Name: Louis XIV (Louis de Bourbon)
Age: 76 years old
Height: 163
Activity: King of France and Navarre
Family status: was married
Louis XIV: biography
The reign of the French monarch Louis XIV is called the Great, or Golden Age. The biography of the Sun King is half made up of legends. A staunch supporter of absolutism and the divine origin of kings, he went down in history as the author of the phrase
“The state is me!”
The record for the duration of a monarch's stay on the throne - 72 years - has not been broken by any European king: only a few Roman emperors remained in power longer.
Childhood and youth
The appearance of the Dauphin, heir to the Bourbon family, in early September 1638 was met with jubilation by the people. The royal parents - and - waited for this event for 22 years, all this time the marriage remained childless. The French perceived the birth of a child, and a boy at that, as a mercy from above, calling the Dauphin Louis-Dieudonné (God-given).
The national rejoicing and happiness of his parents did not make Louis’s childhood happy. 5 years later, the father died, the mother and son moved to the Palais Royal, formerly the Richelieu Palace. The heir to the throne grew up in an ascetic environment: Cardinal Mazarin, the ruler’s favorite, took over power, including management of the treasury. The stingy priest did not favor the little king: he did not allocate money for the boy’s entertainment and studies, Louis-Dieudonné had two dresses with patches in his wardrobe, the boy slept on holey sheets.
Mazarin explained the economy by the civil war - the Fronde. At the beginning of 1649, fleeing the rebels, the royal family left Paris and settled in a country residence 19 kilometers from the capital. Later, the fear and hardships experienced were transformed into Louis XIV's love for absolute power and unheard-of extravagance.
After 3 years, the unrest was suppressed, the unrest subsided, and the cardinal who fled to Brussels returned to power. He did not relinquish the reins of government until his death, although Louis had been considered the rightful heir to the throne since 1643: the mother, who became regent for her five-year-old son, voluntarily ceded power to Mazarin.
At the end of 1659, the war between France and Spain ended. The signed Treaty of the Pyrenees brought peace, which sealed the marriage of Louis XIV and the Princess of Spain. Two years later, the cardinal died, and Louis XIV took the reins of power into his own hands. The 23-year-old monarch abolished the position of first minister, convened the Council of State and proclaimed:
“Do you think, gentlemen, that the state is you? The state is me.”
Louis XIV made it clear that from now on he did not intend to share power. Even his mother, whom Louis had been afraid of until recently, was given a place.
Beginning of reign
Previously flighty and prone to ostentation and carousing, the Dauphin surprised the court nobility and officials with his transformation. Louis filled in the gaps in his education - previously he could barely read and write. Naturally sane, the young emperor quickly delved into the essence of the problem and solved it.
Louis expressed himself clearly and concisely and devoted all his time to state affairs, but the monarch’s conceit and pride turned out to be immeasurable. All the royal residences seemed too modest to Louis, so in 1662 the Sun King turned a hunting lodge in the city of Versailles, 17 kilometers west of Paris, into a palace ensemble of unheard-of scale and luxury. For 50 years, 12-14% of the state’s annual expenditures were spent on its improvement.
For the first twenty years of his reign, the monarch lived in the Louvre, then in the Tuileries. The suburban castle of Versailles became the permanent residence of Louis XIV in 1682. After moving to the largest ensemble in Europe, Louis visited the capital for short visits.
The pomp of the royal apartments prompted Louis to establish cumbersome rules of etiquette, affecting even the smallest things. It took five servants for the thirsty Louis to drink a glass of water or wine. During the silent meal, only the monarch sat at the table; a chair was not offered even to the nobility. After lunch, Louis met with ministers and officials, and if he was ill, the entire Council was invited to the royal bedchamber.
In the evening, Versailles opened for entertainment. The guests danced, were treated to delicious dishes, and played cards, to which Louis was addicted. The palace salons bore names according to which they were furnished. The dazzling Mirror Gallery was 72 meters long and 10 meters wide. Colored marble, floor-to-ceiling mirrors decorated the interior of the room, thousands of candles burned in gilded candelabra and girandoles, causing the silver furniture and stones in the jewelry of ladies and gentlemen to burn with fire.
Writers and artists were favored at the king's court. Comedies and plays by Jean Racine and Pierre Corneille were staged at Versailles. On Maslenitsa, masquerades were held in the palace, and in the summer the court and servants went to the village of Trianon, annexed to the Versailles gardens. At midnight, Louis, having fed the dogs, went to the bedchamber, where he went to bed after a long ritual and a dozen ceremonies.
Domestic policy
Louis XIV knew how to select capable ministers and officials. Finance Minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert strengthened the welfare of the third estate. Under him, trade and industry flourished, and the fleet grew stronger. The Marquis de Louvois reformed the troops, and the marshal and military engineer Marquis de Vauban built fortresses that became a UNESCO heritage site. Comte de Tonnerre, Secretary of State for Military Affairs, turned out to be a brilliant politician and diplomat.
The government under Louis the 14th was carried out by 7 councils. The heads of the provinces were appointed by Louis. They kept the domains in readiness in case of war, promoted fair justice, and kept the people in obedience to the monarch.
Cities were governed by corporations or councils consisting of burgomasters. The burden of the fiscal system fell on the shoulders of the petty bourgeoisie and peasants, which repeatedly led to uprisings and riots. Stormy unrest was caused by the introduction of a tax on stamp paper, which resulted in an uprising in Brittany and in the west of the state.
Under Louis XIV, the Commercial Code (Ordinance) was adopted. To prevent migration, the monarch issued an edict, according to which the property of the French who left the country was taken away, and those citizens who entered the service of foreigners as shipbuilders faced the death penalty at home.
Government positions under the Sun King were sold and passed on by inheritance. In the last five years of Louis's reign, 2.5 thousand positions worth 77 million livres were sold in Paris. Officials were not paid from the treasury - they lived off taxes. For example, brokers received a duty on each barrel of wine - sold or purchased.
The Jesuits, the monarch's confessors, turned Louis into an instrument of Catholic reaction. Temples were taken away from their opponents, the Huguenots, and they were forbidden to baptize their children and get married. Marriages between Catholics and Protestants were prohibited. Religious persecution forced 200 thousand Protestants to move to neighboring England and Germany.
