Before the reign of Louis XIV, there was some toleration throughout the country. Henry IV, Louis XIV’s grandfather, attained France, but it was falling apart. He saved France by promising “a chicken in every pot”, and he creating the Edict of Nantes. Henry also lowered peasants’ taxes, installed paulettes, and increase public services throughout the nation. After Henry IV died, a young Louis XIII took over. With Cardinal Richelieu’s help, an absolute monarchy with total subordination of the other groups was established and maintained. He created thirty-two districts called généralités, he experienced a lot of urban riots, and he signed on to the Thirty Years War against the Catholic Hapsburgs. Richelieu was the perfect definition of a politique,…show more content… A lot of things changed throughout the nation during his seventy-three year reign as an absolute monarch. After a rebellion known as the Fronde, Louis XIV made it his goal to control the nobility, which resulted in building the Palace of Versailles. He also believed in divine right, which caused him to believe that he was the “Sun King”, and all of his portraits portray him as ‘godly’. He had a secret police force, which specifically watched the nobility to make sure they weren’t plotting against him. Louis XIV is the perfect example of an absolute despot, which is a form of government that one person, or an absolutist, rules over all. The reign of Louis XIV was defined by his absolutism, including his excessive spending, the unnecessary laws and regulations to increase his power, and the unwarranted amount of wars that occurred during his…show more content… This began as a hunting lodge for Louis XIII to get away from the queen, and Louis XVI expanded on this. The Palace of Versailles is still standing today, and it is still one of the most magnificent palaces ever built. With all of the good, there were also a lot of negative aspects in building Versailles. Jean-Baptiste Colbert was named by the king to help out with the finances of the country. Colbert thoroughly applied mercantilism to France. He increased the taxes to the Third Estate, but sent the country spiraling into decades of debt. Louis XIV completed his power play by making all of the nobility live in Versailles with him. This obeys the quote, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer”. Ever since the Fronde, Louis XIV had been paranoid that the nobility were going to revolt and take away his power, like they did for his dad, Louis XIII. The nobility were upset with all the power that Louis XIII, and they felt that they were being manipulated by the king and his court. The government then asked for more money after they won the war against Spain in 1643, but the Parliament of Paris refused. They felt that since the war ended, they did not need to pay taxes anymore. In turn, the people rebelled, and the violence continued for twelve years. This rebellion changed France, especially Louis XIV. First, it announced to the crown that they could not ignore the nobility and their