The French king Louis XIV (1638-1715) has gone down in history as the author of the saying "The state is me." The system of state power, in which the monarch (king, king, emperor) can make decisions only of his own free will, without any representatives of the people or the nobility, is called absolutism. In France, absolutism took shape even under the father of Louis XIV, Louis XIII (his time is described in the famous novel by A. Dumas "The Three Musketeers"). But Pope Louis himself did not rule the country, he was more interested in hunting. All matters were decided by the first minister, Cardinal Richelieu. Little Louis was left without a father early, and until he came of age, the country was ruled by another first minister, also a cardinal, Mazarin. The queen mother, Anna of Austria, had a great influence on state affairs. The young king, it seemed, was only interested in dancing, balls and music.

But after the death of Mazarin, he matured dramatically, did not appoint the first minister, and he himself took care of business for a long time every day. His main concern was public finances. Together with the state controller of finances, J. Colbert, the king sought to increase state revenues. For this, the development of manufactories was encouraged, the history of the famous Lyon silk and tapestries began. It was in the era of Louis XIV that France began to rapidly turn into a trendsetter around the world. Even the British enemies tried to copy the Parisian styles of clothing and hairstyles (and this was the era of very bizarre fashion). Desiring to give splendor to his reign, Louis made his court dazzlingly luxurious and surrounded himself with all the arts, like the outstanding rulers of antiquity.

His court playwrights were Moliere, Racine and Corneille, his favorite composer was Lully, and artists, furniture makers, and jewelers created items of unprecedented elegance.

As a child, Louis suffered many unpleasant moments during the uprising of the Parisian citizens of the Fronde (“Slingshot”). Therefore, he decided to build for himself a new luxurious residence, Versailles, outside of Paris. All this required huge expenses. Louis XIV introduced several new taxes, which placed a heavy burden on the peasants.

The rapid industrial development of France came into clear conflict with its medieval way of life, but Louis did not touch the privileges of the nobility and left the class division of society. However, he made great efforts to organize overseas colonies, especially in America. The territories here were named Louisiana after the king.

The Sun King was the name given to the king by flattering courtiers. However, Louis overestimated his greatness. He canceled the decree on religious tolerance of his grandfather, Henry IV, so hundreds of thousands of Protestants left the country, many of whom were wonderful craftsmen. Having moved to England and Germany, they created a textile industry there, which subsequently successfully competed with the French. He even quarreled with the pope, making the French Church independent of Rome. And he fought with all his neighbors. And these wars ended unsuccessfully for France as a whole.

Some territorial acquisitions were too expensive. By the end of the reign of Louis, France entered a period of economic recession, only memories remained of the former prosperity of the peasants. The heir of Louis XIV was his great-grandson Louis XV, who became famous, in turn, with the phrase: "After us, even a flood." The magnificent façade of the Sun King's realm hid the rotten piers, but only the French Revolution showed how rotten they were. However, the cultural influence of the country approved its European superiority for many centuries.

Louis XIV of Bourbon - French king from 1643 from the Bourbon dynasty. His reign is the apogee of French absolutism (the legend attributes to Louis XIV the saying: "The state is me"). Relying on the Minister of Finance Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the king achieved maximum efficiency in pursuing a policy of mercantilism. During the years of his reign, a large navy was created, the foundations of the French colonial empire were laid (in Canada, Louisiana and the West Indies). In order to establish the hegemony of France in Europe, Louis XIV waged numerous wars (the War of Devolution 1667-1668, the War of the Spanish Succession 1701-1714). The high expenses of the royal court, high taxes repeatedly caused popular uprisings during the years of his reign.

Only the patient wins.

Louis XIV

The eldest of the two sons of Louis XIII of Bourbon and Anne of Austria, heir to the French throne, Louis XIV was born on September 5, 1638, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the twenty-third year of their unfriendly marriage. The Dauphin was not even five years old when his father died in 1643, and little Louis XIV became king of France. The mother regent handed over state power to Cardinal Giulio Mazarin. The first minister taught the boy "royal skill", and he repaid him with confidence: having reached the age of majority in 1651, he retained full power for the cardinal. The Fronde of 1648-1653 forced the royal family to flee Paris, to wander along the roads of France, to know fear and even hunger. From then on, Louis XIV feared the capital and treated it with suspicion.

Every time I give someone a good position, I create 99 disgruntled and 1 ungrateful.