Foreign policy
Under Louis, France fought a lot and successfully. In 1667-68, Louis' army captured Flanders. Four years later, a war began with neighboring Holland, to whose aid Spain and Denmark rushed. Soon the Germans joined them. But the coalition lost, and Alsace, Lorraine and the Belgian lands were ceded to France.
Since 1688, Louis's series of military victories became more modest. Austria, Sweden, Holland and Spain, joined by the principalities of Germany, united in the League of Augsburg and opposed France.
In 1692, League forces defeated the French fleet in Cherbourg harbor. On land, Louis was winning, but the war required more and more funds. The peasants rebelled against increased taxes, and silver furniture from Versailles was melted down. The monarch asked for peace and made concessions: he returned Savoy, Luxembourg and Catalonia. Lorraine became independent.
Louis's War of the Spanish Succession in 1701 proved to be the most grueling. England, Austria and Holland again united against the French. In 1707, the allies, having crossed the Alps, invaded Louis's possessions with a 40,000-strong army. To find funds for the war, gold dishes from the palace were sent to be melted down, and famine began in the country. But the allied forces dried up, and in 1713 the French signed the Peace of Utrecht with the British, and a year later in Rishtadt with the Austrians.
Personal life
Louis XIV is a king who tried to marry for love. But you can’t erase the words from the song - kings cannot do this. 20-year-old Louis fell in love with the 18-year-old niece of Cardinal Mazarin, an educated girl, Maria Mancini. But political expediency required France to conclude a peace with the Spaniards, which could be sealed by the marriage ties between Louis and Infanta Maria Theresa.
In vain Louis begged the Queen Mother and the Cardinal to allow him to marry Mary - he was forced to marry an unloved Spanish woman. Maria was married to an Italian prince, and the wedding of Louis and Maria Theresa took place in Paris. But no one could force the monarch to be faithful to his wife - the list of Louis XIV’s women with whom he had affairs was very impressive.
Soon after his marriage, the temperamental king noticed the wife of his brother, the Duke of Orleans, Henrietta. To ward off suspicion, the married lady introduced Louis to a 17-year-old maid of honor. Blonde Louise de la Vallière limped, but was sweet and liked the ladies' man Louis. A six-year romance with Louise culminated in the birth of four offspring, of whom a son and daughter survived to adulthood. In 1667, the king distanced himself from Louise, giving her the title of duchess.
The new favorite - the Marquise de Montespan - turned out to be the opposite of La Vallière: a fiery brunette with a lively and practical mind was with Louis XIV for 16 years. She turned a blind eye to the affairs of the loving Louis. Two rivals of the marquise gave birth to a child for Louis, but Montespan knew that the ladies' man would return to her, who bore him eight children (four survived).
Montespan missed her rival, who became the governess of her children - the widow of the poet Scarron, the Marquise de Maintenon. The educated woman interested Louis with her sharp mind. He talked with her for hours and one day noticed that he was sad without the Marquise of Maintenon. After the death of his wife Maria Theresa, Louis XIV married Maintenon and was transformed: the monarch became religious, and not a trace remained of his former frivolity.
Death
In the spring of 1711, the monarch’s son, the Dauphin Louis, died of smallpox. His son, the Duke of Burgundy, grandson of the Sun King, was declared heir to the throne, but he also died a year later from a fever. The remaining child, the great-grandson of Louis XIV, inherited the title of Dauphin, but fell ill with scarlet fever and died. Previously, Louis gave the surname Bourbon to two sons whom de Montespan bore to him out of wedlock. In the will they were listed as regents and could inherit the throne.
A series of deaths of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren undermined Louis' health. The monarch became gloomy and sad, lost interest in state affairs, could lie in bed all day and became decrepit. A fall from a horse while hunting was fatal for the 77-year-old king: Louis injured his leg and gangrene began. He rejected the operation proposed by doctors - amputation. The monarch made his final orders at the end of August and died on September 1.
For 8 days they said goodbye to the deceased Louis in Versailles, on the ninth the remains were transported to the basilica of the Abbey of Saint-Denis and buried according to Catholic traditions. The era of Louis XIV's reign is over. King Sun reigned for 72 years and 110 days.
Memory
More than a dozen films have been made about the times of the Great Century. The first, The Iron Mask, directed by Allan Duon, was released in 1929. In 1998, he played Louis XIV in the adventure film “The Man in the Iron Mask.” According to the film, it was not he who led France to prosperity, but his twin brother, who took the throne.
In 2015, the French-Canadian series “Versailles” was released about the reign of Louis and the construction of the palace. The second season of the project was released in the spring of 2017, and filming of the third began in the same year.
Dozens of essays have been written about the life of Louis. His biography inspired the creation of the novels by Anne and Serge Golon.
- According to legend, the Queen Mother gave birth to twins, and Louis the 14th had a brother, whom he hid from prying eyes under a mask. Historians do not confirm that Louis has a twin brother, but they do not categorically reject it either. The king could hide a relative in order to avoid intrigue and not cause upheaval in society.
- The king had a younger brother, Philip of Orleans. The Dauphin did not seek to sit on the throne, being satisfied with the position he had at court. The brothers sympathized with each other, Philip called Louis “little daddy.”
- Legends were made about the Rabelaisian appetite of Louis XIV: the monarch in one sitting ate as much food as would be enough for the dinner of his entire retinue. Even at night, the valet brought food to the monarch.
- Rumor has it that, in addition to good health, there were several reasons for Louis’s exorbitant appetite. One of them is that a tapeworm (tapeworm) lived in the monarch’s body, so Louis ate “for himself and for that guy.” Evidence was preserved in the reports of court physicians.
- Doctors of the 17th century believed that a healthy intestine was an empty intestine, so Louis was regularly treated to laxatives. Not surprisingly, the Sun King visited the restroom 14 to 18 times a day, and stomach upset and gas were a constant occurrence for him.
- The court dentist of Dac believed that there was no greater breeding ground for infection than bad teeth. Therefore, he removed the monarch’s teeth with an unwavering hand until, by the age of 40, there was nothing left in Louis’s mouth. By removing the lower teeth, the doctor broke the monarch's jaw, and by pulling the upper ones, he tore out a piece of the palate, which caused a hole to form in Louis. For the purpose of disinfection, Daka cauterized the inflamed palate with a hot rod.
