Louis XIV :: essays research papers

Louis XIVGreed is defined in the mental lexicon as selfish and grasping desire for possession especially of wealth. It is in any case described as a noun. This definition can be direct related and best describes Louis XIV, the king of France in the sixteen hundreds. The effects of rapaciousness destroying peoples lives can be seen in the root of Louis XIVs reign, during his reign, and after(prenominal) his reign had endedLouis XIV inherited the thr peerless in 1643 when he was only five (Cairns 103). From the moment he entered proponent and his reign began he had greedy intentions and enormous ideas of miraculous rule (Cairns 112). In 1661, Louis chief consultant Cardinal Jules Mazarin died and Louis then decided that he would be the only prescript of France (Spielvagel 1). Louis once expressed, It is now time that I govern them myself. I point and order you to seal no orders except my command, I order you not to sign anything, not even a passport without my command to su rrender account to me own(prenominal)ly each day and to favor no one (Spielvagel 1). This quote reveals Louiss desire to have power over everything and govern everyone around him. Louis used the sun as his symbol of power. He much quoted, I am the state (Cairns 35). Exposed in this quote is Louis expectation that he had all power. Using the sun as his symbol of power enforced his belief that he was the center of all things. Author of romance Described by Duc De Saint Simon, Elena Steingrad, stated the following when referring to King Louiss life, he compelled his courtiers to live beyond their income, and gradually reduced then to depend on his bounty for the means of subsistence. This was a plague which became a scourge to the whole country (4). The quote shows Louis greedy intentions, which eventually led to general confusion and an economic drop to the country of France (Steingrad 4). Louis XIV in the beginning of his reign was starting to show signs of his enormous, gre edy intentions and his belief in divine rule. It was the start of his reign that France began to slowly crumble. In the beginning of Louis XIVs reign he made an enormous decision, which revealed his greed for his own personal needs. The Palace of Versailles that he had constructed in 1682 is an excellent symbol of Louis over impost of the countrys money on himself.