Louis XIV

During the years of the actual reign of Mazarin, the Fronde was suppressed, the Peace of Westphalia (1648) and the Peace of the Pyrenees (1659), which were beneficial for France, were concluded, which created conditions for the strengthening of absolutism. In 1660 he married the Spanish Infanta Maria Theresa of Habsburg. Always treating his wife with emphatic respect, Louis did not feel deep affection for her. An important role in the life of the king and at court was played by his beloved: the Duchess of Lavaliere, Madame de Montespan, Madame de Maintenon, with whom he secretly married after the death of the queen in 1682.

In 1661, after the death of Mazarin, Louis XIV announced his intention to rule alone. Court flatterers called Louis XIV "the sun king." The State Council, which previously included members of the royal family, representatives of the nobility, and the higher clergy, was replaced by a narrow council consisting of three ministers who came from among the new nobility. The king personally supervised their activities.

In every dubious case, the only way to not be mistaken is to assume the worst possible end.

Louis XIV

Having eliminated the powerful surintendant of finance, Nicolas Fouquet, Louis XIV granted broad powers to the general controller of finances, Colbert, who pursued a policy of mercantilism in the economy. The reform of the central and local administration, the strengthening of the institute of quartermasters ensured control over the collection of taxes, over the activities of parliaments and provincial states, urban and rural communities. The development of industry and trade was encouraged.

Louis XIV sought to control the French Catholic Church and on this basis came into conflict with Pope Innocent XI. In 1682, a council of the French clergy was organized, which issued a "Declaration of the Gallican Clergy". Committed to Gallicanism, Louis XIV persecuted dissent. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) caused a mass emigration of Protestants from France and an uprising of the Camizars (1702). In 1710, the stronghold of Jansenism, the Port-Royal Monastery, was destroyed, and in 1713, Louis XIV demanded from Pope Clement XI the bull Unigenitus, which condemned Jansenism and provoked fierce resistance from the French episcopate.

It would be easier for me to reconcile the whole of Europe than a few women.

Louis XIV

Louis XIV did not receive a deep book education, but possessed extraordinary natural abilities and excellent taste. His penchant for luxury and entertainment made Versailles the most brilliant court in Europe and a trendsetter. Louis XIV sought to use science, art, and literature, which had flourished during the years of his reign, to exalt royal power. The encouragement of the sciences, arts and crafts strengthened the cultural hegemony of France. During the reign of Louis XIV, the Paris Academy of Sciences (1666), the Paris Observatory (1667), and the Royal Academy of Music (1669) arose. Having supplanted Latin, French became the language of diplomats, and then penetrated into the salons. Tapestry, lace, porcelain manufactories flooded Europe with French-made luxury goods. The names of Corneille, Jean Racine, Boileau, Lafontaine, Charles Perrault shone in literature. Comedies by Jean Baptiste Molière and operas by Jean Baptiste Lully conquered the theater stage. The palaces of the French architects Louis Le Vaux and Claude Perrault, the gardens of André Le Nôtre marked the triumph of classicism in architecture.

Has God forgotten all I have done for him?

Louis XIV

The reform of the army, carried out by the Minister of War Francois Louvois, allowed Louis XIV to intensify French expansion in Europe. The history of his reign is replete with wars. The Revolutionary War of 1667-1668 pushed Spain into the Southern Netherlands. The Dutch War of 1672-1678 brought Franche-Comté to France.

But Louis XIV did not limit himself to the territories received under the Nimwegen peace treaties of 1678-1679. In 1679-1680, the king established the so-called Attachment Chambers to search for the rights of the French crown to a particular territory. Strasbourg was annexed in 1681 in order to “regulate the French borders”, in 1684 French troops occupied Luxembourg, and in 1688 they invaded the Rhineland.

The state is me.

Louis XIV of France. End of life and death

As already mentioned, between 1683 and 1690. Versailles gradually began to fence off from the outside world. Paris became more attractive to noble society as well. A large role in this was played by economic problems as a result of the war, the aging of the king and, last but not least, the growing influence of Madame de Maintenon. But the fact that the position of the king in matters of faith was increasingly approaching the positions of the “pious” was also of some importance, and he demanded unquestioning observance of morality from his entourage.

