by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

King Louis XIV of France, often known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, was the longest-reigning French monarch, reigning from 1643 until he died in 1715. He was born on September 5, 1638, at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, the elder son of King Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria.

Louis had one younger brother:

• Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (1640 – 1701) – married (1) Henrietta of England, had issue; (2) Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, had issue

At just four years old, he became King following his father’s death on May 14, 1643. His father had decreed that a Regency Council should be established, led by the Queen. However, Queen Anne had that overturned and served as the sole Regent for her young son. Despite coming of age in 1654, King Louis XIV didn’t fully assume his role as King until 1661, following the death of his chief minister, Cardinal Mazarin. An ardent believer in the divine right of kings, King Louis XIV quickly assumed full control of the monarchy. He was one of France’s most powerful sovereigns and established France as one of the leading powers of Europe.

When Louis assumed his role as King, France was nearly bankrupt, having endured several foreign wars and years of civil unrest. The King brought in a new finance minister who worked to reduce the country’s debt and increase its coffers, through more efficient taxation. Within several years, the country’s finances were restored. The King also boosted commerce and trade in France and invited many foreign businesses and artisans to France. He worked to improve and modernize the military and focused on the physical and mental well-being of the soldiers. His reign saw France become the primary power in Europe, and three major wars took place – the Franco-Dutch War, the War of the League of Augsburg, and the War of the Spanish Succession.

Louis XIV married for the first time on June 9, 1660, at the Church of Saint-Jean the Baptist in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France. His bride, Maria Theresia of Austria, was the daughter of King Felipe IV of Spain and Elisabeth of France. The couple was double first cousins.

• Unofficial Royalty: First Cousins: Louis XIV, King of France

Louis and Marie-Thérèse had six children:

• Louis, Le Grand Dauphin (1661 – 1711) – married (1) Duchess Maria Anna of Bavaria, had issue; (2) Marie Émilie de Joly de Choin, had issue
• Anne-Élisabeth (born and died 1662) – died in infancy
• Marie-Anne (born and died 1664) – died in infancy
• Marie-Thérèse (1667 – 1672) – died in childhood
• Philippe Charles, Duke of Anjou (1668 – 1671) – died in childhood
• Louis François, Duke of Anjou (born and died 1672) – died in infancy

In addition, the King had several mistresses and illegitimate children. With Louise de La Baume Le Blanc, Duchess de La Vallière et de Vaujours, he had five children:

• Charles de La Baume Le Blanc (1663 – 1665) – died in childhood
• Philippe de La Baume Le Blanc (1665 – 1666) – died in childhood
• Louis de La Baume Le Blanc (1665 – 1666) – died in childhood
• Marie Anne de La Baume Le Blanc (1666 – 1739) – legitimized in 1667, married Louis Armand de Bourbon, Prince de Conti, no issue. Later Duchess de La Vallière in her own right
• Louis, Count of Vermandois (1667 – 1683) – legitimized in 1669, created Comte de Vermandois, died at age 16

And with Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan, he had seven children:

• Louise Françoise de Bourbon (1669 – 1672) – died in childhood
• Louis Auguste de Bourbon (1670 – 1736) – legitimized in 1673, created Duc du Maine, married Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon, had issue
• Louis César de Bourbon (1672 – 1683) – legitimized in 1673, created comte de Vexin, died in childhood
• Louise Françoise de Bourbon (1673 – 1643) – legitimized in 1673, known as Mademoiselle de Nantes, married Louis de Bourbon, later duc de Bourbon and Prince de Condé, had issue
• Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon (1674 – 1681) – legitimized in 1676, known as Mademoiselle de Tours, died in childhood
• Françoise Marie de Bourbon (1677 – 1749) – legitimized in 1681, known as Mademoiselle de Blois, married Philippe d’Orléans, duc de Chartres, later duc d’Orléans, had issue
• Louis Alexandre de Bourbon (1678 – 1737) – legitimized in 1681, created comte de Toulouse, married Marie Victoire de Noailles, had issue

His children with Madame de Montespan were raised by Françoise d’Aubigné, Madame Scarron (later created Marquise de Maintenon). Soon, she replaced Madame Montespan in the King’s affection. After the death of Queen Marie-Thérèse in 1683, King Louis XIV married Madame de Maintenon in a private ceremony conducted by the Archbishop of Paris. Because the marriage was morganatic, she was never publicly acknowledged as his wife or as Queen.

Louis XIV’s reign saw the monarchy assume authority over the aristocracy and the church, becoming a true absolute monarchy. While the Pope remained in control of ecclesiastical law, the King invalidated all papal regulations and made himself the authority within France under the Declaration of the Clergy of France in 1681.

The King took complete control of the aristocracy, providing residences at Versailles for those who paid court to him. Having them close allowed the king to determine who was loyal to him and who was not. His constant entertaining of the aristocracy helped to determine public opinion while keeping them under a very watchful eye. He also banned the private armies, often established by the nobility to plot against the monarchy.

In 1685, King Louis XIV issued the Edict of Fontainebleau. This formally revoked the Edict of Nantes of 1598, which had granted religious and political freedom to the Huguenots. Many believe this was at the urging of Madame de Maintenon, a very staunch Catholic. The Edict of Fontainebleau ordered the destruction of Huguenot churches and the closing of all Protestant schools. Many Huguenots converted to avoid persecution for which they were financially rewarded, while many others fled the country.

King Louis XIV was a huge supporter of the arts. He supported and protected numerous writers and artists, and commissioned over 300 formal portraits and over 20 statues of himself during his lifetime. A lover of dance, particularly ballet, he founded the Académie Royale de Danse in 1661, and the Académie d’Opéra in 1669. He also assumed the patronage of the Académie Française.

King Louis XIV built the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris and made many renovations to some of the royal palaces, including the Palais du Louvre, also in Paris. Perhaps his best-known building project was the Palace of Versailles. Having inherited the hunting lodge built there by his father, Louis oversaw several building campaigns resulting in the magnificent palace that still stands today. In 1682, he officially made Versailles the home of the Royal Court.

After reigning for 72 years and 100 days, King Louis XIV died on September 1, 1715, at the Palace of Versailles, and was buried at the Basilica of St. Denis in Paris. Louis XIV outlived most of his immediate legitimate family. His last surviving legitimate son Louis, Le Grand Dauphin died in 1711. Barely a year later, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin, the eldest of the Dauphin’s three sons and then heir to Louis XIV, followed his father in death. Burgundy’s elder surviving son Louis, Duke of Brittany joined them a few weeks later. Thus, on his deathbed, Louis XIV’s heir was his five-year-old great-grandson, Louis, Duke of Anjou, Burgundy’s younger son, who succeeded his great-grandfather as King Louis XV.

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France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of France/French Empire Index
• French Burial Sites – House of Bourbon, House of Bonaparte, House of Orléans