Louis XIV, King of France
The number to the left of each child (e.g. "+4") indicates the total number of children for that person.
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| Family Name: |
Bourbon |
Given Names: |
Louis |
| Known As: |
Dieudonne, The Sun King |
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Titles:
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King of France (1643 - 1715) |
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| Born: |
5 Sep 1638
St. Germain-en-Laye (near Paris), France
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Died: |
1 Sep 1715
France
(Age 77, Natural Causes)
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English/Scottish Royal Blood: 2.7241707% [?] |
Buried: |
Unknown place
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| Father: |
Louis XIII, King of France
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27 Sep 1601 - 14 May 1643
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| Mother: |
Anne of Austria (daughter of Philip III of Spain)
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22 Sep 1601 - 20 Jan 1666
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Marriage:
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Marie-Theresa of Austria (1st wife of Louis XIV of France)
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10 Sep 1638 - 30 Jul 1683
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Date: 9 Jun 1660 |
His Age: 22 |
Her Age: 22 |
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Place:
St. Jean-de-Luz, France
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Offspring:
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+3
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Louis (Le Grand Dauphin, son of Louis XIV of France)
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1661 - 15 Apr 1711
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Marriage:
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Francoise d'Aubigne (Madame Maintenon, 2nd w. of Louis XIV)
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27 Nov 1635 - 15 Apr 1719
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Date: 12 Jun 1684 |
His Age: 45 |
Her Age: 48 |
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Place:
Fontainebleau, France
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Offspring:
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None listed |
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Affair:
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Francoise Athenais, Madame de Montespan (mistress of Louis XIV)
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26 Apr 1641 - 28 May 1707
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Place:
Unknown place
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Offspring:
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+7
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Francoise-Marie de Blois (wife of 2nd Duke of Orleans)
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1677 - 1749
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+9
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Louise Françoise de Bourbon (daughter of Louis XIV of France)
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1 Jun 1673 - 16 Jun 1743
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(6 others not in database) |
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| Events: |
Coronation |
1654 |
Rheims, Champagne, France
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| Notes: |
Although Louis missed daily mass only once in the 72 years he ruled, Archbishop Bossuet once said that the king was as religiously enlightened as a charcoal brazier.
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Contrary to the popular image of Louis XIV today, he was a clean air fanatic who had a lifelong aversion to strong scents.
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When his wife Marie-Theresa died, Louis said to his children's governess and future second wife, Madame de Maintenon, "This is the only time she has ever given me any trouble."
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Louis ate very little during the day but consumed enormous dinners late in the evening. His second wife, Madame de Maintenon, said that she would be dead within a week if she ate half as much as Louis did at supper. An autopsy showed that Louis's stomach and intestines were about twice as big as those of an average 5' 5" tall man.
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Louis advised his son, the Dauphin, that every time he conferred a favour he should remember that nine men would be disappointed and one would be ungrateful.
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Louis liked to hunt and was an excellent shot.
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Louis hated Paris, and it was smart for courtiers to avoid saying they had spent any time there.
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"England is a little garden full of sour weeds," observed Louis.
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Louis was so magnanimous to the exiled James II of England that he allowed James to practice the king's touch for scrofula--in France, in accordance with James' claim to the throne of France.
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When Louis and Madame de Maintenon were in their seventies, she complained to her confessor that Louis insisted on his conjugal rights every day and often twice a day.
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Louis reigned for 72 years, longer than any other European monarch.
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As Louis was dying, he told his five-year old great-grandson, who would become Louis XV, "You are going to be a great king. Do not copy me in my love of building or in my love of war. On the contrary, try to live peacefully with your neighbours."
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Died of gangrene.
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Several historians have noted that Louis was better at playing the role of king, especially in public, than any other sovereign. He even had a term for the business of being a king - metier du roi. But as he grew older, his behaviour in private was sometimes like an actor off-stage. The Duke of St. Simon went in to a private audience with Louis once and found him sitting on a table, swinging his legs.
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The Sieur de la Salle named the Louisiana territory after Louis.
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The town of Louisbourg, on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, was named after Louis in 1713 by French settlers.
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Portrayed by Sacha Guitry in the 1954 film, "Royal Affairs in Versailles," which Guitry directed.
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The subject of a 1966 series for French television, "The Rise of Louis XIV."
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Join the History Book Club and get 4 books for $4 + FREE Tote Bag.
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Products of Interest:
Where shown, prices are accurate as of the date/time indicated. Prices and product availability are subject to change. Any price displayed on the Amazon website at the time of purchase will govern the sale of these products. Click a title for further details or to purchase.
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The First Churchills
Box set, Color, DVD, Full Screen, Miniseries, NTSC
(2004-09-21)
Based on Sir Winston Churchill?s biography of his ancestors, the first Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, this classic BBC miniseries is a tender love story played out amid the intrigues of the 17th-century English court. At a time when most marriages were made for money and position, Sarah Jennings and John Churchill married for love. And their love lasted throughout their long lives spent at the epicenter of political power in England. He was a military genius who never lost a battle. She was the intimate friend of a princess who later became queen. This addictive drama follows them from their budding romance in the bawdy court of King Charles II through five decades and five monarchs from the tumultuous House of Stuart. The popularity of The First Churchills helped establish Masterpiece Theatre as a venue for the best of British drama. Starring John Neville (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen) as John Churchill with Susan Hampshire (Monarch of the Glen, The Pallisers) in an Emmy®-winning performance as the tempestuous Sarah. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE an exclusive interview with Susan Hampshire, photo gallery, cast filmographies, and full-color insert with a sampling of the real love letters of Sarah and John Churchill, glossary of historical figures and terms, and House of Stuart family tree.
