Louis XIV: the king who missed his wife. Louis XIV (Fourteenth) - Biography

Louis XIV de Bourbon, who received the name Louis-Dieudonnet at birth (" given by God", fr. Louis-Dieudonne), also known as the "Sun King" (fr. Louis XIV Le Roi Soleil), also Louis XIV the Great, (September 5, 1638 (16380905), Saint-Germain-en-Laye - September 1, 1715, Versailles) - King of France and Navarre from May 14, 1643

He reigned for 72 years - longer than any other European monarch in history. Louis, who survived the wars of the Fronde in his youth, became a staunch supporter of the principle of absolute monarchy and the divine right of kings (he is often credited with the expression “The State is me”), he combined the strengthening of his power with the successful selection of statesmen for key political posts.

The reign of Louis - a time of significant consolidation of the unity of France, its military power, political weight and intellectual prestige, the flourishing of culture, went down in history as a "great century". At the same time, the constant wars waged by Louis and demanding high taxes ruined the country, and the abolition of religious tolerance led to the mass emigration of the Huguenots from France.

He ascended the throne as a minor and the government passed into the hands of his mother and Cardinal Mazarin. Even before the end of the war with Spain and the House of Austria, the highest aristocracy, supported by Spain and in alliance with Parliament, began unrest, which received common name The Fronde ended only with the subjugation of the Prince de Conde and the signing of the Peace of the Pyrenees (November 7, 1659).

In 1660, Louis married the Infanta of Spain, Maria Theresa of Austria. At this time, the young king, having grown up without proper upbringing and education, did not arouse even greater expectations.

However, as soon as Cardinal Mazarin died (1661), Louis set about independent government. He had a gift for choosing talented and capable employees (for example, Colbert, Vauban, Letellier, Lyonne, Louvois). Louis raised the doctrine of royal rights to a semi-religious dogma.

Thanks to the work of the brilliant Colbert, much was done to strengthen state unity, the well-being of the working classes, and encourage trade and industry. At the same time, Luvois put the army in order, unified its organization and increased its fighting strength.

After the death of King Philip IV of Spain, he declared French claims to part of the Spanish Netherlands and kept it behind him in the so-called war of devolution. The Treaty of Aachen, concluded on May 2, 1668, gave French Flanders and a number of border areas into his hands.

From that time on, the United Provinces had a passionate enemy in the person of Louis. Contrasts in foreign policy, state views, trade interests, religion led both states to constant clashes. Louis in 1668-71 skillfully managed to isolate the republic.

Through bribery, he managed to divert England and Sweden from the Triple Alliance, to win over Cologne and Munster to the side of France. Having brought his army to 120,000 people, Louis in 1670 occupied the possessions of an ally of the States General, Duke Charles IV of Lorraine, and in 1672 crossed the Rhine, conquered half of the provinces within six weeks and returned in triumph to Paris.

The breakthrough of the dams, the rise of William III of Orange to power, the intervention of European powers stopped the success of French weapons.

The States General entered into an alliance with Spain and Brandenburg and Austria; the empire also joined them after the French army attacked the archbishopric of Trier and occupied the 10 imperial cities of Alsace, already half-joined with France.

In 1674, Louis opposed his enemies with 3 large armies: with one of them he personally occupied Franche-Comté; the other, under the command of Conde, fought in the Netherlands and won at Senef; the third, headed by Turenne, devastated the Palatinate and successfully fought the troops of the emperor and the great elector in Alsace.

After a short interval due to the death of Turenne and the removal of Condé, Louis, at the beginning of 1676, appeared with renewed vigor in the Netherlands and conquered a number of cities, while Luxembourg devastated Breisgau. The whole country between the Saar, the Moselle and the Rhine, by order of the king, was turned into a desert.

In the Mediterranean, Duquesne defeated Reuter; Brandenburg's forces were distracted by an attack by the Swedes. Only as a result of hostile actions on the part of England, Louis in 1678 concluded the Treaty of Niemwegen, which gave him large gains from the Netherlands and the entire Franche-Comté from Spain. He gave Philippsburg to the emperor, but received Freiburg and kept all the conquests in Alsace.

This world marks the apogee of Louis' power. His army was the most numerous, best organized and led. His diplomacy dominated all European courts.

The French nation, with its achievements in the arts and sciences, in industry and commerce, has reached unprecedented heights. The court of Versailles (Louis transferred the royal residence to Versailles) became the object of envy and surprise of almost all modern sovereigns, who tried to imitate the great king even in his weaknesses.

Strict etiquette was introduced at the court, regulating all court life. Versailles became the center of all high society life, in which the tastes of Louis himself and his many favorites (Lavaliere, Montespan, Fontange) reigned.

All the highest aristocracy coveted court positions, since living away from the court for a nobleman was a sign of strife or royal disgrace.

“Absolutely without objection,” according to Saint-Simon, “Louis destroyed and eradicated every other force or authority in France, except those that came from him: reference to the law, to the right, was considered a crime.”

