Que – Discuss the achievements and policies of Louis XIV in France.
Ans–
Louis XIV
Louis XIV also known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, was King of France Born in 1638, Louis XIV succeeded his father, Louis XIII, as king at the age of five. Due to her age of only 5 years, Rajmata became the protector and the work of administration was completed by her prime minister. After mazarin’s death, King Louis XIV concentrated the entire reins of the administration in his hands. He said that he did not need the help of any minister, He would rule himself. He ruled for 72 years, until his death in 1715, making his reign the longest of any European monarch. By the time he died, he outlived his son and his grandson, leaving the throne to his young great-grandson Louis XV. Louis XIV’s reign was important in French history not just because it lasted so long but because he was a strong-willed ruler who was determined to make his subjects obey him and to make his kingdom the predominant power in Europe. He came closer than any other French king to making the political theory of absolutism a reality.
Kingship theory –
King Louis XIV believed in the theory of divine right of kingship, according to which, “The king is
the representative of God on earth.” Therefore, the king is responsible only to God and the subjects have no right to interfere in his work. “Just as all the qualities and perfection are vested
in God, similarly all the powers of all the individuals of a society are vested in the king.” The king
became the embodiment of every work of the state and he started saying that “I am the state.”
Domestic policy –
Louis XIV’s statement “I am the state” explains his Domestic policy. He wanted to establish his power as autocratic and supreme power in France. He did not want the interference of Prime
Ministers like Richelieu or Mazarin in his administration. He wanted to rule autocratically by
concentrating all the power of administration in his hands. He himself wanted to conduct administrative policies. He used to consider his ministers and officials like clerks and servants.He wanted his officers to carry out his orders. He did not want any kind of interference in the administration. Similarly, no meeting of the National Assembly called ‘States General’ was called
during his reign.
Centralized Administration-
His important task was to organize the central administration. He created many committees in the administration whose members were like his servants. There was a separate committee ‘State Council’ in the center. Whose work was to advise the king regarding international problems. Second, there was the ‘Apostle Council’ whose work area was related to internal administration. The third committee used to conduct financial work, which was called ‘Finance
Council’. The king used to determine all the policies of the administration himself. The work of
each committee was only to advise the king and they could not do any work independently
without the approval of the king. Louis XIV himself kept a strict eye on the departments of the
administration. He used to say that “Government is meant to work through work”.
Palace of Versailles-
To show his pride and prestige, he built a palace at a place called Versailles, 12 miles from the city of Paris. Its construction work started in 1669 AD and it was completed in 1701 AD, although the royal court was shifted from Paris to Versailles in 1682 AD itself. In its construction, the
services of high quality artisans of France were taken and the palace was decorated in a very
beautiful and luxurious manner. So much money was spent in its construction that before his
death, Louis XIV destroyed all the papers from which the total expenditure could be ascertained.
The king and his family, courtiers and officials of the administration used to reside in the palace
of Versailles.
Cultural development of France –
Louis XIV also paid special attention to the advancement of art, literature and music. He Encouraged artists, writers and musicians. Many artists and musicians used to beautify his court. During his reign, there was a lot of progress in the field of French literature and many books were written. Writers like Corneille, Moller, Rasin etc. made French drama very progressive through their literary works. Apart from this, compositions were also done on other subjects. That is why the period of King Louis XIV is called the ‘Golden Age’ of French literature. Historian Hayes states that “His court became an ideal of Europe. French art, living, costumes and literature became ideal for civilized Europe.”
Foreign policy of Louis XIV –
The objective of Louis XIV’s foreign policy was to establish France as the supreme power in Europe. After Prime Minister Mazarin, in 1661, when Louis XIV took the entire reins of administration in his hands, there was peace in Europe. Like an autocratic ruler, he wanted to increase his pride and prestige. But this ambition of his was dangerous for the peace of Europe. Another major objective of Louis XIV was to obtain natural borders for France. To achieve this,
Louis XIV had to fight for almost 50 years. Louis XIV propounded the principle of natural limits to
justify his ambitious imperialist policy. According to which the boundaries of each country
should be surrounded by mountains, rivers and sea etc. On the basis of this principle, he asked to accept the Rhine river in the north-east, the Alps and the Pyrenees mountains in the east-
south and the sea in the west as the borders of France. Due to this, the nations of Europe
became very scared, Louis XIV had to fight many wars to achieve these boundaries. Which
includes War of Revolution, War with Dutch, War of Union of Augsburg, War of Spanish
Succession, Treaty of Utrecht etc.
Conclusion-
King Louis XIV died in 1715, two years after the Treaty of Utrecht. Louis XIV had realized his faulty policies before his death. After his death, Louis XIV left a legacy of empty treasury, irreparable loss and huge national debt to the French people which led to the state revolution.