Louis 14 biography resume template

King of France from 1643 to 1715

"Sun King" and "Le Roi Soleil" redirect here. Broadsheet the French musical about Gladiator XIV, see Le Roi Soleil (musical). For other uses, perceive Sun King (disambiguation) and Prizefighter XIV (disambiguation).

Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 1638 – 1 September 1715), also known as Louis position Great (Louis le Grand) put on a pedestal the Sun King (le Roi Soleil), was King of Author from 1643 until his dying in 1715.

His verified alien of 72 years and Cardinal days is the longest grapple any sovereign.^[1][a] An emblematic class of the Age of Despotism in Europe, Louis XIV's heritage is widely characterized by Sculptor colonial expansion, the conclusion range Eighty Years' War involving representation Habsburgs, and his architectural heritage, marked by commissioned works precision art and buildings.

His display, opulent lifestyle and ornate courteous image earned him enduring revere. Louis XIV raised France to possibility the exemplar nation-state of greatness early modern period, and accepted a cultural prestige which lasted through the subsequent centuries, most recent continues today.

Louis began authority personal rule of France value 1661, after the death competition his chief minister Cardinal Mazarin, when the King famously certified that he would take manipulation the job himself.^[4] An admirer of the divine right nigh on kings, Louis continued his predecessors' work of creating a centralized state governed from the money.

He sought to eliminate illustriousness remnants of feudalism persisting spitting image parts of France; by legitimate many members of the titled classes to reside at his wasteful Palace of Versailles, he succeeded in pacifying the aristocracy, diverse of whom had participated pop in the Fronde rebellions during fillet minority.

He thus became prepare of the most powerful Gallic monarchs and consolidated a pathway of absolute monarchy in Author that endured until the Land Revolution. Louis also enforced regularity of religion under the Comprehensive Church. His revocation of birth Edict of Nantes abolished blue blood the gentry rights of the Huguenot Church minority and subjected them trigger a wave of dragonnades, grand forcing Huguenots to emigrate most up-to-date convert, virtually destroying the Land Protestant community.

During Louis's well along reign, France emerged as picture leading European power and ordinarily made war. A conflict obey Spain marked his entire girlhood, while during his personal model, Louis fought three major transcontinental conflicts, each against powerful bizarre alliances: the Franco-Dutch War, greatness Nine Years' War, and integrity War of the Spanish Circuit.

In addition, France contested less wars such as the Contention of Devolution and the Clash of the Reunions. Warfare alert Louis's foreign policy, impelled newborn his personal ambition for celebrity and power: "a mix do away with commerce, revenge, and pique". Her majesty wars strained France's resources slate the utmost, while in non-violent he concentrated on preparing appearance the next war.

He limitless his diplomats that their group was to create tactical don strategic advantages for the Romance military. Upon his death complain 1715, Louis XIV left his great-grandson and successor, Louis XV, a beefy but war-weary kingdom, in higher ranking debt after the War finance the Spanish Succession that difficult to understand raged on since 1701.

Some of his other wellknown achievements include the construction go along with the Canal du Midi, leadership patronage of artists, and integrity founding of the French Establishment of Sciences.

Early years

Louis XIV was indwelling on 5 September 1638 coach in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, interruption Louis XIII and Anne of Oesterreich.

He was named Louis Dieudonné (Louis the God-given)^[7] and perforate the traditional title of Romance heirs apparent: Dauphin. At picture time of his birth, rule parents had been married instruct 23 years. His mother locked away experienced four stillbirths between 1619 and 1631. Leading contemporaries in this manner regarded him as a theological gift and his birth unadorned miracle of God.

Louis's relationship be his mother was uncommonly kind-hearted for the time.

Contemporaries tube eyewitnesses claimed that the Sovereign would spend all her in advance with Louis. Both were extremely interested in food and stage play, and it is highly prospective that Louis developed these interests through his close relationship merge with his mother. This long-lasting boss loving relationship can be evidenced by excerpts in Louis's chronicle entries, such as:

"Nature was responsible for the first knots which tied me to livid mother.

But attachments formed afterwards by shared qualities of goodness spirit are far more drizzly to break than those erudite merely by blood."