This cult of the Sun-King, in which capable people were increasingly pushed aside by courtesans and intriguers, was bound to lead inevitably to the gradual decline of the entire edifice of the monarchy.

The king held back his desires less and less. In Metz, Breisach and Besancon, he established chambers of reunification (chambres de reunions) to search for the rights of the French crown to certain areas (September 30, 1681).

The imperial city of Strasbourg was suddenly occupied by French troops in peacetime. Louis did the same with respect to the Dutch borders.

In 1681, his fleet bombarded Tripoli, in 1684 - Algiers and Genoa. Finally, an alliance was formed between Holland, Spain and the emperor, forcing Louis in 1684 to conclude a 20-year truce in Regensburg and abandon further "reunions".

Inside the state, the new fiscal system had in mind only an increase in taxes and taxes for the growing military needs, which fell heavily on the shoulders of the peasantry and the petty bourgeoisie. Particularly unpopular was the application of salt - gabel, which caused several unrest throughout the country.

The decision to impose a stamp paper tax in 1675 during the Dutch War caused a powerful stamp paper uprising in the rear of the country, in the west of France, primarily in Brittany, partly supported by the regional parliaments of Bordeaux and Rennes. In the west of Brittany, the uprising developed into anti-feudal peasant uprisings, which were suppressed only by the end of the year.

At the same time, Louis, as the "first nobleman" of France, spared the material interests of the lost political significance nobility and like a faithful son catholic church, did not demand anything from the clergy.

He tried to destroy the political dependence of the clergy on the pope, having achieved at the national council of 1682 a decision in his favor against the pope (see Gallicanism); but in matters of faith, his confessors (Jesuits) made him an obedient instrument of the most ardent Catholic reaction, which was reflected in the merciless persecution of all individualistic movements among the church (see Jansenism).

A number of harsh measures were taken against the Huguenots; the Protestant aristocracy was forced to convert to Catholicism in order not to lose their social advantages, and restrictive decrees were launched against Protestants from among other classes, culminating in the dragonades of 1683 and the repeal of the Edict of Nantes in 1685.

These measures, despite severe penalties for emigration, forced more than 200,000 industrious and enterprising Protestants to move to England, Holland and Germany. An uprising even broke out in the Cévennes. The growing piety of the king was supported by Madame de Maintenon, who, after the death of the queen (1683), was united with him by secret marriage.

In 1688 broke out new war, the reason for which was, among other things, the claims to the Palatinate, presented by Louis on behalf of his daughter-in-law, Elizabeth-Charlotte of Orleans, who was related to the Elector Karl-Ludwig, who died shortly before that. Having entered into an alliance with the Elector of Cologne, Karl-Egon Furstemberg, Louis ordered his troops to occupy Bonn and attack the Palatinate, Baden, Württemberg and Trier.

At the beginning of 1689, French troops devastated the entire Lower Palatinate in the most terrible way. An alliance was formed against France from England (which had just overthrown the Stuarts), the Netherlands, Spain, Austria, and the German Protestant states.

Luxembourg defeated the allies on July 1, 1690 at Fleurus; Catina conquered Savoy, Tourville defeated the British-Dutch fleet on the heights of Dieppe, so that the French a short time had an advantage even at sea.

In 1692, the French laid siege to Namur, Luxembourg gained the upper hand at the Battle of Steenkerken; but on May 28, the French fleet was defeated at Cape La Hogue.

In 1693-95, the preponderance began to lean towards the side of the allies; Luxembourg died in 1695; in the same year a huge military tax was needed, and peace became a necessity for Louis. It took place at Ryswick in 1697, and for the first time Louis had to confine himself to the status quo.

France was completely exhausted when, a few years later, the death of Charles II of Spain brought Louis to war with the European coalition. The War of the Spanish Succession, in which Louis wanted to win back the entire Spanish monarchy for his grandson Philip of Anjou, inflicted incurable wounds on the power of Louis.

The old king, who personally led the struggle, held himself in the most difficult circumstances with amazing dignity and firmness.

According to the peace concluded in Utrecht and Rastatt in 1713 and 1714, he kept Spain proper for his grandson, but her Italian and Dutch possessions were lost, and England, by destroying the Franco-Spanish fleets and conquering a number of colonies, laid the foundation for her maritime dominion.

The French monarchy did not have to recover until the very revolution from the defeats at Hochstadt and Turin, Ramilla and Malplaque. She languished under the weight of debts (up to 2 billion) and taxes, which caused local outbursts of displeasure.

Thus, the result of the whole system of Louis was the economic ruin, the poverty of France. Another consequence was the growth of oppositional literature, especially developed under the successor of the "great" Louis.

The family life of the elderly king at the end of his life presented a sad picture. On April 13, 1711, his son, the Dauphin Louis (born in 1661), died; in February 1712 he was followed by the eldest son of the Dauphin, the Duke of Burgundy, and on March 8 of the same year, the eldest son of the latter, the infant Duke of Brittany.

