Throughout history, it has been common for monarchs to enjoy the finer things in life. Royal families have often enjoyed a standard of living far above that of their subjects. A few monarchs have abused this privilege, however, and have become infamous for the massive amounts of state funds that they poured into living in complete opulence. One of the most memorable of these monarchs was King Louis XIV who ruled France between 1683 and 1715. Remembered as one of the most absolute monarchs in history, he built what is probably the most magnificent palace in the world. His Chateau de Versailles might have never been built, however, if it had not been for a grave mistake on the part of Nicholas Fouguet, France's Minister of Finance during the reign of Louis XIV. His mistake? Building his own palace to rival the king's.
In 1661, Nicholas Fouquet invited the King to his private residence for a banquet held in the King's honor. This was one of the most magnificent "parties" in all of history. Fouquet spared no expense to provide the best food, music, and entertainment for the King, his entourage, and the rest of the French elite. He even commissioned the famous playwright Moliere to write a play specifically for the occasion. This celebration was held at Fouquet's private residence, the Vaux-le-Vicomte.
The Vaux-le-Vicomte was one of the most impressive mansions in the world at that time. In fact, it was more impressive than the royal palace itself. King Louis XIV had heard rumors about the grandeur of Vaux-le-Vicomte, but he had not believed it. Upon seeing it for himself, he became incredibly jealous. Why should one of his subjects live better than he did himself? He became convinced that Fouquet must be embezzling public money to pay for the opulent palace. The King did not see any other way that he could have built such a magnificent residence. He also believed that Fouquet might be planning to use this embezzled money to rival the king for political power and perhaps even attempt a coup.
The King did what any jealous absolute monarch would do. He put Fouquet in prison and confiscated his mansion. Although there was not enough evidence to condemn Fouquet to death, the King left him to languor in prison where he spent over twenty years before he died of natural causes. In the meantime, Louis XIV set out to build an even more magnificent palace of his own. He hired the same architect, landscaper, and decorator that had built Vaux-le-Vicomte and set them to work on his own palace in the French village of Versailles.
This palace, which took the name of the town in which it was built, was unlike anything the world had ever seen before. It cost as much as $300,000,000,000 in today's money and required as much as 25% of the annual revenues of the French treasury to maintain. By the time the structure was completed over 40 years after it was started, there could be no denying that the King of France lived in the most opulent palace in the country and perhaps the world.
