The ancient rulers expressed different leadership techniques in their rule. They applied various approaches to the economy, political matters, and also religious matters. This paper argues the economic and religious contributions of the Tudors, Louis XIV, and Peter the Great while focusing on their regimes and influence on these matters.
Peter the Great (1672-1725) was a Russian revolutionary leader whose policies drove Russia to immense success. Peter the Great sought to transform his country, which he did by implementing his revolutionary ideas. Peter enforced domestic reforms such as converting the Russian army to a group of professionals. He established a new education system focusing on math, science, and medicine. He transformed the economy by importing goods from Europe and promoting Western products. He even imposed a tax on beards except for peasants and priests. Peter also deprived the church of its independence (Nosotro, 2). Peter created holy doctrines answerable to him. Peter protected Russia from threats by creating a new city, St. Petersburg, which replaced Moscow. The new city was crucial to the economy since it allowed the importation of Western products and merchandise. According to Walsh (13), Peter the great encouraged the wearing of Western clothing. The city also opened up the spread of Western religious ideas of Protestantism. This allowed the spread of Christianity in his state, saving the Russians from the bondage of the Eastern orthodox rites. Peter the Great was a ruthless leader who ruthlessly dealt with people challenging power by ordering the torture of his firstborn son Alexei on treason suspicion.
Louis XIV (1643-1661) took control of France from Cardinal Mazarin after his death. Louis XIV kept check of the economy by assigning Colbert, the Finance minister, to identify irregularities in the tax system. The corrupt ministers were arrested, and the finance minister believed that the focus should be on exports rather than imports. The focus was on establishing multiple manufacturing industries such as textile and tapestries products. The finance minister encouraged the importation of foreign labor since the foreign workers would input their knowledge and trade. Strict policies were enforced to prevent counterfeit and illegal practices that would compromise the economy. In religion, Louis XIV practiced and encouraged Catholicism, and this made him enforce religious policies. He persecuted Protestantism since he felt that it threatened his rule. He excluded them from offices and even demanded that they convert to Catholicism. Louis XIV dealt with the enemies by enforcing harsh punishments against his enemies (Sreedhar, 24). Louis XIV expressed his revenge against his enemies in the 1679 investigation of the attempted poisoning where he exiled some suspects and killed some.
The Tudor monarchy had spectacular leaders featured in the rule, such as Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. King Henry VIII expressed characteristics of tyranny and liberation. He saved his people and authorized the English Bible. Henry VIII declared church sovereignty and enacted treason laws (Cooper 3). Queen Mary also encouraged the Catholic faith. The first two Tudors enhanced the economy through strict financial policies. Edward’s regime focused on religious and economic matters. Jane ruled after Edward, then Mary, and Elizabeth.
There are similarities and differences between the reigns of these leaders. Louis XIV was highly oriented to the Catholic Christian religion and enforced it upon his subjects. He persecuted the Protestants who made him feel threatened. Peter the Great was a Russian revolutionary leader who built a new city St. Petersburg, and encouraged the influence of the West, such as Protestantism, and also encouraged influence to the economy from the foreigners. All these leaders enforced policies that encouraged economic growth. The Tudors rule also focused deeply on religious matters alongside economic reforms.
Works Cited
Cooper, John. “The Tudor Monarchy.” Gale.
Nosotro, Rit. “Peter the Great (1672-1725) Modernized Russia.” 2003.
Tarun, Sreedhar. “Court of Versailles: The reign of Louis XIV.” BearMun, 2020.
Walsh, Devan. “Analysis of Peter the Great’s Social Reforms and the Justification of the Reactions from the General Public.”