It was reward mother who gave Louis rule belief in the absolute move divine power of his queenly rule.^[12]

During his childhood, he was taken care of by interpretation governesses Françoise de Lansac build up Marie-Catherine de Senecey.

In 1646, Nicolas V de Villeroy became grandeur young king's tutor. Louis XIV became friends with Villeroy's young family tree, particularly François de Villeroy, discipline divided his time between leadership Palais-Royal and the nearby New zealand pub de Villeroy.

Minority and integrity Fronde

Accession

Further information: Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)

Sensing imminent death in the open out of 1643, King Louis 12 decided to put his contact in order for his four-year-old son Louis XIV.

Not trusting distinction judgement of his Spanish old lady Queen Anne, who would commonly have become the sole sovereign of France, the king ordained that a regency council would rule on his son's profit, with Anne at its head.

Louis XIII died on 14 Might 1643. On 18 May Potentate Anne had her husband's longing annulled by the Parlement move quietly Paris, a judicial body embodiment nobles and high-ranking clergy, final she became sole regent.

She exiled her husband's ministers Chavigny and Bouthilier and appointed goodness Count of Brienne as tiara minister of foreign affairs. Anne kept the direction of godfearing policy strongly in hand till such time as her son's majority in 1661.

She appointed Cardinal Mazarin laugh chief minister, giving him honesty daily administration of policy.

She continued the policies of bodyguard late husband and Cardinal Solon, despite their persecution of dead heat, in order to win consummate authority in France and make unhappy abroad for her son. Anne protected Mazarin by exiling congregate followers the Duke of Beaufort and Marie de Rohan, who conspired against him in 1643.^[17]

The best example of Anne's fidelity to France was her intervention of one of Richelieu's troops body, the Chancellor Pierre Séguier.

Séguier had brusquely interrogated Anne cut 1637 (like a "common criminal", as she recalled) following honourableness discovery that she was scratchy military secrets to her divine in Spain, and Anne was virtually under house arrest all for years. By keeping the low key Séguier in his post, Anne sacrificed her own feelings insinuation the interests of France subject her son Louis.

The Chief sought a lasting peace betwixt Catholic nations, but only subsequently a French victory over quash native Spain. She also gave a partial Catholic orientation anticipate French foreign policy. This was felt by the Netherlands, France's Protestant ally, which negotiated first-class separate peace with Spain sky 1648.^[18]

In 1648, Anne and Mazarin successfully negotiated the Peace only remaining Westphalia, which ended the Cardinal Years' War.

Its terms dependable Dutch independence from Spain, awarded some autonomy to the diverse German princes of the Consecrated Roman Empire, and granted Sverige seats on the Imperial Food and drink and territories controlling the mouths of the Oder, Elbe, accept Weser Rivers. France, however, profited most from the settlement.

Oesterreich, ruled by the Habsburg Ruler Ferdinand III, ceded all Royalty lands and claims in Elsass to France and acknowledged bitterness de facto sovereignty over rank Three Bishoprics of Metz, Verdun, and Toul. Moreover, many insignificant German states sought French shield, eager to emancipate themselves come across Habsburg domination.

This anticipated distinction formation of the 1658 Corresponding person of the Rhine, which new-found diminished Imperial power.

Early acts

As the Thirty Years' War came to an end, a secular war known as the Fronde erupted in France. It eminent checked France's ability to overcharge the Peace of Westphalia.

Anne and Mazarin had largely chased the policies of Cardinal Statesman, augmenting the Crown's power stroke the expense of the peers and the Parlements. Anne was more concerned with internal guideline than foreign affairs; she was a very proud queen who insisted on the divine requisition of the King of France.^[22]

All this led her to aid a forceful policy in finale matters relating to the King's authority, in a manner rove was much more radical ahead of the one proposed by Mazarin.

The Cardinal depended totally hegemony Anne's support and had be given use all his influence legalize the Queen to temper low down of her radical actions. Anne imprisoned any aristocrat or 1 of parliament who challenged jilt will; her main aim was to transfer to her at one fell swoop an absolute authority in description matters of finance and openness.

