When Louis XIV was young an uprising caused him to flee from Paris. Louis XIV never forgot or forgave the nobility for the uprising so he decided to live most of his life at his fathers' hunting lodge, Versailles. Louis XIV decided to expand upon Versailles in a large and grandeur way. The grounds were expanded upon to house the entire nobility and court of France. The garden's of Versailles were so large they could not be seen in one day, and it took more water than Paris used to run all of the fountains the garden contained. The palace and garden were truly a statement of power, success and decadence.
In addition to building the palace outside of Paris due to the uprising, he also created a power dynamic by having all of the French nobility and court live in the palace with him. This was done due to his paranoia of another uprising and was a significant aspect of the Palace. The close proximity of the nobility allowed Louis XIV to keep a watchful eye over his nobility and prevent the nobility from cultivating a stronger power base outside of the watch of the King. The distance of Versailles from the heart of Paris also shielded Louis from an uprising from the people of Paris, it was his sanctuary and declaration of power.
The palace and gardens attracted may visitors. The palace stunned the visitors with it's 700 rooms and 67 staircases, but what really left an visitor in awe was the stunning gardens. Once exiting the back of the palace you were able to look upon the large scale garden with it's amazing fountains, groves and garden features. If the large scale of the garden and palace weren't enough of a statement of Louis XIV power and wealth he portrayed allegories of himself throughout the garden and palace. He thought of himself as the sun king, as well as took a liking to Apollo, the god. He created a grand water fountain of Apollo and his chariot emerging from the sea, the ultimate statement of power and wealth.
This grand display of wealth shocked and awed many of it's visitors. Many countries tried to imitate it's style and grandeur but none truly succeeded. The garden and palace became the symbol of power and wealth and the center piece of many parties, cultural events, balls and plays. It's impact politics and culture are hard to measure due to it's wide reach. Louis the XIV was the longest reigning monarch and he made his impact on history. This impact and influence was pan-European and can even be seen here, in Denmark, in the Fredriksburg castle.
Picture Sources: http://holidayandtraveleurope.blogspot.dk/2013/02/france-versailles-gardens.html
http://www.1000lonelyplaces.com/phot-blog/palace-of-versailles-the-palace-of-dreams/
http://www.see-and-do-france.com/palace-of-versailles.html
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/117164027777201053/
If interested in learning more about King Louis XIV here is a great site to visit: http://www.biography.com/people/louis-xiv-9386885#!
If interested in learning more about the palace and garden itself here is it's official site: http://en.chateauversailles.fr/homepage
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