Reign of King Louis XIV of France

The reign of Louis XIV was often cited as a gift from God. This image was in no small part inspired by the king's very birth. It was an event that fell just short of being miraculous. King Louis XIII had married Anne of Austria, daughter of the King of Spain, in 1615 when both were only 14 years old. As the years passed, it became obvious that the king cared little for his Spanish bride. Most of France never expected the royal couple to give birth, meaning that the king's brother, Gaston d'Orleans, would inherit the throne. But on September 5, 1638, Queen Anne gave birth amid immense national rejoicing (though not Gaston's). The son was hailed as le Dieudonne, "the God-given" (Bernier, 1987:3).

On May 16, 1643, King Louis XIII died of tuberculosis. The son was only 4 at the time, so the country was technically ruled by his mother as regent. In fact, however, Cardinal Mazarin, whom Anne loved, made the decisions of state. A series of rebellions known as the "Fronde" soon followed, but royal authority remained intact. The boy king d

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as the replacement for the traditional feudal system. France's traditional economy based on agriculture was now to become more oriented toward industry and trade through the planned efforts of the King's minister of economy, Colbert. There was no question that Colbert was a mercantilist. His job was to reorganize France's economy where he found hindrances to the accumulation of investment finances necessary for industry (Buranelli, 1966:67). Foremost in Colbert's activities was the reformation of the French tax system. He eliminated numerous bureaucratic positions that cost the state exorbitantly but offered little value. He withdrew a number of illegitimate tax exemptions and loopholes and curtailed the unproductive flow of government money for purposes of favoritism. Government ledgers showed an increase in revenue all the while taxes were actually lowered to stimulate investment and ease the burden on the lower classes. Government revenues were directed to build a domestic manufacturing base. Factories were built throughout France to take advantage of domestic labor pools and raw resources, such as silk at Lyons, linen at Arras, pottery at Nevers, and iron at Saint Etienne. The government closely regulated the op
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Approximate Word count = 1739
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)