While we tend to think of absolutism as just a really strong king, this episode shows how the concept of the centralized state was developed in response to the 17th century crisis of order.  In particular, we look at French King Louis XIV and his magnificent palace of Versailles, showing how Louis turned his life into a performance in order to gain power over his nobles.

Support the show

For more information on History Off the Page, check out our website www.historyoffthepage.com! Or you can support the show via Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/historyoffthepage?fan_landing=true.