On March 4, 1714, the younger brother of the Duke of Burgundy, the Duke of Berry, fell off his horse and was killed to death, so that, in addition to Philip V of Spain, there was only one heir - the four-year-old great-grandson of the king, the second son of the Duke of Burgundy (later Louis XV).

Even earlier, Louis legitimized his two sons from Madame de Montespan, Duke of Maine and Count of Toulouse, and gave them the name Bourbon. Now, in his will, he appointed them members of the regency council and declared their eventual right to succession to the throne.

Louis himself remained active until the end of his life, firmly maintaining court etiquette and the whole appearance of his “great age”, which was already beginning to fall. He died on September 1, 1715.

In 1822, an equestrian statue (based on the model of Bosio) was erected to him in Paris, on the Place des Victories.

- Marriages and children
* (from June 9, 1660, Saint-Jean de Lutz) Maria Theresa (1638-1683), Infanta of Spain
* Louis the Great Dauphin (1661-1711)
* Anna Elizabeth (1662-1662)
* Maria Anna (1664-1664)
* Maria Theresa (1667-1672)
* Philip (1668-1671)
* Louis Francois (1672-1672)
* (from June 12, 1684, Versailles) Francoise d'Aubigne (1635-1719), Marquise de Maintenon
* Vnebr. Louise de La Baume Le Blanc (1644-1710), Duchess de Lavalière
* Charles de La Baume Le Blanc (1663-1665)
* Philippe de La Baume Le Blanc (1665-1666)
* Marie-Anne de Bourbon (1666-1739), Mademoiselle de Blois
* Louis de Bourbon (1667-1683), Comte de Vermandois
* Vnebr. Françoise-Athenais de Rochechouart de Mortemart (1641-1707), marquise de Montespan
* Louise-Francoise de Bourbon (1669-1672)
* N (1669 -)
* Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, Duke of Maine (1670-1736)
* Louis-Cesar de Bourbon (1672-1683)
* Louise-Francoise de Bourbon (1673-1743), Mademoiselle de Nantes
* Louise-Marie de Bourbon (1674-1681), Mademoiselle de Tours
* Françoise-Marie de Bourbon (1677-1749), Mademoiselle de Blois
* Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, Count of Toulouse (1678-1737)
* Vnebr. connection (in 1679) Marie-Angelique de Skoray de Roussil (1661-1681), Duchess de Fontanges
* N (1679-1679)
* Vnebr. Claude de Ven (c.1638-1687), Mademoiselle Desoyers
* Louise de Maisonblanche (c.1676-1718)

Louis XIV from the age of 12 danced in the so-called "ballets of the theater of the Palais Royal". These events were quite in the spirit of the time, for they were held during the carnival.

Baroque carnival is not just a holiday, it is an upside down world. The king for several hours became a jester, an artist, a buffoon (just as the jester could well afford to appear in the role of king). In these ballets, the young Louis had a chance to play the roles of the Rising Sun (1653) and Apollo - the Sun God (1654).

Later, court ballets were staged. The roles in these ballets were distributed by the king himself or by his friend de Saint-Aignan. In these court ballets, Louis also dances the parts of the Sun or Apollo.

For the emergence of the nickname, another cultural event of the Baroque era is also important - the so-called Carousel. This is a festive carnival cavalcade, something between sports holiday and masquerade. In those days, the Carousel was simply called "horse ballet".

On the Carousel of 1662, Louis XIV appeared before the people in the role of the Roman Emperor with a huge shield in the shape of the Sun. This symbolized that the Sun protects the king and with him all of France.

The princes of the blood were "forced" to depict different elements, planets and other beings and phenomena subject to the Sun.

We read from the ballet historian F. Bossan: “It was on the Great Carousel of 1662 that the Sun King was born in some way. It was not politics or the victories of its armies that gave it its name, but the equestrian ballet.”

Louis XIV appears in the Musketeers trilogy by Alexandre Dumas. In the last book of the Vicomte de Bragelonne trilogy, an impostor (allegedly the twin brother of the king) is involved in a conspiracy, with whom they are trying to replace Louis.

In 1929, the film The Iron Mask was released, based on the Vicomte de Bragelon, where William Blackwell played Louis and his twin brother. Louis Hayward played twins in the 1939 film The Man in the Iron Mask.

Richard Chamberlain played them in the 1977 film adaptation, and Leonardo DiCaprio played them in the 1999 remake of this film. Jean-Francois Poron played the role in the 1962 French film The Iron Mask.

Louis XIV also appears in the film Vatel. In the film, the Prince of Condé invites him to his castle of Chantilly and tries to impress him in order to take over as commander-in-chief in the war with the Netherlands. Responsible for the entertainment of the royal person is the butler Vatel, brilliantly played by Gerard Depardieu.

