Louis XIV, popularly known as the Sun God, ruled France in the late 16 and early 17 hundreds for over seventy years, the longest reign of any European monarch. He fought to eliminate fuedalism and create a centralized government with himself at the head. He was also a great patron of the arts and especially encouraged the fields of music, architecture and painting. Louis created many declarations and his influence helped transfer the seat of power from the Church to the throne. His Declaration of the Clergy of France also took more power away from papal leaders, increasing the influence of the monarchs themselves.
Louis very successfuly attained more power during his reign than most French rulers had achieved before. All his work seemed bent on making the throne the real decision maker, which took influence away from the Church and local leaders. Louis also ruled during a long and perilous war with Spain, which ended favorably for the French.
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I really agree with your argument that Louis commanded absolute power, more than any other previous ruler, but the way I interpreted his relationship with the church was that he was able to use it to extend his power to another branch of everyday life rather than take influence away from the Church. Your organization was really well done. The way you incorporated the SPECS categories seemed really natural, and you brought it all together with your final paragraph.
ReplyDeleteI agree that he fought to make himself the ultimate ruler. However, I wouldn't say that all his work was about making himself the real decision maker. He did work with other people like Colbert, who helped him make decisions. I have to add that he supported the sciences as well. Also, was the church the head of power before him? Didn't his father have some influence? Overall, I think you organized your post well, especially with the last paragraph that sums it all up.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything that you argued about and I like the way you explained the way he ruled. The order of your arguments were convincing because it flowed well with your vivid vocabulary. The only thing that you could have done is just adding details about absolutism and the way her reined his "empire".
ReplyDeleteI liked how your post integrated all the SPECS categories, and I agree with most of what you said. I liked how you added more about what he did with feudalism and the arts instead of just stating his desire for absolute power. That being said, it was really clear in your post how Louis XIV assumed all the power.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really interesting post. It organized the ideas that you had about Louis's rule in a great way. I could easily understand all the ideas presented. One thing I wish you elaborated more on was the sentence about the arts because you mentioned that he was a patron of the arts but did not give specific examples.
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