- At Louis's court, perfume and aromatic powder were used in huge quantities. The concept of hygiene in the 17th century was different from today: dukes and servants did not have the habit of washing. But the stench emanating from Louis became the talk of the town. One reason was unchewed food stuck in the hole the dentist made in the king's palate.
- The monarch loved luxury. In Versailles and other residences of Louis, there were 500 beds, the king had a thousand wigs in his wardrobe, and four dozen tailors sewed outfits for Louis.
- Louis XIV is credited with the authorship of high-heeled shoes with red soles, which became the prototype of the “Louboutins” glorified by Sergei Shnurov. 10-centimeter heels added height to the monarch (1.63 meters).
- King Sun went down in history as the ancestor of " Big style"(Grand maniere), which characterizes the combination of classicism and baroque. Palace furniture in the style of Louis XIV is oversaturated with decorative elements, carvings, and gilding.
The most long time On the throne of France was Louis XIV of Bourbon, who received the nickname “Sun King”. Louis was born in 1638 after 22 years of barren marriage between King Louis XIII and Anne of Austria, and five years later became king of France. After the death of his father, Louis and his mother lived in a rather ascetic environment in the Palais Royal.
Despite the fact that Anna of Austria was the regent of the state, the first minister, Cardinal Mazarin, had full power. In his early childhood, the young king had to go through a civil war - the struggle with the so-called Fronde, and only in 1652 was peace restored, however, despite the fact that Louis was already an adult, power remained with Mazarin. In 1659, Louis entered into a marriage alliance with the Spanish princess Maria Theresa. Finally, in 1661, after the death of Cardinal Mazarin, Louis was able to concentrate all power in his hands.
The king was poorly educated, did not read and write well, but had wonderful logic and common sense. Home negative trait The king had excessive selfishness, pride and selfishness. Thus, Louis considered that there was no palace in France that would emphasize its greatness, so in 1662, he began construction, which dragged on for fifty long years. Since 1982, the king almost never visited Paris; the entire royal court was located in Versailles. The new palace was extremely luxurious; the king spent four hundred million francs on its construction. The palace contained numerous galleries, salons and parks. The king loved playing cards, and the courtiers followed his example. Moliere's comedies were staged at Versailles, balls and receptions were held almost every evening, a new, strict ceremony was developed, which was to be performed to the smallest detail by each of the courtiers.
Even during his lifetime, Louis began to be called the Sun King due to the identification of royal power with the heavenly body, and this had been going on since the 16th century. However, during the time of Louis XIV it reached its apogee. Louis loved all kinds of staged ballets, masquerades and carnivals, and the main role in them, of course, was assigned to the king. At these carnivals, the king appeared before his courtiers in the role of Apollo or the Rising Sun. The Tuileries Ballet of 1662 played a major role in the emergence of this nickname; at this carnival, the king appeared in the image of a Roman emperor, in whose hands was a shield with the image of the sun, as a symbol of the king, who illuminates all of France. It was after this equestrian ballet that Louis began to be called the Sun King.
There were always many close to Louis beautiful women, however, the king never forgot his wife; six children were born in their marriage. The king also had more than ten illegitimate children, some of whom the king legitimized. It was under Louis that the concept of the “official favorite” - the king’s mistress - arose. The first was Louise de La Vallière, who bore him four children and ended her life in a monastery. The next famous mistress of the king was Atenais de Montespan, she was next to the king for about 15 years along with Queen Maria Theresa. The last favorite was Francoise de Maintenon. It was she who, after the death of Queen Maria Theresa in 1683, became the morganatic wife of the French king.
Louis completely subordinated all power to his will; in governing the state, the monarch was assisted by the Council of Ministers, the Council of Finance, the Postal Council, the Trade and Spiritual Councils, the Grand and State Councils. However, in resolving any issues the last word remained with the king. Louis introduced a new tax system, which was mainly reflected in the increase in taxes on peasants and the petty bourgeoisie to expand the financing of military needs, in 1675 a tax on stamp paper was even introduced. The first confication of commercial law was introduced by the monarch, and the Commercial Code was adopted. Under Louis, the sale of government positions reached its apogee, in last years During his lifetime, two and a half thousand new positions were created to enrich the treasury, which brought 77 million livres to the treasury. For the final establishment of absolutism, he even wanted to achieve the creation of the French patriarchy, this would create the political independence of the clergy from the pope. Louis also revoked the Edict of Nantes and resumed the persecution of the Huguenots, which most likely was a consequence of the influence of his morganatic wife de Maintenon.
The era of the Sun King was marked in France by large-scale wars of conquest. Until 1681, France managed to capture Flanders, Alsace, Lorraine, Franche-Comté, Luxembourg, Kehl and lands in Belgium. Only in 1688, the aggressive policy of the French king began to fail, the huge costs of the war required a constant increase in taxes, the king often sent his silver furniture and various utensils to be melted down. Realizing that the war could cause great discontent among the people, Louis began to seek peace with the enemy, who at that time was the King of England, William of Orange. According to the concluded agreement, France lost Savoy, Catalonia, Luxembourg; in the end, only Strasbourg, which had been captured earlier, was saved.
In 1701, the already aging Louis unleashed new war for the Spanish crown. Louis' grandson Philip of Anjou claimed the Spanish throne, but it was necessary to comply with the condition of non-annexation of Spanish lands to France, but the French side retained Philip's rights to the throne, in addition, the French sent their troops to Belgium. England, Holland and Austria opposed this state of affairs. The war undermined the French economy every day, the treasury was completely empty, many French people were starving, all the gold and silverware, even at the royal court, white bread was replaced with black bread. Peace was concluded in stages in 1713-14, the Spanish King Philip renounced his rights to the French throne.
The difficult foreign policy situation was aggravated by problems within the royal family. During 1711-1714, the monarch’s son, the Dauphin Louis, died of smallpox, a little later his grandson and his wife, and twenty days later their son, the king’s great-grandson, five-year-old Louis, also died of scarlet fever. The only heir was the king's great-grandson, who was destined to ascend to the throne. The numerous deaths of children and grandchildren greatly weakened the old king, and in 1715 he practically did not get out of bed, and in August of the same year he died.
