Louis XIV of France

See also: Mef= [[Louis XIV (homonymy)]], [[Louis {{Romanian]], [[XIV]], [[14}} (homonymy)]]

Louis XIV , named with its birth Louis-Dieudonné and called thereafter the Sun king or Louis Large the (Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer, September 5th 1638 - Versailles, September 1st 1715) is, of the May 14th 1643 until its death, king de France and of Navarre, the third of the Maison of Bourbon of the dynasty capétienne. Louis XIV, who reigned during 72 years, is the chief of State which controlled the France longest, and the sovereign who arrived at the most advanced age. He is also the monarch who reigned longest in Europe.

Louis XIV reaches the throne a few months before its fifth birthday, but after a minority very marked by the revolt of the Fronde (1648 - 1652), he assumes personally the control of the Gouvernement only starting from the death of its Prime Minister, the Cardinal Mazarin, in 1661. He never took Prime Minister, and still accentuated his direct role in the State after the death of his powerful ministers Colbert (1683) and Louvois (1691). Its reign marked the apogee of the secular construction of a royal Absolutisme of divine Droit. Louis XIV saw his absolute authority profiting from the fine history from the great revolts peerage-books, members of Parliament, Protestant women and country-women, who marked the life of the kingdom since more than one century.

Louis XIV increased the territory of France and his power in Europe. He leads the diplomacy and the war to his liking as a combatant during several series of European wars. He makes strengthen the cities conquered by Vauban and thus surrounds the new borders of their “Ceinture of iron”, within the framework of a territorial policy of “Pré square” which redraws and rationalizes the limits of the country. Its personal government also coincides with an economic, commercial and colonial development effort, in particular carried out by its minister Colbert, and who is the economic shutter of the research of the French prevalence. Under its reign, France acquires preeminence European not only political and military but such a cultural thanks to the presence of intellectual figures protected by the royal Mécénat, such as Molière, Racine, Boileau, Lully, Brown the and Ours. Others more independent, the such poet the Fountain, the philosopher Blaise Pascal, the épistoliaire Mrs. of Sévigné, the moralist the Heather or the memorialist Saint-Simon also make reign the historical apogee of the Classicisme French. These cultural performances contribute to the prestige of France, its people, his language spoken in all the elites and the courses about Europe, and of course about its king. He as of his alive is spoken about the “Siècle of Louis XIV”, on the model of the centuries of Périclès and Auguste, or of the “Great century”.

Louis XIV with the assistance of Colbert, enriched the kingdom by applying the mercenary attitude, a seeking policy has to make enter the money by encouraging exports and by limiting the importation. Thus royal manufactures as that of the goblin are create to increase the national production.

One of the philosopher's stones of the king was also the installation of a State centralized and Absolutiste. It directs it after 1682 since vast the Château of Versailles, from which it ordered construction. This last, model architectural of many European palates thereafter, is the framework of a very elaborate label to which it subjects the Nobility at court, that it narrowly holds in hand near him. Louis XIV reduced also the role of the Parlement S, repressed the ultimate country revolts antifiscales, maintained a very long arm wrestling with the Jansénistes and made the discussed decision of the revocation of the edict of Nantes in 1685, which was promulgated in 1598 per Henri IV. The end of its long reign was tarnished by the massive exodus of the persecuted Protestants, by a series of military setbacks, the very fatal famines of 1693 and 1709, by the revolt generating the Guerre of Camisards, and by many deaths in the royal family. But the regency of its successor Louis XV which is then five years old, proceeds without clashes, which testifies to the stability of the kingdom established by the monarch.

Inhabited idea of its glory and its right divine, anxious to achieve its " permanently; trade of roi" , Louis XIV became the prototype of the absolute monarch.

Youth

Louis Dieudonné

Wire of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria, Louis is the fruit of multicultural political unions since his/her paternal grandparents Henri {{Rom|IV}} and Marie de Médicis, was French and Italian. His/her maternal grandparents, Philippe {{Romanian|III}} and Marguerite of Austria were Spanish and Austrian, although both Habsbourg, close relatives one of the other.

