Analyzing Henry VIII and King Louis XIV: Divine Rule and Leadership

This essay provides a comparative analysis of the reigns of Henry VIII of England and King Louis XIV of France, focusing on their shared belief in the divine right of kings and their efforts to strengthen their respective nations through this ideology. The essay highlights Henry VIII's break from the Catholic Church and strengthening of England's naval defenses, while also examining Louis XIV's centralization of power and patronage of the arts. Despite belonging to different time periods and nations, both monarchs actively promoted art and culture and sought to enhance the power of the sovereign through the concept of divine rule. The essay concludes that their lives and reigns offer valuable insights into the exercise of power and the shaping of national identities during their respective eras. Desklib offers a platform to explore more insightful essays and study resources for students.

HENRY VIII VS. KING LOUIS XIV 1
The lives of the sovereigns or the kings had been a subject of much discussion since
the traditional times. Claydon and Levillain are of the viewpoint that the curiosity of the
people regarding the lives of the sovereigns can be explained on the basis of the fact that the
people often have the desire to know what it is like to be a sovereign. As opined by Roosen,
two of the sovereigns whose lives have garnered much interest from the people in the recent
times are Henry VIII and King Louis XIV. These two kinds through their activities as
sovereigns contributed in a substantial manner towards the rise of the concept of divine rule.
This essay will compare and contrast the reigns of Henry VIII and King Louis XIV in the
light of their activities as kings.
Henry VIII (1491- 1547) became the Kind of England in 1509 and is widely
considered to be one of the most “charismatic kings of all time” (Marshall 98). String has
stated that his reign is memorable in the cannon of World History not only because of his
fight against the supremacy of Church but also on the score of various activities which he
undertook to strengthen the defense system of England. The feud between Henry and the
Church began with the attempts of Henry to dissolve his first marriage with Catherine of
Aragon (Markham 134). It is pertinent to note that the church tried to oppose this act of
Henry and this propelled him to take the help of “divine rule” (Wooding 54). As opined by
Moravcsik, the reign of Henry is remarkable within the cannon of British History because of
the fact that he was one of the first sovereigns who actually used the notion of divine rule.
More importantly, he also made some radical changes within the “English Constitution” so
as to ingrain the notion of divine rule within the parliamentary system of the concerned
nation. The net result of this was the fact that he not only segregated the roles of sovereign
and church but also enhanced the power of the sovereign in a substantial manner.
Furthermore, it is often argued that the power which Henry held within the nation of England

HENRY VIII VS. KING LOUIS XIV 2
was seldom held by any other ruler in the concerned nation. As a matter of fact, he was the
first ruler who even became the “King of Ireland” following the legislations “Laws in Wales
Acts 1535 and 1542 and Crown of Ireland Act 1542” (String 114).
Henry’s rule is even remarkable for the strength which he rendered to the national
defense of the concerned nation. It is pertinent to note that before Henry the defense system
of the concerned nation was a weak one however through the drastic reconfiguration which
he undertook and also the strengthening of the naval system, the defense of England became
of the strongest ones of the world (Wooding 54). In this regard, it needs to be mentioned that
he increased the fleet strength from a few ships to more than 50 ships (Markham 134). In
addition to this, his rule is even remarkable for the illustrious men who graced his court like
“Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Richard Rich, Thomas Cranmer”
and others (Moravcsik 163). Furthermore, he was also an active patron of art and culture and
as a matter of fact he was himself an artist. Thus, it can be said that the activities of Henry as
a sovereign greatly enhanced the reputation and also the position of England.
King Louis XIV (1638-1715), also called by the name of “Sun King” is another
sovereign whose rule is famous for the use of the notion of divine rule (Claydon and Levillain
76). Louis became the king of France at the age of just four years and remained the sovereign
of the nation till his death in 1715 (Roosen 67). Just like Henry VIII, he was an active
believer in the notion of the divine right of sovereign and did much to foster the kind of
environment in France wherein kings were able to rule in an independent manner regardless
of the influence of the Church in the coming years (Wilkinson 171). More importantly,
through his use of the concept of divine rule or monarchial rule of sovereigns he not only
limited the power of the church in matters of the nation but at the same time was successful in
the creation of a centralized rule as well (Rowlands 106). It is pertinent to note that one of

