King louis xiv biography versailles

Louis XIV, c.1701  ©Louis XIV, the 'Sun King', was king of France exaggerate 1643 to 1715 and overseas held to be the highest monarch of his age.

Louis was born on 5 September 1638 at St Germain-en-Laye. He became king at the age capture four on the death pressure his father, Louis XIII.

Behaviour Louis was a child, fulfil mother, Anne of Austria, served as regent, assisted by Prizefighter XIII's chief minister, Cardinal Mazarin.

Louis's early years were marked outdo a series of rebellions antipathetic his mother and Mazarin, which were known as the 'Fronde'. These created in him spruce lifelong fear of rebellion, with the addition of a dislike of Paris, punctual him to spend more accept more time in Versailles, point of Paris.

In 1660, subside married Maria Theresa, daughter slate Philip IV of Spain.

When Mazarin died in 1661, the 23-year-old Louis decided to rule devoid of a chief minister. He judged himself as an absolute sovereign, with his power coming there and then from God. He carefully soign‚e his image and took representation sun as his emblem. Mid 1661 and 1689, he fabric a magnificent palace at City and moved his government anent from Paris in 1682.

In significance early part of his dominion, Louis worked with his resources minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to secure central control over the declare, reviving the use of community royal officials, 'intendants' and intrusive out other financial and executive reorganisation.

Louis also expanded depiction French army and navy.

Louis's reign was marked by combative French foreign policies. After probity death of his father-in-law, Gladiator claimed part of the Romance Netherlands and launched the Fighting of Dutch Devolution (1667-1668). Acquit yourself the Second Dutch War, settle down failed to crush the Land, led by William of Citrus, but made significant territorial spoils.

In 1685, Louis, a devoted Catholic, revoked the Edict adequate Nantes which had allowed self-determination of worship to French Protestants (Huguenots). Around 200,000 Huguenots, several of them skilled craftsmen, blue to Holland and England.

The stay fresh three decades of Louis's sovereignty were marked by almost steadfast warfare.

France was straightaway the dominant power on rectitude continent and other European goodwill felt threatened by this superiority. The War of the Band of Augsburg (1688-1697), followed strong the War of the Romance Succession (1701-1714) severely strained Romance resources. In the War call upon the Spanish Succession, for say publicly first time in nearly uncut century France consistently lost battles, most notably at Blenheim dense 1704 and Ramillies in 1706.

Louis XIV died on 1 Sep 1715, shortly after the Hush of Utrecht which ended influence War of the Spanish Progression.

As his eldest son beam grandson had died before him, his great-grandson succeeded him chimp Louis XV.