Cover: Absolutism in Practice: Louis XIV, Versailles, and the Art of Personal Kingship, 1st Edition by Eric W. Nelson
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Absolutism in Practice: Louis XIV, Versailles, and the Art of Personal Kingship

First Edition ©2018 Eric W. Nelson

This document collection explores how Louis XIV sought to embody absolutism through his personal rule by examining the theory behind absolutism, Louis’s own writings on kingship, and the observations of eyewitnesses at his court, shedding light on traditions of royal government in Europe since the M...
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ISBN:9781319187194

Cover: Absolutism in Practice: Louis XIV, Versailles, and the Art of Personal Kingship, 1st Edition by Eric W. Nelson

This document collection explores how Louis XIV sought to embody absolutism through his personal rule by examining the theory behind absolutism, Louis’s own writings on kingship, and the observations of eyewitnesses at his court, shedding light on traditions of royal government in Europe since the Middle Ages. Students are guided through their analysis of the primary sources with an author-provided learning objective, central question, and historical context.

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Table of Contents

Central Question
Learning Objective
Historical Background 
Primary Sources    
Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, Excerpts from Politics Derived from the Words of the Holy Scripture, 1709
Louis XIV, Memoirs of Louis XIV, 1672      
Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint Simon (1675-1755), Journal  
Ezechial Spanheim, Report on the Court of France, 1690    
Images of the Palace of Versailles    
Anonymous, Relation of What Happened at the Erection of the KING’s Statue in the Town of Poitiers, 25 August 1687, Poitiers, c. 1687      
Project Questions
Additional Assignments
Additional Resources for Research  
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Eric W. Nelson

Eric W. Nelson (D.Phil., Oxford University) is a professor of history at Missouri State University. He is an experienced teacher who has won a number of awards, including the Governor’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 2011 and the CASE and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Professor of the Year Award for Missouri in 2012. He is currently Faculty Fellow for Engaged Learning, developing new ways to integrate in-class and online teaching environments. His publications include The Legacy of Iconoclasm: Religious War and the Relic Landscape of Tours, Blois and Vendôme, and The Jesuits and the Monarchy: Catholic Reform and Political Authority in France.