Louis XIV(1638-1715) - king of France from the dynasty Bourbons, reigned 1643-1715. Son Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. Wives: 1) since 1660 Maria Theresa, daughter of King Philip IV of Spain (1638-1683); 2) from 1683 Francoise d'Aubigne, Marquise de Maintenon (1635-1719).
Louis was born on Sunday, September 5, 1638 in the new palace of Saint-Germain-au-Laye. Previously, for twenty-two years, his parents' marriage had been fruitless and, it seemed, would remain so in the future. Therefore, contemporaries greeted the news of the birth of the long-awaited heir with expressions of lively joy. The common people saw this as a sign of God's mercy and called the newborn Dauphin God-given. Very little information has survived about his early childhood. It is unlikely that he remembered his father well, who died in 1643, when Louis was only five years old. Queen Anne soon after left the Louvre and moved to the former Richelieu Palace, renamed the Palais Royal. Here, in a very simple and even wretched environment, the young king spent his childhood. Queen Dowager Anne was considered the ruler of France, but in fact all affairs were managed by her favorite cardinal Mazarin. He was very stingy and almost did not care at all about bringing pleasure to the child king, depriving him of not only games and fun, but even basic necessities: the boy received only two pairs of dresses a year and was forced to wear patches, and was noticed on the sheets huge holes.
Louis's childhood and adolescence were marked by the turbulent events of the civil war, known in history as the Fronde. In January 1649, the royal family, accompanied by several courtiers and ministers, fled to Saint-Germain from Paris in rebellion. Mazarin, against whom the discontent was mainly directed, had to seek refuge even further - in Brussels. Only in 1652, with great difficulty, was it possible to establish internal peace. But in subsequent years, until his death, Mazarin firmly held the reins of power in his hands. In foreign policy, he also achieved important successes. In November 1659, the Peace of the Pyrenees was signed with Spain, ending many years of war between the two kingdoms. The agreement was sealed by the marriage of the French king with his cousin, the Spanish Infanta Maria Theresa. This marriage turned out to be the last act of the all-powerful Mazarin. In March 1661 he died. Until his death, despite the fact that the king had long been considered an adult, the cardinal remained the rightful ruler of the state, and Louis obediently followed his instructions in everything. But as soon as Mazarin died, the king hastened to free himself from all guardianship. He abolished the position of first minister and, having convened the State Council, announced in an imperative tone that from now on he had decided to be his first minister himself and did not want anyone to sign even the most insignificant ordinance on his behalf.
Very few at this time were familiar with the real character of Louis. This young king, who was only 22 years old, had until then attracted attention only for his penchant for ostentation and love affairs. It seemed that he was created exclusively for idleness and pleasure. But it took very little time to be convinced otherwise. As a child, Louis received a very poor upbringing - he was barely taught to read and write. However, he was naturally gifted with common sense, a remarkable ability to understand the essence of things, and a firm determination to maintain his royal dignity. According to the Venetian envoy, “nature itself tried to make Louis XIV such a person who, by his personal qualities, was destined to become the king of the nation.” He was tall and very handsome. There was something courageous or heroic in all his movements. He possessed the ability, very important for a king, to express himself briefly but clearly, and to say no more and no less than what was necessary. All his life he was diligently engaged in government affairs, from which neither entertainment nor old age could tear him away. “They reign through work and for work,” Louis loved to repeat, “and to desire one without the other would be ingratitude and disrespect for the Lord.” Unfortunately, his innate greatness and industriousness served as a cover for the most shameless selfishness. Not a single French king had previously been distinguished by such monstrous pride and egoism; not a single European monarch had so clearly exalted himself above those around him and had not smoked incense to his own greatness with such pleasure. This is clearly visible in everything that concerned Louis: in his court and public life, in his domestic and foreign policies, in his love interests and in his buildings.
All previous royal residences seemed to Louis unworthy of his person. From the first days of his reign, he was preoccupied with thoughts of building a new palace, more consistent with his greatness. For a long time he did not know which of the royal castles to turn into a palace. Finally, in 1662, his choice fell on Versailles (under Louis XIII it was a small hunting castle). However, more than fifty years passed before the new magnificent palace was ready in its main parts. The construction of the ensemble cost approximately 400 million francs and absorbed 12-14% of all government expenditures annually. For two decades, while construction was underway, the royal court did not have a permanent residence: until 1666 it was located mainly in the Louvre, then, in 1666-1671 - in the Tuileries, over the next ten years - alternately in Saint-Germain-au -Lay and Versailles under construction. Finally, in 1682, Versailles became the permanent seat of the court and government. After this, until his death, Louis visited Paris only 16 times for short visits.
The extraordinary splendor of the new apartments corresponded to the complex rules of etiquette established by the king. Everything here has been thought out to the smallest detail. So, if the king wanted to quench his thirst, then it took “five people and four bows” to bring him a glass of water or wine. Usually, upon leaving his bedroom, Louis went to church (the king regularly observed church rituals: every day he went to mass, and when he took medicine or was unwell, he ordered mass to be celebrated in his room; he received communion on major holidays at least four times year and strictly observed the fasts). From the church the king went to the Council, whose meetings continued until lunchtime. On Thursdays he gave audience to anyone who wished to speak with him and always listened to petitioners with patience and courtesy. At one o'clock the king was served dinner. It was always plentiful and consisted of three excellent courses. Louis ate them alone in the presence of his courtiers. Moreover, even the princes of the blood and the Dauphin were not entitled to a chair at this time. Only the king's brother, the Duke of Orleans, was given a stool on which he could sit behind Louis. The meal was usually accompanied by general silence.
After lunch, Louis retired to his office and personally fed the hunting dogs. Then came a walk. At this time, the king poisoned the deer, shot at the menagerie, or visited work. Sometimes he prescribed walks with the ladies and picnics in the forest. In the afternoon, Louis worked alone with secretaries of state or ministers. If he was ill, the Council met in the king's bedroom, and he presided over it while lying in bed.
The evening was dedicated to pleasure. At the appointed hour, a large court society gathered at Versailles. When Louis finally settled in Versailles, he ordered the minting of a medal with the following inscription: “The Royal Palace is open for public entertainment.” Indeed, life at court was distinguished by festivities and external splendor. The so-called "large apartments", that is, the salons of Abundance, Venus, Mars, Diana, Mercury and Apollo, served as something like hallways for the large Mirror Gallery, which was 72 meters long, 10 meters wide, 13 meters high and, according to Madame Sevigne, it was distinguished by the only royal splendor in the world. Its continuation was the Salon of War on the one hand, and the Salon of Peace on the other. All this presented a magnificent spectacle, when decorations made of colored marble, trophies of gilded copper, large mirrors, paintings by Le Brun, furniture made of solid silver, the toilets of ladies and courtiers were illuminated by thousands of candelabra, girandoles and torches. In the entertainment of the court, constant rules were established. In winter, three times a week there was a meeting of the entire court in large apartments, lasting from seven to ten o'clock. Luxurious buffets were held in the halls of Plenty and Venus. A game of billiards was taking place in Diana's hall. In the salons of Mars, Mercury and Apollo there were tables for playing landsknecht, riversi, ombre, pharaoh, portico, etc. The game became an indomitable passion both at court and in the city. “Thousands of louis were scattered on the green table,” wrote Madame Sevigne, “the bets were no less than five, six or seven hundred louis.” Louis himself abandoned the big game after he lost 600 thousand livres in six months in 1676, but in order to please him, it was necessary to risk huge sums on one game. The other three days featured comedies. At first, Italian comedies alternated with French ones, but the Italians allowed themselves such obscenities that they were removed from the court, and in 1697, when the king began to obey the rules of piety, they were expelled from the kingdom. French comedy performed plays on stage Corneille , Racine and especially Moliere, who has always been the royal's favorite playwright. Louis loved to dance and performed roles many times in the ballets of Benserade, Kino and Molière. He gave up this pleasure in 1670, but dancing did not stop at court. Maslenitsa was the season of masquerades. There was no entertainment on Sundays. During the summer months there were often pleasure trips to Trianon, where the king dined with the ladies and rode in gondolas along the canal. Sometimes Marly, Compiegne or Fontainebleau were chosen as the final destination of the journey. At 10 o'clock dinner was served. This ceremony was less prim. Children and grandchildren usually shared meals with the king, sitting at the same table. Then, accompanied by bodyguards and courtiers, Louis walked into his office. He spent the evening with his family, but only the princesses and the Prince of Orleans could sit with him. At about 12 o'clock the king fed the dogs, said good night and went to his bedroom, where he went to bed with many ceremonies. Sleeping food and drink were left on the table next to him for the night.
