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Louis XIV

Type Figure Region France Time 1638–1715 Also known as the Sun King

Louis XIV was King of France of the Bourbon dynasty, acceding at four and raised under the regency of his mother Anne of Austria and Cardinal Mazarin…

Timeline

  1. 1638–1651Saint-Germain-en-Laye · Île-de-FranceBorn at the royal palace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, he acceded at four after his father Louis XIII died in 1643. Real power lay with his mother Anne and Cardinal Mazarin; the Fronde erupted in France 1648–1653, and the young king moved between court and provinces, establishing his symbolic royal authority amid turmoil.
  2. 1661–1685Versailles · Île-de-FranceAfter Mazarin's death he ruled personally, dismissed the superintendent of finances Fouquet, and strengthened the royal council and crown. He built Versailles, drew the nobility into the court system, pursued Colbert's mercantilist policies, and expanded French power through foreign wars.
  3. 1685–1715Versailles · Île-de-FranceAfter revoking the Edict of Nantes he faced religious and succession crises; the War of the Spanish Succession exhausted the state. In his later years grandsons such as the Duke of Burgundy handled affairs; he died at Versailles in 1715 and was succeeded by his great-grandson Louis XV.

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