king louis xiv

King Louis XIV of France once boasted, “I am the state!” how true that was considering he was the absolute ruler of France for 72 years. As a child Louis lived through the Fronde a series of violent uprisings in France. When he became king he knew he could never allow that to happen. Louis believed that the best way to stop the social uprisings in France was a strong monarchy.


Louis worked hard to strengthen the French state. He continued the practice of choosing advisers from the middle class, not the nobility. This way the nobles could not challenge the king’s authority. Louis also elected Jean-Baptiste Colbert economic and financial minister; Colbert introduced policie...