Nationalism and Absolutism
The Sun King was on of the greatest Czars of France. A simile used to describe Louis XVI's Importance was "Just as the sun is the center of the solar system, Louis was the center of France's government." Jean Baptiste Colbert was the somber minister of France's finance. Mercantilism was one of Colbert's strongest beliefs and rescued France from its great weakness. A balance of trade was made and enabled France to export more than import. Tariffs were placed by this miracle-working minister of finance. Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes and Huguenots were no longer permitted to attend their personal churches or put into practice their own religion. Huguenots fled France in fear of persecution.
Versailles was made luxurious and unique. Vulnerable, this gargantuan palace was surrounded and overlooked by a magnificent garden. Life at this royal palace was far from comfortable. Odors leaked through the walls and windows reeked throughout the palace.
Lower ranking nobles had to settle for "smellier" rooms if they wished to enjoy the beauty of Louis's entertainment and palace courts. Versailles was a "visual display of Louis's absolute power". When the Hall of Mirrors was fashioned, the only mirror-makers in Europe lived in Venice. France led Europe in the creative arts of theatrical talent. The birth of comedies and tragedies revolutionized dramatists' playwriting tactics. No theatrical arts were aided by any monarch as much as Louis did since Augustus. The main purpose of art was no longer to worship God/the gods' but to exalt the king of France.
The wars of the French were carefully chosen. Without a doubt was France the most powerful empire in Europe. Recovery from past wars and battles caused decline and disorder in other rivals. Regardless of France's strength, many martial goals were never reached. France...