Louis XIV of France

Reign: 1643 – 1715
Life: 1638–1715

He is a symbol of the Age of Absolutism in Europe for styling himself as "The Sun King" (Le Roi Soleil) and "Louis the Great", which portrayed him as supreme leader. He presided over a great expansion of the French colonial empire and a patronage of arts in his court at the Palace of Versailles that defined the Baroque style of French architecture. His reign of 72 years and 110 days remains the longest of any sovereign monarch in history. Louis XIV began his personal rule of France in 1661 after the death of his chief minister Cardinal Mazarin. A believer in the divine right of kings, Louis XIV continued Louis XIII work of creating a centralized state governed from a capital. He consolidated a system of absolute monarchy in France that endured until the French Revolution.

During Louis XIV of France's reign, Kangxi Emperor ruled China, Aurangzeb ruled Mughal Empire, and Mehmed IV ruled Ottoman Empire.

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Louis XIV by Ian Dunlop

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Louis XIV

Ian Dunlop

A comprehensive single-volume life of the Sun King, court, wars, and absolute power.

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