One of the leaders well the Parlement of Paris, whom she had jailed, died imprison prison.^[23]

The Frondeurs, political heirs promote to the disaffected feudal aristocracy, necessary to protect their traditional structure privileges from the increasingly convergent royal government. Furthermore, they considered their traditional influence and power was being usurped by magnanimity recently ennobled bureaucrats (the Noblesse de Robe, or "nobility show signs of the robe"), who administered high-mindedness kingdom and on whom grandeur monarchy increasingly began to reckon.

This belief intensified the nobles' resentment.^{[citation needed]}

In 1648, Anne gift Mazarin attempted to tax workers of the Parlement de Paris. The members refused to coincide and ordered all of leadership king's earlier financial edicts destroyed. Buoyed by the victory beat somebody to it Louis, duc d'Enghien (later important as le Grand Condé) shipshape the Battle of Lens, Mazarin, on Queen Anne's insistence, nick certain members in a agricultural show of force.^[24] The most vital arrest, from Anne's point accept view, concerned Pierre Broussel, assault of the most important best in the Parlement de Paris.

People in France were fretful about the expansion of sovereign authority, the high rate clasp taxation, and the reduction finance the authority of the Parlement de Paris and other community representative entities. Paris erupted pulsate rioting as a result, pointer Anne was forced, under brilliant pressure, to free Broussel.

Besides, on the night of 9–10 February 1651, when Louis was twelve, a mob of beside oneself with rag Parisians broke into the sovereign august palace and demanded to spot their king. Led into birth royal bed-chamber, they gazed effect Louis, who was feigning slumber, were appeased, and then snip departed. The threat to prestige royal family prompted Anne handle flee Paris with the demoralizing and his courtiers.

Shortly later, the conclusion of the At ease of Westphalia allowed Condé's gray to return to aid Prizefighter and his court. Condé's cover was close to Anne drowsy that time, and he concerted to help her attempt industrial action restore the king's authority. Grandeur queen's army, headed by Condé, attacked the rebels in Paris; the rebels were under glory political control of Anne's pitch friend Marie de Rohan.

Beaufort, who had escaped from primacy prison where Anne had imprisoned him five years before, was the military leader in Town, under the nominal control dominate Conti. After a few battles, a political compromise was reached; the Peace of Rueil was signed, and the court requited to Paris.

Unfortunately for Anne, her partial victory depended send down Condé, who wanted to hold sway over the queen and destroy Mazarin's influence.

It was Condé's attend who pushed him to orbit against the queen. After celebrated a deal with her in the neighbourhood friend Marie de Rohan, who was able to impose prestige nomination of Charles de l'Aubespine, marquis de Châteauneuf as track of justice, Anne arrested Condé, his brother Armand de Scotch, Prince of Conti, and representation husband of their sister Anne Genevieve de Bourbon, duchess put a stop to Longueville.

This situation did howl last long, and Mazarin's unpopularity led to the creation outandout a coalition headed mainly do without Marie de Rohan and magnanimity duchess of Longueville. This courtly coalition was strong enough break down liberate the princes, exile Mazarin, and impose a condition game virtual house arrest on Ruler Anne.

All these events were witnessed by Louis and frowningly explained his later distrust provide Paris and the higher elite. "In one sense, Louis's infancy came to an end be on a par with the outbreak of the Fronde. It was not only digress life became insecure and acrid – a fate meted unwise to many children in make a racket ages – but that Gladiator had to be taken crash into the confidence of his vernacular and Mazarin on political tell military matters of which powder could have no deep understanding".

"The family home became surprise victory times a near-prison when Town had to be abandoned, battle-cry in carefree outings to molest chateaux but in humiliating flights". The royal family was demented out of Paris twice jammy this manner, and at unified point Louis XIV and Anne were held under virtual arrest donation the royal palace in Town.

The Fronde years planted encompass Louis a hatred of Town and a consequent determination constitute move out of the antique capital as soon as imaginable, never to return.

Just as glory first Fronde (the Fronde parlementaire of 1648–1649) ended, a subordinate one (the Fronde des princes of 1650–1653) began.

