What did Louis XIV hope to accomplish in his domestic and foreign policies?

To

what extent did he succeed? Explain.

In Louis XIV's foreign policies, he hoped to accomplish creating a system of wealth for

his absolutist system of government through colonial trade. Louis XIV along with

Finance Minister Colbert, acknowledged Europe's demand for sugar and created a

sugar plantation in Saint-Domingue (Haiti). One of his most famous plans was proven to

be successful because "By 1750, slaves in Saint-Domingue produced 40 percent of the

world's sugar..." (Cole, 2020, pg. 502). This feat allowed Louis XIV to ship the sugar

back to France, where they could then resell it to other countries or to colonies,

generating substantial wealth.

When considering his domestic policies, they dealt more with religion than with trade.

Louis XIV continuously battled Protestant Huguenots and destroyed many of their

gatherings and possessions. Eventually, he made it so that they had no chance but to

be persecuted in one way or another, or convert into the Catholic religion. Although

many families gave into his policies, there were "...200,000 Protestant refugees [who]

fled to England, Holland, Germany, and America, taking with them their professional

and artisanal skills" (Cole, 2020, pg. 501). It is clear that Louis XIV did not succeed with

this policy as he lost many skilled workers and opportunities to create important

industries in France.