Napoleon And Louis XIV example essay topic
The people of France believe in the faith of god church and their religion that no one dared to defy the divine ruler. Louis was determined to control a nation that was unified politically under his rule and religiously under his faith; Catholicism was to be the only accepted religion for the French people. Louis believe that god had sufficiently appointed him to be king and only god could say if he was right or wrong. So that meant any decision that Louis made was the final say and no interference from the people of France. "I gave orders to the four Secretaries of state no longer to sign anything whatsoever without speaking to me: likewise to the controller, and that he should authorize nothing as regards finance without its being registered in a book which must remain with me (R 17). Louis wrote this to his heirs as advice on how to rule.
He kept everyone under a close eye, he could not trust... He even went as far as to invaded the postal system "The king was informed of what was passing for many years before anybody knew it was that of opening letters" (R 24). If the letter say anything against the king or France the writer of the letter were exiled without even trial. : "In fact Napoleon crowned himself emperor since he did no recognize the pope's authority as superior to his own" (R 138). Napoleon would not even let the pope honor him as the king of France. It was like he was saying that I am more divine than you, I am more superior to god than you because I am the divine ruler.
Appropriately, Napoleon found divine sanction for his power. The imperial Catechism made the people believe that Napoleon was the divine ruler. Pests use to ask the commoners "What are the duties of Christians towards those who govern them and what in Particular are our duties towards Napoleon I, our emperor" (R 142)... The Christians would answer", Christians owe to the princes who govern them, and we in particular owe to Napoleon I, our emperor, love, respect, obedience fidelity, military service, and the taxes levied for the preservation and defense of the empire and of his throne" (R 142).
It was like they were trying to brainwash the people of France to believe that Napoleon was the divine ruler. Napoleon to just as Louis did put tab on people. He had many of spies just as Louis did too. Napoleon had the rights of the press taking away. "In order to consolidate the new regime, Napoleon sought to control the flow of information in the state" (R 134) he too could not trust. Napoleon and Louis ruled in a matter of use what the people believe in mostly the church, God.
They both new how to use it so no one would question what they did. They both could not trust the people of theory country or even their closest advisers. In part yes Napoleon and Louis were the same type of ruler.