Throughout the 16th and 17th Century the rise of many absolute monarchs is witnessed in which the live lives of much royalty and grandeur. Luxuriousness became a mere detail to the lives, and they built palaces the size of small cities. However, some of these monarchs became so caught up in their lives of extravagance that they threw their countries into great debt and ended up overlooking what their "jobs" truly were; to lead a country and its citizens. Three such absolute monarchs were Louis XIV of France, Joseph II of Prussia and Catherine the Great of Russia.
             Louis XIV of France was born September 5th, 1683 to Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. He was baptized, Louis Dieudonne which in French mean "the gift of God". During Louis early years, he was subject to his fathers beatings. Upon the death of Louis XIII, his mother taught him religion and he had many tutors that taught him about everything. He also had a tutor that taught him to behave like royalty. With the help of many advisors, he "ruled" the country of France. Louis lived a very happy childhood, constantly playing games and being in the gardens of his palace. Something that he thoroughly enjoyed was fairy tales, and every night they would read him a different one. He was crowned at the age of fifteen, and decided to rule alone; with the help of no advisers. He married Maria Theresa in 1660, although the felt no affection for each other. Although at first the Palace of Versailles was a small hunting lodge, Louis had it rebuilt into one of the most fascinating palaces in the ...