Duke Philippe d'Orléans (brother of Louis XIV) was one of the most controversial aristocratic figures in French history. Being second in line to the throne, he posed a serious threat to the monarchy, but even in the era of the Fronde and internal turmoil, Monsieur did not oppose the legitimate ruler. While remaining loyal to the crown, the Duke led a unique lifestyle. He regularly shocked the public, surrounded himself with many favorites, patronized the arts and, despite his effeminate image, periodically successfully led military campaigns.
King's brother
On September 21, 1640, Louis III and his wife Anne of Austria had a second son, the future Philippe d'Orléans. He was born at a residence in the Paris suburb of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The boy was the younger brother of the monarch Louis XIV, who ascended the throne in 1643 after the death of their father.
The relationship between them was a big exception for royal families. There are many examples in history of how brothers (children of some ruler) hated each other and fought with each other for power. There were similar examples in France. For example, there is a theory that the penultimate monarch of Charles IX was poisoned by one of his younger brothers.
Monsieur
The hereditary principle, in which the eldest heir received everything, and the other remained in his shadow, was largely unfair. Despite this, Philip of Orleans never plotted against Louis. Warm relations have always been maintained between the brothers. This harmony became possible thanks to the efforts of mother Anna of Austria, who tried to do everything so that her children lived and were raised together in a friendly environment.
In addition, the character of Philip himself affected. By nature, he was extravagant and hot-tempered, which, however, could not drown out his good nature and gentleness. All his life, Philip bore the titles “Only Brother of the King” and “Monsieur,” which emphasized his special position not only in the ruling dynasty, but throughout the country.
Childhood
The news that she had given birth to a second boy was received with enthusiasm at court. The omnipotent was especially pleased. He understood that Philip of Orleans - the brother of Louis 14 - was another legitimate support of the dynasty and its future in the event that something happened to the Dauphin. From the early childhood the boys were invariably raised together. Together they played, studied and misbehaved, which is why they were spanked together.
At that time, the Fronde was raging in France. Princes were secretly taken from Paris more than once and hidden in distant residences. Philippe d'Orléans, the brother of Louis 14, just like the Dauphin, experienced many hardships and hardships. He had to feel fear and defenselessness in front of an angry crowd of rioters. Sometimes the brothers' childhood pranks escalated into fights. Although Louis was older, he did not always emerge victorious in fights.
Like all children, they could quarrel over trifles - plates of porridge, sharing beds in a new room, etc. Philip was temperamental, loved to shock others, but at the same time had an easy character and quickly moved away from insults. But Louis, on the contrary, was stubborn and could sulk at those around him for a long time.
Relations with Mazarin
The very fact that Philippe Duke of Orleans was the younger brother of the all-powerful king made it inevitable that there would be many ill-wishers who did not like Monsieur. One of his most influential opponents was Mazarin. The cardinal was put in charge of the education of the previously poorly performing Louis and his younger brother. Mazarin did not like Philip because of his fear that he would become a threat to the throne as he grew older. Monsieur could repeat the fate of Gaston - his own uncle, who opposed the monarchy with his claims to power.
Mazarin had many superficial reasons to fear such a development of events. The all-powerful nobleman could not help but notice what an adventurous person Philippe d'Orléans grew up to be. The duke's future biography showed that he also grew into a good commander who could lead armies and achieve victories on the battlefield.
Upbringing
Some biographers, not without reason, noted in their works that Philip could have been deliberately instilled in feminine habits and instilled an interest in homosexuality. If this was really done for ambiguous reasons, then Mazarin could thus count, firstly, on the fact that the Duke would not have a normal family and heir, and secondly, on the fact that Monsieur would be despised at court. However, the cardinal did not even need to take the initiative into his own hands.
Philip's feminine habits were brought up by his mother Anna of Austria. She liked the gentle character of her youngest son much more than Louis' boring habits. Anna loved to dress up the child as a girl and let him play with the maids of honor. Today, when Philippe d'Orléans is mentioned, he is often confused with his namesake descendant, but the 19th-century King Louis-Philippe d'Orléans had little in common with the duke XVII century. Their upbringings were markedly different. It is enough to give an example of how the brother of Louis XIV could be jokingly pulled into a lady's corset.
The ladies-in-waiting who lived at court also loved theater and often gave the child comic roles in their productions. Perhaps it was these impressions that instilled in Philip an interest in the stage. At the same time, the boy was left to his own devices for a long time. All the strength of his mother and Cardinal Mazarin was spent on Louis, from whom they made a king. What would happen to his younger brother was of much less interest to everyone. All that was required of him was not to interfere with the throne, not to make claims to power and not to repeat the path of the rebellious uncle Gaston.
Wives
In 1661, Gaston's younger brother, Duke of Orleans, died. After his death, the title passed to Philip. Before that he was Duke of Anjou. In the same year, Philip of Orleans married Henrietta Anne Stuart, daughter of Charles I of England.
Interestingly, the first wife Henrietta was supposed to marry Louis XIV himself. However, during their adolescence, the royal power in England was overthrown, and a marriage with the daughter of Charles Stuart was considered unpromising at Versailles. Wives were then chosen according to the position and prestige of the dynasty. While the Stuarts remained without a crown under Cromwell, the Bourbons did not want to become related to them. However, everything changed in 1660, when Henrietta's brother regained his father's throne. The girl’s status became higher, but Louis had already married by that time. Then the princess received an offer to marry the king's younger brother. Cardinal Mazarin was an opponent of this marriage, but on March 9, 1661, he died, and the last obstacle to the engagement disappeared.
It is not known exactly what the future wife of Philippe d'Orleans sincerely thought about her groom. England heard conflicting rumors about Monsieur's hobbies and favorites. Nevertheless, Henrietta married him. After the wedding, Louis gave his brother the Palais Royal, which became the city residence of the couple. Philippe, Duke of Orleans, in his own words, was infatuated with his wife just two weeks after the wedding. Then everyday life set in, and he returned to the company of his favorites - the minions. The marriage was unhappy. In 1670, Henrietta died and Philip remarried. This time his chosen one was Elizabeth Charlotte, daughter of Karl Ludwig, Elector of the Palatinate. This marriage produced a son, Philip II, the future regent of France.