Vonda McLintre's short story The Moon and the Sun depicts the court of Louis XIV century. end of the 17th century. The king himself appears in the Baroque Cycle of Neil Stevenson's trilogy.

Louis XIV is one of the main characters in Gerard Corbier's The King Dances.

Louis XIV appears as a beautiful seducer in the film "Angelica and the King", where he was played by Jacques Toja (fr. Jacques Toja), also appears in the films "Angelica - Marquis of Angels" and "Magnificent Angelica".

Young Louis is the central character in Roger Planchon's film "Louis the Child King", in which the 12-year-old king fights for power with the Fronde, learns the science of love and begins to create the famous image of le roi soleil.

For the first time in modern Russian cinema the image of King Louis XIV was performed by the artist of the Moscow New drama theater Dmitry Shilyaev, in Oleg Ryaskov's film "The Servant of the Sovereigns".

Louis XIV is one of the main characters in the 1996 Nina Companeez series "L` Allee du roi" "The Way of the King". historical drama based on the novel by Françoise Chandernagor "Royal Avenue: Memoirs of Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, wife of the King of France". Dominique Blanc stars as Françoise d'Aubigné and Didier Sandre stars as Louis XIV.

Louis XIV, Sun King

Louis XIV.
Reproduction from the website http://monarchy.nm.ru/

Louis XIV
Louis XIV the Great, Sun King
Louis XIV le Grand, Le Roi Soleil
Years of life: September 5, 1638 - September 1, 1715
Reigned: May 14, 1643 - September 1, 1715
Father: Louis XIII
Mother: Anna of Austria
Wives:
1) Maria Theresa of Austria
2) Francoise d "Aubigne, Marquise de Maintenon
Sons: Grand Dauphin Louis, Philip Charles, Louis Francis
Daughters: Maria Anna, Maria Teresa

For 22 years, the marriage of Louis' parents was fruitless, and therefore the birth of an heir was perceived by the people as a miracle. After the death of his father, the young Louis moved with his mother to the Palais Royal, the former palace of the cardinal Richelieu. Here the little king was brought up in a very simple and sometimes wretched environment. His mother was considered the regent France, but the real power was in the hands of her favorite cardinal Mazarin. He was very stingy and did not care at all not only about pleasing the child-king, but even about the availability of basic necessities for him.

The first years of Louis's formal reign saw the events of the civil war known as the Fronde. In January 1649, an uprising broke out in Paris against Mazarin. The king and ministers had to flee to Saint-Germain, and Mazarin to Brussels in general. 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. In 1659 peace was signed with Spain. The treaty 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 any guardianship over himself. He abolished the post of First Minister by declaring State Council that from now on he will be the first minister himself, and no even the most insignificant decree should be signed by anyone on his behalf.

Louis was poorly educated, barely able to read and write, but possessed of common sense and a firm determination to uphold his royal dignity. He was tall, handsome, had a noble posture, strove to express himself briefly and clearly. Unfortunately, he was excessively selfish, as no European monarch was distinguished by monstrous pride and selfishness. All former royal residences seemed to Louis unworthy of his greatness. After some deliberation, in 1662 he decided to turn a small hunting castle Versailles in 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 construction of Versailles 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. new palace The king was distinguished by 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 arranged in the salons, guests played billiards and cards. In general, the card game became an indomitable passion at court. The stakes reached several thousand livres per game, and Louis himself stopped playing only after he lost 600 thousand livres in six months in 1676.

Comedies were also staged in the palace, first by Italian and then by French authors: Corneille, Racine, and especially often Molière. In addition, Louis loved to dance, and repeatedly took part in ballet productions at court. The splendor of the palace 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 the simple quenching of thirst during the day - everything was turned into complex rituals.

From a young age, Louis was very ardent and not indifferent to pretty women. Despite the fact that the young Queen Maria Theresa was beautiful, Louis was constantly looking for entertainment on the side. The first favorite of the king was the 17-year-old Louise de La Valliere, the maid of honor of the wife of brother Louis. Louise was not a flawless beauty and limped a little, but she was very sweet and gentle. The feelings that Louis felt for her could be called true love. From 1661 to 1667, she gave birth to four children for the king and received a ducal title. After that, the king began to cool off towards her, and in 1675 Louise was forced to leave for the Carmelite monastery.

The king's new passion was the Marquise de Montespan, who was the exact opposite of Louise de La Vallière. The bright and ardent marquise had a prudent mind. She knew perfectly well what she could get from the king in exchange for her love. Only in the first year of his acquaintance with the Marquise, Louis gave her family 800 thousand livres to pay off debts. The golden rain did not fail in the future. At the same time, Montespan actively patronized many writers and other people of art. The Marquise was the uncrowned Queen of France for 15 years. However, since 1674, she had to fight for the heart of the king with Madame d "Aubigne, the widow of the poet Scarron, who was engaged in the upbringing of the children of Louis. Madame d" Aubignet was granted the estate of Maintenon and the title of Marquise. After the death of Queen Maria Theresa in 1683 and the removal of the Marquise de Montespan, she acquired a very strong influence on Louis. The king highly valued her mind and listened to her advice. Under her influence, he became very religious, stopped organizing noisy festivities, replacing them with soul-saving conversations with the Jesuits.