Madame Scarron, born Françoise d'Aubigny, Marquise de Maintenon (1635-1719), who took care of the illegitimate children of King Louis XIV and the Marquise de Montespan, was in close contact with the king. She accompanied the king and his metress on many trips. When the eldest surviving son of Montespan and Louis XIV was legitimized in December 1673, Madame Scarron accompanied him to court. An analysis of her correspondence indicates that this very beautiful woman, after a few months, after some hesitation and overcoming remorse, became the king's maitre. In any case, since that time it has been showered with monetary rewards, privileges and trade monopolies. In addition, Louis XIV gave her the title "Madame de Maintenon", using the name of the castle, which she bought in December 1674. The close proximity of the king with Madame de Maintenon, who refused to be elevated to the rank of duchess, became in 1681 quite clear, when Louis XIV gave her apartments in Versailles adjoining his own. When Queen Maria Theresa died on July 30, 1683, the king proposed a secret marriage to his favorite. From the correspondence between Madame de Brinon and Charles d'Aubigny, it can be inferred that this secret marriage took place on October 9 or 10, 1683. From that time on, Madame de Maintenon became "the uncrowned queen of Versailles." From that moment on, her life was closely connected with the history of the kingdom. However, this indisputable fact should not lead to the false conclusion that she began to exert a noticeable, albeit covert, influence on the king's policy.

Louis XIV throughout his life did not allow anyone to guide him in public affairs. And yet, given the particularly close relationship between Madame de Maintenon and the king, one cannot but admit that the opinion of the “uncrowned queen of Versailles” had weight in political affairs. From the end of 1683, they talked for a long time every day about everything: about construction sites, the theater, religious problems, and above all about people. So it was inevitable that their conversations would at least touch on politics. So, it is known that Maintenon did not place Louvois high and favored the Colbert clan. In addition, it is known that at the end of the reign of Louis XIV, the ministers preferred to seek access to the weakened king, whom they did not want to tire too much, through Madame de Maintenon. They informed her and left it to her discretion whether the king should be disturbed by the matter. Therefore, evil tongues in 1714 claimed that a triumvirate rules over the council of ministers - Mentenoy, confessor Michel Teille (1643 - 1719) and chancellor Daniel-Francois Voisin de la Noirey (1654 - 1717). It wasn't exactly like that. But it cannot be denied that Chancellor Voisin owed much of his career to the patronage of de Maintenon. Even if Maintenon did not make politics, she nevertheless participated in some of the most important political decisions of the king, for example, on securing the succession to the throne and the will. It is also indisputable that this outstanding woman managed to carry out fundamental changes in the life of the king and the entire court. Life in Versailles became more serious and, in the opinion of the courtiers, more boring. Under her influence, the king acquired a more serious worldview.

After the death of the minister Senyeley (Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Marquis de Seignel, 1651 - 1690) and Louvois (1641 - 1691), there is a further increase in the fullness of the king's personal power, although one cannot - like some contemporaries - speak of despotism. This is evident, for example, in his strategic, tactical and administrative efforts aimed at eliminating the consequences of the devastating crop failures and famine of 1693/94.

The old king was very upset and worried by the three deaths of loved ones that occurred within a few months and jeopardized the direct inheritance of the throne through the male line of the dynasty. On April 14, 1711, the son of Louis XIV, the Dauphin Louis of France (1661 - 1711), died of chicken pox. His death shocked the king and father. Still not recovering from this blow, he lost on February 18, 1712 his grandson, the second Dauphin Louis of France, Duke of Burgundy (1682 - 1712). Less than three weeks later, on March 8, 1712, the eldest great-grandson of the king, the third Dauphin, Louis of France, Duke of Brittany (1707 - 1712), died. He was dauphin for only 19 days. In order to preserve the succession to the throne for the threatened dynasty for a long time in this situation, the king decided to take a measure that was a violation of the "Basic Law" of the monarchy, the so-called "Salic Law", which regulates the succession to the throne. In July 1714, he issued a decree that those born from a relationship with the Marquise de Montespan, i.e. illegitimate sons, the Duke of Maine (1670 - 1736) and the Count of Toulouse (1678 - 1723) are allowed to inherit the throne, if there are no more princes of royal blood. And although this edict, in the appearance of which Madame de Maintenon also participated, clearly violated the "Basic Law" of the kingdom, the Parlement of Paris registered it on August 2, 1714.

The testament, presented in August 1714 to the Parlement of Paris, also did not correspond much to the "Basic Law". With this will, the king wanted to regulate the future regency for his great-grandson, the Dauphin, providing for the establishment of a regency council, even fixing its personal composition and establishing that decisions in this council would be made by a majority of votes. However, this will did not play a role, since on September 2, 1715, the day after the death of the king, the Parlement of Paris declared it invalid.