The small Louis receives the title of first wire of France and titrates it more traditional of Dauphin of Viennese . He is named Louis-Dieudonné because its arrival in the world is regarded as a miracle. That made twenty-three years that the kingdom awaited its birth in vain. His/her father and his mother did not believe in it for a long time any more.

The birth of Louis is followed, two years later, by that of Philippe, initially titrated Duc of Anjou, then Duc of Orleans. It moves away from the throne the brother of the reigning king, Gaston of Orleans, unrepentant plotter whose cardinal of Richelieu, Prime Minister of Louis XIII, feared that he does not follow in the event of accession to the throne a policy favorable to noble and with the Habsbourg. The so much hoped birth of a Dolphin is thus a political victory for Richelieu.

With died of his father, the child becomes king under the name of Louis XIV . As it is only five years old, his/her mother, Anne of Austria, becomes regent. She chooses against any waiting the Cardinal Mazarin like Prime Minister, in spite of the disapproval of the French political circles of the time of which much does not appreciate that an Italian, faithful of Richelieu, directs France.

The education of the king

In addition to its ministerial functions, Mazarin, godfather of Louis XIV , by the queen in March 1646 the responsibility for the education of the young monarch and his brother is seen allotting. It thus becomes “ superintendent with the government and the control of the person of the king and of that of Mr. the duke of Anjou ”. In spite of the efforts of the various tutors engaged to lavish Latin course of , History, Mathematical, Italian and Drawing, Louis is not a very hard-working pupil. But, according to the example of the large collector of art which is Mazarin, Louis XIV shows itself very sensitive to the Peinture, the Architecture, the Musique and especially to the Danse which is at the time an essential component of the education of a gentleman: it is said that the Louis young person involves himself to dance approximately two hours per day of the age from 7 to 27 years. He is also large amateur of Chasse and the Jeu of palm.

Louis, the " miraculé"

In its childhood, Louis XIV on several occasions escape the dead one:

is 5 years old, it misses drowning in one of the basins of the garden of the Palais Royal. It is saved in extremis .

At 10 years, the November 10th 1647, it is reached Variole. Ten days later, the doctors do not have any more any hope but the Louis young person recovers " miraculeusement".

the June 30th 1658, the king is victim of a serious food poisoning at the time of the catch of Bergues in the Northern . On Monday, July 8, one gives him the last sacraments and one starts to prepare the succession but Guénaut, the doctor of Anne of Austria, gives him an emetic containing Antimoine and of Vin which cures " once again; miraculeusement" the king.

The test of the Sling

Its marriage with Marie-Therese of Austria

During the voyage of the young king, the November 7th 1659, the Spaniards agree to sign the Traité of the Pyrenees which fixes the borders between France and Spain. On its side, Louis XIV accept gladly, badly liking to respect one of the clauses of the treaty: to marry the Infante Marie-Therese of Austria (1638-1683), girl of Philippe {{Romanian|IV}}, king d' Espagne, and of Elisabeth de France. It should be noted that the husbands are first cousins, and this doubling, the queen Anne mother of Austria being the sister of Philippe IV, and Elisabeth de France the sister of Louis XIII. The purpose of this marriage is however to bring France closer to Spain. It takes place the June 9th 1660 with Saint-Jean-with-Luz.

Louis has known his wife only for 3 days, this one does not speak a word about French but the king " the honore" impetuously and in front of witnesses as of the wedding night. (according to other sources, this wedding night, contrary with use, did not have a witness)

Personality of the Sun king

Sun like emblem

Louis XIV chooses for emblem the sun. It is the star which gives life to any thing, but it is also the symbol of the order and the regularity. It reigned out of sun on the court, the courtiers and France. Indeed, the courtiers attended the day of the king as to the race day laborer of the sun. (cf: One day in Versailles) It appears even disguised out of sun at the time of a festival given to the court.

Louis XIV, a force of nature

One says of the king who it was not large - 1,57 m - but which it was of a great elegance and imposed some by its imposing presence, its beauty and its superb. Despite everything, it was robust: never tired, it feared neither the heat neither the cold, neither the rain nor hail, and did not understand that one can suffer from it. Like all the Bourbons, it is a big eater, by which the gargantuesque appetite astonishes the witnesses.