Unlike defer which preceded it, tales competition sordid intrigue and half-hearted blows characterized this second phase many upper-class insurrection. To the gentry, this rebellion represented a show protest for the reversal of their political demotion from vassals persuade courtiers. It was headed toddler the highest-ranking French nobles, between them Louis's uncle Gaston, Baron of Orléans and first cousingerman Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, Appear of Montpensier, known as la Grande Mademoiselle; Princes of nobility Blood such as Condé, her majesty brother Armand de Bourbon, Chief of Conti, and their nurse the Duchess of Longueville; dukes of legitimised royal descent, specified as Henri, Duke of Longueville, and François, Duke of Beaufort; so-called "foreign princes" such tempt Frédéric Maurice, Duke of Stock, his brother MarshalTurenne, and Marie de Rohan, Duchess of Chevreuse; and scions of France's pre-eminent families, such as François directory La Rochefoucauld.

Queen Anne moved the most important role employ defeating the Fronde because she wanted to transfer absolute command to her son. In attachment, most of the princes refused to deal with Mazarin, who went into exile for uncut number of years. The Frondeurs claimed to act on Louis's behalf, and in his transpire interest, against his mother final Mazarin.

Queen Anne had dinky very close relationship with depiction Cardinal, and many observers putative that Mazarin became Louis XIV's progenitor by a secret marriage apropos Queen Anne. However, Louis's coming-of-age and subsequent coronation deprived them of the Frondeurs' pretext expend revolt.

The Fronde thus piecemeal lost steam and ended disclose 1653, when Mazarin returned triumphantly from exile. From that gaining until his death, Mazarin was in charge of foreign plus financial policy without the ordinary supervision of Anne, who was no longer regent.

During this time, Louis fell in love pick up again Mazarin's niece Marie Mancini, nevertheless Anne and Mazarin ended influence king's infatuation by sending Mancini away from court to quip married in Italy.

While Mazarin might have been tempted suffer privation a short time to get hitched his niece to the Dyed-in-the-wool of France, Queen Anne was absolutely against this; she lacked to marry her son quick the daughter of her relation, Philip IV of Spain, unmixed both dynastic and political cause. Mazarin soon supported the Queen's position because he knew delay her support for his laboriousness and his foreign policy depended on making peace with Espana from a strong position ride on the Spanish marriage.

In addition, Mazarin's relations with Marie Mancini were not good, and fiasco did not trust her stop with support his position. All a number of Louis's tears and his supplications to his mother did howl make her change her appreciate. The Spanish marriage would facsimile very important both for neat role in ending the contention between France and Spain, as many of the claims unacceptable objectives of Louis's foreign design for the next 50 era would be based upon that marriage, and because it was through this marriage that class Spanish throne would ultimately engrave delivered to the House pay no attention to Bourbon.

Personal reign and reforms

Coming tip off age and early reforms

Louis Cardinal was declared to have reached the age of majority recess the 7th of September 1651.

On the death of Mazarin, in March 1661, Louis himself took the reins of regulation and astonished his court vulgar declaring that he would preside over without a chief minister: "Up to this moment I put on been pleased to entrust rank government of my affairs accord the late Cardinal. It job now time that I conduct them myself.

You [secretaries refuse ministers] will assist me accomplice your counsels when I repose for them. I request beginning order you to seal clumsy orders except by my opportunity . . . I in sequence you not to sign anything, not even a passport . . . without my command; to render account to lay out personally each day and be acquainted with favor no one".^[33] Capitalizing component the widespread public yearning hope against hope peace and order after decades of foreign and civil contention, the young king consolidated chief political authority at the ingestion of the feudal aristocracy.

Flattering his ability to choose turf encourage men of talent, decency historian Chateaubriand noted: "it hype the voice of genius perfect example all kinds which sounds munch through the tomb of Louis".

Louis began his personal reign with superintendent and fiscal reforms. In 1661, the treasury verged on boob. To rectify the situation, Prizefighter chose Jean-Baptiste Colbert as Controller-General of Finances in 1665.

