Sun King Louis XIV: European Monarchy
Adnane Errachide
Prof. Saimbert John
HST 102-002
19 November 2014 Louis XIV
Louis XIV (1638-1718), known as the Sun King, lasted for 72 years, longer than that of any monarch of a major European history. In that time, he transformed the monarchy, also introduced a golden age of art and literature. He established his country as the dominant European power as well. During the final decades of Louis XIV’s rule, France was declined by several wars.
Early life and reign of Louis XIV
Louis XIV was born on September 5, 1638 , he was his parents’ first child after 23 years of marriage. His father the King Louis XIII of France and his mother queen, Anne of Austria. So he was as a “gift of God.” For the king’s family.
The king Louis XIII ruled …show more content…
He viewed himself as the direct representative of God, endowed with a divine right to wield the absolute power of the monarchy. To illustrate his status, he chose the sun as his symbol and reflected the image of knowing everything and incapable of making mistakes or being wrong. “Roi-Soleil” (“Sun King”) around whom the entire kingdom revolved. While some historians question the attribution, Louis is often remembered for the idea “L’État, c’est moi” (“I am the State”). Vincent Buranelli …show more content…
The War of the Spanish Succession, from 1701 to 1714, further hastened Louis XIV 's decline as a leader. In this conflict, Louis XIV appeared to many of his subjects to place his personal interests above his country 's, as his goal was to defend the right of his grandson, Philip V, to inherit the Spanish Empire (Mitford196). The long war was so costly for France that it prompted famine and placed the country deep in debt. The public went from hailing Louis XIV as a hero to blaming him for France 's financial devastation.
“It was me merely a convulsive effort in his extremity, the prelude to a moral relapse. He spent a very bad night, and on August 30 he lay still in his bed, much of the time with his eyes closed and his mind wandering. He was barely conscious on the thirty-first, and the prayers of the dying were said beside his bed. (Buranelli 185)”
On September 1, 1715, a few days before what would have been his 77th birthday, Louis XIV died of gangrene in Versailles, France. Following Louis XIV’s death, his 5-year-old great-grandson, Louis XV, who was the last male heir of the Duc de Bourgogne, inherited the
Prof. Saimbert John
HST 102-002
19 November 2014 Louis XIV
Louis XIV (1638-1718), known as the Sun King, lasted for 72 years, longer than that of any monarch of a major European history. In that time, he transformed the monarchy, also introduced a golden age of art and literature. He established his country as the dominant European power as well. During the final decades of Louis XIV’s rule, France was declined by several wars.
Early life and reign of Louis XIV
Louis XIV was born on September 5, 1638 , he was his parents’ first child after 23 years of marriage. His father the King Louis XIII of France and his mother queen, Anne of Austria. So he was as a “gift of God.” For the king’s family.
The king Louis XIII ruled …show more content…
He viewed himself as the direct representative of God, endowed with a divine right to wield the absolute power of the monarchy. To illustrate his status, he chose the sun as his symbol and reflected the image of knowing everything and incapable of making mistakes or being wrong. “Roi-Soleil” (“Sun King”) around whom the entire kingdom revolved. While some historians question the attribution, Louis is often remembered for the idea “L’État, c’est moi” (“I am the State”). Vincent Buranelli …show more content…
The War of the Spanish Succession, from 1701 to 1714, further hastened Louis XIV 's decline as a leader. In this conflict, Louis XIV appeared to many of his subjects to place his personal interests above his country 's, as his goal was to defend the right of his grandson, Philip V, to inherit the Spanish Empire (Mitford196). The long war was so costly for France that it prompted famine and placed the country deep in debt. The public went from hailing Louis XIV as a hero to blaming him for France 's financial devastation.
“It was me merely a convulsive effort in his extremity, the prelude to a moral relapse. He spent a very bad night, and on August 30 he lay still in his bed, much of the time with his eyes closed and his mind wandering. He was barely conscious on the thirty-first, and the prayers of the dying were said beside his bed. (Buranelli 185)”
On September 1, 1715, a few days before what would have been his 77th birthday, Louis XIV died of gangrene in Versailles, France. Following Louis XIV’s death, his 5-year-old great-grandson, Louis XV, who was the last male heir of the Duc de Bourgogne, inherited the