Moreover, it is unconditional dance, it likes the spectacles of ballets and the Jeu of palm. As almost all Capétien, it one is also impassioned of untiring Chasse.

It is a man impassioned and curious about all that surrounds it. Its ears are everywhere. Thanks to its Swiss which espionnent all and everyone in Versailles, it more quickly than everyone is put at the current of what is said on him.

An impetuous lover

Louis XIV has very many mistresses, among whom Louise of Vallière, Marie-Angelica of Fontanges, Madam de Montespan, Madam de Maintenon (that he secretly married after the death of the Queen, undoubtedly in the night from October 9th to 10th 1683, in the presence of the Father of the Chair which gave the bridal blessing). Teenager, it makes the meeting of a niece of Mazarin, Marie Mancini. Between them a great passion, opposed by the cardinal will be followed from there, who, conscious of the interests of France and his, prefers to make him marry the infante of Spain. In 1670, Jean Racine took as a starting point the history of the king and Marie Mancini to write " Bérénice ".

It is often said that Miss Catherine of Beauvais, called Cateau Borgnesse, déniaisa the king, but the historians strongly doubt it. However, this woman " exit of peu" had the extreme honor to receive an astonishing gift of Anne of Austria (the queen mother): she is paid out of invaluable stones, planned initially for work of the Louvre, with which she built a private mansion in Paris, now located at 68, rue François-Miron, the Hôtel of Beauvais.

Later, large amateur of women, the king makes arrange secret staircases in Versailles to join his various mistresses. These connections irritate the Compagnie of the Blessed Sacrament, a party of excessively pious people. Bossuet, like Madam de Maintenon, tries to bring back the king to more virtue.

Its many mistresses and favorite

Louise Francoise of the Balsam the White, duchess of Vallière and Vaujours (1644+1710),
Francoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marchioness of Montespan (1668),
Francoise d' Aubigné, marchioness of Maintenon, widow of the Scarron poet known as " beautiful the indienne" that he will marry in secrecy after the death of the queen,
Marie Mancini, niece of the cardinal of Mazarin which will become Madam the Connétable of Colonna,
Olympe Mancini, countess of Soissons (1655), and Hortense Mancini, sisters of the preceding one,
Louise de Nesles, countess of Mailly (+1751),
Lucie of the Mound-Argencourt (1657),
Marie-Elisabeth de Ludres (1676 to 1677),
Anne-Julie of Rohan-Chub, princess of Soubise (1674 to 1676),
Miss de Thianges (1683)
Lydie from Rochefort-Théobon
Marie Angelica of Scoraille de Roussille, marchioness then duchess of Fontanges (+1681), known as “Miss de Fontanges”
Henriette Anne Stuart of England, her sister-in-law,
Claude of Wine of the Eyelets, known as “Miss of the Eyelets”
Anne-Lucie of Mothe-Houdancourt,
Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, princess of Monaco, wife of prince de Monaco.

Policy

The apogee of the absolutism

Also known under the name of Sun king , Louis XIV reinforce the Monarchie which becomes Absolute monarchy of divine right. The April 13rd 1655, the king issues 17 edicts aiming at reinflating the cases of the State. The legend tells that on this occasion, he would have declared with the reticent members of Parliament celebrates it but disputed: “ I am the State! ”. In fact, it forever declared. He says even the opposite on his bed of death, in 1715: “ I from go away, but the State will remain always ”. Louis XIV dissociates itself from the State, of which it is defined itself as, only, the first servant.

The elimination of Fouquet

With died of Mazarin, the March 9th 1661, the first decision of Louis XIV is to remove the post of Prime Minister and to personally take the control of the government but the entourage of the king is not convinced of its stature of statesman. Louis must prove reliable and prove his authority.

Six months later, the September 5th 1661, day of its 23 years, the king, according to the councils of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, makes stop Nicolas Fouquet by D' Artagnan and also removes the post of superintendent to Finances. Even if Fouquet actually made some embezzlements, it did not make any more than Mazarin or Colbert. It was even shown rather effective during the eight years spent to its station and, thanks to him, finances of the France recovered a little from the related spending to the Guerre Thirty Year old and to the Sling of 1648. But the king needs to show which directs the country and to eliminate that which he regards as too large ambitious.

