Louis XIV of France (5 September 1638-1 September 1715) was the King of France from 14 May 1643 to 1 September 1715, succeeding Louis XIII of France and preceding Louis XV of France. Nicknamed "the Sun King", King Louis was best-known for leading France in a series of wars over domination of Western Europe, including the War of Devolution, the War of Reunions, the War of the Grand Alliance, and the War of the Spanish Succession, the last of which allowed for his ally Philippe of Valois to become King of Spain. He was also known for moving the French royal palace to Versailles, and for modernizing France's army.
Biography[]
Louis in 1667
Louis XIV was the son of Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria, and he was a member of both the House of Bourbon and the House of Habsburg. He came to the throne at the age of five, and Cardinal Richelieu served as regent for him in his first few years, overseeing the end of the Thirty Years' War. In 1661, after Regent Mazarin's death, Louis XVI became the full ruler of France at the age of 23, and he intended to increase France's power in Europe by way of war. In 1660 he married Maria Teresa of Spain, making him the son-in-law of Philip IV of Spain and, when Philip died in 1665, he claimed the Spanish Netherlands through marriage and through his mother. He took it over by 1668 after the "War of Devolution", and in 1670 he bribed Charles II of England out of the "Triple Alliance" of England, the United Provinces, and Sweden, and he invaded the defenseless United Provinces. In 1678, at the close of the Franco-Dutch War, he gained more of the Spanish Netherlands, further extending his empire.
War of the Grand Alliance[]
An older Louis XIV
In 1685, Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had ended the French Wars of Religion in 1598 and given religious freedom to the Protestant Huguenots. Three years later he lost influence in the English court when his ally James II of England was overthrown by Willem III of Orange in the "Glorious Revolution"; he responded by attacking the Palatinate, precipitating the War of the Grand Alliance against the Austrian Empire, Sweden, Spain, and England, now in a personal union with the United Provinces. The conflict was fought in Europe, India, and The Americas, and although Louis won a military victory over the alliance, he won little more; he was bankrupt and had little to no territorial gains.
Louis XVI's last war[]
He started war again in 1701 when Carlos II of Spain died, electing Philip of Valois to the throne. He was disrespected by the Holy Roman Empire, Great Britain, Prussia, and the United Provinces, among other nations, and this resulted in the War of the Spanish Succession against the major powers of Europe. King Louis' armies were defeated by the Grand Alliance several times, but the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht allowed for Philip of Valois to become King of Spain, although he would have to forfeit all royal titles in France in order to be recognized. King Louis died in 1715, and Louis XV of France succeeded him.
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