King louis xivs biography timeline

In that time, he transformed the monarchy, ushered in a golden age of art and literature, presided over a dazzling royal court at Versailles, annexed key territories and established his country as the dominant European power. A younger brother, Philippe, followed two years later. When his father died on May 14, , 4-year-old Louis inherited the crown of a fractured, unstable and nearly insolvent France.

Did you know? At the Palace of Versailles, aristocrats were expected to compete for the privilege of watching Louis XIV wake up, eat meals and prepare for bed. Beginning in , their discontent erupted into a civil war known as the Fronde , which forced the royal family to flee Paris and instilled a lifelong fear of rebellion in the young king. A diplomatic necessity more than anything else, the union produced six children, of whom only one, Louis, survived to adulthood.

He viewed himself as the direct representative of God, endowed with a divine right to wield the absolute power of the monarchy.

Louis xiv children

Immediately after assuming control of the government, Louis worked tirelessly to centralize and tighten control of France and its overseas colonies. His finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert , implemented reforms that sharply reduced the deficit and fostered the growth of industry, while his war minister, the Marquis de Louvois , expanded and reorganized the French army.

Louis also managed to pacify and disempower the historically rebellious nobles, who had fomented no less than 11 civil wars in four decades, by luring them to his court and habituating them to the opulent lifestyle there.