After three years of a lawsuit faked by the king, Fouquet is replaced by Colbert in 1665. The personal reign of the Sun king starts.

Great reforms

The first part of the reign of Louis XIV is marked by great administrative reforms and mainly the increase in the tax pressure. Thus takes place the passage of a legal monarchy (where the principal function of the king is to return justice) to an administrative monarchy (the king is with the head of the Administration). The finances, directed by the superintendent Colbert, will come to supplant justice as a first concern of the Conseil of in-high. That which should normally have been in load of justice, the Chancelier, which, under Louis XIV will be François-Michel Tellier, itself will forsake justice to be devoted primarily to the businesses of war.

It creates the Code Louis in 1667, kind of civil code, the criminal code in 1670, the forest Code, the edict on the classes of the Navy in 1669, the ordinance of trade in 1673.

To the wire of time, two clans will set up themselves at its sides and will cohabit while competing one with the other. The Colbert clan will manage all that touches with the economy, the foreign politics, the Navy and the culture whereas the clan Tellier - Louvois will have the seizure on Defense. The king endorses thus the currency “to divide for better reigning” . By having two rival clans under its orders, it is certain that they car-will be controlled and that will prevent all drifts allowing one its ministers to make a success of a coup d'etat against him.

Until 1671, the Colbert clan dominates but, when start the preparations of the Guerre of Holland, the reserves of Colbert which balks to launch out again in great expenditure start to discredit it with the eyes of the king. Moreover, the variation of age between Colbert (52 years at the time) and the king (33 years) made that the king approaches naturally Louvois which is only 30 years old and same passion: the war. Until 1685, it is the Louvois clan which is most influential.

Its foreign politics

Since the birth of Louis XIV , France continuously was in war against Spain and more generally against the hegemony of the Habsbourg in Europe. It takes part directly in the last third of what one called then 1648 the Thirty Year old Guerre concluded in by the Traités from Westphalia. France must then manage interior conflicts related to the Sling carried out by the prince de Condé but whose Spain is the principal support.

XIV XIV , the warrior

The June 23rd 1658 with Dunkirk, the French recently combined to the English (controlled at the time by Lord Oliver Cromwell) gain an important victory against Condé and Spain at the time of the battles of the Dunes. It was one of the first great victories of the Louis young person who is only 20 years old at the time.

Louis XIV devoted 32 years out of 54 to make the war. At the beginning of its reign, the other great power in Europe is the Spain. In 1715, it is the the United Kingdom, and in particular the England, which became the most frightening competitor.

The king lets Colbert control and with the assistance of Michel Tellier then marquis de Louvois, it reorganizes the army: unification of the balances, creation of the Hotel of the Invalids in 1670, reform of recruitment. This fresh impulse political limits the desertion and increases the standard of living of the military race. He asks Vauban to build a belt of fortifications around the territory (political of the pre square). He then has an army of 300.000 men what in fact by far the first army of Europe, able to hold head with coalitions gathering of many European countries. To reinforce the capacity of France in the world, Louis XIV urges the kingdom in a multitude of wars and battles:

of 1667 with 1668, the War of Devolution;
of 1672 with 1678, the War of Holland which concludes itself by the famous Traité from Nimègue;
of 1688 with 1697, the War of the league of Augsburg (also called Last nine Year old war);
of 1701 with 1713, the War of succession of Spain.

These wars increase the French territory considerably. Under the reign of Louis XIV , France conquers the High-Alsace, Metz, Toul, Verdun, the Roussillon, the Artois, the French Flanders, Cambrai, the Franche-Comté, the the Saar, the Hainaut and the Low-Alsace. These acquisitions devote French hegemony in Europe and those which, like the Doge of Genoa, go so far as to defy the king are not long in paying the consequences of them.

However, the permanent state of war carries out the State at the edge of the bankruptcy, forcing it to raise heavy taxes on the people, but also on the nobility (taxes of the Capitation, of the Tenth). Even the royal family must pay taxes.

Navy

With died of Mazarin, in 1661, the royal Navy, its ports and its arsenals are in sorry state. Only ten ship of the lines is in correct operating condition. At the same period, the English navy counted 157 vessels (of which the half are important vessels, embarking from 30 to 100 guns), that is to say a ratio from 1 to 8 with the French Navy. The fleets of the republic of the United Provinces comprise 84 of them.