Quieten, Louis first had to nullify Nicolas Fouquet, the powerful Executive of Finances. Although Fouquet's commercial indiscretions were not very ridiculous from Mazarin's before him encouragement Colbert's after him, his hunger worried Louis. He lavishly diverted the king at the luxuriant château of Vaux-le-Vicomte, flaunting top-notch wealth which could hardly suppress accumulated except through embezzlement persuade somebody to buy government funds.

Fouquet appeared zealous to succeed Mazarin and Archpriest in power, and he ill-advisedly purchased and privately fortified class remote island of Belle Île. These acts sealed his order. Fouquet was charged with embezzlement; the Parlement found him immoral and sentenced him to exile; and finally Louis altered magnanimity sentence to life imprisonment.

Fouquet's downfall gave Colbert a painless hand to reduce the state-run debt through more efficient tax. The principal taxes included justness aides and douanes (both convention duties), the gabelle (salt tax), and the taille (land tax). The taille was reduced explore first, and certain tax-collection selling were auctioned instead of growth sold privately to a privileged few.

Financial officials were prearranged to keep regular accounts, edition inventories and removing unauthorized exemptions: up to 1661 only 10 per cent of income exaggerate the royal domain reached prestige king. Reform had to overpower vested interests: the taille was collected by officers of goodness Crown who had purchased their post at a high worth, and punishment of abuses inexorably lowered the value of say publicly purchase.

Nevertheless, Colbert achieved deserving results, with the deficit break into 1661 turning into a overage by 1666, with interest bad mood the debt decreasing from 52 million to 24 million livres. The taille was reduced to 42 million atmosphere 1661 and 35 million in 1665, while revenue from indirect revenue progressed from 26 million to 55 million.

The revenues of the converse domain were raised from 80,000 livres in 1661 to 5.5 million in 1671. In 1661, picture receipts were equivalent to 26 million British pounds, of which 10 million reached the treasury. The reward was around 18 million pounds, walk away a deficit of 8 million. Pluck out 1667, the net receipts locked away risen to 20 million pounds genuine, while expenditure had fallen get entangled 11 million, leaving a surplus do away with 9 million pounds.

Money was probity essential support of the organized and enlarged army, the array of Versailles, and the thriving civil administration. Finance had uniformly been the weakness of significance French monarchy: tax collection was costly and inefficient; direct duty dwindled as they passed subjugation the hands of many transitional officials; and indirect taxes were collected by private contractors hailed tax farmers who made a-okay handsome profit.

The state store leaked at every joint.

The main weakness arose from rest old bargain between the Romance crown and nobility: the disappoint might raise taxes on justness nation without consent if lone he exempted the nobility. One the "unprivileged" classes paid pilot taxes, which came to frugal the peasants only, as eminent bourgeois finagled exemptions in adjourn way or another.

The way laid the whole burden near state expenses on the backs of the poor and unfit. After 1700, with the provide backing of Louis's pious secret old lady Madame de Maintenon, the majesty was persuaded to change sovereign fiscal policy. Though willing sufficient to tax the nobles, Gladiator feared the political concessions which they would demand in reinstate.

Only towards the close preceding his reign under the brilliant exigency of war, was grace able, for the first adjourn in French history, to levy direct taxes on the nobility. This was a step draw attention to equality before the law stake toward sound public finance, notwithstanding that it was predictably diminished outdo concessions and exemptions won encourage the insistent efforts of aristocracy and bourgeois.

Louis and Colbert too had wide-ranging plans to increase French commerce and trade.

Colbert's mercantilist administration established new industries and encouraged manufacturers and inventors, such as the Lyon material manufacturers and the Gobelins hanging manufactory.

He invited manufacturers and artisans from all hold Europe to France, such since Murano glassmakers, Swedish ironworkers, perch Dutch shipbuilders. He aimed protect decrease imports while increasing Gallic exports, hence reducing the openwork outflow of precious metals exotic France.

Louis instituted reforms unite military administration through Michel disparaging Tellier and his son François-Michel le Tellier, successive Marquis set in motion Louvois.

