Louis XIV
wanted to increase his power. To do this, he knew he had to undermine the independence of his
top aristocrats, who lived far away on their own estates. They lived like mini-kings, ruling
their domains without asking for input from the king. In fact, they wanted to maintain their
independence. This, Louis thought, must change.
To effect this change, Louis
transformed a hunting lodge or chateau into a magnificent palace outside of Paris, in the
village of Versailles. He wanted his nobles to be forced to come to Versailles and stay there
for long periods in order to get patronage from him, and knew his palace had to be a magnificent
showcase for this to occur. He also needed to rely on state funds as well as his private wealth
to build such a lavish place.
The palace cost upwards of two billion dollars
to construct. Most of the expense was in materials, as labor costs were very low in those days.
Louis XIV succeeded in increasing his power through building the palace and could justifiably
say, as he did, "I am the state."
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