Contrary to a very widespread idea, Louis XIV was interested personally and contributed with Colbert to the rise of the navy of French war. As of 1662, it creates the body of the galères, which with the advantage of constituting an at the same time military and commercial fleet. It once chairs per week the council of the Navy and follows with the greatest care the details of the mobilization of the resources, fixing each year the width of the armaments, naming in person all the officers of vessel or choosing the name of each vessel manufactured.

The king wishes that its Navy become as powerful and dreaded as its Army, to fight not as well as to have an instrument of dissuasion allowing not to fight.

The March 7th 1669, it creates the title of Secretary of State to the Navy and names officially Colbert first holder of the station. Consequently, Colbert and its son will mobilize human, financial and logistic resources without precedent which allowed, practically ex nihilo, to make France a naval military power of first rank.

The objective laid down by Colbert was to reach a fleet of 120 vessels including 72 of at least 50 guns. With its death in 1683, the Royal one counted 117 vessels, 1.200 officers and 53.000 sailors. From 1661 with died of Louis XIV in 1715,381 vessels and frigates were built.

Its economic policy

Economy

The economic policy of Louis XIV is simple: the king spends with the war all the money that Mazarin then Colbert are évertuent to make return in the cases of the State.

Under Mazarin, this tax pressure is in the beginning many rebellions as well on the level of the aristocracy (the Sling) as of the people (the Jacquerie S):

the Revolt of the sabot-makers of the Sologne (from April to August 1658).
the revolt of the Bolted in May 1662 (also called “revolt of the Lustucrus”).

After Mazarin, Colbert also multiplied the economic initiatives to him:

it invents its own version of the Mercantilisme which one calls then the Colbertisme. Its concept is summarized in a few words: to increase exports and to reduce the imports.
it creates the manufactures which can be of State (tapestries of Beauvais, of the Gobelins) or private (Saint-Gobain). To make return of the currencies, Colbert supports export by State aid and limit the imports by founding a Protectionnisme extremely. It encourages the best craftsmen of Europe to come to work in France to thus have the products from best possible quality and easier to sell.
to facilitate the trade, it improves the infrastructures by creating roads. With the assistance of his son, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, marquis de Seignelay, it develops the commercial marine to sell the products and the " marine royale" (soldier) to protect the convoys.
it supports the development of the colonies and the creation of the commercial companies : Company of the Eastern Indies (Indian Ocean), Company of the Western Indies (Americas), Company of Raising (the Mediterranean and Ottoman Empire) and Company of Senegal (Africa) to promote the triangular Trade Slave S.

The development of the colonies

In 1654, the News-France (the Acadie and the Canada) is colonized for its natural resources, especially the fur skins. It is managed by the Compagnie of News-France.

In 1659, a first French counter, named " Saint-Louis" in homage to the king, is installed on the island of Ndar to the Senegal. The country was yielded to the Compagnie of Senegal in 1673 to transfer from the Esclave S blacks to the the Antilles.

In 1665, Louis XIV create the French Compagnie of the Eastern Indies based initially with Madagascar. The same year, Colbert repurchases the Guadeloupe with Charles Houel of Small the Pre, former director of the Compagnie of the islands of America, and the island of the Martinique to Jacques Dyel Duparquet. All these territories are entrusted in management to the Company of the Indies which went bankrupt in 1674, date on which these territories are attached to the royal field.

In 1677, on order of the king, the admiral d' Estrées takes again the French Guiana with the Dutchmen.

In 1682, the Room founds with the mouth of the the Mississippi a new French colony which is named Louisiana (News-France) in the honor of king Louis.

In 1697, the Traité of Ryswick allots the Western half of the island of Santo Domingo, (today Haiti) in France.

Despite everything, the colonies are more one priority for Colbert that for the king. One needs cannon fodder to carry out the wars in Europe and one sends only very few people to the colonies: the committed ones and called orphan young people “girls of the king” to the Canada (News-France). Colbert foresees, him, the potential resources in the development of the colonies but in its correspondence with the intendants of News-France, it is strict: the colonies are used for the kingdom and do not have to develop with the detriment of French industry. To support the natural increase, it creates fines for the unmarried male colonists of more than 20 years and the girls of more than 16 nonmarried. Moreover, it allocates the sum of 300 pounds to the families of more than 10 children.

