How many distinct building campaigns did the Versailles have ?
By requiring that nobles of a certain rank and position spend time each year at Versailles , Louis prevented them from developing their own regional power at the expense of his own and kept them from countering his efforts to centralise the French government in an absolute monarchy ( Bluche , 1986 , 1991 ; Bendix , 1978 ; Solnon , 1987 ) .