Among all the rulers in modern times, the French King Louis XIV most fully embodied the megalomaniac principle of “L’etat c’est moi” (“I am the state”). Also known as the “Sun King,” Louis XIV transformed medieval despotism into modern statecraft. Single-handedly, he pioneered authoritarian absolutism, the gold standard of personality cult and one-man rule later … Continue reading Leni, De Lima and the courage of conviction