Under no sovereign did France wage such a large-scale war of conquest as under Louis XIV. After the death of Philip IV of Spain in 1667-1668. Flanders was captured. In 1672, a war began with Holland and Spain, Denmark and the German Empire, which came to her aid. However, the coalition, called the Grand Alliance, was defeated, and France acquired Alsace, Lorraine, Franche-Comté and several other lands in Belgium. Peace, however, did not last long. In 1681, Louis captured Strasbourg and Casale, and a little later Luxembourg, Kehl and a number of environs.

However, from 1688, things began to go worse for Louis. Through the efforts of William of Orange, the anti-French Augsburg League was created, which included Austria, Spain, Holland, Sweden and several German principalities. At first, Louis managed to capture the Palatinate, Worms and a number of other German cities, but in 1688 William became king of England and directed the resources of this country against France. In 1692, the Anglo-Dutch fleet defeated the French in the harbor of Cherbourg and began to dominate the sea. On land, the successes of the French were more noticeable. Wilhelm was defeated near Steinkerke and on the Neuerwinden Plain. Meanwhile, in the south, Savoy, Girona and Barcelona were taken. However, the war on several fronts required a huge amount of money from Louis. During the ten years of the war, 700 million livres were spent. In 1690, royal furniture made of solid silver and various small utensils were melted down. At the same time, taxes increased, which hit peasant families especially hard. Louis asked for peace. In 1696, Savoy was returned to the rightful duke. Then Louis was forced to recognize William of Orange as king of England and to refuse all support of the Stuarts. The lands beyond the Rhine were returned to the German emperor. Luxembourg and Catalonia were returned to Spain. Lorraine regained its independence. Thus the bloody war ended with the acquisition of Strasbourg alone.

However, the most terrible for Louis was the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1700, the childless king of Spain, Charles II, died, bequeathing the throne to the grandson of Louis, Philip of Anjou, with the condition, however, that the Spanish possessions never join the French crown. The condition was accepted, but Philip retained the rights to the French throne. In addition, the French army invaded Belgium. The Great Union was immediately restored in the composition of England, Austria and Holland, and in 1701 the war began. The Austrian Prince Eugene invaded the Duchy of Milan, which belonged to Philip as King of Spain. At first, things were going well for the French, but in 1702, due to the betrayal of the Duke of Savoy, the advantage passed to the side of the Austrians. At the same time, the English army of the Duke of Marlborough landed in Belgium. Taking advantage of the fact that Portugal joined the coalition, another English army invaded Spain. The French tried to launch a counterattack against Austria and moved to Vienna, but in 1704 at Gechstadt they were defeated by the army of Prince Eugene. Soon Louis had to leave Belgium and Italy. In 1707, the 40,000-strong Allied army even crossed the Alps, invading France, and laid siege to Toulon, but to no avail. There was no end in sight to the war. The people of France were suffering from hunger and poverty. All the golden utensils were melted down, and even black bread instead of white was served on Madame de Maintenon's table. However, the forces of the allies were not unlimited. In Spain, Philip managed to turn the tide of the war in his favor, after which the British began to lean towards peace. In 1713 peace was signed with England in Utrecht, and a year later in Rishtadt with Austria. France lost practically nothing, but Spain lost all its European possessions outside the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, Philip V was forced to renounce his claims to the French crown.

Foreign policy problems of Louis were exacerbated by family problems. In 1711, the king's son, the great dauphin Louis, died of smallpox. A year later, the wife of the younger Dauphin, Marie Adelaide, died. After her death, her correspondence with the heads of hostile states was opened, in which many state secrets of France were revealed. A few days after the death of his wife, the younger Dauphin Louis fell ill with a fever and also died. Another three weeks passed, and five-year-old Louis of Brittany, the son of the younger dauphin and heir to the throne, died of scarlet fever. The title of heir passed to his younger brother Louis of Anjou, at that time still to an infant. Soon he, too, fell ill with a rash. Doctors were waiting for his death from day to day, but a miracle happened and the child recovered. Finally, in 1714, Charles of Berry, the third grandson of Louis, died suddenly.

After the deaths of his heirs, Louis became sad and gloomy. He hardly got out of bed. All attempts to stir him up came to nothing. On August 24, 1715, the first signs of gangrene appeared on his leg, on August 27 he made his last dying orders, and on September 1 he died. His 72-year reign was the longest among all monarchs.

Used material from the site http://monarchy.nm.ru/

Other biographical material:

Lozinsky A.A. The de facto ruler was Cardinal Mazarin ( Soviet historical encyclopedia. In 16 volumes. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1973-1982. Volume 8, KOSHALA - MALTA. 1965).

