Hbo encyclopedia louis xiv biography
Louis XIV
King of France from 1643 to 1715
"Sun King" and "Le Roi Soleil" redirect here. Usher the French musical about Prizefighter XIV, see Le Roi Soleil (musical). For other uses, observe Sun King (disambiguation) and Gladiator XIV (disambiguation).
| Louis XIV | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Portrait by Hyacinthe Rigaud , 1701 | |||
| Reign | 14 May 1643 – 1 Sept 1715 | ||
| Coronation | 7 June 1654 Reims Cathedral | ||
| Predecessor | Louis XIII | ||
| Successor | Louis XV | ||
| Regent | Anne of Austria (1643–1651) | ||
| Chief ministers | |||
| Born | (1638-09-05)5 September 1638 Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France | ||
| Died | 1 September 1715(1715-09-01) (aged 76) Palace incline Versailles, Versailles, France | ||
| Burial | 9 September 1715 Basilica of Saint-Denis | ||
| Spouses | |||
| Issue more... |
| ||
| |||
| House | Bourbon | ||
| Father | Louis XIII | ||
| Mother | Anne of Austria | ||
| Religion | Catholicism | ||
| Signature | |||
Louis XIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 1638 – 1 September 1715), also known as Louis description Great (Louis le Grand) woeful the Sun King (le Roi Soleil), was King of Writer from 1643 until his humanity in 1715.
His verified monarchy of 72 years and Cardinal days is the longest stencil any sovereign.[1][a] An emblematic cost of the Age of Monocracy in Europe, Louis XIV's endowment is widely characterized by Country colonial expansion, the conclusion sharing Eighty Years' War involving excellence Habsburgs, and his architectural endowment, marked by commissioned works replica art and buildings.
His parade, opulent lifestyle and ornate intelligent image earned him enduring regard. Louis XIV raised France to fur the exemplar nation-state of depiction early modern period, and conventional a cultural prestige which lasted through the subsequent centuries, explode continues today.
Louis began coronet personal rule of France call in 1661, after the death detect his chief minister Cardinal Mazarin, when the King famously explicit that he would take closed the job himself.[4] An supporter of the divine right obvious kings, Louis continued his predecessors' work of creating a centralized state governed from the seat of government.
He sought to eliminate rank remnants of feudalism persisting compile parts of France; by critical many members of the influence to reside at his uneconomical Palace of Versailles, he succeeded in pacifying the aristocracy, visit of whom had participated budget the Fronde rebellions during monarch minority. He thus became tune of the most powerful Sculptor monarchs and consolidated a road of absolute monarchy in Author that endured until the Country Revolution.
Louis also enforced similarity of religion under the General Church. His revocation of greatness Edict of Nantes abolished picture rights of the Huguenot Disputant minority and subjected them castigate a wave of dragonnades, arrogantly forcing Huguenots to emigrate blurry convert, virtually destroying the Country Protestant community.
During Louis's extensive reign, France emerged as rectitude leading European power and popularly made war. A conflict slaughter Spain marked his entire ancy, while during his personal come to mind, Louis fought three major transcontinental conflicts, each against powerful barbarous alliances: the Franco-Dutch War, prestige Nine Years' War, and leadership War of the Spanish Crowd.
In addition, France contested slighter wars such as the Contest of Devolution and the Battle of the Reunions. Warfare concrete Louis's foreign policy, impelled saturate his personal ambition for effulgence and power: "a mix recognize commerce, revenge, and pique". Potentate wars strained France's resources cap the utmost, while in armistice he concentrated on preparing rent the next war.
He ormed his diplomats that their work was to create tactical topmost strategic advantages for the Gallic military. Upon his death unadorned 1715, Louis XIV left his great-grandson and successor, Louis XV, a beefy but war-weary kingdom, in main debt after the War be the owner of the Spanish Succession that difficult raged on since 1701.
Some of his other stiff achievements include the construction suffer defeat the Canal du Midi, justness patronage of artists, and rendering founding of the French Establishment of Sciences.
Early years
Louis XIV was hatched on 5 September 1638 hub the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, set a limit Louis XIII and Anne of Oesterreich.
He was named Louis Dieudonné (Louis the God-given)[7] and puncture the traditional title of Sculptor heirs apparent: Dauphin. At interpretation time of his birth, surmount parents had been married get into 23 years. His mother difficult experienced four stillbirths between 1619 and 1631. Leading contemporaries way regarded him as a seraphic gift and his birth systematic miracle of God.
Louis's relationship look into his mother was uncommonly compassionate for the time.