In his youth, Louis was distinguished by an ardent disposition and was very much indifferent to pretty women. Despite the beauty of the young queen, he was not for one minute in love with his wife and was constantly looking for amorous entertainment on the side. In March 1661, Louis's brother, the Duke of Orleans, married the daughter of the English King Charles I, Henriette. At first, the king showed a keen interest in his daughter-in-law and began to often visit her in Saint-Germain, but then he became interested in her maid of honor, seventeen-year-old Louise de la Vallière. According to contemporaries, this girl, gifted with a lively and tender heart, was very sweet, but could hardly be considered an exemplary beauty. She limped a little and was a little pockmarked, but had beautiful blue eyes and blond hair. Her love for the king was sincere and deep. According to Voltaire, she brought Louis that rare happiness that he was loved only for his own sake. However, the feelings that the king had for de la Vallière also had all the properties of true love. Numerous cases are cited to support this. Some of them seem so extraordinary that it is difficult to believe in them. So one day, during a walk, a thunderstorm broke out, and the king, hiding with de la Vallière under the protection of a branchy tree, stood in the rain for two hours, covering her with his hat. Louis bought the Biron Palace for La Vallière and visited her here every day. The relationship with her lasted from 1661 to 1667. During this time, the favorite gave birth to four children for the king, two of whom survived. Louis legitimized them under the names of the Count of Vermandois and the Maiden de Blois. In 1667, he granted his mistress the ducal title and since then began to gradually move away from her.
The king's new hobby was the Marquise de Montespan. Both in appearance and in character, the Marquise was the complete opposite of La Vallière: ardent, black-haired, she was very beautiful, but completely devoid of the languor and tenderness that were characteristic of her rival. Possessing a clear and practical mind, she knew well what she needed, and was preparing to sell her caresses very expensively. For a long time, the king, blinded by his love for La Valliere, did not notice the merits of her rival. But when the former feelings lost their sharpness, the beauty of the marquise and her lively mind made a due impression on Louis. They were especially brought together by the 1667 military campaign in Belgium, which turned into a pleasure trip for the court to places of military action. Noticing the king's indifference, the unfortunate la Vallière once dared to reproach Louis. The angry king threw a small dog into her lap and said: “Take it, madam, this is enough for you!” - went to Madame de Montespan’s room, which was nearby. Convinced that the king had completely stopped loving her, La Vallière did not interfere with her new favorite, she retired to the Carmelite monastery and took monastic vows there in 1675. The Marquise de Montespan, as an intelligent and highly educated woman, patronized all the writers who glorified the reign of Louis XIV, but at the same time she did not forget about her interests for a minute: the rapprochement between the marquise and the king began with the fact that Louis gave her family 800 thousand livres to pay debts, and in addition 600 thousand to the Duke of Vivon upon his marriage. This golden shower did not diminish in the future.
The king's relationship with the Marquise de Montespan lasted sixteen years. During this time, Louis had many other novels, more or less serious. In 1674, Princess Soubise gave birth to a son very similar to the king. Then Madame de Ludre, the Countess of Grammont and the damsel Guedam enjoyed the attention of Louis. But all these were fleeting hobbies. The marquise met a more serious rival in the person of the maiden Fontanges (Louis granted her a duchess), who, according to Abbe Choisely, “was as good as an angel, but extremely stupid.” The king was very much in love with her in 1679. But the poor thing burned her ships too quickly - she did not know how to maintain the fire in the heart of the sovereign, already satiated with voluptuousness. An early pregnancy disfigured her beauty, the birth was unhappy, and in the summer of 1681 Madame Fontanges died suddenly. She was like a meteor flashing across the court firmament. The Marquise of Montespan did not hide her malicious joy, but her time as a favorite had also come to an end.
While the king indulged in sensual pleasures, the Marquise of Montespan remained for many years the uncrowned queen of France. But when Louis began to cool down to love adventures, a woman of a completely different type took possession of his heart. This was Madame d'Aubigné, daughter of the famous Agrippa d'Aubigné and widow of the poet Scarron, known in history as the Marquise de Maintenon. Before becoming the king's favorite, for a long time she served as governess to his side children (from 1667 to 1681, the Marquise de Montespan gave birth to Louis eight children, four of whom reached adulthood). All of them were given to be raised by Mrs. Scarron. The king, who loved his children very much, did not pay attention to their teacher for a long time, but one day, while talking with the little Duke of Maine, he was very pleased with his apt answers. “Sire,” the boy answered him, “don’t be surprised by my reasonable words: I am being raised by a lady who can be called incarnate reason.” This review made Louis look more closely at his son's governess. While talking with her, he had more than once occasion to verify the truth of the Duke of Maine’s words. Having appreciated Madame Scarron according to her merits, the king in 1674 granted her the estate of Maintenon with the right to bear this name and the title of marquise. From then on, Madame Maintenon began to fight for the heart of the king and every year she took Louis more and more into her hands. The king spent hours talking with the marquise about the future of her pupils, visited her when she was sick, and soon became almost inseparable from her. From 1683, after the removal of the Marquise de Montespan and the death of Queen Maria Theresa, Madame de Maintenon acquired unlimited influence over the king. Their rapprochement ended in a secret marriage in January 1684. Approving all the orders of Louis, Madame de Maintenon, on occasion, gave him advice and guided him. The king had the deepest respect and trust for the marquise; under her influence he became very religious, abandoned all love affairs and began to lead a more moral lifestyle. However, most contemporaries believed that Louis went from one extreme to the other and turned from debauchery to bigotry. Be that as it may, in his old age the king completely abandoned noisy gatherings, holidays and performances. They were replaced by sermons, reading moral books and soul-saving conversations with the Jesuits. Through this, Madame Maintenon's influence on state and especially religious affairs was enormous, but not always beneficial.
The oppression to which the Huguenots were subjected from the very beginning of Louis's reign culminated in October 1685 with the repeal of the Edict of Nantes. Protestants were allowed to remain in France, but were prohibited from publicly worshiping and raising children in the Calvinist faith. Four hundred thousand Huguenots preferred exile to this humiliating condition. Many of them fled from military service. During the mass emigration, 60 million livres were exported from France. Trade fell into decline, and thousands of the best French sailors entered the service of the enemy fleets. The political and economic situation of France, which was already far from brilliant at the end of the 17th century, deteriorated even further.
The brilliant atmosphere of the Versailles court often made one forget how difficult the then regime was for the common people and especially for the peasants, who bore the burden of state duties. Under no previous sovereign did France wage such a number of large-scale wars of conquest as under Louis XIV. They began with the so-called Devolution War. After the death of the Spanish King Philip IV, Louis, on behalf of his wife, laid claim to part of the Spanish inheritance and attempted to conquer Belgium. In 1667, the French army captured Armentieres, Charleroi, Berg, Furne and the entire southern part of coastal Flanders. Besieged Lille surrendered in August. Louis showed personal courage there and inspired everyone with his presence. To stop the offensive movement of the French, Holland in 1668 united with Sweden and England. In response, Louis moved troops to Burgundy and Franche-Comté. Besançon, Salin and Grae were taken. In May, under the terms of the Treaty of Aachen, the king returned Franche-Comté to the Spaniards, but retained the gains made in Flanders.
But this peace was only a respite before the great war with Holland. It began in June 1672 with the sudden invasion of French troops. To stop the enemy invasion, Stadtholder William of Orange ordered the dams to be opened and flooded the entire country with water. Emperor Leopold, the Protestant German princes, the King of Denmark and the King of Spain soon sided with Holland. This coalition was called the Grand Alliance. Military operations were carried out partly in Belgium, partly on the banks of the Rhine. In 1673 the French took Mastricht, and in 1674 they captured Franche-Comté. The Dutch were defeated in a bloody battle at Senef. Marshal Turenne, who commanded the French army, defeated the imperial troops in three battles, forced them to retreat across the Rhine and captured all of Alsace. In the following years, despite the defeat at Consarbrück, the French successes continued. Condé, Valenciennes, Bouchaine and Combray were taken. William of Orange was defeated at Kassel (1675-1677). At the same time, the French fleet won several victories over the Spaniards and began to dominate the Mediterranean Sea. Nevertheless, the continuation of the war turned out to be very ruinous for France. The population, which had reached extreme poverty, rebelled against excessive taxes. In 1678-1679, peace treaties were signed in Nymwegen. Spain ceded to Louis Franche-Comté, Er, Cassel, Ypres, Cambrai, Bouchen and some other cities in Belgium. Alsace and Lorraine remained with France.
