Louis XIV: The Sun King Mrs. Gurzler

Question(s) of the Day How do leaders, past and present, obtain and maintain power within their nations? Do people usually follow leaders without any questions? Examples!?!

Objectives For Today.. a) List and explain the policies that were made and the actions that were taken by Louis XIV to strengthen and maintain his absolute rule. b) analyze primary and secondary sources of information and form hypotheses and support them with evidence from these sources c) explain that history is not unarguable fact, but instead that it is a tentative explanation of the past based on the limited and biased sources of information that are available to us for investigation

QUESTION: How was King Louis XIV able to maintain absolute power in France? YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES... Write down three hypotheses. *** HINT HINT*** USE THE PICTURE TO HELP YOU.....

Your time to play teacher... SHARE YOUR IDEAS WITH THE CLASS... Let’s WRITE SOME ON THE BOARD! Write down the ones that you agree with the most.

DATA PIECE #1 King Louis XIV created a whole new bureaucracy, known as intendants. This bureaucracy was composed of people who were not from the hereditary, upper class aristocracy. Many of the intendants were tax collectors in France during the reign of Louis XIV. They were given these high ranking positions based on merit and hard work instead of on heredity.

DATA PIECE #2 Louis XIV limited the intendants’ terms to 2 years. Intendants who remained loyal to the king were allowed to remain in office. The continuation of their high status in society depended on the stability of the government. The intendants were not appointed to oversee their own communities.

DATA PIECE #3 Because of its great size, the King’s palace at Versailles was like a small royal city. Its rich decoration and furnishings clearly showed Louis’s wealth and power to everyone who came to the palace. Here, the entire French nobility was expected to take residence and to participate in elaborate ceremonies, festivals and dinners. The elaborate ceremonies there impressed the king’s subjects and aroused the admiration and envy of all other European monarchs.

Versailles MOVIE CLIPS ON VERSAILLES - GARDENS AND ROOMS.

DATA PIECE #4 King Louis XIV’s reign epitomized European absolutism, in which one person (generally a monarch) holds all power. This is supported by the political theory known as the divine right of kings, that is, the belief that the monarch's authority is God-given and that to question that authority is to question God. Louis is reported to have boasted “I am the state.” In his view, he and the state were one and the same.

DATA PIECE #5 Under Louis XIV, France was the most powerful country in Europe. The French army, numbering 100,000 in peacetime and 400,000 in wartime, was far ahead of other states’ armies in size, training, and weaponry. Not since Augustus of Rome had there been a monarch who aided the arts at much as Louis. Under Louis, the chief purpose of art was no longer to glorify God, as it had been in the Middle Ages. Now the purpose of art was to glorify the king and promote values that supported Louis’s absolute rule.

Data Piece #6 When viewing the paintings of Louis XIV, pay close attention to the king’s clothing and posture. Keep in mind that the majority of the population of France would never actually see the king in person. Instead, they would see statues and paintings of the king, much like these.

Assignment Write a brief response (1 page MINIMUM, 2 page MAXIMUM: 3 PARAGRAPHS) detailing at least three hypotheses for why Louis XIV was able to maintain power. You will need to include the hypotheses that you agreed with the most or you thought were supported the best and WHY. This assignment will be graded as a TEST. No right or wrong answer – you need to use your ability to support your opinions with evidence…. PRACTICE FOR THE CAPT.