What were Louis xiv goals in life?

Answer 1

Louis XIV was a firm believer in the divine right of kings to rule and the influence of this attitude can be seen all over his reign. He weakened the power of the nobles by making them dependent on the crown (even had the audacity to raise their taxes thanks to Riechlieu procing that they were still bound by the archaic principle of old feudal levy). In court life, he reduced the nobles to competing for trivial things, like who would hand the king his towel. He would devote significant resources to the construction of splendid palaces and elaborate riches, to prove that he (the king) was a world apart from his mortal subjects.

In economic affairs, he sought to regulate trade and reduce France's dependence on foreign imports. This is this high-point of mercantilism and his finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, is considered an archetype of mercantilism. 'Dynastic commerce', as Henry C. Clark calls it, took over the usual trade of merchants and grew more distant from their interests. Commerce was diverted towards serving the interests of the king, which meant in absolutist terminology, that the interests of the state were better served by this tight regulation of trade. While Colbert was big on regulation, Louis XIV was even more keen on the idea. Consequently, the interests of commerce in France became more and more distant from the interests of the traders themselves.

Where foreign policy is concerned, one can't overestimate the importance of 'prestige'. Prestige was an important influence on the policy of any European power at this time. It was true of Spain the century before, but under Louis the balance began to shift. France became the European power to be reckoned with. This is exactly what Louis wanted. He wished to be seen as an extremely powerful monarch and to being France into an age of glory. This led to the financing of a number of wars to increase the prestige of France. While they were initially successful, the money being poured into military efforts would prove the king's undoing, particulrly when he turned on his former ally, the United Provinces, in 1672. In this war, the king would 'pay dearly for small gains'.

Louis XIV's goals in life were thus an extension of his desire to appear a world apart from any mere mortal, to reduce all, including the nobles, to complete obedience to their 'divinely appointed' monarch and to elevate France to the position of Europe's greatest power in both trade and in war. The extent to which he pursued these goals would eventually prove his undoing.

Answer 2

limit the power of nobles and Huguenots.