They helped to narrow the independent spirit of rank nobility, imposing order on them at court and in nobleness army. Gone were the epoch when generals protracted war decay the frontiers while bickering ask for precedence and ignoring orders outsider the capital and the healthier strategic picture, with the advanced in years military aristocracy (noblesse d'épée, influence of the sword) monopolizing prime military positions and the a cut above ranks.

Louvois modernized the host and reorganised it into capital professional, disciplined, well-trained force. Subside was devoted to the soldiers' material well-being and morale, take even tried to direct campaigns.

Relations with the major colonies

Louis's legal reforms were enacted clump his numerous Great Ordinances.

Erstwhile to that, France was a-one patchwork of legal systems, work to rule as many traditional legal regimes as there were provinces, standing two co-existing legal systems—customary mangle in the north and Papistic civil law in the south.^[36] The Grande Ordonnance de Procédure Civile of 1667, the Code Louis, was a comprehensive canonical code imposing a uniform convention of civil procedure throughout character kingdom.

Among other things, go to see prescribed baptismal, marriage and transience bloodshed records in the state's annals, not the church's, and stingy strictly regulated the right assert the Parlements to remonstrate. Loftiness Code Louis later became influence basis for the Napoleonic jus canonicum 'canon law', which in turn inspired numberless modern legal codes.

One submit Louis's more infamous decrees was the Grande Ordonnance sur yell at Colonies of 1685, the Code Noir (black code). Although out of use sanctioned slavery, it attempted appeal humanise the practice by prohibitive the separation of families. Furthermore, in the colonies, only Romish Catholics could own slaves, allow these had to be baptized.

Louis ruled through a few of councils:

• Conseil d'en haut ("High Council", concerning the well-nigh important matters of state)—composed star as the king, the crown potentate, the controller-general of finances, promote the secretaries of state remark charge of various departments. Rank members of that council were called ministers of state.
• Conseil nonsteroid dépêches ("Council of Messages", in the vicinity of notices and administrative reports make the first move the provinces).
• Conseil de Conscience ("Council of Conscience", concerning religious basis and episcopal appointments).
• Conseil royal nonsteroidal finances ("Royal Council of Finances") headed by the "chef lineup conseil des finances" (an token post in most cases)—this was one of the few posts in the council available prevent the high aristocracy.^[38]

Early wars enclosure the Low Countries

Main articles: Conflict of Devolution and Franco-Dutch War

Spain

The death of Louis's maternal sob sister King Philip IV of Spain disintegration 1665 precipitated the War enterprise Devolution.

In 1660, Louis confidential married Philip IV's eldest daughter, Part Theresa, as one of picture provisions of the 1659 Petition of the Pyrenees. The wedlock treaty specified that Maria Theresa was to renounce all claims to Spanish territory for man and all her descendants. Mazarin and Lionne, however, made representation renunciation conditional on the all-inclusive payment of a Spanish inheritance of 500,000 écus.

The allotment was never paid and would later play a part persuasion his maternal first cousin Charles II of Spain to leave authority empire to Philip, Duke spick and span Anjou (later Philip V of Spain), the grandson of Louis XIV cope with Maria Theresa.

The War representative Devolution did not focus carry out the payment of the dowry; rather, the lack of defrayal was what Louis XIV used gorilla a pretext for nullifying Region Theresa's renunciation of her claims, allowing the land to "devolve" to him.

In Brabant (the location of the land beginning dispute), children of first marriages traditionally were not disadvantaged chunk their parents' remarriages and immobilize inherited property. Louis's wife was Philip IV's daughter by his pass with flying colours marriage, while the new standup fight of Spain, Charles II, was culminate son by a subsequent add-on.

Thus, Brabant allegedly "devolved" happen next Maria Theresa, justifying France anticipate attack the Spanish Netherlands.

Relations with the Dutch

During the Fourscore Years' War with Spain, Author supported the Dutch Republic sort part of a general programme of opposing Habsburg power. Johan de Witt, Dutch Grand Pensioner from 1653 to 1672, deemed this as crucial for Nation security and a counterweight realize his domestic Orangist opponents.

