Government, administration and policies

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He chaired his own royal councils of hand-picked, loyal, middle-ranking advisers, keeping all major decisions in his own hands.

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Royal officials sent into each province to collect taxes, keep order and enforce the king's will — the crown's main tool for extending authority into the provinces.

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The main direct tax on land and income, paid mostly by peasants because nobles and clergy were largely exempt. It was the crown's biggest single earner.

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The crown's practice of selling government and legal jobs for cash. It raised money fast but meant officials owned their posts and were hard to remove.

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The idea that a nation's wealth comes from exporting more than it imports, piling up gold and silver at home — used by Colbert to fund the crown.

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Subsidising industry, imposing protective tariffs (notably 1667), building a navy, and expanding colonies and trading companies.

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French royal control over the Catholic Church in France — the crown, not the Pope, controlled Church appointments and revenues.

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It ended toleration of the Huguenots (French Protestants), causing tens of thousands of skilled Protestants to flee abroad, harming France's economy.

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Glory and prestige won through conquest. Louis pursued gloire by expanding France's borders through repeated wars to become Europe's greatest ruler.

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War of Devolution (1667–68), Dutch War (1672–78), War of the League of Augsburg (1688–97), War of the Spanish Succession (1701–14).

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Patronage of the arts, royal academies and Versailles projected the magnificence of the 'Sun King', legitimising his rule as natural and unchallengeable.

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Chronic shortage of money: endless costly wars, exempt nobles and reliance on venal offices and financiers repeatedly drained the treasury despite Colbert's efforts.