On August 9, 1715, the king fell ill and the next day returned from Marly, where he was hunting, to Versailles. Although in the following days he did his best in state affairs, it was clear to everyone that his health was constantly deteriorating. On August 24, the king's friends and doctors began to worry seriously about the course of the disease. The next day, Louis XIV accepted the unction. During the following days, he said goodbye to the court, to members of his family, and prepared for death. On August 30, he lost consciousness, gangrene spread to his knee and thigh. Louis XIV died on September 1, 1715 at 7:15 am. With his death, France lost one of its greatest and most significant rulers, whose reign left an indelible mark on the French monarchy and whose achievements caused numerous imitations far beyond the borders of France.

Public finances were in 1715 in a deplorable state. If the information that has come down to us is correct, the state debts reached a gigantic amount for that time, about 2 billion livres. However, despite this, it should be emphasized that the country, thanks to its natural resources, a relatively strong agrarian economy, manufacturing capacities and its overseas trade, even with the greatest difficulties, survived during the 25 war years.

Although Louis XIV failed to realize his desire for hegemony in Europe, after his death he left the country larger and better protected than at the beginning of his sole reign. Louis XIV left to his successor the monarchy, which in the following decades was able to play a paramount political role in Europe. One should agree with Voltaire, who aptly remarked: “Despite everything that is written against him, his name will not be pronounced without reverence, and with this name they will connect the idea of ​​​​a century that will forever remain grateful.”

31.05.2011 - 16:48

Every person, regardless of their gender, religion, social status, dreams of being loved. There are no exceptions to this rule - even kings suffered from loneliness and were looking for a soul mate. But, as you know, no king can marry for love - politics is much more important than human feelings. True, sometimes fate presents true love as a gift to monarchs ...

Marriage of convenience

When the young King Louis XIV married the Spanish Infanta Maria Theresa, his heart and thoughts were occupied by another Maria - Mancini, the niece of Cardinal Mazarin. This girl could well be next to the king, but, alas, politics is stronger than love ...

The marriage of Louis XIV with Maria Theresa was beneficial from all points of view - both the long-awaited peace with Spain, and the reinforcement of the necessary connections, and a good dowry ...

And what will marriage with Maria Mancini give France? Nothing, except perhaps the strengthening of the power of Cardinal Mazarin. The choice of the mother of King Anna of Austria is unequivocal - only the Spanish Infanta! And Mazarin had to negotiate with the Spanish court about the marriage of Louis and Maria Theresa.

The young king relented and refused to marry the cardinal's much-desired niece. Maria was forced to leave Paris. But politics is politics, and love is love. The image of a black-eyed beauty with a tear-stained face, her tender words and farewell kisses lived in the heart of the king for a long time ...

Poor lame

After the wedding with his unloved wife, the king threw himself into the maelstrom of love affairs. The most beautiful women in France are ready to succumb to the desire of Louis, and he meets the second true love of his life. Modest, ugly, lame Louise de La Vallière suddenly won the heart of the king.

Alexandre Dumas described the girl dear to Louis in this way: “She was a blonde with brown expressive eyes, with wide white teeth; her mouth was rather large; there were some traces of smallpox on her face; she had neither beautiful breasts nor beautiful shoulders; her hands were thin, ugly; moreover, she limped a little due to a dislocation that happened and was poorly corrected in the seventh or eighth year, when she jumped to the ground from a pile of firewood. However, they said that she was very kind and sincere; at court she did not have a single admirer, except for the young Guiche, who, however, did not succeed in anything "...

But the king sincerely fell in love with the ugly Louise. They say that his love began with the fact that once the king, as in a fairy tale, overheard the conversations of several court ladies-in-waiting, discussing yesterday's ball and the beauty of the gentlemen present. And Louise suddenly said: “How can you talk about someone if the king himself was at the celebration ?!” ...

Touched to the core by such love and devotion, Louis reciprocated the girl and began to shower her with gifts. But the maid of honor needed only Louis himself and his love. She did not at all seek, like everyone else, to pull money and jewelry from Louis. Louise dreamed of only one thing - to become the legitimate wife of the king, give birth to children for him and be close to her any man ...

The king was touched to the core by such a sincere feeling. Once, when a young man and his lover were caught in the rain, Louis covered Louise with his hat for two hours .... For a woman, such an act proves the love of a man much more strongly than all the jewelry and gifts. But Louis did not skimp on them either. Louise was bought a whole palace in which the favorite was waiting for her king ...

