In the past there have been many noble and honorable people who did great deeds, but none were as remarkable as King Louis’s XIV of France. Today he is better known as Louis the Great, and great he was.

Most people assumed that the life of the King Louis’s parents were picture perfect, but like most marriages it was nothing near perfect. In fact the King and Queen loathed and detested one another. But after twenty loveless years together they had a son on September 5, 1638 at the royal chateau in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. (Jagger) To most people Louis’s birth was an “event falling short of miraculous.” The unhappy pair was very grateful to finally have an heir. So they christened him Louis Dieudonne, the gift of God. If not for his birth then the King’s brother, Gaston d’Orleans would have inherited the French throne instead of King Louis XIV and history, as we know it would have been rewritten. (4)

In 1643 tragedy struck. Louis’s XIV father died. Being the heir young Louis took over his father’s responsibilities at the very tender age of five. (Jagger) Since he was so young the new king couldn’t claim his throne right away. So his mother, Anne of Austria, aided by thei

In order to stay in agreement with his “divine right absolutism”, King Louis built his palace at Versailles, which at the time was the finest example of Baroque architecture. Shortly after that King Louis’s wife, Marie-Therese, passed away. So he secretly married a moral and formerly ambiguous woman, Francoise d’Aubigne, better known as Madame de Maintenon. She insisted that he stop any spectacles and sin that was going on. (3) Even when the economy was stable the King was still unsatisfied. His interest in improving his country never diminished. He destroyed the cities old medieval walls and built the Invalides as home for disabled veterans. He also planned the great avenue of the Champs-Elysees and renovated the Cathedral of Notre Dame. King Louis also had plans to expand France’s border. He was able to gain some valuable territories until the War of the Spanish Succession broke out. This struggle continued on for eleven years and consisted of many defeats. Finally in 1713 he was forced to sign the Treaty of Utrecht, which awarded several French territories in North America to the British. (Leon 219)

r prime minister, Mazarin had authority over policy. This marked a period of rebellion that was led by nobility and the urban commoners. The rebellion, referred to as the “Fonde” lasted for five years. (Leon 218) This left Louis XIV humiliated by smug nobles and very susceptible to the people of Paris. However the rebellions did make Louis XIV realize the urgent need to bring order and reform to his country. His father’s death did however spare Louis XIV many cruel beatings and abuse usually given to

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