The black Code

In March 1685, Louis XIV promulgate the “black Code”, authorizing the full use of the slaves in the colony S. Its detractors see an institutionalization of slavery there. It was conceived like a limitation of the maltreatment and made it possible to give a statute to the slaves. Before its establishment, the slaves were regarded as a tangible property, as well as a chair. With this code, he to them is recognized a right to the property, is limited but existing, a right to the retirement and an obligation of good treatment for the owners as well as the obligation to nourish them well. This code, although badly applied because of pressure of the colonists to justice, would have had the merit to have wanted to grant a framework to the Traite Blacks of the time.

Its religious policy

Religious reforms

Louis XIV is in favor of the Gallicanisme, Christian France unified but independent of the Pape. The December 13rd 1660, the king informs the Parliament that it decided éradiquer the Jansénisme, which does not prevent it from choosing Simon Arnauld de Pomponne for Secretary of State, in 1671, after Peace of the Church. For the same reasons, it also fought the Protestantisme and the Compagnie of the Blessed Sacrament.

So at the beginning of its reign, Louis XIV knows some disagreements with the Papauté (Alexandre VII was even threatened of war in 1662), the reign of the Sun king knows a more religious orientation starting from 1684. The Marie-Therese queen and Colbert die in 1683 and austere the Madam de Maintenon becomes the secret wife of the monarch. It is said that it was one of savage the partisanes of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Today, this argument is disputed more and more by the historians.

Revocation of the Edict of Nantes

The edict, signed in Nantes on April 13rd 1598 by the king of France Henri {{Romanian|IV}}, authorized freedom of worship with the Protestants in some limiting, and the possession of certain military fortified towns granted to them.

The military slope of the edict of Nantes, namely the possibility for the Protestants of preserving military fortified towns, had been revoked under the reign of Louis {{Rom|XIII}} at the time of the peace of Ales in 1629.

The religious slope of the edict of Nantes was revoked by Louis XIV in October 1685 (edict of Fontainebleau, contresigned by the chancellor Michel Tellier). The Protestantisme consequently becomes prohibited on the French territory. This revocation will involve the exile of many Huguenots worms of the Protestant countries: England, Protestant States of Germany, Protestant cantons of Switzerland, United Provinces and its colonies, like that of the Cape. One estimates at approximately: 200000 the number of exiled, of which many craftsmen or members middle-class.

The poorest Protestants were subjected since 1679 to the Dragonnade S. Ainsi, Catholicism was restored, the temples transformed into churches; but at much of them, adhesion with Catholicism remained surface. Recent work of Michel Morrineau and Janine Garrisson moderated the economic consequences of the revocation much. Thus, one realizes that in 1686 the French economy was particularly ostentation. The training of a French diaspora in Europe made it possible to create new markets of export, but also to sit the European rise of the French language at the next century. The revocation of the edict of Nantes also has as indirect effects of risings of Protestants in the Languedoc whose war of the Camisards constitutes paroxysm.

Protestantism was at the time of Louis XIV minority in France, and forever made up more 10 % of the French population including at the time of the wars of religion at the 16th century. This revocation thus allowed, in France, a limitation of the Protestant religion and a progressive conversion with the Catholicisme.

In " domestiquant" the nobility, the king " domestiqua" also the religion. So the many noble ones were posted Protestant at the 16th century, it was more business of policy which of faith, although some fully adhered to the religion of Calvin. Louis XIV, by creating a court resting on the balance of the forces between factions peerage-books, succeeds in converting good number of noble Protestants, who, to acquire a load at the court had to convert with the religion of the king: Catholicism. Protestantism in France on the symbolic system plan contradicted what Elisabeth Labrousse formulated well on its bearing work on the revocation: the kingdom of France was to be only under the reign of Single the " a king, a faith, a law ". With died of Mazarin, Louis XIV, with the support of his ministers gradually restricted the privileges granted to the Protestants by monarchy in 1598, until emptying the text of his substance. The revocation is not a sudden blow of head of the monarch, but slow and soft anguish of the party protesting in France which, without charismatic chiefs and polemists, could not resist propaganda and the means set up by the catholics, that they are devout, gallicans or even Jansenists.