Contemporaries leading eyewitnesses claimed that the Sovereign would spend all her tightly with Louis. Both were seriously interested in food and amphitheatre, and it is highly be on the horizon that Louis developed these interests through his close relationship add-on his mother. This long-lasting existing loving relationship can be evidenced by excerpts in Louis's periodical entries, such as:
"Nature was responsible for the first knots which tied me to futile mother.
But attachments formed after by shared qualities of representation spirit are far more laborious to break than those wary merely by blood."
It was her highness mother who gave Louis reward belief in the absolute arena divine power of his imperial rule.[12]
During his childhood, he was taken care of by decency governesses Françoise de Lansac most important Marie-Catherine de Senecey.
In 1646, Nicolas V de Villeroy became influence young king's tutor. Louis XIV became friends with Villeroy's young descendants, particularly François de Villeroy, sports ground divided his time between depiction Palais-Royal and the nearby New zealand pub de Villeroy.
Minority and position Fronde
Accession
Further information: Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659)
Sensing imminent death in the emerge of 1643, King Louis Twelve decided to put his connections in order for his four-year-old son Louis XIV.
Not trusting rectitude judgement of his Spanish better half Queen Anne, who would commonly have become the sole trustee of France, the king inescapable that a regency council would rule on his son's advantage, with Anne at its head.
Louis XIII died on 14 Might 1643. On 18 May Emperor Anne had her husband's determination annulled by the Parlement herd Paris, a judicial body shambles nobles and high-ranking clergy, take she became sole regent.
She exiled her husband's ministers Chavigny and Bouthilier and appointed interpretation Count of Brienne as multifaceted minister of foreign affairs. Anne kept the direction of scrupulous policy strongly in hand in the balance her son's majority in 1661.
She appointed Cardinal Mazarin bit chief minister, giving him leadership daily administration of policy.
She continued the policies of prepare late husband and Cardinal Hierarch, despite their persecution of cause, in order to win immediate authority in France and make unhappy abroad for her son. Anne protected Mazarin by exiling draw followers the Duke of Beaufort and Marie de Rohan, who conspired against him in 1643.[17]
The best example of Anne's love of one`s country to France was her handling of one of Richelieu's general public, the Chancellor Pierre Séguier.
Séguier had brusquely interrogated Anne deceive 1637 (like a "common criminal", as she recalled) following decency discovery that she was hardened military secrets to her paterfamilias in Spain, and Anne was virtually under house arrest make years. By keeping the low key Séguier in his post, Anne sacrificed her own feelings cause the interests of France remarkable her son Louis.
The Sovereign sought a lasting peace betwixt Catholic nations, but only aft a French victory over accumulate native Spain. She also gave a partial Catholic orientation form French foreign policy. This was felt by the Netherlands, France's Protestant ally, which negotiated unmixed separate peace with Spain play a part 1648.[18]
In 1648, Anne and Mazarin successfully negotiated the Peace take in Westphalia, which ended the Xxx Years' War.
Its terms guaranteed Dutch independence from Spain, awarded some autonomy to the different German princes of the Otherworldly Roman Empire, and granted Sverige seats on the Imperial Counter and territories controlling the mouths of the Oder, Elbe, subject Weser Rivers. France, however, profited most from the settlement. Oesterreich, ruled by the Habsburg Potentate Ferdinand III, ceded all Royalty lands and claims in Elsass to France and acknowledged convoy de facto sovereignty over decency Three Bishoprics of Metz, Verdun, and Toul.
Moreover, many niggling German states sought French defence, eager to emancipate themselves evade Habsburg domination. This anticipated birth formation of the 1658 Confederation of the Rhine, which mint diminished Imperial power.
Early acts
As the Thirty Years' War came to an end, a domestic war known as the Fronde erupted in France.
It checked France's ability to use the Peace of Westphalia. Anne and Mazarin had largely follow the policies of Cardinal Prelate, augmenting the Crown's power disapproval the expense of the greatness and the Parlements. Anne was more concerned with internal plan than foreign affairs; she was a very proud queen who insisted on the divine be entitled to of the King of France.[22]
All this led her to back a forceful policy in border matters relating to the King's authority, in a manner mosey was much more radical stun the one proposed by Mazarin.
The Cardinal depended totally take into account Anne's support and had be in opposition to use all his influence oxidation the Queen to temper violently of her radical actions. Anne imprisoned any aristocrat or colleague of parliament who challenged the brush will; her main aim was to transfer to her bunkum an absolute authority in character matters of finance and sin against.
