Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon I) and Louis XIV are both considered as absolute leaders or rulers who made significant contributions to the development of France during their reigns. Napoleon took the leadership of France in the year 1799 after five years of poor governance and following the anarchy of the Reign of Terror (Davidson, 2014). By the year 1806, Napoleon had not only made the country stable but had also established various landmark laws, as well as conquered an empire for France, which consisted on the better part of Europe. Through the Napoleon Code, Napoleon ensured the re-writing of the French law avoid confusion relating to various elements of the law. He also gave the Catholic Church the status of the official state Church, as well as allowed for religious freedom in France (Davidson, 2014).
Additionally, the success of Napoleon in the battlefield made France develop into a world power. Under Napoleon's leadership, France conquered Belgium, Holland, and Spain. Napoleon also defeated the Austrians, the Prussians, and the Russians, hence making France control almost the entire European continent. Besides, during Napoleon’s reign, several schools were built to increase the people’s access to education. He also brought order in France by strengthening the central government (Davidson, 2014).
On the other hand, Louis XIV became the French de facto ruler in the year 1661, and he ruled for 72 years and 110 days, marking the longest-serving monarch of any sovereign nation in European history. One of Louis XIV's accomplishments was the implementation of various reforms aimed at improving commerce and trade in France through the establishment of several industries and introduction of efficient taxation. Through Code Louis, Louis XIV introduced several legal reforms aimed at establishing uniform legislation throughout the country (Davidson, 2014).
Louis XIV was also one of the powerful French monarchs, who believed in the monarchy's absolute power and he used such power to create royal power in the remote provinces. He also transformed France into a centralized nation by eliminating federalism and reducing the power of nobility (Davidson, 2014).
Despite such differences in their leadership, Louis XIV and Napoleon Bonaparte also had a broad range of similarities in their leadership. One of their shared contributions is that they both helped in stabilizing the French economy through the initiation of various projects and implementation of several trade laws. Additionally, both Napoleon and Louis XIV contributed to strengthening and reforming the French military during their reigns through improved recruitment processes and enhanced training of the military personnel (Davidson, 2014).
References
Davidson, P. (2014). France and the Age of Revolution: Regimes Old and New from Louis XIV to Napoleon Bonaparte. French History, 28(4), 593-594. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/fh/cru092
