Portrait of Louis XIV
From history

Louis XIV

King of France, 1643 to 1715

The "Sun King" embodied absolute monarchy, built Versailles and fought costly wars. He reigned for 72 years, the longest of any major European monarch.

Louis XIV sits in the left-authoritarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: leaning state-led and strongly authoritarian. The clearest positions are strongly authoritarian on liberty and authority, strongly traditional on culture and strongly strength-first on war and peace.

Read more about Louis XIV on Wikipedia →

Where Louis XIV sits on eight dimensions

Each scale runs from one pole to the other, and the dot shows the overall tendency of this leader's record and public life. These are simplified estimates and open to debate.

💰EconomyLeaning state-led
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authorityStrongly authoritarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureStrongly traditional
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationStrongly nationalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentLeaning growth-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceStrongly strength-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsStrongly institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional

Leaders most like Louis XIV

Augustus First Roman Emperor, 27 BCE to 14 CE85%Otto von Bismarck Chancellor of Germany, 1871 to 189085%Charlemagne King of the Franks and Emperor, 768 to 81484%Haile Selassie Emperor of Ethiopia, 1930 to 197481%Abdel Fattah el-Sisi President of Egypt, 2014 to present81%Francisco Franco Ruler of Spain, 1939 to 197580%

Leaders furthest from Louis XIV

Mahatma Gandhi Leader of the Indian independence movement0%José Mujica President of Uruguay, 2010 to 20150%Václav Havel President of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, 1989 to 20032%

Political views closest to Louis XIV

MilitarismTreats military strength and martial values as central to national life.81%GaullismA French tradition of national independence, a strong presidency and a leading role for…72%FalangismA Spanish fascist-inspired movement stressing nation, Catholicism and corporatist unity.70%

Percentages show how close two profiles are across all eight dimensions. Including a person here is for historical study and comparison, not approval. Portrait: Hyacinthe Rigaud, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; see all photo credits.