Louis XIV - The King of France governs alone.

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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

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 relinquish his family’s claim to the Spanish inheritance, a claim that was to influence French policy later in Louis reign.

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 So in 1660 Louis married Maria Theresa, infanta of Spain.. The following of the death of his god father and prime minister, Cardinal Mazarin the 23 year old monarch announced that he would govern. Although no one believed him and yet he still insisted on conveying a council on a daily a basis from which he excluded all grand nobles surrounding him instead with ministers.

Louis fought four major wars. His great aim was to make himself supreme in Europe. In the first three wars, fought between 1667 and 1697, Louis hoped to recapture all lands that had ...

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