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Louis XIV declared of age. 1654 : Louis XIV crowned and consecrated at Rheims. Louis XIV takes part in war against Spain on northern, north-eastern and eastern frontiers of France. 1658/59, 1660 : Louis XIV's journeys to southern and south-western of France. 1659 : Peace of the Pyrenees between France and Spain:
- The Sun King
Louis XIV, France's Sun King, had the longest reign in...
- Portrait
Louis XIV's vanity was without limit or restraint; it...
- Louis' Drawings
The drawings you can see on that page were made by Louis XIV...
- Films
Here you can see the list of films divided into several...
- Art
the image of Louis XIV in the menu is taken from PC-Game...
- Links
Savoir Faire de France Producer of historical foods. They...
- Saint Denis
From Hugh Capet on, all the kings of France but three -...
- Bourbons
Louis XIV's wife was Maria-Teresa of Austria, older sister...
- Versailles
From king's bedroom Palace (park side) Bedroom of Louis XIV...
- The Sun King
- Overview
- Early life and marriage
- The young king
Louis XIV, king of France (1643–1715), ruled his country, principally from his great palace at Versailles, during one of the country’s most brilliant periods. Today he remains the symbol of absolute monarchy of the classical age.
How old was Louis XIV when he acceded to the throne?
Louis XIV succeeded his father as king of France on May 14, 1643, at the age of four years eight months. According to the laws of the kingdom, he became not only the master but the owner of the bodies and property of 19 million subjects.
How did Louis XIV die?
Louis XIV died in 1715, four days shy of his 77th birthday, from gangrene associated with an infection in his leg.
Louis XIV (born September 5, 1638, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France—died September 1, 1715, Versailles, France) king of France (1643–1715) who ruled his country, principally from his great palace at Versailles, during one of its most brilliant periods and who remains the symbol of absolute monarchy of the classical age. Internationally, in a series of wars between 1667 and 1697, he extended France’s eastern borders at the expense of the Habsburgs and then, in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–14), engaged a hostile European coalition in order to secure the Spanish throne for his grandson.
Louis was the son of Louis XIII and his Spanish queen, Anne of Austria. He succeeded his father on May 14, 1643. At the age of four years and eight months, he was, according to the laws of the kingdom, not only the master but the owner of the bodies and property of 19 million subjects. Although he was saluted as “a visible divinity,” he was, nonetheless, a neglected child given over to the care of servants. He once narrowly escaped drowning in a pond because no one was watching him. Anne of Austria, who was to blame for this negligence, inspired him with a lasting fear of “crimes committed against God.”
Louis was nine years old when the nobles and the Paris Parlement (a powerful law court), driven by hatred of the prime minister Jules Cardinal Mazarin, rose against the crown in 1648. This marked the beginning of the long civil war known as the Fronde, in the course of which Louis suffered poverty, misfortune, fear, humiliation, cold, and hunger. These trials shaped the future character, behaviour, and mode of thought of the young king. He would never forgive either Paris, the nobles, or the common people.
In 1653 Mazarin was victorious over the rebels and then proceeded to construct an extraordinary administrative apparatus with Louis as his pupil. The young king also acquired Mazarin’s partiality for the arts, elegance, and display. Although he had been proclaimed of age, the king did not dream of disputing the cardinal’s absolute power.
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Artists, Painters, & Architects
The war begun in 1635 between France and Spain was then entering its last phase. The outcome of the war would transfer European hegemony from the Habsburgs to the Bourbons. A French king had to be a soldier, and so Louis served his apprenticeship on the battlefield.
Mazarin died on March 9, 1661. The dramatic blow came on March 10. The king informed his astonished ministers that he intended to assume all responsibility for ruling the kingdom. This had not occurred since the reign of Henry IV. It cannot be overemphasized that Louis XIV’s action was not in accordance with tradition; his concept of a dictatorship by divine right was his own. In genuine faith, Louis viewed himself as God’s representative on earth and considered all disobedience and rebellion to be sinful. From this conviction he gained not only a dangerous feeling of infallibility but also considerable serenity and moderation.
He was backed up first by the great ministers Jean-Baptiste Colbert, marquis de Louvois, and Hugues de Lionne, among whom he fostered dissension, and later by men of lesser capacity. For 54 years Louis devoted himself to his task eight hours a day; not the smallest detail escaped his attention. He wanted to control everything from court etiquette to troop movements, from road building to theological disputes. He succeeded because he faithfully reflected the mood of a France overflowing with youth and vigour and enamoured of grandeur.
6 days ago · 936–954 Louis IV (d'Outremer or The Foreigner) 954–986 Lothar (also Lothaire) 986–987 Louis V (the Do-Nothing) Capetian Dynasty. Hugh Capet is generally considered the first king of France. He and his descendants would go on to face several conflicts to gradually expand and transform a small kingdom into the nation of France. 987–996 Hugh Capet.
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Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 1638 – 1 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great (Louis le Grand) or the Sun King (le Roi Soleil), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any sovereign.
Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, (born Sept. 5, 1638, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France—died Sept. 1, 1715, Versailles), King of France (1643–1715), ruler during one of France’s most brilliant periods and the symbol of absolute monarchy of the Neoclassical age.
Four-year-old Louis XIV becomes King of France upon the death of his father, Louis XIII. 1654. 6.7.1654. Louis XIV is crowned King of France. 1660. 12.31.1660. James II of England is named Duke of Normandy by Louis XIV of France. 1661.
Feb 6, 2023 · 1643 May 14 - 1715 Sep. Reign of Louis XIV. France. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, was King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest recorded of any monarch of a sovereign country in history.
