King Louis XIV And Absolutism In France

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When Louis XIV took over France in 1643, he expressed strong determination to be the sole ruler of France. Louis was willing to pay the price to be a great ruler. There were certain things that Louis did and practiced that the kings of Great Britain in the 17th century could not make absolutism work for them. Absolutism within France meant that the power of the monarch was unlimited except by natural law. The tasks of an absolutist state consisted of: securing obedience, protecting its territory, enlist the service of the church and gaining the loyalty of the nobility. Louis would control the church by following the divine right of kings and to be a figure to the people by the word of God. Louis used the nobility as his slaves in the great palace of Versailles. This is how he controlled the nobility from overpowering him. To protect the land, Louis had built a very strong army. But with his luxury and wars came a price. He had put France in debt so he then raised the taxes on the citizens.…show more content…
He was very popular with the people. Charles was tired of living under the puritans. His major problem with the puritans was over money. In 1672 he signs a treaty of dover with France in exchange for publicly converting to Catholicism. Charles died in 1685 and his brother James II, surpasses him. James II was a devout Catholic. His goal was to impose an absolute monarchy. In 1688 James II had a son, this would create problems for parliament. A son would bypass his daughter, Mary, and bring Catholicism to England. Also in 1688 William of Orange arrives in England with his army. James II flees to France and goes under the protection of Louis XIV. This allows William and Mary to become king and queen of England in 1689. William and Mary sign the Bill of Rights which agrees them to rule with the consent of parliament. Most importantly no Catholic could inherit the throne. Therefor the Glorious Revolution establishes constitutional monarchy in
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