Louis XIV: The Sun King
Louis XIV - The Sun King
Georgia Perry
November 18, 2011
Louis XIV became the most beloved king of France and then became despised. The consequences of his childhood and the people who raised him developed his calm and confident personality. This led him to create his own destiny. “While he never doubted that he had been chosen by God to sit on the throne, and that he was His direct representative, that meant he considered himself something like a trustee. France and the French, did not belong to him: rather, he had been placed at their head so that he might improve their lot.”1 Known as the Sun King, Louis XIV was the supreme figure of the 17th century and was notable mainly for sustaining a supreme monarchy, building France as the strongest country in the world and increasing the size of the chateau Versailles to be the greatest palace and court the world had ever known. Louis XIV could be classified as a “miracle baby.” His parents, Louis XIII and Anne of Austria, married when they were both 14 years of age but quickly grew to hate each other.2 When they had been married for 23 years, they tried to avoid each other as best they could, and often lived apart.3 One night, the weather intervened and placed the king back in the bed of his wife. Although she despised her husband, Anne did want to produce an heir and it was so seldom that she saw her husband.4 Nine months later, on September 5, 1638, a healthy baby boy was born and was named: Louis Dieudonne,or, Louis, Gift of God.5 Louis XIII was of course thrilled. He and Anne had another child two years later, also a boy named, Philippe.6 But Louis XIII died in 1643 of tuberculosis.7 This left little five year old Louis and his mother in a precarious state. Louis XIII’s will had made Anne, Regent, but also set up a four person council that had to approve all her actions.8 This really weakened the strength of the monarchy that Louis XIII’s
Georgia Perry
November 18, 2011
Louis XIV became the most beloved king of France and then became despised. The consequences of his childhood and the people who raised him developed his calm and confident personality. This led him to create his own destiny. “While he never doubted that he had been chosen by God to sit on the throne, and that he was His direct representative, that meant he considered himself something like a trustee. France and the French, did not belong to him: rather, he had been placed at their head so that he might improve their lot.”1 Known as the Sun King, Louis XIV was the supreme figure of the 17th century and was notable mainly for sustaining a supreme monarchy, building France as the strongest country in the world and increasing the size of the chateau Versailles to be the greatest palace and court the world had ever known. Louis XIV could be classified as a “miracle baby.” His parents, Louis XIII and Anne of Austria, married when they were both 14 years of age but quickly grew to hate each other.2 When they had been married for 23 years, they tried to avoid each other as best they could, and often lived apart.3 One night, the weather intervened and placed the king back in the bed of his wife. Although she despised her husband, Anne did want to produce an heir and it was so seldom that she saw her husband.4 Nine months later, on September 5, 1638, a healthy baby boy was born and was named: Louis Dieudonne,or, Louis, Gift of God.5 Louis XIII was of course thrilled. He and Anne had another child two years later, also a boy named, Philippe.6 But Louis XIII died in 1643 of tuberculosis.7 This left little five year old Louis and his mother in a precarious state. Louis XIII’s will had made Anne, Regent, but also set up a four person council that had to approve all her actions.8 This really weakened the strength of the monarchy that Louis XIII’s
Bibliography: Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 9. France. USA: Encyclopedia Britannica. 1957. Bernier, Olivier. Louis XIV A Royal Life. New York: Doubleday. 1987. Hibbert, Christopher. Versailles. New York: Newsweek Book Division. 1972. Mitford, Nancy. The Sun King. Singapore: Penguin Books, 1966. Panicucci, Alfredo. The Life and Times of Louis XIV. Italy: Curtis Books. 1967. Thomas, Dana. Deluxe, How Luxury Lost Its Luster. New York: Penguin Press. 2007 Wikipedia, The Palace of Versailles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Versailles#Cost.