But Louis was bound by family ties, duty, public policy considerations. Louise gave birth to his children, but the babies were taken away from her - why once again compromise the unfortunate maid of honor ... The king's heart was torn from the torment of poor Louise, but what could he do? And Louis began to take out his anger on Louise, and she only wept bitterly in response ...

Black mass

The queen's lady-in-waiting, the clever and insidious Francoise Athenais de Montespan, noticed that not everything was going well in the king's relationship with Louise, and decided that her hour had come. For the heart of Louis, she was going to fight seriously - both the usual female tricks and insidious intrigues are used.

Louise was at a loss, sobbed, did not know how to behave in such a cruel persecution. She became more and more pious and found consolation only in religion ... The king was getting more and more bored next to his mistress, and the witty and lively Françoise loomed next to her tidbit ...

Soon, Louis fell before the ardent charms of the beauty, and Louise had no choice but to retire to the Carmelite monastery, where she prayed for the king and his soul ...

But intrigues against Louise do not bring happiness to the Marquise. She receives rich gifts from the king, but her happiness seems so fragile. About the love of Louis for Françoise, such touching stories were not told, as about the feeling of the king for the lame Louise. No, the king was now constantly surrounded by beauties, and he showed signs of attention to each of them.

Montespan was angry and filled with hatred for the whole world. But if Louise de La Valliere sought solace in God, then the Marquise turned to the devil for help ... All Paris spoke in a whisper about her passion for black magic, about witchcraft means by which she warded off poor Louise from the king, about terrible bloody masses with the killing of babies ...

They say that there is not a single crime on Francoise’s conscience, that it was she who poisoned the beautiful red-haired girl Fontage, to whom the king was not indifferent at one time ... It is not known how it all really happened, but Louis is gradually moving away from Francoise de Montespan ...

Wise woman

... When the age of the king approached 40 years, Louis ceased to be attracted by constant easy connections, frivolous beauties. He was tired of women's tears, intrigues, accusations, quarrels between favorites and random mistresses ...

Increasingly, he repeats his famous words: “It would be easier for me to reconcile the whole of Europe than a few women” ...

He wanted only one thing - love and peace, a reliable girlfriend, such that she would help him and share with him all the difficulties and doubts. And such a woman was soon found ...

Enlightened, intelligent, mature Mrs. Francoise Scarron, widow of the famous poet Paul Scarron, has long been close to the king - but as a governess to his children. The king was very fond of his offspring - both those born in a legal marriage and bastards from favorites. After Francoise Scarron took up their upbringing, he notices that the children are becoming more and more intelligent and educated.

Louis became interested in their teacher. Long hours of conversation showed him that before him was a woman of extraordinary intelligence. Heart-to-heart conversations grew into a real feeling - Louis' last love ... To strengthen the position in the society of his new favorite, he granted her the estate of Maintenon and the title of Marquise.

Françoise compares favorably with the frivolous coquettes surrounding Louis. Madame de Maintenon stands out for her high morality, religiosity and condemns the mores of the court. She wrote: “I see the most varied passions, betrayals, meanness, immeasurable ambitions, on the one hand, on the other, the terrible envy of people who have rabies in their hearts and who think only about destroying everyone. Women of our time are unbearable for me, their clothes are immodest, their tobacco, their wine, their rudeness, their laziness - all this I cannot endure.

In 1683, the legitimate wife of the king, Maria Theresa, dies. The king will say after her death: "This is the only worry in life that she has caused me" ...

Being a widower, after some time, Louis is married in secret to Madame Maintenon, but he is still afraid to proclaim her officially queen. But the position of the new wife of Louis is more than profitable - not a single woman before her had such an influence on the king of his affairs. All historians note how, under the influence of Madame de Mentonon, both the policy of France, and the life of the court, and the king himself changed - gradually he became a completely different person ...

Louis began to read religious books, talk with preachers, think about the punishment for sins and the Last Judgment ... But even in this world, God sends him one test after another. The son died, then the grandson and great-grandson ... The Bourbon dynasty is under the threat of extinction, and Louis lost the people dearest to him ...

Diseases begin to devour the king, and France is practically ruled by Madame Maintenon. In the early morning of September 1, 1715, Louis XIV died. Faithful Francoise de Maintenon hears his last words: “Why are you crying? Did you really think that I would live forever? ”... It is not known what the king thought in his last minutes, whether he remembered all the women that had passed through his life in succession - or did he see only one of them, shedding tears on the king’s face - his last love and affection, Francoise de Maintenon...