The reason for the new European war was the capture of Strasbourg and Casale by the French in 1681. The Spanish king declared war on Louis. The French won several victories in Belgium and took Luxembourg. According to the Regensburg Truce, Strasbourg, Kehl, Luxembourg and a number of other fortresses went to France. This was the time of the greatest power of Louis. But it didn't last long. In 1686, through the efforts of William of Orange, a new coalition was created against France, known as the League of Augsburg. It included Austria, Spain, Holland, Sweden and several German principalities. The war began in October 1687 with the Dauphin's invasion of the Palatinate, the capture of Philippsburg, Mannheim and some other cities. Many of them, including Speyer, Worms, Bingen and Oppenheim, were destroyed to the ground. This senseless devastation caused a wave of hatred throughout Germany. Meanwhile, a revolution took place in England, ending with the deposition of James II. William of Orange became the English king in 1688 and immediately included his new subjects in the League of Augsburg. France had to wage war against all of Europe. Louis tried to raise a Catholic uprising in Ireland in support of the deposed James II. The English fleet was defeated in two battles: in Bantry Bay and near Cape Beachy Ged. But in the battle on the banks of the Boyona, William inflicted a decisive defeat on the Irish army. By 1691, all of Ireland was re-conquered by the British. In 1692, the French squadron suffered heavy damage during the battle in Cherbourg harbor, after which the Anglo-Dutch fleet began to dominate the sea. On land, the war was going on simultaneously on the banks of the Moselle, the Rhine, in the Alps and the eastern Pyrenees. In the Netherlands, the French Marshal Luxembourg won a victory near Flerus, and in 1692 he defeated William of Orange near Steinkerke and on the Neerwinden Plain. Another French marshal, Catinat, defeated the army of the Duke of Savoy under Staffard in 1690. The following year he took possession of Nice, Montmelian and the County of Savoy. In 1692, the Duke of Savoy invaded the Alps, but retreated in great disorder. In Spain, Girona was taken in 1694, and Barcelona in 1697. However, fighting without any allies against numerous enemies, Louis soon exhausted his funds. Ten years of war cost him 700 million livres. In 1690, the king was forced to send the magnificent solid silver furniture of his palace to the mint for melting, as well as tables, candelabra, stools, washstands, incense burners and even his throne. Collecting taxes became more and more difficult every year. One of the reports from 1687 said: “Everywhere the number of families has decreased significantly. Poverty drove the peasants in different directions; they went to beg and then died in hospitals. In all areas there is a significant decrease in people and almost universal ruin.” Louis began to seek peace. In 1696, he signed a treaty with the Duke of Savoy, returning to him all the conquered areas. The following year, the general Treaty of Ryswick was concluded, difficult for France and humiliating for Louis personally. He recognized William as King of England and promised not to provide any support to the Stuarts. All cities beyond the Rhine were returned to the emperor. Lorraine, occupied in 1633 by the Duke of Richelieu, went to its former Duke Leopold. Spain regained Luxembourg and Catalonia. Thus, this bloody war ended with the retention of Strasbourg alone.
However, the most destructive for France was the War of the Spanish Succession. In October 1700, the childless Spanish king Charles II declared Louis XIV's grandson, Philip of Anjou, his heir, with the condition, however, that the Spanish possessions would never be annexed to the French crown. Louis accepted this will, but reserved for his grandson (who, after his coronation in Spain, took the name Philip V) the rights to the French throne and introduced French garrisons into some of the Belgian cities. In view of this, England, Austria and Holland began to prepare for war. In September 1701 they restored the Great Coalition of 1689. The war began in the summer of that year with the invasion of the Duchy of Milan (which belonged to Philip as the Spanish king) by imperial troops under the command of Prince Eugene.
At first, military operations in Italy developed successfully for France, but the betrayal of the Duke of Savoy in 1702 gave the Austrians an advantage. An English army led by the Duke of Marlborough landed in Belgium. At the same time, a war began in Spain, complicated by the fact that the Portuguese king went over to the side of the coalition. This allowed the British and the emperor's son Charles to begin successful actions against Philip directly in his state. Trans-Rhine Germany became the fourth theater of military operations. The French occupied Lorraine, entered Nancy, and in 1703 moved to the banks of the Danube and began to threaten Vienna itself. Marlborough and Prince Eugene rushed to the rescue of Emperor Leopold. In August 1704, the decisive battle of Gechstedt took place, in which the French were completely defeated. All of southern Germany was then lost to them, and a long series of failures began that haunted the great king until his death. Sadness reigned in Versailles under the influence of unpleasant news constantly received from all sides. In May 1706, the French were defeated at Ramilly, near Brussels, and had to clear Belgium. Antwerp, Ostend and Brussels surrendered to the Duke of Marlborough without any resistance. In Italy, the French were defeated near Turin by Prince Eugene and retreated, abandoning all their artillery. The Austrians took possession of the duchies of Milan and Mantua, entered Neapolitan territory and were well received by the local population. The British took possession of Sardinia, Minorca and the Balearic Islands. In June 1707, an Austrian army of forty thousand crossed the Alps, invaded Provence and besieged Toulon for five months, but, having achieved no success, retreated in great disorder. At the same time, things were going very badly in Spain: Philip was expelled from Madrid, the northern provinces broke away from him, and he remained on the throne only thanks to the courage of the Castilians. In 1708, the allies won a victory at Oudenard and, after a two-month siege, took Lille. There was no end in sight to the war, and meanwhile the French began to experience terrible hardships. Hunger and poverty were intensified by the unprecedentedly harsh winter of 1709. About 30 thousand people died in Ile-de-France alone. Versailles began to besieged by crowds of beggars begging for alms. All the royal gold dishes were melted down, and even at Madame de Maintenon’s table they began to serve black bread instead of white. In the spring, a fierce battle took place at Malplaquet, in which more than 30 thousand people died on both sides. The French retreated again and surrendered Mons to the enemy. However, the enemy's advance deeper into French territory cost him more and more casualties. In Spain, Philip managed to turn the tide of the war in his favor and won several important victories. In view of this, the British began to lean toward peace. Negotiations began, but hostilities continued. In 1712, Prince Eugene made another invasion of France, ending in a bloody defeat at Denain. This battle ended the war and allowed Louis to end it on fairly acceptable terms. In July 1713, a peace treaty was signed in Utrecht. Peace terms with Austria were agreed upon the following year at Rishtadt Castle. France's losses were not very significant. Spain lost much more, losing all its European possessions outside the Iberian Peninsula in this war. In addition, Philip V renounced all claims to the French throne.
Foreign policy failures were accompanied by family misfortunes. In April 1711, the king's son, the Grand Dauphin Louis, died of malignant smallpox in Meudon. His eldest son, the Duke of Burgundy, was declared heir to the throne. The following year, 1712, preceding the conclusion of the Peace of Utrecht, became a year of grave losses for the royal family. In early February, the wife of the new Dauphin, the Duchess of Burgundy, suddenly died. After her death, correspondence was opened that she conducted with the heads of hostile powers, revealing to them all French secrets. Soon the Duke of Burgundy himself fell ill with a fever and died ten days after the death of his wife. According to the law, the Dauphin's successor should have been his eldest son, the Duke of Brittany, but this child also died of scarlet fever on March 8. The title of Dauphin passed to his younger brother, the Duke of Anjou, at that time an infant. But the misfortunes did not stop there - soon this heir also fell ill with some kind of malignant rash, combined with thinness and signs of tabes. Doctors expected him to die any hour. When he finally recovered, it was perceived as a miracle. But the series of deaths did not stop there: the second grandson of Louis XIV, the Duke of Berry, died suddenly in May 1714.
