France’s Louis XIV’s reign lasted for 72 year. This is longer than that of any other European sovereign. During this time, he brought forward, absolute monarchy. He also established France as a dominant power in Europe, and ushered in a golden age of art and literature. Although his reign had some negative aspects, overall he benefitted France. King Louis XlV was born September 5, 1638 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. He was born to King Louis XIII of France and Queen Anne of Austria. King Louis XIII reigned from 1601 to 1643. Queen Anne of Austria reigned from 1601 to 1666. He was their first child after 23 years of marriage. Louis was nicknamed “gift of god”. He had a brother , Phillipe that was two years younger. Louis received only …show more content…
he only wanted help from the secretaries and ministers of state to assist him, when he asked for them. he did not want them to sign anything without command. Louis XIV swore to take complete control over the government. Louis began to call himself the “Sun King” as a symbol of his absolute power. After taking control of the government, he worked to centralize and tight control of France and its colonies. King Louis XVI managed to calm the nobles, who had caused many civil wars, by allowing them to live luxurious …show more content…
He was in love with Mazarin’s niece, Marie Mancini. Yet, King Louis XIV married Maria Theresa, the daughter of King Philip IV of Spain in 1660. He did this to try and bring peace between the two countries. They had six children. Only one child survived into adulthood. Maria Theresa died in 1683. He was never faithful to Maria Theresa during their marriage. He had many mistresses with whom he had children with. He had five children with Louise de La Vallière. His second wife was Françoise d'Aubigné. They were either married in October of 1683, or January of