Favorites
Thanks to the surviving correspondence of the second wife, historians were able to collect a lot of evidence of the Duke’s homosexuality. Of his lovers, the most famous is Chevalier Philippe de Lorraine. He was a representative of the old aristocratic and influential family of Guise. Philippe d'Orléans and the Chevalier de Lorraine met at a young age. Later, both wives of the duke tried to remove the favorite from the court. He exerted a serious influence on Philip, which jeopardized family life the last one. Despite the efforts of Henrietta and Elizabeth, the Chevalier continued to remain close to the Duke of Orleans.
In 1670, the king tried to take control of the situation. Louis XIV imprisoned the Chevalier in the famous Prison If. However, the favorite's stay in prison was short-lived. Seeing his brother’s grief, Louis retreated and allowed the minion to first move to Rome and then return to the court of his patron. The relationship between Philippe d'Orléans and Philippe de Lorrain continued until the Duke's death in 1701 (the favorite survived him by only a year). When Louis buried his younger brother, he ordered all of Philip’s correspondence to be burned, fearing the publicity of his adventures and unsightly lifestyle.
Commander
Philip first distinguished himself as a military commander during the War of Devolution in 1667-1668, when France fought with Spain for influence in the Netherlands. In 1677 he returned to the army again. Then the war began against Holland, which was ruled by The conflict flared up on several fronts. In Flanders, Louis needed another commander, since all his usual commanders were already occupied. Then Philip 1 of Orleans went to this region. The duke's biography is an example of a faithful and loyal brother, who without wrangling carried out the orders of the monarch at the most crucial moment, when the fatherland was in danger.
The army under the command of Philip first captured Cambrai, and then began the siege of the city of Saint-Omer. Here the Duke learned that the main Dutch army was coming towards him from Ypres, led by King William III of Orange himself. Philip left a small part of his army under the walls of the besieged city, and he himself went to intercept the enemy. The armies clashed at the Battle of Kassel on April 11, 1677. The Duke headed the center of the army, in which the infantry stood. The cavalry positioned itself on the flanks. Success was ensured by a swift attack by dragoon units, which forced the enemy army to retreat.
The Dutch suffered a crushing defeat. They lost 8 thousand people killed and wounded, and another 3 thousand were captured. The French captured the enemy's camp, their banners, cannons and other equipment. Thanks to the victory, Philip was able to complete the siege of Saint-Omer and take control of the city. A radical change occurred in the war. This was the Duke's most significant success on the battlefield. After his triumph, he was recalled from the army. Louis XIV was clearly jealous and fearful of his brother's further victories. Although the king solemnly greeted Monsieur and publicly thanked him for defeating the enemy, he did not give him any more troops.
Philip and art
Thanks to his hobbies, Philippe d'Orleans was remembered by his contemporaries and descendants as the largest patron of the arts of his era. It was he who made the composer Jean-Baptiste Lully famous, and also supported the writer Moliere. The Duke had a significant collection of art and jewelry. His special passion was theater and satire.
Prince Philippe Duke of Orleans not only loved art, but later he himself became the hero of many works. His personality attracted the most different writers, creators of musicals, directors, etc. For example, one of the most provocative images came from Roland Joffe in his 2000 film “Vatel”. In this painting, the Duke is depicted as an open homosexual and friend of the disgraced Condé. Philip's childhood is shown in another film - "The Child King", where the events of the Fronde unfold. The most famous French writer could not ignore the image of the Duke - In his novel “The Vicomte de Bragelonne, or Ten Years After,” the author took liberties with historical facts. In the book, Philippe is not the only brother of Louis XIV. In addition to him, on the pages of the novel there is the twin of the monarch, who became a prisoner in an iron mask due to political expediency.
Last years
Thanks to successful marriages, both of Philip's daughters became queens. His namesake son had a distinguished military career during the War of the League of Augsburg. In 1692 he took part in the Battle of Steenkirk and the Siege of Namur. The successes of the children were Philip's special pride, so in his last years he could live peacefully on his estates and rejoice for his descendants.
At the same time, the relationship between the Duke and his crowned brother was not better times. On June 9, 1701, Prince Philippe d'Orléans died of an apoplexy that overtook him in Saint-Cloud after a long dispute with the king about the fate of his son. Louis tried in every possible way to limit his nephew, fearing the growth of his popularity in the army. This infuriated Philip. Another quarrel became fatal for him. Having become nervous, he survived the blow, which turned out to be fatal.
The body of 60-year-old Monsieur was buried in the Parisian Abbey of Saint-Denis. During the French Revolution, the grave was plundered. At court, the former favorite of the king, the Marquise de Montespan, grieved most of all about the death of the Duke.
It is interesting that the King of France, Louis-Philippe d'Orléans, who ruled the country in 1830-1848. and overthrown by the revolution, was a descendant of Monsieur. The ducal title was regularly passed on from descendant to descendant of Louis XIV's brother. Louis Philippe was his grandson in several generations. Although he did not belong to the previously reigning branch of the Bourbons, this did not prevent him from becoming king thanks to a bloodless coup. Louis-Philippe d'Orléans, although similar in name to his ancestor, actually had little in common with him.
March 26th, 2016
Louis XIV reigned for 72 years, longer than any other European monarch. He became king at the age of four, took full power into his own hands at 23 and ruled for 54 years. “The state is me!” - Louis XIV did not say these words, but the state has always been associated with the personality of the ruler. Therefore, if we talk about the blunders and mistakes of Louis XIV (the war with Holland, the repeal of the Edict of Nantes, etc.), then the assets of the reign should also be credited to him.
The development of trade and manufacturing, the emergence of the French colonial empire, the reform of the army and the creation of the navy, the development of the arts and sciences, the construction of Versailles and, finally, the transformation of France into modern state. These are not all the achievements of the Century of Louis XIV. So what was this ruler who gave his name to his time?
Louis XIV de Bourbon, who received the name Louis-Dieudonné (“God-given”) at birth, was born on September 5, 1638. The name “God-given” appeared for a reason. Queen Anne of Austria gave birth to an heir at the age of 37.
For 22 years, the marriage of Louis's parents was barren, and therefore the birth of an heir was perceived by the people as a miracle. After the death of his father, young Louis and his mother moved to the Palais Royal, the former palace of Cardinal Richelieu. Here the little king was brought up in a very simple and sometimes squalid environment.
Louis XIV de Bourbon.
