Reflections on Memoires for the Instruction of the Dauphin As Written by King Louis XIV
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Reflections On Memoires For The Instruction Of The Dauphin As Written by King Louis XIV Produced by the Wisdom Factory Literary Society Edited and Commented by Jordan Villanueva 2018 1 Introduction It is not enough for a distinguished prince to know what goes on in his own time, but that he should even be informed about the most remote times. I considered that a knowledge of the great events of the past, digested by a mature and active mind, could strengthen his reasoning in important deliberations, that the example of the illustrious men and singular deeds of antiquity might possibly furnish some very useful insights in war and in peace, and that by contemplating the idea of so many brilliant virtues, a naturally great and magnanimous soul would be all the more inspired to practice them. -King Louis XIV For the prospective statesman or politician, it is of no small consequence that adequate time be given to the examination of leaders who have achieved great success in the realm of statecraft. The people of the world deserve great leaders as too often they suffer under the rule of a tyrant or must settle for mediocrity. The proper exercise of power has been the subject of countless political disputations over the ages because mankind understands that a correct execution of the affairs of state, is the surest way to peace, security, happiness and opportunity for all. It is for this reason that we resurrect the lessons in statecraft offered by Louis the XIV. These reflections have been designed to analyze the kings governing principles and to demonstrate how his political philosophy led to effective policy. In order to appreciate the full magnitude of his contributions to France and to posterity some context is necessary. He is the pride of France, affectionately known as the Sun King. Louis the XIV was the reigning monarch of France from 1643 to 1715. He succeeded in centralizing all powers of the state into the hands of the Monarch at the expense of the nobility. In the age of absolutism, he was the archetype; believing that kings were appointed from heaven and that only they could bring happiness and stability to the state. He was fascinated by the art of good government and through his wisdom, energy, and determination, made France the envy of all Europe. He aspired to be magnificent in all of his undertakings. One look at the palace of Versailles will allow one to appreciate his talent for meticulous planning. Once completed Versailles was thought to be a reflection of heaven, a true testament to his vision of beauty and order. One look at the battle roster of his last two wars will allow one to comprehend his resolve. He led France alone against almost the whole of Europe in the Grand Alliance which included Great Britain, Spain, The Holy Roman Empire, The Netherlands, Sweden, Prussia, and more. Astonishingly enough he was able to withstand the combined force of the Grand Alliance and accomplish many of his objectives at the signing of the peace treaties. He cared deeply for the people of France and worked diligently for the improvement of French society at all levels. One of his notable contributions to 2 this effort was the Code of Louis, a law code that unified France’s fragmented legal system into one universal code of civil procedure. This accomplishment is more striking when considering that it was the basis for which Napoleon constructed his code, which itself is the father of many legal systems around the world today. Through economic planning he was able to end France’s dependence on many imports by investing in the manufacture of such a class of products. Through his innovations in the tax system he was able to devise a more efficient system of public finance and through tough spending cuts, allowed France to enjoy unrivaled prosperity. He was an avid patron of the artists and scholars of his day and owns two impressive distinctions in both fields. As for the arts, he created modern ballet by setting up the first ballet operas. In the other, he established one of the first known scientific academies. The French Academy of Sciences led the way in scientific research and discovery for more than a century after its creation. King Louis XIV was the most powerful King France had ever known. But what made this monarch so unique was his aversion to the corruption of morals which usually accompany powerful leaders and make them insufferable. His commitment to a high standard of behavior, even when dealing with enemies, forms a striking contrast with the conventions propounded by his contemporary Machiavelli. Although he was not without his failures, when taken into account the sum of his legacy one cannot deny the glory and prestige that he brought to the French people and their nation. Always mindful in matters that would preserve his kingdom he made it a priority to pass on to his son all of the lessons of good government that he learned while on the throne. This commentary is based on ten selections from his memoirs and are categorized under the headings of foreign policy, nation building, and leadership. In order to maximize the utility of this practice one should try to relate main points to contemporary politics, affairs, and leaders. Where additional context is necessary it has been provided. 3 Foreign Policy Pg.73 “The court of Spain did not share these sentiments1, but trusted to the art of negotiation, in which this nation considers itself unsurpassed. Don Luis de Haro, who was nearing the end of his life, feeling the weakness of the state as well as his own, feared nothing so much as this break. He sought merely to gain more time in this affair by long and repeated conferences with my ambassador, imagining that everything would become easier once the initial excitement had been allowed to pass. He was very much surprised to see that things had changed between France and Spain, for at the Treaty of Pyrenees it was Cardinal Mazarin who tried to convince him by reasoning, to which he always replied briefly that he neither could nor dared exceed the orders of his King and the Council of Spain; here, on the contrary, it was he who did the reasoning and my ambassador who held firmly to my precise orders, continually obliging him to make unpleasant concessions. He died about then. I played on the circumstance. I acted with new ministers who were still uncertain as to their conduct as if all the conditions that had merely been proposed to him had already been decided so as to have the means of demanding still others of them. Each of my couriers carried stricter and more pressing orders, and the Council of Spain, seeing that every moment of delay made its situation worse, hastened by itself to settle on my conditions.” Escalation Tactics as a Negotiation Tool As a declining power Spain was in no position to follow up its recent action with threats or further insolence. They simply sought to do some damage control and they believed that in bringing France to the negotiation table, they could arrive at a peaceable settlement. But King Louis XIV would see this event as an opportunity to gain some concessions from Spain and without them he would be forced to significantly cut ties with the country. He was playing a heavy hand and the Spanish seeking to avoid further deterioration with France while also refusing to acquiesce to their demands, settled on a strategy that is often used by weaker powers in moments of conflict with stronger ones. That is to seek negotiations only for the sake of drawing them out so they can have time to reinforce their position. For our purposes we should be aware of the types of negotiations that seem to have honorable ends but never seem to be making any progress towards these ends. But if the opponent has taken this path of suspending affairs through negotiations than what are we to do? As the Spanish were chiefly after time, King Louis XIV turned the passage of time from being to their advantage into being to their disadvantage. He did this through what can be called an escalation tactic, and it worked wonders for his outcome. With each successive negotiation his terms became more and more severe and Spain was 1 King Louis XIV was seeking a redress for an incident that involved his ambassador and the Spanish ambassador in London. During a parade the two were disputing about who should be in front of the other in the procession. The Spanish ambassador apparently paid off an armed mob to storm the coach of the French ambassador killing his horses so that he would not be able to claim the spot at issue. 4 left with no alternative but to settle on the terms given or else face steeper concessions or risk war with France. King Louis XIV performed a masterstroke of diplomacy in this instance. But his prudence in his reaction to the event that triggered the conflict should also be commended. When it comes to national honor what nation on earth would not rush to extremes in order to either bring equal dishonor to their aggressor or retaliate outright? Emotions must have been high when he received the news of his ambassador’s embarrassment and his passion for revenge was undoubtedly fierce. But he was able to view the situation in terms not of gratifying his passions but of gaining a sizeable profit from such a blunder on Spain’s behalf.