AQA A-Level History 7042
1A The Age of the Crusades, c1071–1204
1B Spain in the Age of Discovery, 1469–1598
1C The Tudors: England, 1485–1603
1D Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702
1E Russia in the Age of Absolutism and Enlightenment, 1682–1796
1F Industrialisation and the People: Britain, c1783–1885
1G Challenge and Transformation: Britain, c1851–1964
1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964
1J The British Empire, c1857–1967
1K The Making of a Superpower: USA, 1865–1975
1L The Quest for Political Stability: Germany, 1871–1991
2A Royal Authority and the Angevin Kings, 1154–1216
2B The Wars of the Roses, 1450–1499
2C The Reformation in Europe, c1500–1564
2D Religious Conflict and the Church in England, c1529–c1570
2E The English Revolution, 1625–1660
2F The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643–1715
2G The Birth of the USA, 1760–1801
2H France in Revolution, 1774–1815
2J America: A Nation Divided, c1845–1877
2K International Relations and Global Conflict, c1890–1941
2L Italy and Fascism, c1900–1945
2M Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906–1957
2N Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917–1953
2O Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945
2P The Transformation of China, 1936–1997
2Q The American Dream: Reality and Illusion, 1945–1980
2R The Cold War, c1945–1991
2S The Making of Modern Britain, 1951–2007
2T The Crisis of Communism: The USSR and the Soviet Empire, 1953–2000
2F The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643–1715
The Strengths and Weaknesses of Personal Rule
- 3 things to know
- Component 2
Overview
Recall questions on how the intendants strengthened royal government and on the dangers of a system with no formal consultation.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Why did Louis XIV face little institutional opposition to his authority in the later reign?
What weakness resulted from the absence of formal consultation mechanisms in Louis XIV's government?
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What was a key vulnerability of Louis XIV's personal monarchy in his later years?
Model answer
The concentration of all major decisions in the king himself created vulnerability when his attention waned or his judgement faltered as he aged.
- 2
How did the system of intendants strengthen royal government under Louis XIV?
Model answer
Intendants provided direct royal control over the provinces, ensuring the king's authority was enforced throughout France.
- 3
Why did Louis XIV face little institutional opposition to his authority in the later reign?
Model answer
The suppression of noble and parlementaire opposition achieved earlier in the reign prevented institutional challenges to royal authority.
- 4
What weakness resulted from the absence of formal consultation mechanisms in Louis XIV's government?
Model answer
Louis often received only information his ministers chose to present, limiting his awareness of actual conditions in the kingdom.
- 5
How did the ageing Louis XIV's choice of advisers become a weakness of his personal monarchy?
Model answer
He increasingly relied on a narrow circle of advisers and family members, reducing the quality of counsel he received.
- 6
Who was Madame de Maintenon and when did she marry Louis XIV?
Model answer
She was the secret wife of Louis XIV, married to him around 1683 following the death of Queen Maria Theresa.
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