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Louis XIV

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This is a placeholder for King Louis the 14th

Stephensonia

Drake Waterhouse* will use Louis XIV as a convenient stand-in for the Pope AKA the “Anti-Christ*.” Louis will employ “nannies” as spies in Versailles.

Authored entries

Wikipedia: Louis XIV (adapted)

Louis XIV (the Sun King, pronounced "Louie Ka-torz") (September 5, 1638 - September 1, 1715) reigned as king of France from May 14, 1643 to September 1, 1715. Louis did not effectively become ruler until the death of Cardinal Mazarin, in 1661. His reign generally epitomises European absolutism; in fact, he sometimes has the reputation of "the greatest absolute monarch".

Birth & Childhood

His birth at Saint-Germain-en-Laye appeared miraculous, occurring twenty-three years after the marriage of his parents, Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. At the age of 5 (1643), Louis technically became King, although Cardinal Mazarin would rule France as regent for another 18 years. Inventor of Onion Soup?
The Sun King
King of France and Navarre
by Hyacinthe Rigaud (1701)

Louis married Maria Theresa of Spain (Marie-Thérèse d'Espagne) in 1660. (She died in (1683), after which he married morganatically the Marquise de Maintenon.) His real assumption of power came after Mazarin's death, in 1661.

King Louis XIV died on September 1, 1715 and was buried in Saint Denis Basilica in Paris. He outlived his son, the dauphin Louis, and eldest grandson. His great-grandson, who became King Louis XV of France, and who spent his minority under the regency of Philippe II of Orleans, succeded him as king.

His heart was stolen by grave robbers and bought by Lord Harcourt, who sold it to Reverend William Buckland, the dean of Westminster Cathedral. His son, Francis Buckland, inherited the purloined heart, and eventually ate it.

Louis XIV as King

During Louis's adolescence, a class uprising called the Fronde (1648 - 53) took place in France, sparked by the policies of Cardinal Mazarin. This event is believed to have had a impact upon Louis, as he became determined to never to allow such an uprising to occur again.

Louis XIV and his advisor Colbert believed strongly in mercantilism and worked to increase France's resources in precious metals. During this period, France fought four major wars -- the War of Devolution (1667 - 1668), the Dutch War (1672 - 1678), the War of the Grand Alliance (1688 - 1697) and the War of the Spanish Succession (1702 - 1713) -- resulting in an almost crippling national debt.

In 1674 the French government purchased the island of Martinique from a private French business concern that had acquired the island in 1635.

In 1689, King Louis passed the "Code Noir" or "Black Code", which allowed the full use of slaves in France's colonies.

At the time of the Louis XIV's death, France's territory had increased and France had become arguably the most powerful state in Europe, as well its cultural capital. French served as the language of good taste in the 17th and 18th centuries just as English later became the global language of business. (In the 18th century, for example, the Russian nobility adopted French habits and generally spoke French rather than Russian.) On the other hand, the country had sunk deeply into debt, the poor found themselves heavily taxed and living in worsening conditions, and Louis's successors lacked the powerful memory necessary to run his court.

Economics

The treasury was essentially bankrupt when Louis XIV assumed power in 1661. He was an incredibly extravagant spender, dispensing huge sums of money to finance his wars and his court. Some estimations conclude that by the end of Louis' reign half of France's annual revenue was spent on maintaining Versailles. Also, large amounts of money were lost to corruption within the large French bureaucracy.

At this time the principal French taxes were the aides, the douanes, the gabelle, and the taille. The aides and douanes were customs taxes, the gabelle was a salt tax, and the taille was a land tax. The nobles and clergy were exempt from these taxes, so the peasantry and the emerging middle class (the bourgeoisie) had to pay them -- a remnant of feudal France. The outrage over this taxation would eventually fuel the French Revolution.

Louis would appoint the ingenious Colbert as his "minister of finance". Colbert's efforts to reduce bureaucratic corruption and reorganize the bureaucracy began to generate revenue, although this was not enough to begin to reverse France's growing national debt.

Reining in the Nobles: Versailles

Another of Louis XIV's efforts to centralize power was the construction of Versailles. Continuing the work of Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin, Louis XIV worked to create a centralized, and absolutist, nation-state. He weakened the nobility by ordering them to serve as members of his court, rather than as regional governors and ministers. To this end, he built Versailles, an enormous and lavish palace outside Paris. On May 6, 1682, the court was moved to Versailles. Noblemen were compelled by court etiquette to spend incredible sums of money on their clothes, and to spend most of their time attending the whirlwind of Masses, balls, dinners, performances, and celebrations of which life at court was composed. Louis XIV is said to have been gifted with a memory so acute that he could scan a ballroom on entry and determine exactly who was not there -- so no aristocrat who depended on his favor could risk an absence. The aristocracy necessarily became dissolute, more focused on winning the King's favor, as evidenced by trivial details such as who would have the honor of helping him dress, rather than their own regional affairs or even retaining their power. This allowed Louis to choose less aristocratic individuals to fill those positions once occupied by the traditonal nobility, and to ensure that political power remained firmly in the hands of the king.

Reining in the Protestants: The Edict of Fontainebleau

Believing that in order to achieve absolute power he must first achieve religious unification, Louis XIV made trouble for the Protestant population, most notably through the Edict of Fontainebleau (1685). This revoked the religiously tolerant Edict of Nantes of Henri IV (1598) and ordered the destruction of (Protestant) Huguenot churches, as well as the closing of Protestant schools. His actions drove many Huguenots to the Low Countries -- a mistake, for the Huguenots tended to be highly skilled craftsmen and, of course, their skills went with them. (In later centuries the Protestant work ethic of the Low Countries, certainly influenced by these French refugees, would increase that region's already considerable wealth.) For Louis XIV and his cardinals, a unified France meant a Catholic France.

Influence on the French Revolution (1789)

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.

Quotations Attributed to Louis XIV

  • "I had no intention of sharing my authority."
  • "I urge you not to forget your duty to God … Try to remain at peace … I loved war too much … Do not follow me in that, or in overspending … Take advice in everything … Lighten your people's burden as soon as possible … Do what I have had the misfortune not to do." (upon his deathbed, to Louis XV of France)
  • "The Pyrenees are no more." -- "Il n'y a plus de Pyrénées." -- (after his grandson Philip V of Spain became King of Spain)
  • "I am the State!" -- "L'état, c'est moi!"
  • "One King, One Law, and One Faith."
  • "One must work hard to reign."
  • "The interest of the State must come first." (Memoirs for the Dauphin)
  • "Up to this moment, I have been pleased to entrust the government … to the late Cardinal. It is now time that I govern … You will assist me … seal no orders except by my command … Render account to me personally."

Quotations about Louis XIV

  • "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 … his vanity was without limit or restraint." -- Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon