<P> The final outcome of these acts did centralize the authority of France behind the king . The replacement of government ministers, removal of castles, and other financial policies of Colbert did reduce French national debt considerably . In the 18th century, however, the relocation of nobles and the sheer obsolescence of Versailles became an important place for a rising merchant class and an instigative press . </P> <P> Perhaps the most pressing consequence of absolutism in France is the emigration of the Huguenots . Of the merchant class, their emigration effectively led to a brain drain and a loss of tax revenue for France . Moreover, barred from New France, they immigrated to other nations, most notably the 13 colonies, taking their skills of printing, glass making, carpentry, ceramics, a deep belief in the needs for freedom of religion (at least for Protestantism), and the right to bear arms . </P>

Who ruled france during the age of absolutism