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Price From: $46.75
(as of 2010-08-01 06:05:09 PST)
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The 5th Musketeer
Ken Annakin
Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
(2004-07-13)
An appealing cast of film veterans makes this 1977 action-adventure version of Alexandre Dumas's The Man In the Iron Mask particularly watchable. Lloyd Bridges co-stars as swordsman Aramis, one of several Musketeer tutors of young and brave Phillippe (Beau Bridges, Lloyd's son), who doesn't know he's the identical twin brother of King Louis XIV. Captured by Louis, his features briefly disguised by an uncomfortable iron mask, Phillippe is forced to play his villainous sibling in an assassination scenario designed to fool France into believing its mad emperor is dead. Phillippe, however, turns the tables, and with the aid of Aramis, Athos (Jose Ferrer), Porthos (Alan Hale Jr.), and D'Artagnan (Cornel Wilde), makes a bold attempt to take his country's destiny in hand. Also on view are Rex Harrison, Ursula Andress, and Olivia DeHavilland; the star wattage and attractive settings compensate somewhat for director Ken Annakin's stiff and unimaginative direction. --Tom Keogh
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Price From: $16.98
(as of 2010-08-01 06:13:36 PST)
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Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King
Antonia Fraser
Paperback
(2007-11-06)
Louis XIV, the highly-feted ?Sun King?, was renowned for his political and cultural influence and for raising France to a new level of prominence in seventeenth-century Europe. And yet, as Antonia Fraser keenly describes, he was equally legendary in the domestic sphere. Indeed, a panoply of women ? his wife Anne; mistresses such as Louise de la Vallière, Athénaïs de Montespan, and the puritanical Madame de Maintenon; and an array of courtesans ? moved in and out of the court. The highly visible presence of these women raises many questions about their position in both Louis XIV?s life and in France at large. With careful research and vivid, engaging prose, Fraser makes the multifaceted life of one of the most famous European monarchs accessible and vibrantly current.
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Price From: $9.95
(as of 2010-08-01 06:15:28 PST)
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Characters of the Reformation: Historical Portraits of the 23 Men and Women and Their Place in the Great Religious Revolution of the 16th Century
Hilaire Belloc
Paperback
(2009-04-01)
Perhaps the most fascinating book ever written by this great Catholic historian. Here in bold, living colors Belloc sketches the destructive results of the greed, lust, weakness, tenacity, blindness, fear and indecision of 23 famous men and women of the Protestant Reformation period, analyzing their strengths, mistakes, motives and deeds which changed the course of history. Belloc cites Anne Boleyn, not the weak-willed Henry VIII as the "pivot figure" of the English Reformation, for it was her iron will to be Queen which started the movement. He describes Cromwell, the monastery looter and destroyer, as "the true creator of the English Reformation." He shows how the crafty William Cecil accomplished the task of "digging up the Catholic Faith by the roots" and "crushing out the Mass from English soil." Belloc also highlights the fatal error of Cardinal Richelieu in putting France before Catholicism and thus torpedoing Europe's last great chance of keeping Christendom united. Belloc warns that this breakup of Christendom may still destroy our Christian civilization. Even those who think they do not like history will be unable to put this book down. Brings history vividly to life!
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(as of 2010-08-01 07:17:55 PST)
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Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King
Antonia Fraser
Hardcover
(2006-10-24)
The self-proclaimed Sun King, Louis XIV ruled over the most glorious and extravagant court in seventeenth-century Europe. Now, Antonia Fraser goes behind the well-known tales of Louis?s accomplishments and follies, exploring in riveting detail his intimate relationships with women.
The king?s mother, Anne of Austria, had been in a childless marriage for twenty-two years before she gave birth to Louis XIV. A devout Catholic, she instilled in her son a strong sense of piety and fought successfully for his right to absolute power. In 1660, Louis married his first cousin, Marie-Thérèse, in a political arrangement. While unfailingly kind to the official "Queen of Versailles," Louis sought others to satisfy his romantic and sexual desires. After a flirtation with his sister-in-law, his first important mistress was Louise de La Vallière, who bore him several children before being replaced by the tempestuous and brilliant Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan. Later, when Athénaïs?s reputation was tarnished, the king continued to support her publicly until Athénaïs left court for a life of repentance. Meanwhile her children?s governess, the intelligent and seemingly puritanical Françoise de Maintenon, had already won the king?s affections; in a relationship in complete contrast to his physical obsession with Athénaïs, Louis XIV lived happily with Madame de Maintenon for the rest of his life, very probably marrying her in secret. When his grandson?s child bride, the enchanting Adelaide of Savoy, came to Versaille she lightened the king?s last years?until tragedy struck.
With consummate skill, Antonia Fraser weaves insights into the nature of women?s religious lives?as well as such practical matters as contraception?into her magnificent, sweeping portrait of the king, his court, and his ladies.
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Price From: $3.79
(as of 2010-08-01 07:14:48 PST)
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