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Name: Louis XIV (Louis de Bourbon)

Age: 76 years old

Growth: 163

Activity: King of France and Navarre

Family status: was married

Louis XIV: biography

The reign of the French monarch Louis XIV is called the Great, or Golden Age. Biography of the Sun King is half legends. A staunch supporter of absolutism and the divine origin of kings, he went down in history as the author of the phrase

"The state is me!"

The record for the duration of the monarch's stay on the throne - 72 years - was not broken by any European king: only a few Roman emperors held power longer.

Childhood and youth

The appearance of the Dauphin, the heir of the Bourbon family, in the first days of September 1638, the people greeted with rejoicing. Royal parents - and - have been waiting for this event for 22 years, all this time the marriage remained childless. The birth of a child, besides a boy, was perceived by the French as a mercy from above, calling the Dauphin Louis-Dieudonnet (God-given).

Popular rejoicing and the happiness of parents did not make Louis' childhood happy. After 5 years, the father died, the mother and son moved to the Palais Royal, formerly the Richelieu Palace. The heir to the throne grew up in an ascetic environment: Cardinal Mazarin, the favorite of the ruler, pulled power, including the management of the treasury, over to himself. The stingy priest did not favor the little king: he did not allocate money for entertainment and study of the boy, Louis-Dieudonné had two dresses with patches in his wardrobe, the boy slept on leaky sheets.

Mazarin explained the economy by the civil war - the Fronde. At the beginning of 1649, fleeing the rebels, the royal family left Paris and settled in a country residence 19 kilometers from the capital. Later, the fear and deprivation experienced were transformed into Louis XIV's love for absolute power and unheard of extravagance.

After 3 years, the unrest was suppressed, the unrest subsided, the cardinal who fled to Brussels returned to power. He did not let go of the reins of government until death, although Louis was considered the full-fledged heir to the throne since 1643: the mother, who became regent with her five-year-old son, voluntarily ceded power to Mazarin.

At the end of 1659, the war between France and Spain ended. The signed Treaty of the Pyrenees brought peace, which sealed the marriage of Louis XIV and the Princess of Spain. After 2 years, the cardinal died, and Louis XIV took the reins of government into his own hands. The 23-year-old monarch abolished the position of first minister, convened the Council of State and proclaimed:

“Do you think, gentlemen, that the state is you? The state is me.

Louis XIV made it clear that from now on he did not intend to share power. Even the mother, whom until recently Louis was afraid of, was given a place.

Beginning of the reign

The dauphin, previously windy and prone to panache and revelry, surprised the court nobility and officials with a transformation. Ludovic filled in the gaps in education - he had previously barely been able to read and write. Naturally sane, the young emperor immediately delved into the essence of the problem and solved it.

Louis expressed himself clearly and concisely, devoted all his time to state affairs, but the arrogance and pride of the monarch turned out to be immeasurable. All royal residences seemed too modest to Louis, so in 1662 the Sun King turned a hunting lodge in the city of Versailles, 17 kilometers west of Paris, into a palace ensemble of unheard of scale and luxury. For 50 years, 12-14% of the state's annual expenditures were spent on its development.

For the first twenty years of his reign, the monarch lived in the Louvre, then in the Tuileries. The suburban castle of Versailles became the permanent residence of Louis XIV in 1682. After moving to the largest ensemble in Europe, Louis visited the capital for short trips.

The splendor of the royal apartments prompted Louis to establish cumbersome rules of etiquette that applied to even the smallest things. It took five servants for a thirsty Louis to drink a glass of water or wine. During a silent meal, only the monarch sat at the table, a chair was not offered even to the nobility. After dinner, Louis met with ministers and officials, and if he was ill, the Council in full force was invited to the royal bedchamber.

In the evening, Versailles opened for entertainment. The guests danced, treated themselves to delicious dishes, played cards, which Louis was addicted to. The salons of the palace were named according to which they were furnished. The dazzling Mirror Gallery was 72 meters long and 10 meters wide. Colored marble, floor-to-ceiling mirrors adorned the interior of the room, thousands of candles burned in gilded candelabra and girandoles, making silver furniture and stones in the adornments of ladies and gentlemen burn with fire.

At the court of the king, writers and artists enjoyed favor. Comedies and plays by Jean Racine and Pierre Corneille were staged at Versailles. On Shrove Tuesday, masquerades were held in the palace, and in summer the courtyard and servants went to the village of Trianon attached to the Versailles gardens. At midnight, Louis, after feeding the dogs, went to the bedchamber, where he went to bed after a long ritual and a dozen ceremonies.

