1. Louis XIV The Absolute Monarch

2. Louis XIV declared his goal was “one king, one law, one faith.” Analyze the methods the king used to achieve this objective and discuss the extent to which he was successful.

7. “ L'état, c'est moi” [I am the state]

8. Louis made himself the center of French power and culture

9. How to make the Nobles insignificant?

10. Louis bestowed pensions, offices, honors, gifts and the threat of disfavor “ There was nothing he liked so much as flattery…the coarser and clumsier it was, the more he relished in it.” Louis de Rouvroy “ The court gravitated around ambition… Everyone was busily trying to better his or her position by pleasing, by helping or by hindering someone else.” The Princess of Cleves Madame de Lafayette.

15. Eye for detail ..to be well-informed on an infinite number of matters….to elicit from our subjects what they hide from us with the greatest care; to discover the most remote opinions of our courtiers and the most hidden interests… Louis’ XIV

22. "I have no intention of sharing my authority."

23. Versailles

25. Every morning, the chief valet woke Louis at 7:30 AM. Outside the curtains of Louis’s canopy bed stood at least 100 of the most privileged nobles at court. They were waiting to help the great king dress. Only four would be allowed the honor of handing Louis his slippers or holding his sleeves for him.

28. The palace began as his father's hunting lodge. Louis added pieces at different times over a 20 year period. At times, the palace employed 35,000 people and could house up to 10,000! The cost of the construction totaled between $500 million to $2 billion. Features of the Palace: -forests for hunting -man-made canal for sailing -heat by fireplace only -two smaller guests "palaces" -royal apartments -grand dining room, ball rooms -several theatres -served food was almost always cold--the kitchen was too far from dining area! -formal gardens, several statues and fountains (if the fountains were turned, Paris went without water) -the King changed styles and colors of drapes, furniture, etc. with the changing of the seasons.

37. Grand stables

44. Mercantilism

47. Louis XIV, the Grand Monarch, died after a reign of seventy-two years. He had broken the power of Spain, had expanded France a long way towards its present boundaries, but had bankrupted his people. He had created an absolute monarchy, but failed to make the type of reforms necessary to ensure loyalty to the crown.