Meghan Cannon and Aaron Ventresca

Mr. Malone
AP European History
10 October 2019
King Louis XIV
“Those who claim absolutism is merely a myth are right that it has been misused simply

as a byword for political centralization” (Wilson). The idea that absolutism is not totalitarian

dominance and rather a tendency to centralize power is a common belief among historians. Louis

XIV, best known as “The Sun King,” embodies this definition through his complete control over

France during his reign. Louis XIV both meets and exceeds Wilson’s definition of absolutism,

earning him a ranking of 9.56763 out of 10, due to his ability to geographically, politically, and

religiously centralize France.

Louis XIV centralized a geographically divided France through victories in numerous

wars. Louis’s victory in the Franco-Dutch War earned him the France-Comte and Spanish

Netherlands. Louis continued to annex new territory in the Nine Year’s War. Louis’s most

notable act of political centralization occurred during the War of Spanish Succession when

Charles II of Spain perished without an heir. As a result, Louis’s grandson Philip took the throne

as the new King of Spain. Louis’s efforts in military encounters allowed him to make France the

most powerful nation in Europe in the 17th century and early 18th century. Louis’s actions reflect

absolutism, as he utilized his total power to centralize France by adding new territory. Though

Louis unified France with his victories in war, his military efforts financially drained France and

did not allow him to have complete economic control of raising more funds, yielding a .43237-

point deduction from his ranking out of 10.

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Additionally, Louis XIV created greater political centralization through the building of

the Palace of Versailles. Louis’s decision to integrate politics into his personal life is best

represented by the Palace of Versailles, as he both lived and governed from the same locale.

Louis keenly maintained a centralized France under one unified ruler through his dealings with

“blood princes.” In order to maintain his status as an absolute monarch, Louis delegated smaller

positions and activities to princes that threatened his authority. By keeping his enemies close to

him in the Palace of Versailles, Louis continued his rule as an absolute monarch by eliminating

threats to power.

Louis XIV unified a religiously divided France by revoking the Edict of Nantes. The

Edict of Nantes, a product of the French Wars of Religion, permitted for Protestant worship in

the Catholic country of France. Louis XIV, an absolutist, passed the Edict of Fontainebleau,

banning Protestant worship in France. This law caused the forced relocation of over 200,000

French Protestants to England to seek asylum. This mass migration is evidence of Louis’s power

over the religious tendencies of France.

In total, Louis XIV ranks as an extremely absolute monarch due to his success in

centralizing French politics, geography, and religion. Though he achieved significant dominance

as a ruler, his luxurious lifestyle in Versailles coupled with large expenditures from wars cause a

slight deduction in his ranking due to financially draining France, eventually leading to a lack of

complete control over the economy. Louis’s efforts as an absolute monarch prove even more

amazing due to the social stratification already present in France during his rule. The Estate

System divided the French population into three classes: clergy, nobles, and commoners. All of

Louis’s accomplishments are most impressive due to how the French social structure proved a

major obstacle in controlling different classes simultaneously.

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Works Cited

"Absolutism." Absolutism, Wright State University. Accessed 2 Oct. 2019.

"Absolutism of Louis." Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encylcopaedia Britannica. Accessed 2 Oct.

2019.

Spielvogel, Jackson. Western Civilization. St. Paul, 1991.

Wilson, Peter. Absolutism in Central Europe. Google Books. Accessed 2 Oct. 2019.