Domestic politics

Louis XIV knew how to select capable ministers and officials. Finance Minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert strengthened the welfare of the third estate. Under him, trade and industry flourished, the fleet grew stronger. The Marquis de Louvois reformed the troops, and the marshal and military engineer, the Marquis de Vauban, built fortresses that became a UNESCO heritage. The Comte de Tonnerre, Secretary of State for Military Affairs, turned out to be a brilliant politician and diplomat.

The government under Louis the 14th was carried out by 7 councils. The heads of the provinces were appointed by Louis. They kept the dominions on alert in case of war, promoted fair justice, and kept the people in subjection to the monarch.

Cities were ruled by corporations or councils made up of burgomasters. The burden of the fiscal system fell on the shoulders of the petty bourgeois and peasants, which repeatedly led to uprisings and riots. Stormy unrest was caused by the introduction of a tax on stamped paper, which resulted in an uprising in Brittany and in the west of the state.

Under Louis XIV, the Commercial Code (Ordinance) was adopted. To prevent migration, the monarch issued an edict, according to which property was taken away from the French who left the country, and those citizens who entered the service of foreigners as shipbuilders were awaiting the death penalty at home.

Government offices under the Sun King were sold and inherited. In the last five years of the reign of Louis in Paris, 2.5 thousand positions were sold in the amount of 77 million livres. Officials were not paid from the treasury - they lived off taxes. For example, brokers received a fee on every barrel of wine sold or bought.

The Jesuits, the monarch's confessors, turned Louis into an instrument of Catholic reaction. Temples were taken away from opponents - the Huguenots, they were forbidden to baptize children and get married. Marriages between Catholics and Protestants were forbidden. Religious persecution forced 200,000 Protestants to move to neighboring England and Germany.

Foreign policy

Under Louis, France fought a lot and successfully. In 1667-68, Louis' army captured Flanders. After 4 years, a war broke out with neighboring Holland, to whose aid Spain and Denmark rushed. The Germans soon joined them. But the coalition lost, and Alsace, Lorraine and the Belgian lands went to France.

Since 1688, the series of military victories of Louis becomes more modest. Austria, Sweden, Holland and Spain, joined by the principalities of Germany, united in the League of Augsburg and opposed France.

In 1692, in the harbor of Cherbourg, the forces of the League defeated the French fleet. On land, Louis was victorious, but the war demanded more and more funds. The peasants rebelled against the increase in taxes, silver furniture from Versailles went to be melted down. The monarch asked for peace and made concessions: he returned Savoy, Luxembourg and Catalonia. Lorraine became independent.

The most debilitating was Louis's War of the Spanish Succession in 1701. England, Austria and Holland again united against the French. In 1707, the allies, having crossed the Alps, invaded the possessions of Louis with a 40,000-strong army. To find funds for the war, gold dishes from the palace were sent for remelting, famine began in the country. But the forces of the allies dried up, and in 1713 the French signed the Treaty of Utrecht with the British, and a year later in Rishtadt with the Austrians.

Personal life

Louis XIV is a king who tried to marry for love. But you can’t throw words out of a song - this is beyond the power of kings. 20-year-old Louis fell in love with the 18-year-old niece of Cardinal Mazarin, an educated girl Maria Mancini. But political expediency required France to conclude peace with the Spaniards, which could seal the marriage bond between Louis and Infanta Maria Theresa.

In vain did Louis beg the queen mother and the cardinal to let him marry Mary - he was forced to marry an unloved Spaniard. Maria was given in marriage to an Italian prince, and the wedding of Louis and Maria Theresa took place in Paris. But no one could force him to be faithful to the wife of the monarch - the list of women of Louis XIV with whom he had affairs is very impressive.

Soon after the marriage, the temperamental king noticed the wife of his brother, the Duke of Orleans, Henrietta. To divert suspicion from herself, a married lady introduced Louis to a 17-year-old maid of honor. The blond Louise de la Vallière limped, but she was sweet and liked the ladies' man Louis. A six-year romance with Louise culminated in the birth of four offspring, of which a son and a daughter survived to adulthood. In 1667, the king distanced himself from Louise, giving her the title of duchess.

The new favorite - the Marquise de Montespan - turned out to be the opposite of la Valliere: an ardent brunette with a lively and practical mind was with Louis XIV for 16 years. She looked through her fingers at the intrigues of the loving Louis. Two rivals of the Marquise gave birth to Louis by a child, but Montespan knew that the womanizer would return to her, who bore him eight children (four survived).

