King Louis XIV is a violent, self-centered villain who manipulates others for his personal gain. He was quick to shed blood, no matter what the cost.
Although he expanded France’s borders by conquering countries with his royal army, his methods led to many unnecessary deaths. During his reign, three out of every five years were spent in war. (Popkin Par. 3) King Louis XIV’s reign was full of unnecessary violence.
He did not live the privileged life of a king-to-be, and he would never forget the hard childhood he went through.He built up France’s economy and completely changed how it worked. He also revised the military’s methods. When French nobles rebelled in the Fronde revolution (Bernier P. 3), he and Cardinal Mazarin suppressed and reduced the power of the noble class, thus restoring the power to the throne of the King. Consequently, many people fled France due to his revised laws and methods of military, economy, and religion.
Soon after, French subjects became accustomed to the permanent presence of royal authority throughout the country.Louis XIV manipulated the laws so that even as a whole, the noble class could not overpower him. This led to much strife between the nobles of France and the king himself. Due to the building tension, much violence erupted throughout the country. His reign would affect France for years to come after his death. Louis XIV is a selfish and greedy tyrant.
He hoarded all of the authority in the country, for his personal gain. This is known as absolutism. (Popkin Par. ) He replaced many of the nobility with commoners and aristocrats who feared the king and would not object to his demands.
He stated that the country revolved around him and his country. He would do anything for more power. Not only was he greedy, selfish, and violent, but he was also manipulative. He had “a way with words” (Bernier Par. 2) that won over many of the people of France and led them to support him.
He stated that he was due respect and glory from all but God.He instituted new administrative tactics so he could control France more easily, took advantage of the new lower-class aristocrats that worked for him, and made them carry out his desire. He proved to be a generally disliked king. After his death in 1715, the country of France was on the verge of economic collapse. The military was few in number and weakened from all of the wars Louis XIV had waged on neighboring countries. His greed led to the downfall of his nation.
He was the longest reigning tyrant in European history, and will hopefully be the last.
