Louis XIV of France, also known as the Sun King, is one of history’s most interesting figures. When he was born, it was considered a divine miracle. During his reign as King of France, he ruled as the sole authority and led a campaign of peace for many years. He was very interested in the arts and played a big part in expanding France’s culture and prestige.
King Louis XIV was born on September 5th 1638. His parents were King Louis XIII and Queen Anne of Austria. His birth was considered divine because it took his parents 23 years to conceive him. As a result, people called him “Louis dieu-donne de France” which means Louis God-given of France. In case he was not old enough to take on the responsibilities of being a royal leader, his father created a regency council in order to aide his mother, Queen Anne, in leading the country. Since Louis XIV was only 5 when his father died, his mother took control over government affairs. She dismantled the regency council and gave power to Cardinal Jules Mazarin. During the war known as The Fronde, Cardinal Mazarin had some very important members of the Parliament arrested in order to exert his power. As a result, many of the townspeople demanded to see the king, Louis XIV. When they were led to his bedroom, they found him asleep and quietly left. When Queen Anne found out about the incident, she packed up Louis and his servants and left Paris to keep him safe.
Louis XIV came into power upon the death of Cardinal Mazarin in 1661. He made it his personal mission to answer the loud cry of his nation’s desire for peace and order. Alongside his financial advisor Jean Baptiste Colbert, he reformed the administration and financial institutions. He reduced France’s dependency on foreign goods and increased the export trade so that the bulk of the country’s money stayed in France. As king, Louis XIV reformed the legal system by creating new ordinances. One of them was named the Grande Ordonnance de Procedure Civile, which he had put into practice in 1667. This ordinance made sure that all baptisms, marriages, and burials were registered with the state. He also created the Grande Ordonnace sure les Colonies, known as Code Noir in 1685. This law allowed for people to own slaves as long as they were members of the Roman Catholic Church. The conditions in the ordinance made it clear that slave families would not be broken up and each slave would be baptized. King Louis XIV believed in the Divine Rights of Kings, which meant he believed that he did not have to answer to anyone but God and any attempt made to come against him was considered heresy.
King Louis of France was a very ambitious and intelligent man. During his reign, he conquered many lands including Ghent, Duchy of Brabant, and some of the Spanish Netherlands. He made all local governments and religious organizations subject to him. He did not tolerate any religion other than that of the Roman Catholic Church and made sure that his wishes were enforced by expelling Jews, destroying Protestant schools, and having babies forcibly baptized as Roman Catholic. Although he was a very religious man, he reduced the power of the Pope and the rest of the clergy, making sure they didn’t make any decisions without his approval.
To say that King Louis was a a very complex figure would be an accurate assessment. On one hand, he loved peace, yet engaged in at least 5 wars including the Franco-Dutch War, the War of the League of Ausburg, the War of Spanish Succession, the War of Devolution and the War of the Reunions. He was known for being unfaithful to his wife Marie-Theresa of Spain, yet was overcome by enormous grief when she died in 1683. He created many enemies with his reforms and laws, specifically with members of the Protestant Church and anti-French leaders, while being seen as a beloved friend by the artists and musicians he supported. King Louis XIV was one of a kind and his legacy proves that.
Sources:
Louis XIV of France-Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia.org
“Louis XIV”. Encyclopedia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD.
