How did Louis XIV strengthen his absolute monarchy? He expanded the bureaucracy and appointed intendants in the provinces. He also built the strongest army in Europe.

Known as the “Sun King,” Louis XIV centralized power in the monarchy and reigned over a period of unprecedented prosperity in which France became the dominant power in Europe and a leader in the arts and sciences.

A devout Catholic, Louis XIV believed in the motto, “one king, one law, one faith.” To that end, he mercilessly cracked down on the country’s Protestants, known as Huguenots, who made up roughly 5 percent of the population.

plurbus impar

Louis XIV. Louis XIV was called the Grand Monarch or Sun King. His 72-year reign was the longest in modern European history. Louis XIV brought France to its peak of absolute power and his words ‘L’etat c’est moi’ (‘I am the state’) express the spirit of a rule in which the king held all political authority.

Midi Canal

The Historic and Iconic Canal du Midi Constructed between 1666 and 1681 to provide a water link between the Mediterranean Sea and the Garonne River (and thus to the Atlantic Ocean), the Canal du Midi exists today as a feat of incredible engineering and aesthetic genius, marked by its UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

The design canal depth is 2 m with a minimum of 1.80 m. The draft allowed is 1.50 m although regular users advise that even with 1.40 m boats will occasionally touch the bottom because of silt deposits in many places. The width on the surface is 20 m on average with variations between 16 m and 20 m.

The Battle of Waterloo, in which Napoleon’s forces were defeated by the British and Prussians, marked the end of his reign and of France’s domination in Europe.

The Allies responded by forming a Seventh Coalition, which ultimately defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815. The British exiled him to the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died in 1821 at the age of 51.

The Napoleonic Code made the authority of men over their families stronger, deprived women of any individual rights, and reduced the rights of illegitimate children. All male citizens were also granted equal rights under the law and the right to religious dissent, but colonial slavery was reintroduced.

The 1804 Napoleonic Code, which influenced civil law codes across the world, replaced the fragmented laws of pre-revolutionary France, recognizing the principles of civil liberty, equality before the law (although not for women in the same sense as for men), and the secular character of the state.

Napoleonic Wars and the United States, 1803–1815. The Napoleonic Wars continued the Wars of the French Revolution. The United States attempted to remain neutral during the Napoleonic period, but eventually became embroiled in the European conflicts, leading to the War of 1812 against Great Britain.

The French Invasion of Russia Napoleon hoped to compel Tsar Alexander I of Russia to cease trading with British merchants through proxies in an effort to pressure the United Kingdom to sue for peace. The official political aim of the campaign was to liberate Poland from the threat of Russia.

It has been said that he hid his hand within the fabric of his clothing because the fibers irritated his skin and brought him discomfort. Another perspective holds that he was cradling his stomach to calm it, perhaps showing the early signs of a cancer that would kill him later in life.

The Waterloo Campaign (June 15 – July 8, 1815) was fought between the French Army of the North and two Seventh Coalition armies, an Anglo-allied army and a Prussian army, that defeated Napoleon in the decisive Battle of Waterloo, forced him to abdicate for the second time, and ended the Napoleonic Era.

Admiral Lord Nelson

The 1066 Norman conquest of England under William the Conqueror. The 1326 invasion of England by Isabella of France and Roger Mortimer, leading to Isabella’s regency until the ascendancy of her son, Edward III. The 1386 invasion by France was organised but never executed during the Hundred Years’ War.