King Louis Debate Notes Louis may have believed in the theory of absolute monarchy and consciously fostered the myth of himself as the Sun King, the source of light for all of his people Louis relied for his ministers on nobles who came from relatively new aristocratic families In October 1685, Louis issued the Edict of Fontainebleau The maintenance of religious harmony had long been considered an area of monarchical power. The desire to keep it led Louis into conflict with the French Huguenots and the papacy. Louis XIV did not want to allow Protestants to practice their faith in largely Catholic France. Perhaps he was motivated by religion, but it is more likely that Louis, who believed in the motto, "one king, one law, one faith," felt that the existence of this minority undermined his own political authority. Louis is the embodiment of an absolute monarch. He is the chief example of absolutism throughout the second half of the 17th century. This is reflected in his statement "L'Etat, c'est moi." ( I am the state.) Louis developed a large, well trained army that wore uniforms. He administered the country through "intendants". He showed his wealth and power by building his palace at Versailles. He distrusted the traditional nobility because they had risen up against him while he was still a minor during the Fronde. The created High Society at his court, where the nobility danced and intrigued to gain the favor of the king. He turned the formerly independent nobility who had commanded armies and ruled their own provinces into the courtiers and lap dogs of the king. War is considered to be the "sport of kings." Louis attempted to expand his kingdom. In particular, he would have liked to gain control over what is today Belgium (Spanish Netherlands, later Austrian Netherlands) and the Dutch Republic. Louis longest war was the War of the Spanish Succession which lasted from 1701 to 1714. It almost led to France's defeat and almost bankrupted the country. Louis was forced to negotiate a compromise whereby his grandson would become King of Spain but he and his heirs could never combine the Spanish crown with that of France. 22-year-old Louis married his first cousin Marie-Thrse (1638-1683), daughter of King Philip IV of Spain Louis XIV broke with tradition and astonished his court by declaring that he would rule without a chief minister A diplomatic necessity more than anything else, the union produced six children, of whom only one, Louis (1661-1711), survived to adulthood. (A number of illegitimate offspring resulted from Louis XIVs affairs with a string of official and unofficial mistresses.)