Louis XIVLouis XIVReign 1643-1715L’etat est moi “I

am the state”

VersaillesVersailles Depicting Authority

The king wanted Versailles to be more than just a residence. It was also to be the seat of government, whose authority had to be visible to all. That is why royal emblems and depictions of the monarch abound in the form of allegories (as seen in the State Apartments) and realistic images (Hall of Mirrors). The two sources of regal authority, God and France, are also depicted: in the Chapel Royal, the Holy Spirit surmounts the royal tribune, while in the King's Bedchamber, "France" watches over the sleeping monarch.

Justifying AbsolutismJustifying AbsolutismBishop Jacques

Bossuet (1627-1704)

“…the royal throne is not the throne of a man, but the throne of God himself…”

Justifying AbsolutismJustifying AbsolutismThomas Hobbes

(1588-1679)LeviathanMonarchy was

most effective in maintaining order and security.

Absolutism as a System

MercantilismMercantilismNational economic

regulations“bullionism”: increase

precious metals“favorable balance of

trade”State regulation of

economyColonial expansion

Class Structure under Class Structure under AbsolutismAbsolutismHereditary feudal aristocrats lost

statusState nobles owed privileges to

political serviceCommoners paid most taxesDowngraded status of women

The Sun KingThe Sun King