Western+Europe+-+Renaissance,+Scientific+Revolution,+etc.+Era

1. Louis XIV Document

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__Summary:__ Louis XIV was an absolute monarch; he ruled by his own intuitions and without much advice from other people. In his letter to his son, he describes his rule and how wary he is among his ministers who try to influence him to get what they secretly desire, a common pattern seen throughout history. He advises his son the difficulties of being a ruler, and the ways to become a successful ruler like himself. Despite being an absolute monarch, it did not mean he was a tyrant. One of the ways he described to become a successful ruler is to take interest in the subjects' desires or secret interests, a shift from past monarchies where a king may have wished to act only for the interest of himself and the nation, rather than the people of the nation. In his letter, Louis XIV does seem to put the well-being of his son well above the well-being of the citizens, however, so the pattern of selfish monarchies has not entirely disappeared from history.