Montespan missed her rival, who was the governess of her children - the widow of the poet Scarron, the Marquise de Maintenon. An educated woman interested Louis with a sharp mind. He talked with her for hours and one day noticed that he was sad without the Marquise of Maintenon. After the death of his wife Maria Theresa, Louis XIV married Maintenon and changed: the monarch became religious, there was no trace of the former windiness.

Death

In the spring of 1711, the son of the monarch, the Dauphin Louis, died of smallpox. His son, the Duke of Burgundy, the grandson of the Sun King, was declared heir to the throne, but he also died a year later from a fever. The remaining child - the great-grandson of Louis XIV - inherited the title of dauphin, but fell ill with scarlet fever and died. Previously, Louis gave the surname Bourbon to two sons whom de Montespan bore him out of wedlock. In the will, they were listed as regents and could inherit the throne.

A series of deaths of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren undermined the health of Louis. The monarch became gloomy and sad, lost interest in state affairs, could lie in bed all day and grew decrepit. A fall from a horse during a hunt was fatal for the 77-year-old king: Louis injured his leg, gangrene began. The operation proposed by the doctors - amputation - he rejected. The monarch made the last orders at the end of August and died on September 1.

For 8 days they said goodbye to the deceased Louis in Versailles, on the ninth day the remains were transported to the basilica of the abbey of Saint-Denis and buried according to Catholic traditions. The reign of Louis XIV is over. The Sun King ruled for 72 years and 110 days.

Memory

More than a dozen films have been shot about the times of the Great Age. The first, The Iron Mask, directed by Allan Dwan, was released in 1929. In 1998, he played Louis XIV in the adventure film The Man in the Iron Mask. According to the film, it was not he who led France to prosperity, but the twin brother who took the throne.

In 2015, the French-Canadian series "Versailles" was released on the screens about the reign of Louis and the construction of the palace. The second season of the project was released in the spring of 2017, in the same year the filming of the third began.

Dozens of essays have been written about the life of Louis. His biography inspired the creation of novels, Anne and Serge Golon,.

• According to legend, the queen mother gave birth to twins, and Louis the 14th had a brother, whom he hid from prying eyes under a mask. Historians do not confirm the presence of a twin brother in Louis, but they do not categorically reject either. The king could hide a relative in order to avoid intrigues and not to stir up upheavals in society.
• The king had a younger brother - Philip of Orleans. The Dauphin did not seek to sit on the throne, being satisfied with the position that he had at court. The brothers sympathized with each other, Philip called Louis "little dad".

• There were legends about the Rabelaisian appetite of Louis XIV: the monarch ate as much provisions in one sitting as would be enough for dinner for the entire retinue. Even at night, the valet brought food to the monarch.
• Rumor has it that, in addition to good health, there were several reasons for Louis' exorbitant appetite. One of them - a tapeworm (tapeworm) lived in the body of the monarch, so Louis ate "for himself and for that guy." Evidence has been preserved in the reports of the court physicians.

• Doctors of the 17th century believed that a healthy intestine is an empty intestine, so Louis was regularly treated to laxatives. No wonder the Sun King went to the bathroom 14 to 18 times a day, indigestion and gas were a constant occurrence for him.
• Dac's court dentist believed that there was no greater breeding ground for infection than bad teeth. Therefore, he removed the teeth of the monarch with an unwavering hand until, by the age of 40, nothing remained in Louis's mouth. Removing the lower teeth, the doctor broke the monarch's jaw, and pulling the upper ones, pulled out a piece of the sky, which caused a hole in Louis. In order to disinfect, Daka burned the inflamed sky with a red-hot rod.

• At the court of Louis, perfumes and aromatic powders were used in huge quantities. The concepts of hygiene in the 17th century were different from the current ones: dukes and servants did not have the habit of washing. But the stench emanating from Louis has become a byword. One of the reasons is the unchewed food stuck in the hole made by the dentist in the sky of the king.
• The monarch adored luxury. In Versailles and other residences, Louis counted 500 beds, the king's wardrobe had a thousand wigs, and four dozen tailors sewed outfits for Louis.

• Louis XIV is credited with the authorship of high-heeled shoes with red soles, which became the prototype of the Louboutins sung by Sergei Shnurov. 10-centimeter heels added to the monarch (1.63 meters) height.
• The Sun King went down in history as the founder of the Grand Maniere, which characterizes the combination of classicism and baroque. Palace furniture in the style of Louis XIV is oversaturated with decorative elements, carvings, and gilding.