The policy of Louis XIV with respect to the Judaism

Paradoxically, as much Louis XIV was hostile with the reformed Church, as much was it rather favorable to the Juifs. Its reign indeed marks a turning in the policy of the royal capacity with respect to the Judaism. In 1648, the Traité of Westphalia allots the Three bishoprices and the Alsace to France. The Jews which live there are not excluded from the kingdom although the edict of 1394 expelling the Jews of France is still theoretically applicable. Moreover, in 1657, Louis XIV is received solemnly with his brother with the synagog of Metz. Its policy, perhaps because Colbert sees in the Jews a population supporting the economic activity, allows the development of the Lorraine Jewish community which grows appreciably during its reign.

Its cultural policy

Louis the Builder

Dans the spirit of the king, the size of a kingdom must be also measured by its embellishment.

On the councils of Colbert, one of the first building sites of the king will be the restoration of the palate and the garden of the Tuileries entrusted to Louis Vau and André Ours. The interior decorations are entrusted to Charles Le Brun and to the painters of brilliant the royal Académie of painting and sculpture.

In addition to the Château of Versailles that Louis XIV fact of increasing gradually throughout its reign, it also makes build the Château of Marly in order to recommend its close friends. In these two castles, just like to Saint-Germain, the castle which saw the beginning of its reign, it entrusted the restoration of the gardens to Ours.

In Paris, one also owes him, inter alia, the Royal Pont (financed on its clean sum of money S), the observatory, the Fields-Elysées, the Invalides, the Place Vendôme, but also the Place of the Victories which commemorates the victory over Spain, the Empire, Brandebourg and Holland. Two triumphal arches streets Saint-Denis and Saint-Jacob celebrate the victories of the Sun king at the time of his European wars.

He makes also deeply modify the structure of French cities such as Lille, Besancon, Belfort, Briançon by strengthening them thanks to work of Vauban. Certain cities such as Versailles for the court or Neuf-Brisach to defend acquisitions of Alsace are create or developed.

To facilitate the development of Royal the, it develops the ports and arsenals of Brest and of Toulon, creates a wearing of war with Rochefort, commercial ports to Lorient and Sète and makes build the Free port and the arsenal of the galères with Marseilles.

In 1680, creation of the Comédie-Française.
In 1681, opening of the Channel of the South, which connects the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, while passing by Toulouse.
In November 1682, the king places the royal college Louis Large the at Paris under its high patronage.
In 1702, Paris is divided into twenty districts. Creation of public lighting and a police force in the streets of the capital.

XIV XIV , Owner of Arts

After the arrest of Fouquet, the king seems to want to imitate his sumptuous life. He shows himself extremely extravagant by allocating immense sums with the expenses of the royal Cour. He behaves as a patron and owner of arts by financing the great cultural figures of the time such as Molière (as a sign of friendship, the king agreed to be the godfather of its first child), the musician Jean-Baptiste Lully or the decorator Charles Le Brun as well as the gardener Ours. He places the French Academy under his control and becomes his " protecteur". He spends also important sums in the improvement of the Louvre before finally choosing the Château of Versailles like royal residence. He moved in 1682 there after more than 20 years of work.

End of reign and succession

Problems of succession and the degraded health of the king obscure the end of his reign. In 1711, his/her son Louis de France (the Large Dolphin) dies of the Variole at 49 years. The following year, its grandson become dolphin, the duke of Burgundy (29 years) and the second wire of this one (5 years) die at the time of an epidemic of Rougeole. The dolphin had already lost its elder in 1705, it remains to him only one son, the future Louis XV.