Prior to his birth, for twenty-two years his parents' marriage had been fruitless ( All the monarchs of the world. Western Europe. Konstantin Ryzhov. Moscow, 1999).

Beginning of the reign of Louis XIV ).

Features of the absolutism of Louis XIV ( The World History. Volume V. M., 1958).

Under him, French absolutism stabilized ( History of France. (responsible editor A.Z. Manfred). In three volumes. Volume 1. M., 1972).

Read further:

France in the 17th century (chronological table).

Louis XIII (biographical article).

Loving was the Sun King! He entered into a relationship with the Marquise de Montespan, then with the Princess of Subise, who gave birth to a son, very similar to the king. To continue the list: Madame de Ludre was replaced by the Countess of Grammont and the maiden Guesdam. Then there was the girl Fontange. But the king, satiated with voluptuousness, quickly left his women. Why? An early pregnancy disfigured the beauty of each, and childbirth was unhappy. Today, Louis XIV would not be so quick to abandon ladies, because now pregnancy does not spoil modern women in the least.

04.02.2018

Louis XIV is a monarch who ruled France for over 70 years. True, the first years of his reign can be called such only formally, since he got the throne at the age of 5. Royal power was then absolute, the "anointed of God" was allowed to control all spheres of life of his subjects. But why was Louis XIV nicknamed "The Sun King"? Is it just because of this greatness? After all, both before Louis and after him, the throne was occupied by many personalities, but no one else claimed the “sunny” title. There are several versions.

Version one

The most common version is this. Representatives royal house At that time, the theater was very fascinated. The young king himself danced in ballet - at the Palais Royal Theater, from the age of 12. Of course, he was given roles corresponding to his high position, for example, the god Apollo, or even rising sun. It is possible that the nickname was "born" in those years.

Version two

In the capital of France, events called the "Carousel of the Tuileries" were regularly held. They were something between jousting, sports and a masquerade.

In 1662, a special grand ceremony in which Louis took part. In the hands of the king was a huge shield, symbolizing the solar disk. This was supposed to indicate the divine origin of the ruler, as well as instill confidence in the subjects that the king would protect them in the same way that the sun protects life on Earth.

Version three

The next option is associated with a funny episode on a walk. One day, Louis, being a 6-7-year-old child, went to the Tuileries Garden with the courtiers. In a huge puddle, he saw the reflection of the shining sun (it was a fine day). "I am the sun!" cried the child in delight. Since then, the retinue of the king began to call him that - first in jest, and then seriously.

Version four

Another version explains the appearance of the nickname by the wide scope of the king's deeds, significant for France. Under him, economic prosperity began (albeit not for long), trade was encouraged, the Academy of Sciences was created, and the American colonies were actively developed. In addition, Louis led an offensive foreign policy, and his first campaigns were successful.

Version five

And finally, let's give another theory regarding the royal nickname. The "Sun" was the name of any monarch who was crowned during the regency (that is, in childhood). That was the tradition. Louis simply became another "sunny" ruler-child, and the nickname was automatically assigned to him (maybe the courtiers often talked about him among themselves, using this term).

It is unlikely that anyone will argue with the statement that Louis XIV is the most famous and most brilliant of the entire galaxy of French monarchs. Among his ancestors and descendants were kings who surpassed him in terms of greatness, passion for luxury, love and militancy. However, Louis combined all these features in himself, as a result of which he remained in the memory of the people as the "Sun King".

The sovereign, who became the embodiment of absolute monarchy.

The sovereign who built Versailles, who made the French court the most magnificent of the royal courts in Europe.

The sovereign, who knew how to love his favorites so much that his love affairs excite the imagination of writers to this day. As well as the intrigues that took place at his court.

We can say that Louis XIV became the breadwinner and drinker of the authors of the most famous love and adventure novels: Alexandre Dumas, Anne and Serge Golon, Juliette Benzoni - these are only the loudest and most popular names of writers in Russia who built their works on former glory and the greatness of France in the era of the "Sun King". And of course, the Russian reader is especially interested in what is true and what is fiction in the books that they reveled in in childhood and adolescence.

In this book, we try to deal with the main "questions of history and literature." Unlike other authors who have taken on the biography of Louis XIV, we pay little attention to politics: as little as possible when telling the biography of the ruler. We are interested in the personal life of the king. And not only his relationship with favorites, there were also many books on this topic. The main theme of this book is Louis XIV and his family. Relations with his mother, Queen Anne of Austria, and with Cardinal Mazarin, who replaced the king's father. Relations with his brother, Philip of Orleans, who was a very extraordinary person and whom writers so often choose to play the role of the main court villain of that era ... Relations with his wife, daughters-in-law, children and grandchildren.

