LOUIS XIV—THE SUN KING OF FRANCE

 

Louis XIV took control of the French throne at age 23 and immediately began to centralize control of the country.  His first step was to overhaul his military.  Some of his reforms were:

 

1.  Created a standing army and appointed a secretary of war to modernize it.

2.  Louis took personal command of the army and directly supervised military details.

3.  Army was professional and trained in the art of warfare.

4.  Soldiers no longer lived off the countryside.  Officers in charge of feeding troops.

5.  Ambulance corps created to look after the wounded.

6.  Uniforms and weapons standardized

7.  System of training, recruitment, discipline and promotion created.

 

With this new style of warfare France was able to dominate European politics for decades.  Other European countries were forced to copy this new military system.

 

Louis also took control of the government of France during his reign.  At the time, the day-to-day governing of France was done by three councils:  the Court of State, the Court of Finances and the Court of Dispatches (administrated French law).  Louis presided over all three councils and met with all high government officials at least once a week.  These actions gave Louis absolute control of the government.  To ensure that his government employees were loyal, Louis took the following steps:

 

1.  Used bribery to ensure provincial governors loyal to him were elected

2.  Reduced provincial governor terms of office from 5 years to 3 in case they were not loyal they would not be able to cause too much damage.

 

Louis also insisted that all laws be approved by him before becoming official.  Louis staffed government bureaucratic offices with upper middle class people.  This robbed the nobility of the traditional political powers.  These middle class professionals were paid a salary by the government and were loyal to the monarchy.

 

Louis’ efforts to centralize power in France inevitably led to conflict with the Catholic Church.  The Church insisted that it be supreme over the monarchy.  In 1682, Louis answered by stripping the papacy of all its powers in France.  He eventually annulled the laws but had made his point:  the church would never again issue church laws dealing with French social, political or financial issue in France.  Louis continued to make religious reforms by revoking the Edict of Nantes removing religious freedom in France.  This was not done out of religious intolerance but to unite the Church and state under the king’s leadership.