Why did King Louis XIV fail to make France supreme in Europe?

Answer 1

In foreign affairs, Louis's consistent aim was to glorify France, to gird its defenses on the northern and eastern frontiers, and to prevent any resurgence of the power of the Habsburg dynasty, which had formerly threatened France on two sides by its control over Spain and Germany. In four wars he displayed before all of Europe his prowess as a military leader. In 1667, claiming his wife's right of inheritance (jus devolutionis), Louis invaded the Spanish Netherlands. His quick victories prompted England, Holland, and Sweden to check France and force the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668). Louis gained 12 fortresses in Flanders and soon isolated the Dutch by buying English and Swedish neutrality. In 1672 he hurled an army against Holland. For six years the Dutch, aided by Spain and Austria, staved off French attacks. The treaties signed at Nijmegen (1678) did not dismantle Holland but gave Louis the Franche-Comté region and more forts in Flanders.
While his armies were battling Dutch Protestants, Louis had been denying religious liberty to the Protestants (Huguenots) of France and tightening control over his Roman Catholic clergy. In 1685, determined to force conversion of the Huguenots, he revoked their charter of liberties, the Edict of Nantes, forcing more than 200,000 into exile and igniting the Camisards' revolt. Although applauded by his Roman Catholic subjects, the revocation stiffened resistance to Louis in Protestant Europe. Overconfident and ill-advised, he sent an army into the Rhineland in 1688 to claim the Palatinate for his sister-in-law Elizabeth Charlotte of Bavaria. This War of the League of Augsburg (1688-97) revealed serious deficiencies in Louis's army. Despite the devastation of the Rhineland, the Peace of Ryswick (1697) did not improve French defenses or add to the glory of the monarchy.
Louis's last military venture, the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-13), stemmed from his acceptance of the Spanish throne on behalf of his grandson, Philip. Louis's armies, opposed by an alliance of the European powers, lost most of the major battles, but won control of Spain. The Treaty of Utrecht (1713), which awarded several French territories in North America to the British, also recognized Philip V as king of Spain. Louis ruled a war-weary France until his health broke in 1715 and he died.

Answer 2

The better question is 'How..' since he wanted to make France the most powerful.

But the main reasons how are that he was constantly at war, and was not too successful at it. Also, the wars he fought were for possessions in Europe which were not as profitable as colonies abroad, thus England emerged with a more powerful navy and better economy.

He did make French culture supreme throughout Europe in a lot of ways. The following wikipedia article might help, but as with everything on wikipedia, the facts are not exactly right and this article seems to favor him a bit too much.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_14

Answer 3

Louis grow to be a supporter of baroque artwork, he based French Academy and began a era of French classicism(such as renaissance in italy) between the artists from that era grow to be Rubens (he painted landscapes)

Answer 4

http://uk.wrs.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geul51x7RFj.cAwQJLBQx.;_ylu=X3oDMTE4bWw3N2NnBGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMwRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZANVS0MwMDFfMTI-/SIG=13puqoumf/EXP=1169561845/**http%3A//www.funny.co.uk/keywords/where-can-i-find-information-on-louis-x1v-the-sun-king-of-france.html