HENRY VIII VS. KING LOUIS XIV 3
the major problems which France in the earlier times before the rule of Louis was the fact
that there was a continuous dispute of power between the sovereigns and Church. Louis’s
reign is remarkable because of the abolition of the feudal system in France which was not
only sapping the economy of the concerned nation but was also putting much pressure on the
sovereign of France as well (Klaits 98). In this regard, the centralization policy followed by
Louis was an important one which not only enabled him to link the diverse entities of France
but also reduce the authority of church over the sovereign as well.
King Louis XIV’s reign is known for the patronage which was given to various
artists like “Mazarin, Colbert, Louvois, the Grand Condé, Turenne, Sébastien Le Prestre
de Vauban, André Charles Boulle, Molière, Racine, Boileau” and others (Claydon and
Levillain 76). In addition to these, it was during his reign that the “Palace of Versailles” was
constructed along with other stately buildings. More importantly, the system of centralized
system of government established by him lasted till the French Revolution of 1789 (Roosen
67). Moreover, he also contributed in a substantial to destroy the “French Protestant
minority” in France who were a source of much trouble for the sovereign of France
(Wilkinson 171). More importantly, he is also known for the various wars through which he
lead France like “Franco-Dutch War, the War of the League of Augsburg, the War of the
Spanish Succession” and others (Rowlands 106). In terms of personality as well he was one
of the most gracious of French rulers although some of his decisions were propelled by
revenge and competition.
A comparison of these two sovereigns reveals the fact that both of them shared some
common traits despite belonging to two different nations and also to different timeframes. For
example, it is seen both of them believed in the ideology of divine rule of sovereigns. More
importantly, both of these sovereigns sought to strengthen their nations through various

HENRY VIII VS. KING LOUIS XIV 4
activities (Klaits 98). In the case of Henry it was the enhancement of the naval and defense
system whereas Louis sought to do the same through centralization of the nation. In addition
to these, it was seen that both of them were ardent supporters of art and culture and supported
some of the best talented artists of their time.
To conclude, the lives of Henry VIII and King Louis XIV not only mirror the history
of their times but at the same time offer an overview of demands of their nation in those
times. However, it needs to be said that both of them sough to improve the prospects of their
nation through the use of the notion of divine rule. More importantly, it was seen that both of
these supported some of the best talented artists of their era and also sought to enhance the
power of the sovereigns through the use of the notion of divine rule. Thus, it can be said that
these rulers are importantly from the perspective that they reveal an insight into the manner in
which the power of a sovereign can be enhanced in an effective manner.

HENRY VIII VS. KING LOUIS XIV 5
References
Claydon, Tony, and Charles-Édouard Levillain. Louis XIV Outside In: Images of the Sun
King Beyond France, 1661-1715. Routledge, 2016.
Klaits, Joseph. Printed propaganda under Louis XIV: absolute monarchy and public opinion.
Vol. 1428. Princeton University Press, 2015.
Markham, Clements R. The Hawkins' voyages during the reigns of Henry VIII, Queen
Elizabeth, and James I. Hakluyt Society, 2017.
Marshall, Peter. Religious identities in Henry VIII's England. Routledge, 2016.
Moravcsik, Andrew. " Four Princes: Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, Suleiman the
Magnificent, and the Obsessions That Forged Modern Europe." Foreign Affairs 96.3
(2017): 163.
Roosen, William James. Age of Louis XIV: The Rise of Modern Diplomacy. Routledge, 2017.
Rowlands, Guy. "Louis XIV, aristocratic power and the elite units of the French
army." Warfare in Europe 1650 1792. Routledge, 2017. 79-107.
String, TatianaC. Art and Communication in the Reign of Henry VIII. Routledge, 2017.
Wilkinson, Richard. Louis Xiv. Routledge, 2017.
Wooding, Lucy. Henry viii. Routledge, 2015.