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Although Peter the Great was possibly the most magnificent Russian Czar of all time, I believe King Louis XIV of France had the greater impact upon European history. At the time of Louis XIV’s rule France was the most populous country in Europe with an estimate ....

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.... His absolutism brought him into conflict with the Huguenots and the papacy, with damaging repercussions. His many foreign wars became a financial burden, yet his long reign is associated with the greatest age of French culture, symbolized by the Palace of Versailles.” (Biographies: Louis XIV). His influence was paramount to all other monarchs prior to him and the glorification of France was his ruthless priority. The legacy of the “Man with the Iron Mask” told of a ruthless side of him that would not even allow his own brother to interfere, if in fact it was his brother in the mask. Although Peter the Great was equally ruthless, his overall impa ....