He viewed himself as the direct representative of God, endowed with a divine right to wield the absolute power of the monarchy (History.com Staff)”. Louis increased his power when he used religion to influence the people with the belief that the kingdom revolved around him and he was a true representative of God. Louis had greatly controlled France’s money by increasing the taxes to increase France’s wealth. He had improved the French economy, he expanded his boundaries and built the Palace of Versailles, one of the largest palaces in the world that had become the most important symbol of absolute monarchy. Lastly, Louis had disempowered the rebelling nobles, this showed his control and intelligence he had when it came to controlling power and his people.

Louis XIV embodies the definition of an absolute monarch by creating and centralizing France, obtaining a lot of power, and dominance over the French government. He had given France hope and helped them escape from poverty and took them to the Golden Age full of art and literature. As an absolute monarch, he ruled alone and very strictly, he controlled his whole kingdom, and strived to centralize France and succeed. Louis XIV demonstrated that he was the most absolute monarch who ruled as King of France from 1643 till his death.