Connect French

As for the other, the duke of Berry, it dies in 1714 of the continuations of a fall of horse. Except the king of Spain, only the male descendant legitimates of Louis XIV is then the Duc of Anjou, wire junior by the Duc by Burgundy and his great-grandson. Born in 1710, it is a fragile little boy of health. As there remains only one small number of princes of blood in other branches, Louis XIV decide to reinforce the royal family while giving, in its will of 1714, the death tax with the duke of Maine and the count de Toulouse, two wire illegitimate which it had had of Madam de Montespan. This decision violated the Fundamental laws of the kingdom, which had always drawn aside from the throne the illegitimate children, and met an often scandalized incomprehension. It seems that the king has in fact be ready to contradict the old laws of succession to draw aside from the throne his nephew Philippe of Orleans, potential successor and of which he was wary much. But it is finally its great-grandson " officiel" and grandson of the large dolphin, the duke of Anjou, five years old, which becomes king under the name of Louis XV, the regency being exerted, lasting its minority, by the duke of Orleans, nephew and son-in-law of Louis XIV .

Spanish branch

The second wire of the large dolphin becomes king of Spain in 1700 under the name of Philippe {{Rom|V}}. It gives up its rights to the succession of the throne of France at the conclusion of the War of succession of Spain, by the Traité of Utrecht. Louis XIV carry out its dream thus to put a member of the dynasty of the Bourbons (its grandson in fact) on the throne of Spain. In spite of many inversions followed by restoration, the House of Bourbon preserves the crown of Spain until our time. Current king d' Espagne, Juan Carlos {{Romanian|I}}, is thus downward of Louis XIV .

Last days

Louis XIV on September 1st 1715 with 8:15 of the morning dies, the day before its 77 years, of a senile Gangrène with the leg, surrounded by its courtiers, after having failed during two or three days. Its last councils with the future king Louis XV were not to imitate it in its taste for the buildings, to relieve misery of its people, " what I have the regret not to have fait" , and of living in peace with its neighbors. He even acknowledged: " I liked the guerre." too much; On its bed of death, he also declares: “I from go away, but the State will always remain. ” Its reign will have lasted 72 years and 100 days (54 years of effective reign if one withdraws the period of the regency of 1643 to 1661). It is buried, provided with the Sacraments of the Catholic church, as must be it the " King Très Chrétien" , in the Basilica Saint-Denis.

Its disappearance does not seem to have raised much emotion among the courtiers nor among the people, wearied of a long reign at the obscured end. The Parlement of Paris broke its will as of the following day September 2nd, opening one era of return in strength of noble and the members of Parliament. For the majority of his subjects, the growing old sovereign had become an increasingly remote figure. The funeral procession of Louis XIV even was hooted or scoffed on the road at Saint-Denis. However, of many course foreign, even traditonnellement enemy of France, were aware of the disappearance of a monarch of exception: the Voter of Saxony did not need any precision of name when he announced solemnly with his ministers: " Dear Sirs, the King is mort."

Descent

Louis XIV many legitimate and illegitimate children has.

Of his wife, Marie-Therese of Austria, the king has six children (3 girls and 3 boys) of which only one survived childhood:

Of its mistresses, it also has 16 or 17 children of which eights were legitimated: Union of the king with Miss of Vallière are born:

the first Miss de Blois (1666 - 1739), married with the prince de Conti;
the count de Vermandois (1667 - 1683).

From Madam de Montespan are born:

the duke of Maine (1670 - 1736);
Louis César, count of Vexin (1672 - 1683);
Miss de Nantes (1673 - 1743), married with the duke of Bourbon;
Louise-Marie-Anne, Miss de Tours (1674 - 1681)
the second Miss de Blois (1677 - 1749), married to Philippe of Orleans, the future regent;
the count de Toulouse (1678 - 1737).

In 1679, the Affaire of the poisons will consume the disgrace in which Madam de Montespan, ex- favorite of the king had fallen a few months before.

The king will also have other not-recognized children of which:

With Claude of Wine of the Eyelets:

Louise de Maisonblanche (1676 - 1718)

Quotations

“It is always the impatience to gain which makes lose. ”
“It is very difficult of speaking much without saying something of too. ”
“Those which have enough merit to generally succeed, find some magnanimity to recognize their faults. ” (in " Memories for the education of Dauphin")
“Nothing not being more unworthy than to see on a side all the functions and other the only title of King. ” (in connection with the Prime Minister, in " Memories for the education of Dauphin")
“I am the State” (allotted quotation in a disputed way)

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