Comparing King Louis XIV of France and King Philip II of Spain :: King Louis XIV, France, King Philip II, Spain

The palace of Versailles was built by King Louis XIV of France and the Escorial was built by King Philip II of Spain. The two kings each had their differences about their beliefs on how to rule, yet there are some similarities. Louis XIV believed in showing off his power and being open. Philip II was a simplistic guy devoted to Catholicism. They both had military to spread their beliefs and ideas. Despite the kings’ beliefs, their palaces reflected their ideals. King Louis XIV was a showy and self-absorbed king. His palace was representative of his personality and ideals. The Versailles palace architecture displayed Louis XIV ideals of secular issues. He cared more about spending money to show off his power. Unlike the Escorial, Versailles was centered on â€Å"The Sun King† instead of religion. At one point Louis XIV stated that â€Å"he was the state†. This statement was saying that Louis XIV represented the center and best of France. An example of this was that King Louis XIV lived in the middle of Versailles. Versailles was also very ornate and had the atmosphere of freeness. However, the Escorial was very basic like Philip II. On the other hand, King Philip II was a more careful and simple king. The Escorial was more compact and closed in unlike the Versailles. Like the Versailles, the Escorial demonstrated Philip II ideals of religious issues. In the center of the palace, where Philip II would spend most of his time, was the church and monastery. Philip II considered himself King of Spain second and Catholic first. He preferred to sit in the monastery to look at historical records rather than Louis XIV’s conception of a king. Both palaces were Catholic but religion had a bigger role at the Escorial Palace. Also at the Escorial palace you saw more military surrounding it as for the Versailles it wasn’t as guarded. While the two kings had many differences their militaries were surprisingly similar. They both had military troops that guarded and walked around the palace. The kings’ military was not only used for protection but also for spreading their beliefs and ideals. Their military was alert and ready to protect if there was to be an attack on the palace. King Louis XIV and Philip II both would have enough troops to go to war and express their thoughts but also enough to protect the palace.