Warm Up Question
1. How might you describe this building?
2. What assumptions would you make about the
government that built this palace?
3. Why are buildings a good visual display of Power?
What other buildings are built to display power?
Louis XIV
“the sun king”
Absolute Monarchy in
France
Absolute Rule in France
Under the Bourbon Family
• Henry IV 1589 – 1610
• Louis XIII 1610 – 1643
– Cardinal Richelieu (chief minister)
• Louis XIV 1643 – 1715 (The Sun King)
– “I am the State”
Coordinating a
French Golden Age
1. Henry IV of Navarre
a. A Calvinist (Huguenot: French Protestant)
b. Involved in the Wars of Religion early in life
c. Goal as king of France = he wanted to avoid the
problems that plagued Spain, but still wanted to
follow the idea of absolutism
• Accomplishments: Providing religious tolerance:
signed the Edict of Nantes
– Allowed Protestantism (wants to avoid the religious
conflict that Spain experienced)
2. Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu
a. Henry IV was assassinated and
his heir, Louis XIII, too young to rule
b. Richelieu acted as Louis’ chief advisor
Goals:
1. Strengthen France and its absolute
monarchy
2. Take power from Spain
• Accomplishments:
– Cutting costs: Demolition of Feudal Castles
• no more upkeep costs/ no more place to hid for
rebellious nobles
– Increasing education and manufacturing:
French Academy (people from different
social classes attend)
3. Louis XIV “The Sun King”
The Absolute Absolute Monarch
a. Takes complete control over
state
– Refuses to call The Estates General
(council of French society) so no
check on royal power
– Built an efficient bureaucracy
b. Economy advisor Jean-Baptiste
Colbert makes France rich
– Diverse economy, regulates trade
The Sun King’s Accomplishments
a. Built a palace (Versailles) as a symbol of his
power
b. Organizing the economy (Colbert)
– Kept tariffs (taxes) on imported goods to limit import
– Managed the amount of money in circulation to limit
inflation
– Built up trade
*France expands it’s borders
Steps to Absolutism in France
• Providing religious tolerance: Edict of Nantes
(Henry IV)
– Allowed Protestantism
• Cutting costs: Demolition of Feudal Castles (Louis
XIII and Richelieu)
– no more upkeep costs
• Increasing education and manufacturing: French
Academy (Louis XIII and Richelieu)
• Organizing the economy (Louis XIV and Colbert)
– Kept tariffs (taxes) on imported goods to limit import
– Managed the amount of money in circulation to limit
inflation
– Built up trade
Attributes of a Strong Ruler
Versailles
Visual Demonstrations of Power during the Age of Absolutism
Warm Up Question
1. What are your first impressions of Versailles?
2. What message do you think Louis XIV is trying to send by building Versailles?
Palace of Versailles Grounds
250 acre garden
with miles of meticulously laid flower beds. The landscape includes ornamental lakes,
dozens of classical statues, and even a small canal!
The Apollo Fountain
The Orangerie
Visual Demonstrations of Power
Queen’s Chambers
Hall of Mirrors
Compare and Contrast
consider: purpose of the buildings, types of rooms or structures in the buildings, cost
of the building, culture created or stored in the buildings, size of the buildings
El Escorial
Versailles
Questions
• What part of the palace most impressed you?
• In What way does this palace represent the
idea of absolutism?
Compare and Contrast
Philip II of Spain
Absolute Ruler
Louis XIV of France
Absolute Ruler
The Craft of Kingship
(craft – an occupation or trade requiring skill)
• What are the skills of a good absolute
monarch according to Louis XIV?
sources
• http://www.chateauversailles.fr/homepage
• http://www.podcast.tv/videoepisodes/Introduction%20:%20Versailles%20a
nd%20Louis%20XIV-7313403.html