His mother was considered regent of France, but real power lay in the hands of her favorite, Cardinal Mazarin. He was very stingy and did not care at all not only about providing pleasure to the child king, but even about his availability of basic necessities.
The first years of Louis's formal reign saw events civil war, known as the Fronde. In January 1649, an uprising against Mazarin broke out in Paris. The king and ministers had to flee to Saint-Germain, and Mazarin generally fled to Brussels. Peace was restored only in 1652, and power returned to the hands of the cardinal. Despite the fact that the king was already considered an adult, Mazarin ruled France until his death.
Giulio Mazarin - church and political leader and first minister of France in 1643-1651 and 1653-1661. He took up the post under the patronage of Queen Anne of Austria.
In 1659, peace was signed with Spain. The agreement was sealed by the marriage of Louis with Maria Theresa, who was his cousin. When Mazarin died in 1661, Louis, having received his freedom, hastened to get rid of all guardianship over himself.
He abolished the position of first minister, announcing to the State Council that from now on he himself would be the first minister, and no decree, even the most insignificant, should be signed by anyone on his behalf.
Louis was poorly educated, barely able to read and write, but had common sense and a strong determination to maintain his royal dignity. He was tall, handsome, had a noble bearing, and tried to express himself briefly and clearly. Unfortunately, he was overly selfish, as no European monarch was distinguished by monstrous pride and selfishness. All previous royal residences seemed to Louis unworthy of his greatness.
After some deliberation, in 1662 he decided to turn the small hunting castle of Versailles into a royal palace. It took 50 years and 400 million francs. Until 1666, the king had to live in the Louvre, from 1666 to 1671. in the Tuileries, from 1671 to 1681, alternately in the Versailles under construction and Saint-Germain-O-l"E. Finally, from 1682, Versailles became the permanent residence of the royal court and government. From now on, Louis visited Paris only on short visits.
The king's new palace was distinguished by its extraordinary splendor. The so-called (large apartments) - six salons, named after ancient deities - served as hallways for the Mirror Gallery, 72 meters long, 10 meters wide and 16 meters high. Buffets were held in the salons, and guests played billiards and cards.
The Great Condé greets Louis XIV on the Staircase at Versailles.
In general, card games became an uncontrollable passion at court. The bets reached several thousand livres at stake, and Louis himself stopped playing only after he lost 600 thousand livres in six months in 1676.
Also comedies were staged in the palace, first by Italian and then by French authors: Corneille, Racine and especially often Moliere. In addition, Louis loved to dance, and repeatedly took part in ballet performances at court.
The splendor of the palace also corresponded to the complex rules of etiquette established by Louis. Any action was accompanied by a whole set of carefully designed ceremonies. Meals, going to bed, even basic quenching of thirst during the day - everything was turned into complex rituals.
War against everyone
If the king were only concerned with the construction of Versailles, the rise of the economy and the development of the arts, then, probably, the respect and love of his subjects for the Sun King would be limitless. However, the ambitions of Louis XIV extended much beyond the borders of his state.
By the early 1680s, Louis XIV had the most powerful army in Europe, which only whetted his appetite. In 1681, he established chambers of reunification to determine the rights of the French crown to certain areas, seizing more and more lands in Europe and Africa.
In 1688, Louis XIV's claims to the Palatinate led to the whole of Europe turning against him. The so-called War of the League of Augsburg lasted for nine years and resulted in the parties maintaining the status quo. But the huge expenses and losses incurred by France led to a new economic decline in the country and a depletion of funds.
But already in 1701, France was drawn into a long conflict called the War of the Spanish Succession. Louis XIV hoped to defend the rights to the Spanish throne for his grandson, who was to become the head of two states. However, the war, which engulfed not only Europe, but also North America, ended unsuccessfully for France.
According to the peace concluded in 1713 and 1714, the grandson of Louis XIV retained the Spanish crown, but its Italian and Dutch possessions were lost, and England, by destroying the Franco-Spanish fleets and conquering a number of colonies, laid the foundation for its maritime dominion. In addition, the project of uniting France and Spain under the hand of the French monarch had to be abandoned.
Sale of offices and expulsion of the Huguenots
This last military campaign of Louis XIV returned him to where he started - the country was mired in debt and groaning under the burden of taxes, and here and there uprisings broke out, the suppression of which required more and more resources.
The need to replenish the budget led to non-trivial decisions. Under Louis XIV, the trade in government positions was put on stream, reaching its maximum extent in the last years of his life. To replenish the treasury, more and more new positions were created, which, of course, brought chaos and discord into the activities of state institutions.
Louis XIV on coins.
The ranks of opponents of Louis XIV were joined by French Protestants after the “Edict of Fontainebleau” was signed in 1685, repealing the Edict of Nantes of Henry IV, which guaranteed freedom of religion to the Huguenots.
After this, more than 200 thousand French Protestants emigrated from the country, despite strict penalties for emigration. The exodus of tens of thousands of economically active citizens dealt another painful blow to the power of France.
The unloved queen and the meek lame woman
At all times and eras, the personal life of monarchs influenced politics. Louis XIV is no exception in this sense. The monarch once remarked: “It would be easier for me to reconcile all of Europe than a few women.”
His official wife in 1660, the Spanish Infanta Maria Theresa, who was Louis's daughter, became the same age cousin both father and mother.
The problem with this marriage, however, was not the close family ties of the spouses. Louis simply did not love Maria Theresa, but he meekly agreed to the marriage, which had important political significance. The wife bore the king six children, but five of them died in childhood. Only the first-born survived, named, like his father, Louis and who went down in history under the name of the Grand Dauphin.
The marriage of Louis XIV took place in 1660.
For the sake of marriage, Louis broke off relations with the woman he really loved - the niece of Cardinal Mazarin. Perhaps the separation from his beloved also influenced the king’s attitude towards his legal wife. Maria Theresa accepted her fate. Unlike other French queens, she did not intrigue or get involved in politics, playing a prescribed role. When the queen died in 1683, Louis said: “ This is the only worry in my life that she has caused me.».
The king compensated for the lack of feelings in marriage with relationships with his favorites. For nine years, Louise-Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc, Duchess de La Vallière, became Louis's sweetheart. Louise was not distinguished by dazzling beauty, and, moreover, due to an unsuccessful fall from a horse, she remained lame for the rest of her life. But the meekness, friendliness and sharp mind of Lamefoot attracted the attention of the king.
