Historians frequently portray Louis XIV's construction of the palace of Versailles and Peter the Great's building of the city of Saint Petersburg as (1) shrines to religious beliefs (2) monuments to personal rule (3) examples of colonial architectural influences (4) efforts to isolate and protect the ruler

Historians frequently portray Louis XIV's construction of the palace of Versailles and Peter the Great's building of the city of Saint Petersburg as (2) monuments to personal rule. It is well known that Louis XIV was a very lavish and luxurious King, who liked big, bright and shiny things and reigned during an era where the royals continued to impress with their architecture and extravagant spending. Louis XIV was even named "The Sun King", because of this.