Why did Louis XIV sell Louisiana in The Louisiana Purchase?

Answer 1

Louis XIV did not sell Louisiana in the Louisiana Purchase. Louisiana was named for Louis Xiv (1638-1715) in 1682.

The Louisiana Purchase was consummated on November 30, 1803. In 1803 Louis XIV had been dead for eighty-eight years. The French head of state in 1803 was Napoleon Bonaparte who was "First Consul for Life (of the French Republic)". As such, Bonaparte sold Louisiana to the United States.

Why? The United States had already developed a magnificent dream of a Nation from Sea to Shining Sea. It was called Manifest Destiny. It was a golden opportunity to fulfill that dream, and Jefferson while unsure of the legality of such a move forged ahead. Napoleon saw it as money in the bank and a chance to upset the United Kingdom at the same time.

Answer 2

After there was a slave rebellion in Haiti, Napoleon gave up his dreams for an empire in North America. And so he sold Louisiana to the U.S. in order to fund his war with Great Britain.