King Louis XIV

King Louis XIV reigned in France from 1643-1715. As a minor when he inherited the crown, his mother, Anne of Austria, served as regent.

Cardinal Mazarin, however, maintained most of the power working as Anne of Austria’s chief minister until his death in 1661 at which point Louis gained official leadership. 

Raised by Mazarin with a strict Catholic education, Louis learned Italian, Latin and Spanish along with his native language of French. He gained skills such as horsemanship, dancing and fencing as a child and began his formal training as King at seven years of age. 

As a Roman Catholic, Louis XIV believed that his power derived from divine right and thought of himself as God’s representative on Earth. Mazarin stressed to Louis throughout his childhood that “God [had] given [him] all the qualities for greatness.” He also had an interesting relationship with the Catholic Church, believing that it played an important role in maintaining power over the people. He believed that the Church should operate under his rule, therefore serving as his subordinate.

Due to this mindset of divine authority, Louis XIV believed in his superiority over all whom he ruled and saw his own personal decisions and opinions as nationwide ideals.

Louis had many strong beliefs pertaining to foreign relations. Desiring supremacy, he often turned to war. Louis harbored a specific interest in defeating Holland which eventually resulted in the formation of the Triple Alliance including the Netherlands, England and Sweden. As one may guess, these external occurrences during Louis’s reign did not always yield great results for France… 

Louis’s determination to crush Holland began the Third Dutch War. This war, although securing Luxembourg and Strasburg, lost many French territories. He also began the War of Devolution in which he invaded the Spanish-Netherlands due to their failure in paying the dowry to his wife Marie Thérèse. The formation of the Triple Alliance took place during the War of Devolution and, to add on to the negative outcomes, the French gained little land. These wars as well as The War of the Spanish Succession and Louis’s attack on the Holy Roman Empire left the nation in debt and financially weak. However, this financial frailty resulted not only from war…

Under Louis XIV’s rule, the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) occurred. The Edict of Nantes previously allowed French Huguenots (Calvinist Protestants) to freely practice their religion. Louis XIV revoked this law because of his strong belief that all of France should share his same religion (Roman Catholicism), which led to the persecution of the Huguenots as well as their fleeing from France to Holland and England. This resulted in a significant population decline and led France into great economical suffering. 

Although Louis made some negative contributions during his reign, he also made some positive ones. One of Louis’s ministers, Jean Baptiste Colbert, caused industry and trading to grow and developed a strong navy. Louis developed a great military under his war minister Marquis de Louvois. Louis also patronized the arts and the high taxes he imposed gave him the ability to construct many palaces such as the Palace of Versailles.

Louis had some internal struggles throughout his reign and his minority. He desired superiority within France and lessened the power of local authorities, making sure that all ministers remained responsible to him. He also furthered his power by exempting nobles from taxes and creating more financial dependance on the crown. Louis also struggled with the knowledge that he would have the first hand rule of a monarchy, especially since the Puritans, lead by Oliver Cromwell, had beheaded his uncle King Charles I. This internal turmoil also resulted from rebellions known as The Fronde which threatened France during Mazarin’s rule. During a portion of these rebellions, Louis went into hiding with his mother and lost the comforts of life to which he had grown accustomed. This strengthened his resolve to become a king whom none would defy and to whom all would willingly submit. 

Louis famously said, “L’état, c’est moi” or “I am the state” which represents his strong belief in his natural supremacy and right in ruling France. Many in his time recognized Louis XIV as one born with extraordinary god-given capabilities as Louis worked to keep France under his control. Louis believed himself to embody the beliefs, needs and opinions of France, therefore making him an ideal absolutist monarch. 

King Louis XIV died on September 1st, 1715 in Versailles, France. He lived a life of danger, power and self-interest. He left France nearly bankrupt, but made some positive additions to the nation in his time as King. Often called the “Sun King”, France would forever feel the effects of King Louis’s rule.

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