After the death of his children and grandchildren, Louis became sad and gloomy. Violating all the laws of etiquette, he adopted the lazy habits of the old man: he got up late, took and ate while lying in bed, sat for hours at a time, immersed in his large armchairs, despite all the efforts of Madame Maintenon and the doctors to stir him up - he could no longer resist your decrepitude. The king showed the first signs of an incurable senile disease in August 1715. On the 24th, spots of Antonov's fire appeared on the patient's left leg. It became obvious that his days were numbered. On the 27th, Louis gave his last dying orders. The chamberlains who were with him in the room were crying. “Why are you crying?” said the king. “When should I die, if not at my age? Or did you think that I was immortal?” On August 30, the agony began, and on September 1, Louis XIV breathed his last.
K. Ryzhov. "All the monarchs of the world. Western Europe" - M.: Veche, 1999.
Louis XIV reigned for 72 years, longer than any other European monarch. He became king at the age of four, took full power into his own hands at 23 and ruled for 54 years. “The state is me!” - Louis XIV did not say these words, but the state has always been associated with the personality of the ruler. Therefore, if we talk about the blunders and mistakes of Louis XIV (the war with Holland, the repeal of the Edict of Nantes, etc.), then the assets of the reign should also be credited to him.
The development of trade and manufacturing, the emergence of the French colonial empire, the reform of the army and the creation of the navy, the development of the arts and sciences, the construction of Versailles and, finally, the transformation of France into a modern state. These are not all the achievements of the Century of Louis XIV. So what was this ruler who gave his name to his time?
Louis XIV de Bourbon.
Louis XIV de Bourbon, who received the name Louis-Dieudonné (“God-given”) at birth, was born on September 5, 1638. The name “God-given” appeared for a reason. Queen Anne of Austria gave birth to an heir at the age of 37.
For 22 years, the marriage of Louis's parents was barren, and therefore the birth of an heir was perceived by the people as a miracle. After the death of his father, young Louis and his mother moved to the Palais Royal, the former palace of Cardinal Richelieu. Here the little king was brought up in a very simple and sometimes squalid environment.
His mother was considered regent of France, but real power lay in the hands of her favorite, Cardinal Mazarin. He was very stingy and did not care at all not only about providing pleasure to the child king, but even about his availability of basic necessities.
The first years of Louis's formal reign included the events of a civil war known as the Fronde. In January 1649, an uprising against Mazarin broke out in Paris. The king and ministers had to flee to Saint-Germain, and Mazarin generally fled to Brussels. Peace was restored only in 1652, and power returned to the hands of the cardinal. Despite the fact that the king was already considered an adult, Mazarin ruled France until his death.
Giulio Mazarin - church and political leader and first minister of France in 1643-1651 and 1653-1661. He took up the post under the patronage of Queen Anne of Austria.
In 1659, peace was signed with Spain. The agreement was sealed by the marriage of Louis with Maria Theresa, who was his cousin. When Mazarin died in 1661, Louis, having received his freedom, hastened to get rid of all guardianship over himself.
He abolished the position of first minister, announcing to the State Council that from now on he himself would be the first minister, and no decree, even the most insignificant, should be signed by anyone on his behalf.
Louis was poorly educated, barely able to read and write, but had common sense and a strong determination to maintain his royal dignity. He was tall, handsome, had a noble bearing, and tried to express himself briefly and clearly. Unfortunately, he was overly selfish, as no European monarch was distinguished by monstrous pride and selfishness. All previous royal residences seemed to Louis unworthy of his greatness.
After some deliberation, in 1662 he decided to turn the small hunting castle of Versailles into a royal palace. It took 50 years and 400 million francs. Until 1666, the king had to live in the Louvre, from 1666 to 1671. in the Tuileries, from 1671 to 1681, alternately in the Versailles under construction and Saint-Germain-O-l"E. Finally, from 1682, Versailles became the permanent residence of the royal court and government. From now on, Louis visited Paris only on short visits.
The king's new palace was distinguished by its extraordinary splendor. The so-called (large apartments) - six salons, named after ancient deities - served as hallways for the Mirror Gallery, 72 meters long, 10 meters wide and 16 meters high. Buffets were held in the salons, and guests played billiards and cards.
The Great Condé greets Louis XIV on the Staircase at Versailles.
In general, card games became an uncontrollable passion at court. The bets reached several thousand livres at stake, and Louis himself stopped playing only after he lost 600 thousand livres in six months in 1676.
Also comedies were staged in the palace, first by Italian and then by French authors: Corneille, Racine and especially often Moliere. In addition, Louis loved to dance, and repeatedly took part in ballet performances at court.
The splendor of the palace also corresponded to the complex rules of etiquette established by Louis. Any action was accompanied by a whole set of carefully designed ceremonies. Meals, going to bed, even basic quenching of thirst during the day - everything was turned into complex rituals.
War against everyone
If the king were only concerned with the construction of Versailles, the rise of the economy and the development of the arts, then, probably, the respect and love of his subjects for the Sun King would be limitless. However, the ambitions of Louis XIV extended much beyond the borders of his state.
By the early 1680s, Louis XIV had the most powerful army in Europe, which only whetted his appetite. In 1681, he established chambers of reunification to determine the rights of the French crown to certain areas, seizing more and more lands in Europe and Africa.
In 1688, Louis XIV's claims to the Palatinate led to the whole of Europe turning against him. The so-called War of the League of Augsburg lasted for nine years and resulted in the parties maintaining the status quo. But the huge expenses and losses incurred by France led to a new economic decline in the country and a depletion of funds.
But already in 1701, France was drawn into a long conflict called the War of the Spanish Succession. Louis XIV hoped to defend the rights to the Spanish throne for his grandson, who was to become the head of two states. However, the war, which engulfed not only Europe, but also North America, ended unsuccessfully for France.
According to the peace concluded in 1713 and 1714, the grandson of Louis XIV retained the Spanish crown, but its Italian and Dutch possessions were lost, and England, by destroying the Franco-Spanish fleets and conquering a number of colonies, laid the foundation for its maritime dominion. In addition, the project of uniting France and Spain under the hand of the French monarch had to be abandoned.
Sale of offices and expulsion of the Huguenots
This last military campaign of Louis XIV returned him to where he started - the country was mired in debt and groaning under the burden of taxes, and here and there uprisings broke out, the suppression of which required more and more resources.
The need to replenish the budget led to non-trivial decisions. Under Louis XIV, the trade in government positions was put on stream, reaching its maximum extent in the last years of his life. To replenish the treasury, more and more new positions were created, which, of course, brought chaos and discord into the activities of state institutions.
Louis XIV on coins.
The ranks of opponents of Louis XIV were joined by French Protestants after the “Edict of Fontainebleau” was signed in 1685, repealing the Edict of Nantes of Henry IV, which guaranteed freedom of religion to the Huguenots.
After this, more than 200 thousand French Protestants emigrated from the country, despite strict penalties for emigration. The exodus of tens of thousands of economically active citizens dealt another painful blow to the power of France.
The unloved queen and the meek lame woman
At all times and eras, the personal life of monarchs influenced politics. Louis XIV is no exception in this sense. The monarch once remarked: “It would be easier for me to reconcile all of Europe than a few women.”
His official wife in 1660 was a peer, the Spanish Infanta Maria Theresa, who was Louis’s cousin on both his father and mother.
The problem with this marriage, however, was not the close family ties of the spouses. Louis simply did not love Maria Theresa, but he meekly agreed to the marriage, which had important political significance. The wife bore the king six children, but five of them died in childhood. Only the first-born survived, named, like his father, Louis and who went down in history under the name of the Grand Dauphin.
The marriage of Louis XIV took place in 1660.
For the sake of marriage, Louis broke off relations with the woman he really loved - the niece of Cardinal Mazarin. Perhaps the separation from his beloved also influenced the king’s attitude towards his legal wife. Maria Theresa accepted her fate. Unlike other French queens, she did not intrigue or get involved in politics, playing a prescribed role. When the queen died in 1683, Louis said: “ This is the only worry in my life that she has caused me.».
The king compensated for the lack of feelings in marriage with relationships with his favorites. For nine years, Louise-Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc, Duchess de La Vallière, became Louis's sweetheart. Louise was not distinguished by dazzling beauty, and, moreover, due to an unsuccessful fall from a horse, she remained lame for the rest of her life. But the meekness, friendliness and sharp mind of Lamefoot attracted the attention of the king.
Louise bore Louis four children, two of whom lived to adulthood. The king treated Louise quite cruelly. Having begun to grow cold towards her, he settled his rejected mistress next to his new favorite - Marquise Françoise Athenaïs de Montespan. The Duchess de La Valliere was forced to endure the bullying of her rival. She endured everything with her characteristic meekness, and in 1675 she became a nun and lived for many years in a monastery, where she was called Louise the Merciful.
