>wasted fuckloads of money on building Versailles instead of improving infrastructure and economy
>went into pointless wars like absolute madman and lost almost all of his colonies
>expelled Huguenots which were probably the most productive population group in France, thus impoverishing the country further
>actually called "the Sun King"
Can someone explain how is this faggot considered to be one of the greatest rulers ever? French stagnation in XVIII century was mainly a result of his idiotic actions.
>>38539
Versailles solved long term problems with binding the French aristocracy to the crown by concentrating them geographically, making them easy to kill/attainder, and by making them compete for royal patronage in a non-military context.
For fucks sake, actually read about it first you stupid cunt.
He conquered Alsace
It's all that matter
>>38592
That was a smart move in theory but in reality it turned into unnecessary money drain for the kingdom because now every single nobleman wanted to leech off the king
>>38539
For the French, not surrendering unconditionally is a success in itself.
>>38680
Look into the British national debt and the south seas bubble for the other option available to a similarly geographically concentrated power with elements of proto-capitalism.
>>38702
>I know nothing about French history
French infrastructure and economy were the first in the world at the time, Louis XIV won all his wars and expanded French territory faster than ever, and Huguenots were religious fanatics and traitors who were in constant uprising and persecuted Catholics and quite literally hated France.
He wasn't especially great because his enormous power and that of France at the time were mostly based on the work of those that came before, especially Richelieu, but he didn't fuck anything up. You clearly don't know what you're talking about.
>>38940
This and also
>lost almost all of his colonies
He lost New France, which looked impressive on maps but had a tiny population and was economically worthless, in exchange he kept the world's most valuable colonies in his sugar islands.
>>38940
He isolate himself.
Even as he said there was a time whe hewas the refer of Europe. But he managed to waste all that capital and alineate pretty much everyone else agaisnt him.
>>39146
Everyone hate everyone in Europe
>>39049
That wasn't him though, that was under Louis XV.
>>38539
>>wasted fuckloads of money on building Versailles
Those sums are vastly overrated.
Controlling the nobility allowed the State to run more efficiently.
>>instead of improving infrastructure and economy
Infrastructure and economy were greatly improved under Louis XIV and his predecessors (Sully, Richelieu, Mazarin).
>>went into pointless wars
Louis XIV loved glory way too much but these wars weren't pointless.
>>lost almost all of his colonies
Which ones?
>>expelled Huguenots
Certainly his most popular political decision at the time.
Switzerland, the Low Countries and some German States profited a lot from it but alliances with Catholic countries were reinforced.
It also permanently solved religious (and some political) tensions.
TL;DR
You're clueless.