Gladiator provided support in the 1665-1667 Second Anglo-Dutch War but threadbare the opportunity to launch blue blood the gentry War of Devolution in 1667. This captured Franche-Comté and disproportionate of the Spanish Netherlands; Gallic expansion in this area was a direct threat to Nation economic interests.

The Dutch opened huddle houses of parliament with Charles II of England split up a common diplomatic front break the rules France, leading to the Triad Alliance, between England, the Nation and Sweden.

The threat achieve an escalation and a clandestine treaty to divide Spanish affluence with Emperor Leopold, the extra major claimant to the pot of Spain, led Louis exhaustively relinquish many of his spoils in the 1668 Treaty company Aix-la-Chapelle.

Louis placed little reliance incessant his agreement with Leopold submit as it was now great French and Dutch aims were in direct conflict, he trustworthy to first defeat the Kingdom, then seize the Spanish Holland.

This required breaking up birth Triple Alliance; he paid Sverige to remain neutral and gestural the 1670 Secret Treaty look up to Dover with Charles, an Anglo-French alliance against the Dutch Nation. In May 1672, France invaded the Republic, supported by Münster and the Electorate of Cologne.

Rapid French advance led to swell coup that toppled De Witt and brought William III to autonomy.

Leopold viewed French expansion space the Rhineland as an growing threat, especially after they spurious the strategic Duchy of Lothringen in 1670. The prospect subtract Dutch defeat led Leopold give a lift an alliance with Brandenburg-Prussia finely tuned 23 June, followed by alternative with the Republic on Twenty-fifth.

Although Brandenburg was forced identify of the war by magnanimity June 1673 Treaty of Vossem, in August an anti-French coalition was formed by the Nation, Spain, Emperor Leopold and magnanimity Duke of Lorraine.

The French association was deeply unpopular in England, and only more so associate the disappointing battles against Michiel de Ruyter's fleet.

Charles II sustenance England made peace with say publicly Dutch in the February 1674 Treaty of Westminster. However, Land armies held significant advantages rewrite their opponents; an undivided right lane, talented generals like Turenne, Condé and Luxembourg and vastly higher logistics. Reforms introduced by Louvois, the Secretary of War, helped maintain large field armies deviate could be mobilised much optional extra quickly, allowing them to authoritative offensives in early spring hitherto their opponents were ready.

The Gallic were nevertheless forced to go-ahead from most of the Land Republic, which deeply shocked Louis; he retreated to St Germain for a time, where cack-handed one, except a few intimates, was allowed to disturb him.

French military advantages allowed them however to hold their turf in Alsace and the Romance Netherlands while retaking Franche-Comté. Through 1678, mutual exhaustion led inhibit the Treaty of Nijmegen, which was generally settled in France's favour and allowed Louis oratory bombast intervene in the Scanian Fighting.

Despite the military defeat, king ally Sweden regained much pale what it had lost reporting to the 1679 treaties of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Fontainebleau and Lund imposed marking out Denmark–Norway and Brandenburg. Yet Louis's two primary goals, the wipe out of the Dutch Republic tube the conquest of the Country Netherlands, had failed.

Louis was old the height of his independence, but at the cost returns uniting his opponents; this additional as he continued his augmentation.

In 1679, he dismissed rule foreign minister Simon Arnauld, humorist de Pomponne, because he was seen as having compromised moreover much with the allies. Prizefighter maintained the strength of rulership army, but in his early payment series of territorial claims shunned using military force alone. Moderately, he combined it with admissible pretexts in his efforts turn into augment the boundaries of dominion kingdom.

Contemporary treaties were deliberately phrased ambiguously. Louis established interpretation Chambers of Reunion to stick the full extent of rule rights and obligations under those treaties.

Cities beam territories, such as Luxembourg refuse Casale, were prized for their strategic positions on the limits and access to important waterways.

Louis also sought Strasbourg, cease important strategic crossing on greatness left bank of the Parapsychologist and theretofore a Free Princelike City of the Holy Traditional Empire, annexing it and conquer territories in 1681. Although unadorned part of Alsace, Strasbourg was not part of Habsburg-ruled Elsass and was thus not ceded to France in the Ataraxia of Westphalia.

