LouisXIV

Maryam E. Ryan S.

"L'etat, c'est moi!" = =
 * Louis XIV (1638-1715)[[image:louisxiv.jpg width="254" height="384" align="right"]]**

=Significant Events Timeline= 1 . Septemeber 5, 1638 - Louis XIV was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France.

2. April 14, 1643 - At the age of 5, Louis XIV officially came in to power, however his mother Anne of Austria was appointed as his regent with Jules Mazarin as chief minister.

3. 1648 - The Peace of Westphalia was signed, ending the Thirty Years War, and giving most of Alsace back to France.

4. September 7, 1651 - Louis XIV declared his coming of age, and with it, his claim to the throne. He was 13 years old.

5. June 9, 1660 - Louis XIV wed Maria Theresa, daughter of King Phillip IV of Spain.

6. 1661 - Consolidates power by arresting Nicolas Fouquet, the superintendent general of finance. He refuses to appoint a chief minister.

7. 1661 - Construction begins on the Palace of Versailles.

8. March 9, 1661 - Louis XIV becomes undisputed ruler of France after Mazarin dies.

9. 1667 - War of Devolution: French troops capture a part of the Spanish-Netherlands claimed by Louis XIV on the basis of his marriage to Maria Theresa.

10. 1679 - Louis XIVs military success reaches its pinnacle as the Peace of Nijmeten is concluded ending the Dutch War.

11. 1684 - Louis XIV secretly marries Madame de Maintenon. **(Palace of Versailles)**

12. Oct 22 1685 - Louis XIV revokes the Edict of Nantes which had granted civil and religious liberties to French Protestants, Huguenots.

13. 1689 - France fights the war of the League of Augsburg against, England, Austria, Spain, Sweden, Holland, and Bavaria up until 1697.

14. 1697 - Signing of the Peace of Ryswick forced France to relinquish all territories acquired in 1667, except Strasbourg.

15. 1702 - War of Spanish Succession, ended by the Treaty of Utrecht, and the Treaty of Rastadt.

16. September 1, 1715 - Louis XIV died at 77 at Versailles due to natural causes.

(Horn, 113)

= =

Memorable Events Summary
Louis XIV accomplished much during his rule that had both positive and negative repercussions on the people of France. One of the first moves he made as a mature monarch of France was revoke the Edict of Nantes, which had been implemented by Henry IV (Henry of Navarre). This took away the rights of the French Protestants, commonly referred to as Huguenots. By doing so, he not only increased power for himself, but also began spreading the faith of Catholicism more forcefully. In accordance with his attempt at spreading Catholicism, he sent his ally Charles II money to convert himself as well. Another positive effect Louis XIV had on France was increasing taxes and therefore stabilizing the French economy, which had been demolished due to various wars they had taken part in. However despite building up the treasury, Louis XIV used almost all the money for a grand palace named in honor of Versailles. “Louis would make Versailles into a palace of well-ordered existence and rigid etiquette.” (Horn, 63). Despite so much of the French economy going into this palace, it had numerous governmental uses, and was utilized for various coronations, including Germanys Wilhelm I preceding World War I. Furthermore, Louis XIV was known for hiring intelligent advisors. “When Mazarin died, Louis shocked France by refusing to name a first minister; he decided to rule alone and select Jean Baptist Colbert as his financial adviser. Colbert encouraged domestic industry and foreign exports and rebuilt the French navy.” (Philip F. Riley)  Because of Jean Baptist Colbert's policies for mercantilism, Louis Xiv gained a lot of “money power.”


 * ||= **Background** ||  ||
 * ~ Social ||~ Political ||~ Economic ||
 * = Under the reign of Louis XIV, nobility began losing its independence and land. While living in the court with the King was a much better situation than some, when Louis XIV ceased to be King, they would have to try and reclaim what was once theirs, for start from scratch rebuilding their lives if a new king saw fit to displace them. (Ashley)

When Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, it was both Social and Political. By revoking this Edict, the social welfare of Huguenots (French Protestants) was greatly altered. No longer able to practice their religion freely, they had to convert or practice in hiding. (Ashley) ||= However, from a political perspective, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes allowed Louis XIV to increase and tighten his absolute power over France. This showed people that Louis XIV was not to be taken lightly, especially in regards to religion. Being a strong Catholic, he did all that he could to extend his influence onto others. (Ashley)

Appointing advisors was another political move made my Louis XIV, and through them he increased the size of their navy, which he used to participate in numerous political wars with other nations. (Ashley) ||= When Louis XIV came into power, he hired Jean-Baptiste Colbert as his financial advisor who helped increase French revenue and add money to the treasury. However, Louis went on to spend much of the money on wars and on Versaille. Nevertheless, he proved that with the help of an intelligent advisor he could in fact stabilize the crumbling economy. (Ashley)

Addtionally, the construction of Versailles put ahuge srain on the French economy. Much of what was saved up in the treasury by Colbert was spent on Versaille, despite numerous warnings about saving some of the money. (Ashley) ||

media type="custom" key="3269352"

 HOW ABOUT A QUIZ? [|WIKISPACE QUIZ.doc]

[|wikispace quiz answers.doc]

__Works Cited__ __Pictures__
 * Ashley, Maurice. __Louis XIV and The Greatness of France__. New York: MACMILLAN PUBLISHING CO., INC., 1946. Google Book Search. Google. 19 Feb. 2009 .
 * Horn, Pierre L. __LOUIS XIV__. New York, NY: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.
 * Riley, Philip F, Ph.D. “Louis XIV.” Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. World Almanac Education Group, Inc., 2002. EBSCOhost. 17 Feb. 2009 .
 * [|http://www.jamescameron.com.au/postpost/images/Louis%20XIV.jpg>]
 * [|http://flickr.com/photos/12533165@N05/1345664639/__>]
 * [|http://flickr.com/photos/90554067@N00/172220959/__>]
 * __http://flickr.com/photos/djof/212178461/__