How did Louis XIV use his powers to centralize and unify France?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. One of the significant changes Louis made was to implement a system of capitation tax. He appointed local royal administrators, based on their service and loyalty to the crown, to collect these taxes. The intendants also gathered local information and kept Louis informed about local conditions, issuing reports that kept the current information on the economy readily available to the king and his counselors. He also used the system of parlements, or royal courts, to enforce royal law and edicts. They were forbidden by law from criticizing crown decrees, but their members were guaranteed the right to hold office. These were more popular among the general population of France, who made more frequent use of them because they believed it was a fairer process than adjudicating claims through their landlords or church courts. Although capitation was enforced and was certainly not popular, there was also a shift toward more indirect tax methods, such as taxing paper or tobacco, which lessened resentment somewhat. Louis's creation of a more streamlined and efficient system of administration enabled him to provide a sense of unity and still allow centralization, which was essential to absolutist control.