Louis XIV (the Sun King) (September 5, 1638 - September 1, 1715) reigned as king of France from May 14, 1643 to September 1, 1715.
His birth at
Saint-Germain-en-Laye appeared miraculous, occurring twenty-three years after the childless marriage of his parents,
Louis XIII and
Anne of Austria. At the age of 5 (
1643, Louis became King. France was essentially ruled by
Cardinal Mazarin until his death, in
1661, Louis then began to assert his power. A
civil war occurred when Louis was a child, this was the
Fronde (
1648-
53).
King Louis XIV died on September 1, 1715 and is buried in Saint Denis Basilica. He outlived his son, the dauphin Louis, and he was succeeded by his great-grandson who became King Louis XV of France, and who spent his minority under the regency of Philippe of Orleans.
The
treasury was, essentially, "broke" in
1661. This is generally attributed to two causes: A) the recent
wars and B) corruption. At this time the principal French
taxes were they
aides,
douanes[?],
gabelle[?], and
taille[?]. The aides and douanes were
customs taxes, the gabelle was a
salt tax, and the taille was a
land tax; one should note that the
nobles and
clergy were exempted from these taxes.
Louis would appoint Colbert as his "minister of finance"; by fighting corruption and reorganizing the bureaucracy Colbert's policies began to generate revenue.
During the reign of Louis XIV, the French
parliament was the
Estates-General.; however, it was an essentially defunct organization.
During his reign, more and more restrictions were placed on the
Protestant population until 1685 when he revoked
King Henri IV's Edict of Nantes.
Drawing from the successes of
Cardinal Richelieu who all but ruled France during the reign of the weak
Louis XIII, Louis XIV created a
France that served only himself. He weakened the nobility by forcing them to serve as members of his court rather than governing minor fiefs in their castles throughout France. To this end, he built
Versailles, the lavish palace outside
Paris which has become a symbol of the heights of aristocratic indulgences, and the series of residences opposite the
Louvre on the
Rue de Rivoli, where the courtiers lived when the King was in Paris.
Louis moved his court to Versailles on May 6, 1682.
Louis XIV's reign was characterized by French global cultural dominance. In
1674, the island of
Martinique was purchased by the French government from the private French business concern who had acquired it in
1635. French was the language of culture in the
17th century in the way that English is today the global language of
business.
In 1689, King Louis passed the "Code Noir," allowing the full use of slaves in France's colonies.
Louis XIV remains beloved in France for his vigorous promotion of French greatness. However, his continued waging of war bankrupted the state, forcing him to continually levy high taxes on the peasantry. According to the French historian
Alexis de Tocqueville, Louis XIV's weakening of the nobility coupled with his oppression of the peasantry contributed to the political, social and economic instabilities that eventually led to the
French Revolution.
- "L'état c'est moi!" [I am the State]
- "One must work hard to reign."
- "He ceaselessly concerned himself with the most petty details...would even instruct his cooks...like novices...He...was fond of order and regularity...He was served with the utmost exactitude..." -- Saint-Simon[?]