ABSOLUTISM

a reaction to
instability in
Europe
 BACKGROUND
DURING THE EARLY XVI CENTURY, CALVIN AND LUTHER WERE CATHOLIC PRIESTS.
BUT THEY SAW THE LEADERS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AS GREEDY & CORRUPT.

THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION

LUTHER & CALVIN FOUNDED EACH THEIR OWN CHURCHES (LUTHERANISM & CALVINISM).
THEY WERE FOLLOWED BY MANY PEOPLE IN EUROPE, EVEN BY NOBLES AND GOVERNMENTS.
THIS SHOOKED THE STRUCTURES OF POWER IN EUROPE, RESULTING IN RELIGIOUS WARS & CHAOS.

BOTTOM LINE: THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION

WAS A THREAT FOR THE MONARCHIES IN EUROPE.
THAT BROUGHT ABSOLUTISM. PO
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THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION
 ABSOLUTISM
a system in which a ruler has total power
SURGED IN THE XVII CENTURY, AS A RESPONSE TO THE RELIGIOUS & POLITICAL CRISES PROVOKED BY PROTESTANTISM.
ABSOLUTISM SEEKED TO ACHIEVE STABILITY BY INCREASING THE POWER OF THE MONARCH.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ABSOLUTISM
DIVINE RIGHT: THEY THOUGHT THEY HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY GOD TO RULE.
POLITICAL SOVEREIGNTY: CENTRALIZED CONTROL OF ALL ASPECTS OF GOVERNMENT (ECONOMIC, LEGISLATIVE, MILITARY, ETC).
UNQUESTIONABLE POWER: NEITHER THE CHURCH NOR THE NOBLES COULD CHALLENGE THE KING’S MANDATES.
 THE CASE OF LOUIS XIV
Un roi, une loi, une foi

RANDOM FACT IN
IST ST
ER
IN CHARGE
M FIR OF POLITICS
BECOMES THE
SOLE RULER AT
THE AGE OF 23
ONE KING
”CREATED” NEW NOBLES
CHURCH
BY SELLING TITLES TO THE RICH
INFLUENCE
N
LIA IL’ETAT
AM THE STATE!
C’EST MOI! $$$ TO FINANCE WARS
ITA CARDINAL & LUXURIES
MAZARIN
THESE NOBLE TITLES EXEMPTED
THEM FROM FUTURE TAXES

APOLLO, THE
GREEK SUN GOD

BECAME KING ONE LAW

AT THE AGE OF 4 APPROVED BY HIM TO STANDARDIZE ALL
LAWS IN THE KINGDOM

(NO PARLIAMENT NEEDED)

NAMED HIMSELF THE SUN KING, AN ABSOLUTE MONARCH

(THE SUN COVERS IT ALL)
ONE FAITH

THE POPE HAD NO POWER

A CLEAR SIGN OF AUTHORITY CATHOLICISM BECOMES THE ONLY RELIGION

OVER FRENCH POLITICS

EXPELS CHRISTIAN PROTESTANTS

CHARACTERISTICS OF ABSOLUTISM
DIVINE RIGHT
HE WAS APPOINTED KING BY THE CATHOLIC
POLITICAL SOVEREIGNITY VERSION OF GOD, NOT THE CHRISTIAN ONE

THE STATE OF LOUISIANA IS NAMED AFTER LOUIS XIV

UNQUESTIONABLE POWER
A (SUPER) BRIEF SUMMARY
PORTRAIT DE LOUIS XIV EN COSTUME DE SACRÉ
a source analysis exercise
THE PORTRAIT DE LOUIS XIV EN COSTUME DE SACRÉ IS A
2.77 M TALL X 1.90 M WIDE OIL IN CANVAS, REALIZED BY THE
FRENCH PAINTER HYACINTHE RIGAUD IN 1701, AS
REQUESTED BY THE KING LOUIS XIV HIMSELF WHEN HE WAS
63 YEARS OLD. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A PRESENT FOR THE
KING’S GRANDSON PHILIP V OF SPAIN, BUT HE LIKED IT SO
MUCH THAT HE KEPT IT AND SENT A COPY IN ITS PLACE. IT
REMAINS EXHIBITED IN THE LOUVRE MUSEUM.

ORIGIN
WHO: HYACINTHE RIGAUD, A FRENCH ARTIST OF THE
XVII-XVIII CENTURIES.

WHEN: IN 1701, IN THE CONTEXT OF FRENCH ABSOLUTISM

AND LOUIS XIV’S REIGN.

WHERE: IT IS UNCLEAR WHERE THE PAINTING WAS MADE,

BUT MOST LIKELY IN THE PALACE OF VERSAILLES,
AND IT REMAINS EXHIBITED TODAY IN THE
LOUVRE MUSEUM.

WHAT: IT IS A 2.77 M TALL X 1.90 M WIDE PORTRAIT OF

THE KING LOUIS XIV, DRESSED WITH FANCY, ROYAL
CLOTHES AND ACCESORIES, WHICH PROJECT
POWER, AUTHORITY AND VIGOR.