There was not a shadow of the meekness of her predecessor in the lady before Montespan. A representative of one of the most ancient noble families in France, Françoise not only became the official favorite, but for 10 years turned into the “true queen of France.”
Marquise de Montespan with four legitimized children. 1677 Palace of Versailles.
Françoise loved luxury and did not like counting money. It was the Marquise de Montespan who turned the reign of Louis XIV from deliberate budgeting to unrestrained and unlimited spending. Capricious, envious, domineering and ambitious, Francoise knew how to subjugate the king to her will. New apartments were built for her in Versailles, and she managed to place all her close relatives in significant government positions.
Françoise de Montespan bore Louis seven children, four of whom lived to adulthood. But the relationship between Françoise and the king was not as faithful as with Louise. Louis allowed himself hobbies besides his official favorite, which infuriated Madame de Montespan.
To keep the king with her, she began to practice black magic and even became involved in a high-profile poisoning case. The king did not punish her with death, but deprived her of the status of a favorite, which was much more terrible for her.
Like her predecessor, Louise le Lavalier, the Marquise de Montespan exchanged the royal chambers for a monastery.
Time for repentance
Louis's new favorite was the Marquise de Maintenon, the widow of the poet Scarron, who was the governess of the king's children from Madame de Montespan.
This king's favorite was called the same as her predecessor, Françoise, but the women were as different from each other as heaven and earth. The king had long conversations with the Marquise de Maintenon about the meaning of life, about religion, about responsibility before God. The royal court replaced its splendor with chastity and high morality.
Madame de Maintenon.
After the death of his official wife, Louis XIV secretly married the Marquise de Maintenon. Now the king was occupied not with balls and festivities, but with masses and reading the Bible. The only entertainment he allowed himself was hunting.
The Marquise de Maintenon founded and directed Europe's first secular school for women, called the Royal House of Saint Louis. The school in Saint-Cyr became an example for many similar institutions, including the Smolny Institute in St. Petersburg.
For her strict disposition and intolerance to secular entertainment, the Marquise de Maintenon received the nickname the Black Queen. She survived Louis and after his death retired to Saint-Cyr, living the rest of her days among the pupils of her school.
Illegitimate Bourbons
Louis XIV recognized his illegitimate children from both Louise de La Vallière and Françoise de Montespan. They all received their father's surname - de Bourbon, and dad tried to arrange their lives.
Louis, Louise's son, was already promoted to French admiral at the age of two, and as an adult he went on a military campaign with his father. There, at the age of 16, the young man died.
Louis-Auguste, son from Françoise, received the title of Duke of Maine, became a French commander and in this capacity accepted the godson of Peter I and Alexander Pushkin's great-grandfather Abram Petrovich Hannibal for military training.
Grand Dauphin Louis. The only surviving legitimate child of Louis XIV by Maria Theresa of Spain.
Françoise Marie, Louis's youngest daughter, was married to Philippe d'Orléans, becoming Duchess of Orléans. Possessing the character of her mother, Françoise-Marie plunged headlong into political intrigue. Her husband became the French regent under the young King Louis XV, and Françoise-Marie's children married the scions of other European royal dynasties.
In a word, not many illegitimate children of ruling persons suffered the same fate that befell the sons and daughters of Louis XIV.
“Did you really think that I would live forever?”
The last years of the king's life turned out to be a difficult ordeal for him. The man, who throughout his life defended the chosenness of the monarch and his right to autocratic rule, experienced not only the crisis of his state. His close people left one after another, and it turned out that there was simply no one to transfer power to.
On April 13, 1711, his son, the Grand Dauphin Louis, died. In February 1712, the Dauphin's eldest son, the Duke of Burgundy, died, and on March 8 of the same year, the latter's eldest son, the young Duke of Breton, died.
On March 4, 1714, the Duke of Burgundy's younger brother, the Duke of Berry, fell from his horse and died a few days later. The only heir was the 4-year-old great-grandson of the king, the youngest son of the Duke of Burgundy. If this little one had died, the throne would have remained vacant after the death of Louis.
This forced the king to include even his illegitimate sons in the list of heirs, which promised internal civil strife in France in the future.
Louis XIV.
At 76 years old, Louis remained energetic, active and, as in his youth, regularly went hunting. During one of these trips, the king fell and injured his leg. Doctors discovered that the injury had caused gangrene and suggested amputation. The Sun King refused: this is unacceptable for royal dignity. The disease progressed rapidly, and soon agony began, lasting for several days.
At the moment of clarity of consciousness, Louis looked around those present and uttered his last aphorism:
- Why are you crying? Did you really think that I would live forever?
On September 1, 1715, at about 8 o'clock in the morning, Louis XIV died in his palace at Versailles, four days short of his 77th birthday.
Compilation of material - FoxReign of Louis XIV
Louis XIV de Bourbon, also known as the "Sun King", also Louis the Great, (born September 5, 1638, died September 1, 1715) - King of France and Navarre since May 14, 1643.
Not every European monarch could say about himself: “The State is me.” However, these words rightfully apply to Louis XIV, whose reign became the period of the highest flowering of absolutism in France.
Childhood and young years
The Sun King, the luxury of whose court eclipsed all the august courts of Europe, is the son of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. The boy was 5 years old when, after the death of his father, he inherited the throne of France and Navarre. But at that time, the dowager queen became the sole ruler of the country, contrary to her husband’s will, which provided for the creation of a regency council.
But in reality, power was concentrated in the hands of her favorite Cardinal Mazarin - a man who was extremely unpopular, even despised by all layers of society, hypocritical and treacherous, who was characterized by insatiable acquisitiveness. It was he who became the tutor of the young sovereign.
The cardinal taught him methods of conducting government affairs, diplomatic negotiations, and political psychology. He was able to instill in his student a taste for secrecy, a passion for fame, and faith in his own infallibility. The young man became vindictive. He forgot nothing and did not forgive.
Louis XIV had a contradictory character. He combined hard work, determination and firmness in implementing his plans with unshakable stubbornness. Appreciating educated and talented people, he meanwhile selected into his circle those who could not outshine him in anything. The king was characterized by extraordinary conceit and lust for power, selfishness and coldness, heartlessness and hypocrisy.
The characteristics given to the king by different people are contradictory. His contemporary Duke Saint-Simon noted: “Praise, or better yet, flattery, pleased him so much that he willingly accepted the rudest, and savored the lowest even more. Only in this way was it possible to approach him... Cunning, baseness, servility, a humiliated pose, groveling... - this was the only way to please him.
As soon as a person deviated even a little from this path, there was no turning back.” Voltaire considered him “a good father, a skillful ruler, always decent in public, hardworking, impeccable in business, thoughtful, easy to speak, combining courtesy with dignity.” And he said that Louis XIV “was a great king: it was he who elevated France to the rank of the first nations of Europe... Which French king from time to time can compare with Louis in all respects?”
Be that as it may, any of these characteristics suits Louis. He was a worthy student of Cardinal Mazarin.
The Emperor was well built, even graceful, and, despite all the “efforts” of the doctors, had enviable health. The only illness that haunted him all his life was insatiable hunger. He ate both day and night, swallowing food in large pieces. Physically, the monarch remained quite strong in old age: he rode horseback, drove a carriage with four horses, and shot accurately while hunting.
Rise to power
From his childhood, from 1648, the king was faced with actions of the Fronde (nobility), directed both personally against Mazarin and against the strengthening of absolutism. These protests resulted in a civil war. But in 1661, Louis was officially declared an adult. In his short speech in parliament, he said: “Gentlemen, I came to my parliament to tell you that, according to the law of my state, I am taking the government into my own hands...”
Now any speeches against the cardinal could be considered treason or a crime against His Majesty, because Mazarin only had the appearance of power: now only Louis XIV signed laws, made decisions, and appointed ministers. At this time, he, while accepting with satisfaction the activities of the Prime Minister in the field of foreign policy, diplomacy and military affairs, expressed dissatisfaction with the situation in domestic politics, finance, and management.
Reign of Louis XIV
Cardinal Mazarin
After the death of the cardinal in 1661, the king declared at a meeting of the Council of State: “I have assembled you with my ministers and secretaries of state to tell you... the time has come for me to govern myself. You will help me with your advice when I ask you for it.” And when the council was dissolved, he added that he would “convene them when it is necessary to find out their opinion.” However, the State Council never met again.
