- what did Louis XIV and Peter the Great have in common? (Provide at least two examples).
- Both Louis XIV and Peter the Great, would begin to reign at a very young age and due to their young age, both would be advised until they reached a relevant age to begin to assume power (Louis XIV was advised by his mother and Cardinal Mazarin and then would begin to rule on his own at 22 years old, and Peter, would take power at 17 years old after having overthrown his sister Sophia).
- Both Louis XIV and Peter I proved to be very successful rulers, achieving very important accomplishments for their nations during their terms of office. For King Louis XIV, it was the positioning of 17th century France as one of the major dominant powers in Europe, thanks to the implementation of reforms that would improve trade, and its focus on arts and sciences; and the expansion of Muscovite Russia that would position it as one of the major European powers, on the side of Peter I. (One of his major achievements was the reform of his armies and his domination of trade after obtaining a port after the Great Northern War.
- What did each monarch deal with those who resisted their attempt to impose absolutist rule?
Louis XIV: It can be affirmed that King Louis XIV embraced absolutism after having pronounced the words “L’État, c’est moi” (I am the state) during the parliament of Paris on April 13, 1655, a phrase that would put him in conflict with the Huguenots and the papacy. Peter the Great’s method was through the reform of the internal structure of Russia.
- And finally, which ruler do you feel was more of an absolute monarch and why?
I consider King Louis XIV to have been the ruler who was most attached to absolutism in his government for more than 72 years.
This, of course, was due to several strategies and facts that little by little demonstrated that he intended to make his nation understand that they should follow the orders that he proclaimed.
From calling himself “king of the sun”, believing that his subjects and everyone around him revolved around him, to the well-known phrase “L’État, c’est moi”, or even his determination for an approach that denoted authority, invading the Spanish Netherlands, and even ordering the construction of the Palace of Versailles where he would live during his time as governor, are several proposals that proclaim Louis XIV of France as one of the most controversial governors due to his interest in absolute government.