Louis Xiv and Peter the Great

Louis XIV and Peter the Great

Louis XIV and Peter the Great used various means to gain absolute power. Both created strong armies, both controlled the nobles, and both built a strong central government. Although they accomplished these similar tasks, they also had their own ways of doing it.

Louis XIV and Peter the Great both created strong armies. Louis's large and powerful army was shaped because of Jean-Baptiste Colbert and his economic policies. With his army, Louis invaded Flanders and the Franche-Comté which eventually led to the gain of control of certain towns bordering the Spanish Netherlands. New coalitions were also formed against him after his forces occupied Strasbourg including the League of Augsburg and the support of the Habsburg emperor, Leopold I. Peter the Great created his navy as a way to secure warm-water ports that allowed Russia to trade with the west. He established effective policies of conscription which drafted 130,000 unprecedented soldiers and almost 300,000 troops by the end of his reign, and approved officer corp policies and general military discipline. Both Louis and Peter had strong armies, but each were different in their own ways and accomplished different things.

Louis XIV and Peter the Great also controlled the nobles. Louis's way of controlling nobles is by organizing their life around every aspect of his own daily routine. Nobles were able to whisper their special requests in his ear, and the fortunate nobles held his night candle as he goes to bed. Louis supported the social privileges of the nobility, but was also very manipulative and charismatic. Unlike Louis, Peter would humiliate and execute his nobles. After the revolt the streltsy caused upon his return, Peter privately tortured and publicly executed them. He also shaved off the long beards of the court boyars and clipped the customary long covering sleeves of their shirts and coats. Louis would persuade and convince his nobles, whereas Peter would do violent crimes to his. Louis also didn't allow nobility in his government, while Peter did with his Table of Ranks. Their power over their nobility was vastly similar, however, the way they controlled them was completely different.

Louis XIV built his central government at his palace of Versailles and Peter the Great built his at St. Petersburg. However, each was set differently. Louis's palace of Versailles was a temple to royalty and was designed and decorated to proclaim his title, the Sun King. His palace housed thousands of the more important nobles, royal officials, and servants. Peter the Great's establishment of his government at St. Petersburg forced the boyars to construct houses. They imitated the European monarchs who also imitated Louis XIV, by building smaller versions of Versailles. St. Petersburg went beyond establishing a central imperial court.