Louis XIV created a government completely controlled by him, consisting of three people: the chancellor, the controller general of finance and the secretary of state for foreign affairs. Now even his mother could not influence his decision. In France, a system began to take shape that in the 20th century would be called administrative. The monarch received the right, based on the interests of the public good, to go beyond the limits of power prescribed to him: the powers of parliament were limited: it was deprived of the opportunity to influence the course of public affairs, to make even minor amendments to royal ordinances and legislative acts.
Disobedience and free-thinking of citizens were severely punished: death penalty, life imprisonment, hard labor, galleys. At the same time, a certain semblance of democracy was maintained. At times, public investigations were carried out. This is the case of the abuses of the Minister of Finance Fouquet, and the case of poisoning, in which a number of courtiers and even titled persons were brought to justice. An income tax was introduced, which was also mandatory for nobles. Millions of sums were invested in the development of manufacturing and trade, which greatly contributed to the improvement of the economic situation of France and helped restore the fleet and create the largest army in Europe.
Foreign policy
The king’s foreign policy was a continuation of the policy of Mazarin and his predecessor: “He who has strength has the right in the affairs of the state,” Richelieu indicated in his will, “and he who is weak can hardly remove himself from the ranks of the wrong in the eyes of the majority.” " Significant military forces were created that were supposed to serve the glory and power of the dynasty, because the central problem at this time was the struggle against domination in Europe at home and to establish Bourbon hegemony.
This began with Louis's claims to the Spanish inheritance, to the throne of Spain, which the Spanish infanta renounced upon her marriage to the French king. France put forward claims to the entire Spanish Netherlands and a number of German lands. The confrontation with England, which formed an anti-French coalition, intensified. Although Louis XIV was unable to establish hegemony in Europe, he left the state better protected than what he inherited: the Bourbons owned Spain and the colonies, and the eastern border was strengthened. His armies fought on the territory of the Holy Roman Empire, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and America.
Domestic policy
Continuous wars depleted the treasury, a financial crisis threatened, and there were several years of poor harvests. All this led to unrest in the city and countryside, food riots. The government resorted to brutal repression. In a number of cities, entire streets and even districts were demolished.
Terror against the Huguenots intensified: they began to expel Protestant pastors, destroy Protestant churches, banned the departure of Huguenots from the country, Catholic baptism and marriage became mandatory. All this led to many French Protestants renouncing their faith, but the king's goal of restoring the Catholic faith was not achieved. Protestantism went underground, and at the beginning of the 18th century there was a Huguenot uprising, which in some places took on the scale of a civil war. Only in 1760 were regular troops able to suppress it.
Royal Court of Louis XIV
Not only the constant wars, but also the maintenance of the royal court, which numbered about 20 thousand people, was a heavy burden on the state’s finances. Festive performances, theatrical and musical performances were constantly organized at the court, which remained in the memory of posterity for a long time.
But the monarch was engaged not only in entertainment, but also in the affairs of his subjects: on Mondays, in the premises of the royal guard, on a large table, petitioners folded their letters, which were then sorted by secretaries and handed over with the appropriate report to the king. He personally made decisions on each case. This is what Louis did in all his affairs. “France is a monarchy,” he wrote, “the king represents the whole nation in it, and before the king everyone is only a private person. Therefore, all power, all strength is concentrated in the hands of the king, and no other power can exist in the kingdom except that which is established by him.”
At the same time, the court of Louis XIV was distinguished by a wide variety of vices and perversions. The courtiers were addicted to gambling to such an extent that they lost estates, fortunes and even life itself. Drunkenness, homosexuality, and lesbianism flourished. Holiday expenses were frequent and ruinous. So, only Marshal Bufflet, the commander of the troops, supported 72 cooks and 340 servants. Meat, game, fish, even drinking water were brought to him from various parts of the country, even from abroad.
Maria Theresa (wife of Louis XIV)
Against this background, Louis preferred to emphasize his modesty. He wore a cloth or satin camisole, mostly brown. Only the shoe buckles, garters and hat were decorated with jewelry. On special occasions, the monarch wore a long blue order ribbon with precious stones worth up to 10 million livres under his caftan.
For a long time, the king did not have a permanent residence. He lived and worked either in the Louvre and the Tuileries in Paris, then in the Chambord Palace, 165 km from the capital, then in the Saint-Germain Palace, then in Vincennes, then in Fontainebleau. In this regard, Louis XIV and his court often traveled around, carrying furniture, carpets, linen, and dishes in multi-kilometer convoys.
Only in 1682 did the move to the still unfinished Palace of Versailles take place, which over time became one of the wonders of French and world culture and cost 60 million livres. With its construction, the king, who chose the sun as his emblem back in 1662, wanted to express his greatness. The palace had 1252 rooms with fireplaces and 600 without them. Next to the royal bedroom was the Great Gallery, or gallery of mirrors, 75 m long and 10 m wide, with 17 windows and a panel of 400 mirrors. There, on special days, 3 thousand candles burned. Only in the 90s. life from Versailles began to move to Paris, facilitated by economic and financial difficulties and, to a large extent, the influence of Madame de Maintenon.
Personal life of the king
Despite the easy morals of the royal court, the king, a pious man, did not encourage debauchery, although he had many fleeting connections and even long-term affections that lasted for years. He visited his wife Maria Theresa every night; none of the favorites could influence his political decisions. The exact number of love affairs of the monarch is shrouded in mystery. His first deep relationship arose with Maria Mancini, Mazarin’s niece, back in 1658, he even wanted to marry her.
But under pressure from the cardinal and his mother, in 1660, for political reasons, he married a Spanish princess from the house of Habsburg, his cousin Maria Theresa, a very homely and unassuming girl, who quickly came to terms with her husband’s love affairs. Several children were born from this marriage, but only one survived, the heir, who received the right only to attend meetings of the royal council.
And the official favorites of the king in the 60s. there were also the Duchess de La Vallière, who bore him 4 children, of whom two survived, and the Marquise de Montespan, who bore the king 8 children, of whom 4 survived. The king legitimized all his children, did not spare anything for them, especially since he borrowed from the state treasury. Thus, he gave his illegitimate daughter, who was getting married, a million livres in cash, jewelry worth 300 thousand livres, an annual pension of 100 thousand livres; He paid monthly for his son’s entertainment - 50 thousand livres, many thousands of card losses, both his own and his wife’s and mistresses.
Since the beginning of the 80s. A new favorite appeared at court - the Marquise de Maintenon, an intelligent and pious woman, who at one time raised the illegitimate children of the monarch. She had apartments in Versailles adjacent to the royal chambers. After the death of Maria Theresa in 1683, a secret marriage took place between Louis XIV and Madame Maintenon, who was 3 years older than her husband.
Death of Louis XIV
Time passed, the king grew old, people close to him died. In 1711–1712 one after another, a son, grandson and great-grandson passed away. This endangered the dynasty itself. And then the sovereign violated the “Salic law” - the law on succession to the throne. By order of 1714, his children born from a relationship with the Marquise de Montespan were allowed to succeed to the throne. In August 1715, the king fell ill, his condition worsened, and gangrene began. On September 1st, Louis XIV died.
Although he left the country with disorganized finances and never achieved hegemony over other European states, France nevertheless gained the opportunity to play a primary political role in Europe.
Louis 14 – the Sun King – is the most charismatic monarch of France. The era of his reign, which lasted 72 years, is called by historians the “Great Age”. The French king became the “hero” of numerous novels and films. Even during his lifetime, legends were made about him. And the monarch was worthy of them.
It was King Louis 14 who came up with the idea of building a grandiose palace complex on the site of a small hunting lodge. The majestic Versailles, which has amazed the imagination for centuries, became not just the residence of the monarch during his lifetime, here he accepted his death with dignity, as befits an august person.
The greatest of the Bourbon dynasty - “God-given” Louis 14
King Louis 14 de Bourbon is the long-awaited heir. That is why at birth he received the “iconic” name - Louis-Dieudonne - “God-given”. The era of his rule over France began when little Louis was barely five years old. The regents were Anna of Austria, the mother of the Sun King, and the well-known Cardinal Mazarin, who tried with all his might to connect his family with family ties with the Bourbons. Interestingly, the skillful strategist almost succeeded.
