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Louis XIV vs. Peter “the Great”

Louis XIV vs. Peter “the Great”. Who best exemplifies the ideal 17 th c. European absolute monarch?. VITAL STATS. King Louis XIV (1643-1715). Nickname: “Sun-King” Dynasty: Bourbon Country: France Height: 5’5” Vice: Sex, sex & more sex. Czar Peter II (1689-1725).

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Louis XIV vs. Peter “the Great”

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  1. Louis XIV vs. Peter “the Great” Who best exemplifies the ideal 17th c. European absolute monarch?

  2. VITAL STATS

  3. King Louis XIV (1643-1715) • Nickname: “Sun-King” • Dynasty: Bourbon • Country: France • Height: 5’5” • Vice: Sex, sex & more sex

  4. Czar Peter II (1689-1725) Nickname: “the Great” Dynasty: Romanov Country: Russia Height: 6’9” Vice: Sex, alcohol & torture

  5. DOMESTIC REFORMS

  6. Louis XIV: Palace of Versailles (1660-1688) • Largest secular structure in Europe (at time) • 36,000 laborers (& 6,000 horses) forced into labor to build palace • 5,000 acres of gardens, lawns & woods • 1,200 fountains & 700 rooms • 6,000 paintings & 2,100 sculptures • Cost: 2.5 billion dollars (if built today)

  7. Palace of Versailles (1668)

  8. Pictures of Versailles (today)

  9. Peter II: The City of St. Petersburg • Design based on the capitals of the Western Europe • To finance the enormous costs, Peter taxed wealthiest Russians • Forced serfs into labor to build the city (over 30,000 lost their lives • Ordered nobles & craftsmen to move to the city to jumpstart population • By 1725, St. Petersburg boasted a population in the thousands

  10. Image of St. Petersburg:

  11. Louis XIV: Distract the Nobles • Moved all high nobility, royal princes & chief state offices to Versailles • Distracted nobles by keeping them involved in court activities, etiquette & intrigue • Life at Versailles became court ceremony with Louis at center of it all • Gained control over provincial gov’ts by bribing local officials

  12. Peter II: “Westernize” Russia Wanted to create a “police state” (well-ordered community governed in accordance the law) Created boards of administrators to handle different functions of the state Built schools & began a state-sponsored newspaper Introduced western customs, practices & manners (i.e. “beard tax”)

  13. Religious Policies • Louis XIV:“One King, One law, One faith” • Catholicism official state religion • Revoked Edict of Nantes (Edict of Fountainbleau – 1685) • 200,000 Huguenots flee France • Peter the Great: State-controlled Church • Sought to gain of Russian Orthodox Church • Replaced patriarch w/ procurator loyal to the Tsar

  14. ECONOMIC POLICIES

  15. Louis XIV: Economic Policy • Jean-Baptiste Colbert controlled finances • Used mercantilist policies to increase wealth & power of France • Louis depleted the treasury on wars & luxuries • Burden of heavy taxes fell on peasants

  16. Peter “the Great”: Economic Policy • Adopted mercantilist policies to stimulate economic growth • Changed primary tax from land tax to soul tax (each person in Russia had to pay) • 3/4ths of Russia’s total revenues spent on the military

  17. MILITARY POLICIES & WARS

  18. Louis XIV’s Military Machine: • Secretary of War: Francois-Michel Le Tellier • Developed a professional army of 100,000 men in peacetime & 400,000 in wartime • Wars of Louis XIV: • Invaded Spanish Netherlands & Franche-Comte (1667) • Invaded Dutch United Provinces (1672) • War of the League of Augsburg (1689-1697) • War of Spanish Succession (1702-1713)

  19. Peter “Westernizes” Russian Military • Created standing army of 210,000 soldiers • Used peasant conscripts as soldiers & nobility as officers • Created 1st Russian navy • Primary goal: Gaining a warm-water port on the Baltic • Starts & wins Great Northern War (1701-1721) against Sweden, Poland & Denmark

  20. LEGACY

  21. Louis XIV’s Legacy: • Helped make France Europe’s political &cultural during the 17th century • Monarchs all over Europe envied the court at Versailles • Left France impoverished & surrounded by enemies • Made emerging states (Brandenburg-Prussia & Austria) more powerful • Increased England’s power & territory

  22. Peter the Great’s Legacy: • Turned Russia into a great European state & military power • His westernization of Russia only reached the upper classes of Russian society • Added more burdens to the masses of Russian people • Forceful way of implementing cultural reforms made Russian people distrust the West

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