King Louis XIV

King Louis XIV

By the time Louis XIV came to power in 1643 at the tender young age of

five. The king was made progressively aware that France indeed needed

large amounts of money to pull themselves out of bankruptcies and

later on to be able to get the luxuries, which would become available

at the court of France.

Louis XIV born in 1638 reined France from 1643- 1715, which is the

longest reign in European history.

Louis was born at Saint- Germain- en- Laye, and was the third monarch

of the Bourbon Family. Louis was the unexpected child of King Louis

XIII and Anne of Austria, who had not beard a child during their 22

year marriage.

Louis was christened Louis Dieudonne meaning, "gift of god". In 1643

before his 5th birthday, his father died and Louis inherited the crown

of France. While Louis was a child, his mother served as regent,

ruling France in his place. Jules Cardinal Mazarin, the Italian

financier who had been the principal minister of Louis XIII, assisted

her. This period was marked by a rebellion known as the Fronde,

approximately 1648- 1653, this was first led by the nobility and later

by the urban commoners. The young king felt humiliated

By the arrogant nobles and threatened by the people of France.

The King of France Governs alone

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Louis married Marie -Therese out of diplomatic necessity she was the

eldest daughter of King Phillip IV of Spain. The marriage was arranged

via a treaty that the explicitly excluded Marie's heir from inheriting

the Spanish Crown once Phillip had paid her dowry. However the full

dowry was never paid and consequently Louis refused to r...

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...eath in 1708 by his son-in-law Robert de Cotte.

The interior of the palace is richly decorated. The most famous rooms

include the living quarters of the king and queen, the Room of

Hercules, and the Hall of Mirrors. The Hall of Mirrors, designed by

Charles Le Brun, was begun in 1678. It is a long hallway lined with

mirrors that runs along the front of the palace. The ceiling is

decorated with paintings glorifying the achievements of Louis XIV. The

palace also contains a magnificent royal chapel and a private theater.

The French Revolution of 1789-1799 led to the overthrow of the French

king. Mobs invaded the palace during the revolution and removed or

destroyed most of the furniture and art. Little was done to maintain

the building until the early 1900's, when restoration work began. This

project is still going on.