TYPE OF THE PAINTING WAS MADE DURING THE PERIOD

SOURCE: BEING STUDIED, THEREFORE CONSTITUES A
PRIMARY SOURCE.

THE PORTRAIT DE LOUIS XIV EN COSTUME DE SACRÉ IS A

2.77 M TALL X 1.90 M WIDE FULL BODY PAINTING OF THE
KING LOUIS XIV DRESSED WITH ROYAL CLOTHES,
PROJECTING POWER AND VIGOR. IT WAS MADE IN 1701
BY HYACINTHE RIGAUD, AS REQUESTED BY THE KING, IN
THE CONTEXT OF HIS ABSOLUTE MONARCHY. THE
PAINTING IS EXHIBITED IN THE LOUVRE MUSEUM.
PURPOSE

WHY WAS IT SINCE IT WAS COMMISSIONED BY THE KING

PRODUCED? LOUIS XIV HIMSELF, THE ARTIST SHOULD
HAVE DONE IT WITH THE PURPOSE OF
PLEASING HIM. OTHER MOTIVATIONS ARE
THE ECONOMIC COMPENSATION, PRESTIGE
& RECOGNITION.

TO WHOM: ORIGINALLY MADE FOR LOUIS XIV’S

GRANDSON, PHILIP V OF SPAIN. THE KING,
HOWEVER, LIKED IT SO MUCH THAT KEPT IT
AND SENT A COPY INSTEAD.

MAIN IDEAS: THE KING IS PORTRAYED AS A POWERFUL

CHARACTER, IN A POSE THAT MAKES HIM
LOOK DOWN ON THE VIEWER. THE
LUXURIOUS ACCESORIES PROJECT BOTH
WEALTH AND AUTHORITY (THE SWORD, THE
SCEPTER, THE CROWN AND THE
CORONATION ROBE). HIS HAIR REFLECT A
YOUTH AND ROBUST KING, AND THOUGH HIS
FACE MIGHT CORRESPOND TO A PERSON OF
HIS AGE, HIS LEGS SEEM TOO STRONG AND
DEFINED FOR A 63 YEARS OLD KING. THE
HEELS ADD SOME HEIGHT TO MAKE HIM
LOOK TALLER. OVERALL, THIS SEEMS TO BE
AN IDEALIZED REPRESENTATION OF LOUIS
XIV.
VALIDITY

IS IT VALUABLE AS A YES, SINCE IT PROVIDES INSIGHTFUL

PRIMARY SOURCE? INFORMATION ABOUT THE KING’S
PERSONALITY, THE LUXURIES AND
CONTEXT IN THE ERA OF ABSOLUTIST
MONARCHIES.

WHO IS THE HYACINTHE RIGAUD WAS A FRENCH ARTIST,

CREATOR? WHO PAINTED SEVERAL PORTRAITS OF LOUIS
XIV, THE BOURBON DINASTY AND OTHER
ROYAL CHARACTERS OF THE XVII AND THE
XVIII CENTURIES.

HOW DOES THE SOURCE BY DOCUMENTING THE MAJESTIC

RECONSTRUCT THE AND LUXURIOUS LIFE OF LOUIS
EVENTS? XIV. THE PAINTING, HOWEVER,
MIGHT BE CONSIDERED AS
PROPAGANDA, SINCE THE KING
DESIRED TO PROMOTE HIMSELF
AS A VIGOROUS AND POWERFUL
KING STILL IN HIS PRIME.

WHAT IS THE IT IS OF MUCH VALUE BECAUSE

TRUSTWORTHINESS PICTURES THE IMAGE THE KING
AND VALUE OF THE HAD OF HIMSELF UNDER THE
SOURCE? CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE
CONTEXT. AT THE SAME TIME, IT
SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS IS
AN IDEALIZED REPRESENTATION
OF HIS PHYSICAL ASPECT AT THE
AGE OF 63.
LIMITATIONS

THE SOURCE PRSENTS THE PAINTING PRESENTS AN

FACTS OR OPINIONS? INTERPRETATION OF THE PHYSICAL
APPEARANCE OF LOUIS XIV AT THE
AGE OF 63.

OTHER LIMITATIONS: THE PAINTING WAS COMMISSIONED

BY THE KING, WHICH MEANS HE
PAID FOR THE JOB. THE AUTHOR,
THEREFORE, IS BIASED OR
CONDITIONED BY THE MONEY, AND
MORE LIKELY TO PLEASE HIS PATRON
BY EXALTING DETAILS AND
IDEALIZING HIS FIGURE RATHER
THAN PAINTING HIM AS HE REALLY
LOOKS.

AS A WORK OF ART, THE PAINTING IS

A SUBJECTIVE INTERPRETATION OF
THE FACTS.

AS PROPAGANDA, THE AUTHOR

LOOKS TO PROJECT HIS PATRON AS
SOMEONE WITH POWER TO INSPIRE
AUTHORITY AND OBEDIENCE. THIS
PROBABLY DEVIATES HIM OF
PAINTING THE KING AS HOW HE
ACTUALLY LOOKED.