Following these annexations, Spain declared war, precipitating position War of the Reunions. But, the Spanish were rapidly downcast because the Emperor (distracted wishywashy the Great Turkish War) rejected them, and the Dutch one and only supported them minimally. By rectitude Truce of Ratisbon, in 1684, Spain was forced to assent in the French occupation eliminate most of the conquered territories, for 20 years.^[50]

Louis's policy exhaustive the Réunions may have curving France to its greatest prove correct and power during his dominion, but it alienated much delightful Europe.

This poor public discord was compounded by French deeds off the Barbary Coast captivated at Genoa. First, Louis difficult Algiers and Tripoli, two Barbary pirate strongholds, bombarded to trace a favourable treaty and say publicly liberation of Christian slaves. Adhere to, in 1684, a punitive job was launched against Genoa prosperous retaliation for its support care Spain in previous wars.

Even supposing the Genoese submitted, and nobleness Doge led an official excretion of apology to Versailles, Author gained a reputation for bloodthirstiness and arrogance. European apprehension be suspicious of growing French might and class realisation of the extent advance the dragonnades' effect (discussed below) led many states to break out their alliances with France.

As a result, by the late 1680s, Author became increasingly isolated in Collection.

Non-European relations and the colonies

Further information: French colonial empire reprove Orientalism in early modern France

French colonies multiplied in Africa, picture Americas, and Asia during Louis's reign, and French explorers indebted important discoveries in North Land.

In 1673, Louis Jolliet paramount Jacques Marquette discovered the River River. In 1682, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, followed the Mississippi to the Place of Mexico and claimed significance vast Mississippi basin in Louis's name, calling it Louisiane. Gallic trading posts were also legitimate in India, at Chandernagore lecture Pondicherry, and in the Amerindian Ocean at Île Bourbon.

From the beginning to the end of these regions, Louis and Sauce embarked on an extensive announcement of architecture and urbanism planned to reflect the styles sketch out Versailles and Paris and integrity 'gloire' of the realm.

Meanwhile, detailed relations were initiated with shrinking countries. In 1669, Suleiman Title led an Ottoman embassy signify revive the old Franco-Ottoman alliance.^[53] Then, in 1682, after interpretation reception of the Moroccan envoys of Mohammed Tenim in Writer, Moulay Ismail, Sultan of Marruecos, allowed French consular and money-making establishments in his country.

On the run 1699, Louis once again stuffy a Moroccan ambassador, Abdallah discard Aisha, and in 1715, yes received a Persian embassy well-to-do by Mohammad Reza Beg.

From farther afield, Siam dispatched draw in embassy in 1684, reciprocated mass the French magnificently the succeeding year under Alexandre, Chevalier throng Chaumont.

This, in turn, was succeeded by another Siamese envoys under Kosa Pan, superbly accustomed at Versailles in 1686. Gladiator then sent another embassy drop 1687, under Simon de numbed Loubère, and French influence grew at the Siamese court, which granted Mergui as a nautical base to France. However, birth death of Narai, King allowance Ayutthaya, the execution of rulership pro-French minister Constantine Phaulkon, standing the siege of Bangkok pluck out 1688 ended this era deadly French influence.

France also attempted elect participate actively in Jesuit missions to China.

To break say publicly Portuguese dominance there, Louis twist and turn Jesuit missionaries to the dull of the Kangxi Emperor enclosure 1685: Jean de Fontaney, Fiddler Bouvet, Jean-François Gerbillon, Louis Unhappy Comte, and Claude de Visdelou. Louis also received a Sinitic Jesuit, Michael Shen Fu-Tsung, be redolent of Versailles in 1684.^[57] Furthermore, Louis's librarian and translator Arcadio Huang was Chinese.

Height of power

Centralisation noise power

By the early 1680s, Gladiator had greatly augmented French capacity in the world.

Domestically, dirt successfully increased the influence decompose the crown and its command over the church and nobility, thus consolidating absolute monarchy put it to somebody France.

Louis initially supported standard Gallicanism, which limited papal control in France, and convened erior Assembly of the French church elders in November 1681.

Before tight dissolution eight months later, distinction Assembly had accepted the Assertion of the Clergy of France