Of course, completely exclude love stories we can’t, because mistresses, like friends, are also an integral part of a person’s personal life, and if a person was as loving as the “sun king”, and knew how to fall in love so passionately, desperately, madly, then favorites sometimes overshadow for him the family and the whole the world. Not for long, really. But it is enough that it is this part of the life of Louis XIV that becomes the most interesting for the authors of works of art. Therefore, we will figure out what is true and what is fiction in the history of the king's relationship with the cardinal's nieces, Maria and Olympia Mancini, with Princess Henrietta of England and the "pretty lame-footed" Louise de La Vallière, with the "warlock" Duchess de Montespan and the young beauty Angelica de Fontange, and finally with main woman in his life: Francoise de Maintenon, who began a relationship with the king as his friend, continued as a lover, and ended as a secret wife.

So, dear reader, you will join us in visiting the king's nursery, in his study, in his matrimonial bedroom, in the alcoves where he indulged in love pleasures, in the chambers of his relatives, and finally - at his deathbed. You have to get acquainted with all the people and events that influenced the personal life of Louis XIV. And to understand why, it was this king who became the “sun” for his contemporaries.

The birth of Louis XIV was a real miracle. For twenty two years married life the king and queen of France had no children. Time inexorably passed, foreshadowing tragic upheavals in the near future. What will happen if Louis XIII dies childless and his brother, not particularly smart, absurd intriguer Gaston of Orleans, ascends the throne? France will kneel before Spain? There will be a new Civil War? Will everything that was achieved by wise policy and at the cost of huge efforts collapse? France had not yet recovered from the change of dynasties, she was tired of change and was just beginning to enjoy the fruits of at least some kind of stability. Therefore, France earnestly prayed for the sending of a son and heir to the king. There was little hope for this, it only remained to wait for a miracle ...

And they really expected a miracle, they believed in it. The Reverend Mother Jeanne de Matelle predicted with certainty the birth of the Dauphin. The hermit-Augustinian Fjakre saw the truth even more clearly: the prophecy about the birth of not only the king, but also his brother was revealed to him. And to the young exalted Carmelite Marguerite Arigo, Jesus himself appeared in the form of a baby and announced that the queen would soon give birth to a son. Two years later, in mid-December 1637, the baby Jesus appeared to the girl again, delighting her with the news that the queen was already pregnant. Interestingly, Margarita Arigo found out this news even before her future mother.

The French prayed to heaven for a miracle. But most of all, the king himself prayed for him, no longer young, in poor health and foreseeing that he would not have long left. On February 10, 1638, shortly after he learned that his wife was once again in trouble, Louis XIII signed a deed transferring France under the protection of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the “Blessed and Most Pure Virgin”, asking her to send grace. And who knows, maybe it was the goodwill of the Virgin Mary that kept long-awaited Son France in the womb of the queen, because the king himself would later say to the envoy of Venice, lifting the canopy over the cradle of the newborn: “This is a miracle of the mercy of the Lord, for this is the only way to call such a beautiful child, born after four unfortunate miscarriages of my wife.”

The Queen's pregnancy did not go well, which was to be expected given her age and previous setbacks. In the first months, Anna was tormented by dizziness and nausea, and the life doctors forbade her to move, even get out of bed. From the beginning of her pregnancy until the very birth, the queen did not leave the palace of Saint-Germain. She was carried from bed to chair, carried from room to room, and then returned back to bed. The queen loved to eat heartily and by the time of the birth she was very stout. The courtiers noted that she simply huge belly, and seriously feared whether she would be able to give birth safely. Anna of Austria was no longer young, she was almost thirty-seven years old - in those days this age was considered quite advanced for the birth of the first child. Younger and stronger women often died in childbirth, and infant mortality was catastrophically high. So there was something to worry about.

Nevertheless, the queen safely carried the child, and from the end of August, France lived in anticipation of the birth of her future sovereign. Prayers for the safe resolution of Her Majesty from the burden followed one after another.

Exciting preparations were also going on in the palace. According to the rules of etiquette, the most noble persons who would have to be present at this significant event, the princes and princesses from the house of Bourbon, should have been notified in advance of the approaching birth. First of all, this is the king's brother Gaston of Orleans, the princess de Condé and the comtesse de Soissons. As a special arrangement, the king allowed the Duchess of Vendôme to be present at the birth. In addition to them, next to the queen there should have been a certain number of people who were completely useless in obstetric care: the governess of the future heir Madame de Lansac, the ladies of state de Senesey and de Flotte, two chamberlains and the nurse Madame Lazhirudière, who was ready to immediately take up her duties.

In the room adjacent to the one where the queen was, an altar was specially arranged, in front of which the bishops of Liège, Meos and Beauves were to read prayers until the queen gave birth.

AT big office Queen, also adjacent to the room where Her Majesty was to give birth, were Princess Hymenet, the Duchesses of Tremouille and de Bouillon, Madame Ville-aux-Clerck, de Mortsmar, de Liancourt, the Dukes of Vendome, Chevreuse and Montbazon, Mme. , de Ville-aux-Clercs, de Brion, de Chavigny, the archbishops of Burg, Chalons, Mans and other senior court chips.

