France under Louis XIV 373 The first great systematic treatise on international law was published by Grotius in 1625, when the horrors of the Thirty Years' War were impressing men's minds with the necessity of finding some means other than war of settling disputes between nations. While the rules laid down by Grotius and later writers have, as we must sadly admit, by no means put an end to war, they have prevented many conflicts by increasing the ways in which nations may come to an understanding with one another through their ambassadors, without recourse to arms. Louis XIV outlived his son and his grandson and left a sadly demoralized kingdom to his five-year-old great-grandson, Louis XV (1715-1774). The national treasury was empty, the people were reduced in numbers and were in a miserable state, and the army, once the finest in Europe, was in no condition to gain further victories. QUESTIONS I. Describe the condition of France at the accession of Louis XIV. What were Louis's ideas of kingship? Compare the attitude of the English and French toward absolute monarchy. II. Describe the life at the court of Versailles. How did Louis XIV promote literature and art? III. What were the general results of Louis's warlike enterprises? What was Louis's attitude toward the Huguenots? What were the results of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes? What were the causes of the War of the Spanish Succession? What were the provi- sions of the Peace of Utrecht? Why was Louis's reign a favorable time for the development of international law? What do you under- stand by "international law"?
