Reign of Louis XIV of France

Historical Context Essay

Robert Clark (The Literary Encyclopedia)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.04: French Writing and Culture: Eighteenth-Century and the Enlightenment, 1700-1800.
Vol. editors: Edward Forman (University of Bristol), Jenny Mander (University of Cambridge), Síofra Pierse (University College Dublin), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Domains

Changes of government, elections and reigns

Dates

Date of occurrence 1643-05-14-1715-09-01

Places

France (Location)

Resources

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Louis XIV (5th September 1638- 1 September 1715; reigned 1643-1715). Louis was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1638 and became king on his father's death when he was 4 years and 8 months old. One result of this unhappy accident was that he would reign for 72 years, his life thus becoming an historical testament to the inherent weakness of monarchical systems. At first Louis reigned under the regency of his mother, Anne of Austria, and after her death in 1651 was closely guided by Cardinal Mazarin, the protégé of Cardinal Richelieu, an absolutist and intolerant Catholic who instructed the young king in the arts of rule until his own death in 1661. Thereafter, from the age of 21, Louis reigned directly.

During the early part of his reign, the rebellion of the Fronde had cautioned Louis

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1627 words

Citation: Clark, Robert. "Reign of Louis XIV of France". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 February 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=4168, accessed 24 April 2024.]

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