King Louis 14 inherited from his mother, a proud Spaniard, strength of character and enormous self-esteem. It is quite natural that the young monarch did not “share the throne” with the Italian cardinal for a long time. Even though he was his godfather. Already at the age of 17, Louis first showed disobedience, expressing dissatisfaction in front of the entire French parliament. “The State is me” is a phrase that characterizes the entire era of the reign of King Louis 14.
Unsolved mysteries of the biography of Louis de Bourbon
The biggest mystery remains the very birth of King Louis 14. According to the legend, which many believed in that era, Anne of Austria gave birth to not one, but two Dauphins. Did Louis have a twin brother? Historians still doubt this. But in many novels and even chronicles there are references to the mysterious “Iron Mask” - a man who, by order of the king, was forever hidden from human eyes. This decision can be considered justified, because the twin heirs are the cause of political scandals and upheavals.
King Louis 14 did have a brother, but the younger one was Philippe. The Duke of Orleans did not lay claim to the throne and never tried to intrigue against the Sun King. On the contrary, he called him “my little daddy”, since Louis constantly tried to take care of him. Photos of portraits of two brothers give a clear idea of their mutual sympathy.
Women in the life of Louis de Bourbon - favorites and wives
Cardinal Mazarin, having become the godfather of King Louis 14, wanted to get even closer to the Bourbon dynasty. The clever intriguer never forgot that he came from a rather seedy Italian family. It was one of the cardinal’s nieces, brown-eyed Maria Mancini, who became the first love of young Louis 14. The King of France was twenty at that time, his beloved was only two years younger than him. The court whispered that the monarch from the Bourbon dynasty would soon marry for love. But fate decreed otherwise.
Maria Mancini - the first love of King Louis 14
Maria and Louis had to separate simply because, for political reasons, King Louis 14 needed to marry Maria Theresa, the daughter of the Spanish king. Mazarin very quickly “attached” his niece, marrying her to an Italian prince. It was from the moment when the young monarch was forced to enter into a political marriage that his series of love affairs began.
Historians believe that King Louis 14 de Bourbon inherited his amorousness and ardent temperament from his grandfather, Henry 4. But the Sun King was more prudent in his hobbies: none of his favorites influenced the politics of France. Did the wife know about the monarch’s many love interests and his illegitimate children? Yes, but Maria Theresa was a proud Spaniard and the daughter of a king, so she remained unperturbed - Louis 14 did not hear any tears or reproaches from her.
Queen Maria Theresa - first wife of King Louis 14
The queen died much earlier than her husband. Literally a few months after her death, King Louis 14 entered into a second marriage. With whom? The chosen one was the governess of his illegitimate children born to the Marquise de Montespan, Françoise de Maintenon. The woman was older than Louis; before that, she was married to the then famous writer Paul Scarron. At court she was known only as “the Widow Scarron.” It was with Françoise that King Louis 14 “met old age,” it was she who became his last passion, and it was her few whims that he fulfilled throughout all the years of marriage.
Interesting facts from the biography of Louis 14 – the Sun King
The excellent appetite of Louis 14 was known not only to the entire court, even ordinary residents of Paris knew about it. The dishes that the monarch ate at dinner could feed not only all the queen's ladies-in-waiting, but also his retinue. And this meal was not the only one. The king constantly satisfied his hunger at night, but he did it alone; his valet secretly brought him food.
King Louis 14 almost always fulfilled the whims of his favorites, but with regard to his second wife, the king outdid himself. When Françoise wished to ride a sleigh in the summer heat, her loving husband fulfilled her whim. Literally the next morning, Versailles sparkled with “snow,” which was perfectly replaced by tons of salt and sugar.
King Louis 14 adored luxury. Historians believe that this was due to the fact that as a child his expenses were carefully controlled by Mazarin, and he grew up completely “not like a king.” When Louis became a "state", he was able to satisfy his passion. There were about 500 luxurious beds in the residences of the monarch. He had more than a thousand wigs, and his clothes were made by 40 of the best tailors in France.
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March 26th, 2016
Louis XIV reigned for 72 years, longer than any other European monarch. He became king at the age of four, took full power into his own hands at 23 and ruled for 54 years. “The state is me!” - Louis XIV did not say these words, but the state has always been associated with the personality of the ruler. Therefore, if we talk about the blunders and mistakes of Louis XIV (the war with Holland, the repeal of the Edict of Nantes, etc.), then the assets of the reign should also be credited to him.
The development of trade and manufacturing, the emergence of the French colonial empire, the reform of the army and the creation of the navy, the development of the arts and sciences, the construction of Versailles and, finally, the transformation of France into a modern state. These are not all the achievements of the Century of Louis XIV. So what was this ruler who gave his name to his time?
Louis XIV de Bourbon, who received the name Louis-Dieudonné (“God-given”) at birth, was born on September 5, 1638. The name “God-given” appeared for a reason. Queen Anne of Austria gave birth to an heir at the age of 37.
For 22 years, the marriage of Louis's parents was barren, and therefore the birth of an heir was perceived by the people as a miracle. After the death of his father, young Louis and his mother moved to the Palais Royal, the former palace of Cardinal Richelieu. Here the little king was brought up in a very simple and sometimes squalid environment.
Louis XIV de Bourbon.
His mother was considered regent of France, but real power lay in the hands of her favorite, Cardinal Mazarin. He was very stingy and did not care at all not only about providing pleasure to the child king, but even about his availability of basic necessities.
The first years of Louis's formal reign included the events of a civil war known as the Fronde. In January 1649, an uprising against Mazarin broke out in Paris. The king and ministers had to flee to Saint-Germain, and Mazarin generally fled to Brussels. Peace was restored only in 1652, and power returned to the hands of the cardinal. Despite the fact that the king was already considered an adult, Mazarin ruled France until his death.
Giulio Mazarin - church and political leader and first minister of France in 1643-1651 and 1653-1661. He took up the post under the patronage of Queen Anne of Austria.
In 1659, peace was signed with Spain. The agreement was sealed by the marriage of Louis with Maria Theresa, who was his cousin. When Mazarin died in 1661, Louis, having received his freedom, hastened to get rid of all guardianship over himself.
He abolished the position of first minister, announcing to the State Council that from now on he himself would be the first minister, and no decree, even the most insignificant, should be signed by anyone on his behalf.
Louis was poorly educated, barely able to read and write, but had common sense and a strong determination to maintain his royal dignity. He was tall, handsome, had a noble bearing, and tried to express himself briefly and clearly. Unfortunately, he was overly selfish, as no European monarch was distinguished by monstrous pride and selfishness. All previous royal residences seemed to Louis unworthy of his greatness.
After some deliberation, in 1662 he decided to turn the small hunting castle of Versailles into a royal palace. It took 50 years and 400 million francs. Until 1666, the king had to live in the Louvre, from 1666 to 1671. in the Tuileries, from 1671 to 1681, alternately in the Versailles under construction and Saint-Germain-O-l"E. Finally, from 1682, Versailles became the permanent residence of the royal court and government. From now on, Louis visited Paris only on short visits.
The king's new palace was distinguished by its extraordinary splendor. The so-called (large apartments) - six salons, named after ancient deities - served as hallways for the Mirror Gallery, 72 meters long, 10 meters wide and 16 meters high. Buffets were held in the salons, and guests played billiards and cards.
The Great Condé greets Louis XIV on the Staircase at Versailles.
In general, card games became an uncontrollable passion at court. The bets reached several thousand livres at stake, and Louis himself stopped playing only after he lost 600 thousand livres in six months in 1676.
Also comedies were staged in the palace, first by Italian and then by French authors: Corneille, Racine and especially often Moliere. In addition, Louis loved to dance, and repeatedly took part in ballet performances at court.
The splendor of the palace also corresponded to the complex rules of etiquette established by Louis. Any action was accompanied by a whole set of carefully designed ceremonies. Meals, going to bed, even basic quenching of thirst during the day - everything was turned into complex rituals.
War against everyone
If the king were only concerned with the construction of Versailles, the rise of the economy and the development of the arts, then, probably, the respect and love of his subjects for the Sun King would be limitless. However, the ambitions of Louis XIV extended much beyond the borders of his state.
By the early 1680s, Louis XIV had the most powerful army in Europe, which only whetted his appetite. In 1681, he established chambers of reunification to determine the rights of the French crown to certain areas, seizing more and more lands in Europe and Africa.
