This “divine right” eventually led him to be famously named the “Sun King” which symbolizes the concept of everything revolving around him, thus being “one king. ” Furthermore, the establishment of Versailles allowed Louis XIV to limit the great nobility of France. He excluded high ranking nobles from court which allowed him to rule as he wished, rather than having the nobility advise him, giving him his “one law. ” The limitations that Versailles set for the nobility made it less likely for internal strife to occur, specifically a revolt of the nobility against the king and the law.
Additionally, Louis XIV carefully chose bourgeois officials in order to maintain his status as the “one king”; having officials from the middle class showed that Louis had no intention of sharing any sort of power with them. Louis’s goal for “one faith” included having a Catholic France. He succeeded in making all of France Catholic using several tactics. He began by prosecuting Protestants and revoking the Edict of Nantes, which had previously granted religious freedom to the Huguenots.
This new law forced Huguenots to convert to Catholicism, or be placed in exile for not renouncing their faith. Virtually all of the Huguenots converted and the others emigrated. Louis XIV was ultimately successful with his goal “one king, one law, one faith. ” He successfully made himself the absolute and undisputed ruler of France, without sharing this power with his advisors. Additionally, he accomplished religious unity within France, but caused a minor economic disturbance due to the amount of Huguenot workers that left France.
The Essay on King Louis XIV: One King, One Law, One Faith
King Louis’ reign and goals can be summarized with his desire for “one king, one law, one faith.” ... powerful French monarchy. To achieve “one king” in France, Louis formed himself into an absolute and ... very strong example of Louis’ stance toward Protestants. In addition, Huguenots lost their churches, schools ... the nobility and aristocracy. His efforts were not in vain, people felt honored if Louis ...
