Quote: Louis XIV

Ultima ratio regum

“Last argument of kings.” This one has an interesting story. As the tale goes, King Louis XIV, Le Grand Monarque of France, ordered this legend stamped on every cannon manufactured for the French army during his reign. This was the heyday of gunpowder, of course, seen then as a nearly unstoppable force, especially when wielded by the powerful Franco military fist. Perhaps Louis was commenting on this new technological wonder, or perhaps merely on the political role of force itself. Either way it’s a nice line.