The modern world, from Charlemagne to the present time; with a preliminary survey of ancient times . he French from North America. Besides, she secured fromSpain the fortress of Gibraltar and the island of Minorca. C. Conditions in France under Louis XIV 483. Louis dazzled the men of his age, and won the title ofthe Great King (Grand Monarque) ; but we can now see that his aims were mistaken,even from a purely selfishview. For his wars hecould not even advance thepretext of strengtheningFrance against powerfuland dangerous neighbors,for after 1648 the Empire,as well as Spain, was tooweak to th
The modern world, from Charlemagne to the present time; with a preliminary survey of ancient times . he French from North America. Besides, she secured fromSpain the fortress of Gibraltar and the island of Minorca. C. Conditions in France under Louis XIV 483. Louis dazzled the men of his age, and won the title ofthe Great King (Grand Monarque) ; but we can now see that his aims were mistaken,even from a purely selfishview. For his wars hecould not even advance thepretext of strengtheningFrance against powerfuland dangerous neighbors,for after 1648 the Empire,as well as Spain, was tooweak to think of aggres-sion. Louis fought onlyto enlarge his borders. In this he was par-tially successful; but heexhausted France and leftthe nation burdened withdebt through the next cen-tury. At the close ofhis reign the industry ofFrance was declining undera crushing taxation, ofwhich more than half wentmerely to pay the interest on the debt he had created. Andin his unjust attacks upon his neighbors in Europe he hadwasted the strength that might have intrenched France asmistress in Asia and Louis XIV. — After a painting by Rigaud. §486] INTELLECTUAL LEADERSHIP 487 484. Intellectually, however, France under Louis XIV wasthe acknowledged leader of Europe. — And this continued to betrue in the next century. She set the standard in art, literature,taste, and manners. The brilliant center from which all theseinfluences radiated was the royal court at Versailles. Louispalace there, about twelve miles from Paris, with its gardensand outlying buildings, was the most magnificent the West hadever seen, and on its construction the king had spent fabuloussums. The life at the court was on an equally splendid andcostly scale. Here were gathered the beauty, wit, and learningof France. The royal household numbered over fifteen thousandpersons, all living in luxury and idleness at the expense of thepeople. The old feudal nobles who could afford it were at-tracted to Versailles, not
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