Medieval and modern times : an introduction to the history of western Europe form the dissolution of the Roman empire to the present time . wants of the royal court lived. This palace andits outlying buildings, including two or three less gorgeousresidences for the king when he occasionally tired of the cere-mony of Versailles, probably cost the nation about a hundredmillion dollars, in spite of the fact that thousands of peasantsand soldiers were forced to turn to and work without furnishings and decorations were as rich and costly as thepalace was splendid and still fill the visitor
Medieval and modern times : an introduction to the history of western Europe form the dissolution of the Roman empire to the present time . wants of the royal court lived. This palace andits outlying buildings, including two or three less gorgeousresidences for the king when he occasionally tired of the cere-mony of Versailles, probably cost the nation about a hundredmillion dollars, in spite of the fact that thousands of peasantsand soldiers were forced to turn to and work without furnishings and decorations were as rich and costly as thepalace was splendid and still fill the visitor with wonder. For 392 Medieval and Modem Times LMt atLouis XIVscourt over a century Versailles continued to be the home of theFrench kings and the seat of their government. This splendor and luxury helped to attract the nobility, whono longer lived on their estates in well-fortified castles, plan-ning how they might escape the royal control. They now dweltin the effulgence of the kings countenance. They saw him tobed at night and in stately procession they greeted him in themorning. It was deemed a high honor to hand him his shirt as. Fig. io6. FAgADE of the Palace of Versailles towardTHE Gardens The reformsof Colbert he was being dressed or, at dinner, to provide him with a freshnapkin. Only by living close to the king could the courtiershope to gain favors, pensions, and lucrative offices for them-selves and their friends, and perhaps occasionally to exercisesome little influence upon the policy of the government. Forthey were now entirely dependent upon the good will of theirmonarch. The reforms which Louis XIV carried out in the earlier partof his reign were largely the work of the great financier Colbert,,to whom France still looks back with gratitude. He early France under Louis XIV 393 discovered that the kings officials were stealing and wasting vastsums. The offenders were arrested and forced to disgorge, anda new system of bookkeeping was introduced, similar to thatemp
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Keywords: ., bookauthorrobinson, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookyear1919