In 1688, Louis XIV's claims to the Palatinate led to the whole of Europe turning against him. The so-called War of the League of Augsburg lasted for nine years and resulted in the parties maintaining the status quo. But the huge expenses and losses incurred by France led to a new economic decline in the country and a depletion of funds.
But already in 1701, France was drawn into a long conflict called the War of the Spanish Succession. Louis XIV hoped to defend the rights to the Spanish throne for his grandson, who was to become the head of two states. However, the war, which engulfed not only Europe, but also North America, ended unsuccessfully for France.
According to the peace concluded in 1713 and 1714, the grandson of Louis XIV retained the Spanish crown, but its Italian and Dutch possessions were lost, and England, by destroying the Franco-Spanish fleets and conquering a number of colonies, laid the foundation for its maritime dominion. In addition, the project of uniting France and Spain under the hand of the French monarch had to be abandoned.
Sale of offices and expulsion of the Huguenots
This last military campaign of Louis XIV returned him to where he started - the country was mired in debt and groaning under the burden of taxes, and here and there uprisings broke out, the suppression of which required more and more resources.
The need to replenish the budget led to non-trivial decisions. Under Louis XIV, the trade in government positions was put on stream, reaching its maximum extent in the last years of his life. To replenish the treasury, more and more new positions were created, which, of course, brought chaos and discord into the activities of state institutions.
Louis XIV on coins.
The ranks of opponents of Louis XIV were joined by French Protestants after the “Edict of Fontainebleau” was signed in 1685, repealing the Edict of Nantes of Henry IV, which guaranteed freedom of religion to the Huguenots.
After this, more than 200 thousand French Protestants emigrated from the country, despite strict penalties for emigration. The exodus of tens of thousands of economically active citizens dealt another painful blow to the power of France.
The unloved queen and the meek lame woman
At all times and eras, the personal life of monarchs influenced politics. Louis XIV is no exception in this sense. The monarch once remarked: “It would be easier for me to reconcile all of Europe than a few women.”
His official wife in 1660 was a peer, the Spanish Infanta Maria Theresa, who was Louis’s cousin on both his father and mother.
The problem with this marriage, however, was not the close family ties of the spouses. Louis simply did not love Maria Theresa, but he meekly agreed to the marriage, which had important political significance. The wife bore the king six children, but five of them died in childhood. Only the first-born survived, named, like his father, Louis and who went down in history under the name of the Grand Dauphin.
The marriage of Louis XIV took place in 1660.
For the sake of marriage, Louis broke off relations with the woman he really loved - the niece of Cardinal Mazarin. Perhaps the separation from his beloved also influenced the king’s attitude towards his legal wife. Maria Theresa accepted her fate. Unlike other French queens, she did not intrigue or get involved in politics, playing a prescribed role. When the queen died in 1683, Louis said: “ This is the only worry in my life that she has caused me.».
The king compensated for the lack of feelings in marriage with relationships with his favorites. For nine years, Louise-Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc, Duchess de La Vallière, became Louis's sweetheart. Louise was not distinguished by dazzling beauty, and, moreover, due to an unsuccessful fall from a horse, she remained lame for the rest of her life. But the meekness, friendliness and sharp mind of Lamefoot attracted the attention of the king.
Louise bore Louis four children, two of whom lived to adulthood. The king treated Louise quite cruelly. Having begun to grow cold towards her, he settled his rejected mistress next to his new favorite - Marquise Françoise Athenaïs de Montespan. The Duchess de La Valliere was forced to endure the bullying of her rival. She endured everything with her characteristic meekness, and in 1675 she became a nun and lived for many years in a monastery, where she was called Louise the Merciful.
There was not a shadow of the meekness of her predecessor in the lady before Montespan. A representative of one of the most ancient noble families in France, Françoise not only became the official favorite, but for 10 years turned into the “true queen of France.”
Marquise de Montespan with four legitimized children. 1677 Palace of Versailles.
Françoise loved luxury and did not like counting money. It was the Marquise de Montespan who turned the reign of Louis XIV from deliberate budgeting to unrestrained and unlimited spending. Capricious, envious, domineering and ambitious, Francoise knew how to subjugate the king to her will. New apartments were built for her in Versailles, and she managed to place all her close relatives in significant government positions.
Françoise de Montespan bore Louis seven children, four of whom lived to adulthood. But the relationship between Françoise and the king was not as faithful as with Louise. Louis allowed himself hobbies besides his official favorite, which infuriated Madame de Montespan.
To keep the king with her, she began to practice black magic and even became involved in a high-profile poisoning case. The king did not punish her with death, but deprived her of the status of a favorite, which was much more terrible for her.
Like her predecessor, Louise le Lavalier, the Marquise de Montespan exchanged the royal chambers for a monastery.
Time for repentance
Louis's new favorite was the Marquise de Maintenon, the widow of the poet Scarron, who was the governess of the king's children from Madame de Montespan.
This king's favorite was called the same as her predecessor, Françoise, but the women were as different from each other as heaven and earth. The king had long conversations with the Marquise de Maintenon about the meaning of life, about religion, about responsibility before God. The royal court replaced its splendor with chastity and high morality.
Madame de Maintenon.
After the death of his official wife, Louis XIV secretly married the Marquise de Maintenon. Now the king was occupied not with balls and festivities, but with masses and reading the Bible. The only entertainment he allowed himself was hunting.
The Marquise de Maintenon founded and directed Europe's first secular school for women, called the Royal House of Saint Louis. The school in Saint-Cyr became an example for many similar institutions, including the Smolny Institute in St. Petersburg.
For her strict disposition and intolerance to secular entertainment, the Marquise de Maintenon received the nickname the Black Queen. She survived Louis and after his death retired to Saint-Cyr, living the rest of her days among the pupils of her school.
Illegitimate Bourbons
Louis XIV recognized his illegitimate children from both Louise de La Vallière and Françoise de Montespan. They all received their father's surname - de Bourbon, and dad tried to arrange their lives.
Louis, Louise's son, was already promoted to French admiral at the age of two, and as an adult he went on a military campaign with his father. There, at the age of 16, the young man died.
Louis-Auguste, son from Françoise, received the title of Duke of Maine, became a French commander and in this capacity accepted the godson of Peter I and Alexander Pushkin's great-grandfather Abram Petrovich Hannibal for military training.
Grand Dauphin Louis. The only surviving legitimate child of Louis XIV by Maria Theresa of Spain.
Françoise Marie, Louis's youngest daughter, was married to Philippe d'Orléans, becoming Duchess of Orléans. Possessing the character of her mother, Françoise-Marie plunged headlong into political intrigue. Her husband became the French regent under the young King Louis XV, and Françoise-Marie's children married the scions of other European royal dynasties.
In a word, not many illegitimate children of ruling persons suffered the same fate that befell the sons and daughters of Louis XIV.
“Did you really think that I would live forever?”
The last years of the king's life turned out to be a difficult ordeal for him. The man, who throughout his life defended the chosenness of the monarch and his right to autocratic rule, experienced not only the crisis of his state. His close people left one after another, and it turned out that there was simply no one to transfer power to.
On April 13, 1711, his son, the Grand Dauphin Louis, died. In February 1712, the Dauphin's eldest son, the Duke of Burgundy, died, and on March 8 of the same year, the latter's eldest son, the young Duke of Breton, died.
On March 4, 1714, the Duke of Burgundy's younger brother, the Duke of Berry, fell from his horse and died a few days later. The only heir was the 4-year-old great-grandson of the king, the youngest son of the Duke of Burgundy. If this little one had died, the throne would have remained vacant after the death of Louis.
This forced the king to include even his illegitimate sons in the list of heirs, which promised internal civil strife in France in the future.
Louis XIV.
At 76 years old, Louis remained energetic, active and, as in his youth, regularly went hunting. During one of these trips, the king fell and injured his leg. Doctors discovered that the injury had caused gangrene and suggested amputation. The Sun King refused: this is unacceptable for royal dignity. The disease progressed rapidly, and soon agony began, lasting for several days.
At the moment of clarity of consciousness, Louis looked around those present and uttered his last aphorism:
- Why are you crying? Did you really think that I would live forever?
On September 1, 1715, at about 8 o'clock in the morning, Louis XIV died in his palace at Versailles, four days short of his 77th birthday.