Louise bore Louis four children, two of whom lived to adulthood. The king treated Louise quite cruelly. Having begun to grow cold towards her, he settled his rejected mistress next to his new favorite - Marquise Françoise Athenaïs de Montespan. The Duchess de La Valliere was forced to endure the bullying of her rival. She endured everything with her characteristic meekness, and in 1675 she became a nun and lived for many years in a monastery, where she was called Louise the Merciful.
In the lady before Montespan there was not a shadow of the meekness of her predecessor. Representative of one of the most ancient noble families France, Françoise not only became the official favorite, but for 10 years turned into the “true Queen of France.”
Marquise de Montespan with four legitimized children. 1677 Palace of Versailles.
Françoise loved luxury and did not like counting money. It was the Marquise de Montespan who turned the reign of Louis XIV from deliberate budgeting to unrestrained and unlimited spending. Capricious, envious, domineering and ambitious, Francoise knew how to subjugate the king to her will. New apartments were built for her in Versailles, and she managed to place all her close relatives in significant government positions.
Françoise de Montespan bore Louis seven children, four of whom lived to adulthood. But the relationship between Françoise and the king was not as faithful as with Louise. Louis allowed himself hobbies besides his official favorite, which infuriated Madame de Montespan.
To keep the king with her, she began to study black magic and even became involved in a high-profile poisoning case. The king did not punish her with death, but deprived her of the status of a favorite, which was much more terrible for her.
Like her predecessor, Louise le Lavaliere, the Marquise de Montespan exchanged the royal chambers for a monastery.
Time for repentance
Louis's new favorite was the Marquise de Maintenon, the widow of the poet Scarron, who was the governess of the king's children from Madame de Montespan.
This favorite of the king was called the same as her predecessor, Françoise, but the women were as different from each other as heaven and earth. The king had long conversations with the Marquise de Maintenon about the meaning of life, about religion, about responsibility before God. The royal court replaced its splendor with chastity and high morality.
Madame de Maintenon.
After the death of his official wife, Louis XIV secretly married the Marquise de Maintenon. Now the king was occupied not with balls and festivities, but with masses and reading the Bible. The only entertainment he allowed himself was hunting.
The Marquise de Maintenon founded and directed Europe's first women's secular school, called the Royal House of Saint Louis. The school in Saint-Cyr has become an example for many similar establishments, including for the Smolny Institute in St. Petersburg.
For her strict disposition and intolerance to secular entertainment, the Marquise de Maintenon received the nickname the Black Queen. She survived Louis and after his death retired to Saint-Cyr, living the rest of her days among the pupils of her school.
Illegitimate Bourbons
Louis XIV recognized his illegitimate children from both Louise de La Vallière and Françoise de Montespan. They all received their father's surname - de Bourbon, and dad tried to arrange their lives.
Louis, Louise's son, was already promoted to French admiral at the age of two, and as an adult he went on a military campaign with his father. There, at the age of 16, the young man died.
Louis-Auguste, son from Françoise, received the title of Duke of Maine, became a French commander and in this capacity accepted the godson of Peter I and Alexander Pushkin's great-grandfather Abram Petrovich Hannibal for military training.
Grand Dauphin Louis. The only surviving legitimate child of Louis XIV by Maria Theresa of Spain.
Françoise Marie, Louis's youngest daughter, was married to Philippe d'Orléans, becoming Duchess of Orléans. Possessing the character of her mother, Françoise-Marie plunged headlong into political intrigue. Her husband became the French regent under the young King Louis XV, and Françoise-Marie's children married the scions of other European royal dynasties.
In a word, not many illegitimate children of ruling persons suffered the same fate that befell the sons and daughters of Louis XIV.
“Did you really think that I would live forever?”
The last years of the king's life turned out to be a difficult ordeal for him. The man, who throughout his life defended the chosenness of the monarch and his right to autocratic rule, experienced not only a crisis of his state. His close people left one after another, and it turned out that there was simply no one to transfer power to.
On April 13, 1711, his son, the Grand Dauphin Louis, died. In February 1712, the Dauphin's eldest son, the Duke of Burgundy, died, and on March 8 of the same year, the latter's eldest son, the young Duke of Breton, died.
On March 4, 1714, the Duke of Burgundy's younger brother, the Duke of Berry, fell from his horse and died a few days later. The only heir left was the king's 4-year-old great-grandson, younger son Duke of Burgundy. If this little one had died, the throne would have remained vacant after the death of Louis.
This forced the king to include even his illegitimate sons in the list of heirs, which promised internal civil strife in France in the future.
Louis XIV.
At 76 years old, Louis remained energetic, active and, as in his youth, regularly went hunting. During one of these trips, the king fell and injured his leg. Doctors discovered that the injury had caused gangrene and suggested amputation. The Sun King refused: this is unacceptable for royal dignity. The disease progressed rapidly, and soon agony began, lasting for several days.
At the moment of clarity of consciousness, Louis looked around those present and uttered his last aphorism:
- Why are you crying? Did you really think that I would live forever?
On September 1, 1715, at about 8 o'clock in the morning, Louis XIV died in his palace at Versailles. four days before reaching his 77th birthday.
Death of Louis XIV
Louis XIV died on the morning of Sunday, September 1, 1715. He was 77 years old and reigned for 72 years, 54 of which he ruled alone (1661–1715).
Until his death, he managed to maintain that “decorum”, those strict rules of official etiquette that he himself established. Feeling the approach of death from a gangrene-ridden leg, he played his role as king to the end. On Saturday, August 31, he ordered a gathering of courtiers, from whom he asked forgiveness “for bad examples, which he gave them." Then he invited the heir to the throne, his five-year-old great-grandson, the future King Louis XV, and said: "My child, you will become a great king. Do not follow my passion for luxurious palaces or wars. Strive to make life easier for your subjects. I couldn’t do it and that’s why I feel unhappy.”
The reign of Louis XIV was important not only because of its exceptional length.
Louis XIV wanted and managed to become a “great king”, establishing his personal power and giving the final form to an absolute monarchy. He was also great because, following a policy of prestige, he built the Palace of Versailles, patronized the arts and literature, and waged wars of conquest. IN latest results are not so obvious, as evidenced by his “self-criticism” at the end of his life.
