France > French History > King Louis Quatorze

King Louis XIV - the Sun King

In 1643, France was appointed a new King who would reign for seventy-two years until 1715 and gain the title of longest reigning monarch in European history. At the tender age of four, Louis Dieudonne (as he was named at birth) was crowned King. He didn’t begin his control of the government however, until 1661 when Jules Mazarin (the chief minister) died.

During his reign, King Louis XIV was nicknamed the ‘Sun King’, and his contemporaries saw him strongly connected with the Greek god Apollo. In astrological terms, the planets revolve around the sun, just as the French government considered France to revolve around King Louis.

During his childhood, King Louis was not blessed with the best of luck. His parents neglected him and the noble people of Paris revolted against the monarchy as he grew up, holding Louis and his Mother captive. These unfortunate events are said to have shaped the archetypal ‘King-like’ qualities that Louis exhibited in later life.

Not only was King Louis’ a highly successful monarch, working to protect and maintain his state, but he also built France to be one of the strongest countries in Europe. Its culture was transformed from medieval depravity to one of majestic beauty. This was portrayed in 1661, when Louie transformed a Versailles lodge into his glorious palace.

The Sun King led France through four great wars and dealt with his fair share of critique and conflict. For example, in 1708 the town of Lille was captured. However, King Louis never once doubted his right to be King and he is still known as one of the few true absolutist monarchs (a government which has no bodies of law that have power over the ruling monarch).

To some, this monarchical form seems dangerous and unwise, but for the people of France during the 17th century, it was a fine way to have their government controlled. This was all thanks to their King’s extraordinary ability to do in 54 years what previous monarchs had been striving to achieve for hundreds of years.

However, not only did King Louis create a powerful France, but also his death in 1715 left the country in large amounts of debt after the construction of his palaces, the wars won and the wars lost. These elements, coupled with the persecution of the Protestant Reformed Church of France set France up for the revolution which followed in the 18th century.

 

French Revolution - contents

The calm before the storm - King Louis IV
The exotic foreign Queen - Marie Antoinette
The Revolution starts - storming of the Bastille
What was it all about - the French Revolution
What went wrong with the Revolution - the reign of terror in France
The need for a leader - the Emperor Napoleon
Defending and expanding post-revolution France - the Napoleonic Wars