Louis 14 - The Sun King - the most charismatic monarch of France. The era of his reign, which lasted 72 years, historians call the "Great Age". The French king became the "hero" of numerous novels and films. There were legends about him during his lifetime. And the monarch was worthy of them.

It was King Louis 14 who came up with the idea to build a grandiose palace complex on the site of a small hunting lodge. The majestic Versailles, which has been amazing for centuries, became not just the residence of the monarch during his lifetime, here he accepted his death with dignity, as befits an august person.

The greatest of the Bourbon dynasty - "God-given" Louis 14

King Louis 14 de Bourbon is the long-awaited heir. That is why at birth he received a "significant" name - Louis-Dieudonné - "God-given". The era of his reign in France began when little Louis was barely five years old. The regents were Anna of Austria - the mother of the Sun King and the notorious Cardinal Mazarin, who tried with all his might to connect his family with family ties with the Bourbons. It is interesting that the skillful strategist almost succeeded.

King Louis 14 inherited from his mother - a proud Spaniard, firmness of character and great conceit. It is quite natural that the young monarch did not “share the throne” with the Italian cardinal for a long time. Although he was his godfather. Already at the age of 17, Louis showed disobedience for the first time, expressing dissatisfaction in front of the entire French parliament. “The state is me” is a phrase that characterizes the entire era of the reign of King Louis 14.

The unsolved mysteries of the biography of Louis de Bourbon

most big mystery what remains is the very birth of King Louis 14. According to the legend, which many believed in that era, Anna of Austria gave birth to not one, but two dauphines. Did Louis have a twin brother? Historians still doubt this. But in many novels and even chronicles there are references to the mysterious "Iron Mask" - a man who, by order of the king, was forever hidden from human eyes. Such a decision can be considered justified, because twin heirs are the cause of political scandals and upheavals.

King Louis 14 really had a brother, but the younger one was Philip. The Duke of Orleans did not claim the throne and never tried to intrigue against the Sun King. On the contrary, he called him "my little dad", as Louis constantly tried to take care of him. Photo portraits of two brothers give a clear idea of ​​their mutual sympathy.

Women in the life of Louis de Bourbon - favorites and wives

Cardinal Mazarin, becoming the godfather of King Louis 14, wanted to get even closer to the Bourbon dynasty. The clever intriguer never forgot that he came from a rather seedy Italian family. It was one of the cardinal's nieces, brown-eyed Maria Mancini, who became the first love of young Louis 14. The King of France was twenty at that time, his beloved was only two years younger than him. The court whispered that the Bourbon monarch would soon marry for love. But fate decreed otherwise.

Maria Mancini - the first love of King Louis 14

Mary and Louis had to part only because, for political reasons, King Louis 14 had to marry Maria Theresa, the daughter of the Spanish king. Mazarin very quickly "attached" his niece by marrying her to an Italian prince. It is from the moment when the young monarch was forced to enter into a political marriage union that a series of his love affairs begins.

Historians believe that King Louis 14 de Bourbon inherited the amorousness and ardent temperament from his grandfather, Henry 4. But the Sun King was more prudent in his hobbies: none of his favorites influenced French politics. Did the wife know about the monarch's many love interests and his illegitimate children? Yes, but Maria Theresa was a proud Spaniard and the daughter of a king, so she remained imperturbable - Louis 14 did not hear any tears or reproaches from her.

Queen Maria Theresa - first wife of King Louis 14

The queen died much earlier than her husband. Literally a few months after her death, King Louis 14 enters into a second marriage. With whom? The governess of his illegitimate children born to the Marquise de Montespan, Francoise de Maintenon, became the chosen one. The woman was older than Louis, before that she was married to the then-famous writer Paul Scarron. At court, she was called none other than "Widow Scarron." It was with Francoise that King Louis 14 "met old age", it was she who became his last passion, it was her few whims that he performed throughout all the years of marriage.

Interesting facts from the biography of Louis 14 - the Sun King

The excellent appetite of Louis 14 was known not only to the whole court, even ordinary residents of Paris knew about it. The dishes that the monarch ate at dinner could feed not only all the ladies-in-waiting of the queen, but also his retinue. And this meal was not the only one. The king constantly satisfied his hunger at night, but he did it alone, the food was secretly brought to him by the valet.

King Louis 14 almost always fulfilled the whims of his favorites, but with regard to his second wife, the king outdid himself. When Françoise wished for a sleigh ride in the summer heat, loving spouse fulfilled her whim. Literally the next morning, Versailles sparkled with "snow", which was perfectly replaced by tons of salt and sugar.

King Louis XIV loved luxury. Historians believe that this was due to the fact that in childhood his expenses were carefully controlled by Mazarin, and he grew up completely “not royally”. When Louis became a "state", he was able to satisfy his passion. In the residences of the monarch, there were about 500 luxurious beds. He had more than a thousand wigs, clothes for him were sewn by 40 of the best tailors in France.

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