With his death we are entering a new historical era, and it is noteworthy that his contemporaries were aware of this.
Sun King
At the time of the death of his father Louis XIII in 1643, followed shortly by the death of Prime Minister Richelieu, Louis XIV was not even five years old. His mother Anna of Austria, becoming regent, entrusted the reign to Mazarin. This Italian, who had previously served the Pope, was made a cardinal by Richelieu, although he was not a priest. The country's economy was then experiencing a period of decline. The expenses associated with Richelieu's foreign policy (the war against the Austrian dynasty) brought the poverty of the people to the extreme. Mazarin increases the exactions and thereby increases discontent. The nobility and the Parisian parliament (a judicial institution whose members bought their positions; has nothing in common with the English parliament) considered that the time had come to intervene in politics and limit the royal power in the person of Mazarin. This was the Fronde, of which Louis XIV retained painful memories. He was grateful to Mazarin for suppressing the Fronde and remained in power until his death in 1661.
At this moment, Louis XIV was 22 years old; he had no experience in leading the state. There was slight confusion when he told his advisers that he would henceforth be “his own prime minister.”
He kept his word. Louis XIV in in full, consciously and diligently practiced what he called "the craft of a king." He worked for many hours every day, studying matters himself or with one of the ministers.
Aware of the limitations of his capabilities, he listened to the advice of everyone he considered competent, but made decisions alone.
Convinced that his power was from God and that he was not obliged to give any reports to mortals, he wanted to have absolute power and chose the Sun as his emblem, hence his nickname the Sun King, and the Latin words “Nec pluribus impar” (“incomparable”) as his motto. , "above all").
Concern for prestige forced him to devote a significant part of his day to “representation.” He created a personality cult for the king, which was supported by etiquette, in the Spanish manner. This meant that strict ceremony surrounded every act of his life, from rising to going to bed, with the participation of the most distinguished nobles. The latter, who received huge pensions for performing “service” with the king, were dependent on him, and were removed from political power.
Age of Louis XIV
During the reign of Louis XIV, France acquired high cultural authority in addition to political and military authority, to which we will return. She became, in Taine's words, "a source of elegance, comfort, fine style, refined ideas and the art of living." In short, for the propertied classes throughout Europe, she became a model of civilization.
However, all intellectual and artistic life was under royal control; Various “academies” became intermediaries. To the French Academy created by Richelieu, Louis XIV added academies of exact sciences, painting and sculpture, music, etc. Each of them was entrusted with the duty to work for the glory of the king, support established principles and manage their field of activity.
The distribution of pensions to artists, writers, scientists, French and foreign, maintained discipline among them.
It was a golden age fiction with her classic masterpieces, with theater (Corneille, Racine, Moliere), poetry (Lafontaine, Boileau). Success in painting and music is not so brilliant. Lebrun, the court painter, seems quite mediocre. The same can be said about the Italian Lully, who exercised a real dictatorship in music.
The most outstanding work of art of this era was the Palace of Versailles, where Louis XIV, fearing popular movements, moved his residence from Paris. The architect Levo worked on its construction, and after 1676, Mansart. By the end of the reign of Louis XIV it was far from complete.
Foreign policy of Louis XIV
Louis XIV's quest for glory plunged the country into repeated and costly wars with questionable results. Towards the end of his reign, a coalition of European powers rose up against him, which almost crushed him.
He annexed Franche-Comté, taken from Spain, several cities in Flanders, as well as Strasbourg.
In 1700, the last son of Charles V from the senior branch of the Habsburgs died without a direct heir. The power of Charles II extended over Spain with its colonies (America, Philippines), over the Netherlands (present-day Belgium), the two Sicilies and the Duchy of Milan in Italy.
Fearing the collapse of this empire and knowing that France would not tolerate these possessions, as under Charles V, being united with the Austrian lands of the Habsburgs (passed to the junior branch) and with the imperial crown, the dying Charles II bequeathed his possessions to the grandson of Louis XIV, the Duke of Anjou. At the same time, the condition was set that under no circumstances would the crowns of France and Spain unite under the rule of one sovereign. This will is explained by the fact that the Duke of Anjou had rights to the Spanish crown through his grandmother, Maria Theresa, wife of Louis XIV and eldest daughter Spanish King Philip IV.
Louis XIV sacrificed the interests of France for the sake of the glory of the dynasty, because he had the opportunity, in accordance with the partition plan drawn up by the European powers, to take possession of the Netherlands. He preferred to see a representative of the Bourbon dynasty on the throne of Spain (by the way, they still reign there to this day). However, the Duke of Anjou, having become the Spanish king under the name of Philip V, retained only Spain and its colonies, losing all his European possessions to Austria.
Absolute monarchy
The form of absolute monarchy established by Louis XIV was maintained until the end of the "old order".
Louis XIV did not allow the titled nobility to come to power, “taming” them with court positions.
He nominated people of low birth as ministers, generously gifting them and rewarding them with titles of nobility. Therefore, they were completely dependent on the will of the king. The most famous are Colbert, Minister of Finance and Economy, and Louvois, Minister of War.
In the provinces, Louis XIV limited the power of governors and left them only honorary duties. All real power was concentrated in the hands of the “intendants of finance, justice and police,” whom he appointed and removed at his whim and who, in his words, were “the very king in the province.”
In the religious sphere, Louis XIV sought to impose his will and opinions on everyone. He came into conflict with the Pope regarding control of the Catholic Church in France. He persecuted the Jansenists, uncompromising and strict Catholics. In 1685, Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, by which Henry IV granted religious freedom to Protestants. Now they were forced to change their faith, many emigrated, which led to desolation of entire regions. Despite all efforts, Protestantism was never eradicated in France.
End of the reign of Louis 14
Constant wars, and especially the last one, called the War of the Spanish Succession, ruined the country. Poverty was exacerbated by several poor harvest years, and in particular by the freezing winter of 1709 (temperatures dropped below 20° throughout France throughout January, with snow remaining until the end of March).
The burden of taxes fell almost exclusively on the "non-nobles", while the clergy, nobles and part of the bourgeoisie were exempt from them. Louis XIV tried at the end of his reign to introduce taxes paid by everyone depending on income (capitation, tithe), but the privileged classes very soon freed themselves from them, and the portion that fell on others increased even more.