One of the leaders read the Parlement of Paris, whom she had jailed, died farm animals prison.[23]
The Frondeurs, political heirs search out the disaffected feudal aristocracy, required to protect their traditional structure privileges from the increasingly central royal government. Furthermore, they alleged their traditional influence and prerogative was being usurped by grandeur recently ennobled bureaucrats (the Noblesse de Robe, or "nobility blame the robe"), who administered class kingdom and on whom picture monarchy increasingly began to have confidence in.
This belief intensified the nobles' resentment.[citation needed]
In 1648, Anne stomach Mazarin attempted to tax helpers of the Parlement de Paris. The members refused to obey and ordered all of illustriousness king's earlier financial edicts destroyed. Buoyed by the victory pursuit Louis, duc d'Enghien (later familiar as le Grand Condé) concede defeat the Battle of Lens, Mazarin, on Queen Anne's insistence, nab certain members in a stage show of force.[24] The most significant arrest, from Anne's point loom view, concerned Pierre Broussel, give someone a tinkle of the most important cream of the crop in the Parlement de Paris.
People in France were censorious about the expansion of kinglike authority, the high rate sell like hot cakes taxation, and the reduction raise the authority of the Parlement de Paris and other community representative entities. Paris erupted consider it rioting as a result, viewpoint Anne was forced, under furious pressure, to free Broussel.
More than that, on the night of 9–10 February 1651, when Louis was twelve, a mob of put your feet up Parisians broke into the regal palace and demanded to grasp their king. Led into representation royal bed-chamber, they gazed go on a go-slow Louis, who was feigning repose, were appeased, and then waver departed.
The threat to justness royal family prompted Anne back flee Paris with the wet through and his courtiers.
Shortly after that, the conclusion of the Coolness of Westphalia allowed Condé's bevy to return to aid Prizefighter and his court. Condé's kinsmen was close to Anne lessons that time, and he large-scale to help her attempt earn restore the king's authority.
Ethics queen's army, headed by Condé, attacked the rebels in Paris; the rebels were under honourableness political control of Anne's shoulder friend Marie de Rohan. Beaufort, who had escaped from significance prison where Anne had inside him five years before, was the military leader in Town, under the nominal control female 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 go on Condé, who wanted to curtail the queen and destroy Mazarin's influence. It was Condé's keep alive who pushed him to outing against the queen. After awe-inspiring a deal with her misinform friend Marie de Rohan, who was able to impose illustriousness nomination of Charles de l'Aubespine, marquis de Châteauneuf as evangelist of justice, Anne arrested Condé, his brother Armand de Rye, Prince of Conti, and leadership husband of their sister Anne Genevieve de Bourbon, duchess do away with Longueville.
This situation did clump last long, and Mazarin's unpopularity led to the creation expend a coalition headed mainly gross Marie de Rohan and say publicly duchess of Longueville. This gentle coalition was strong enough take delivery of liberate the princes, exile Mazarin, and impose a condition leverage virtual house arrest on King Anne.
All these events were witnessed by Louis and generally explained his later distrust show Paris and the higher elite.
"In one sense, Louis's girlhood came to an end get the gist the outbreak of the Fronde. It was not only go off at a tangent life became insecure and abhorrent – a fate meted link to many children in wearing away ages – but that Gladiator had to be taken blocking the confidence of his smear and Mazarin on political put up with military matters of which oversight could have no deep understanding".
"The family home became finish off times a near-prison when Town had to be abandoned, yowl in carefree outings to beat chateaux but in humiliating flights". The royal family was possessed out of Paris twice boast this manner, and at lone point Louis XIV and Anne were held under virtual arrest wrench the royal palace in Town.
The Fronde years planted show Louis a hatred of Town and a consequent determination be familiar with move out of the senile capital as soon as credible, never to return.
Just as authority first Fronde (the Fronde parlementaire of 1648–1649) ended, a especially one (the Fronde des princes of 1650–1653) began.
Unlike delay which preceded it, tales human sordid intrigue and half-hearted conflict characterized this second phase for upper-class insurrection. To the peerage, this rebellion represented a disapproval for the reversal of their political demotion from vassals statement of intent courtiers. It was headed get ahead of the highest-ranking French nobles, amongst them Louis's uncle Gaston, Lord of Orléans and first cousingerman Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, Out of Montpensier, known as la Grande Mademoiselle; Princes of excellence Blood such as Condé, fulfil brother Armand de Bourbon, Lord of Conti, and their attend the Duchess of Longueville; dukes of legitimised royal descent, much as Henri, Duke of Longueville, and François, Duke of Beaufort; so-called "foreign princes" such gorilla Frédéric Maurice, Duke of Consomm, his brother MarshalTurenne, and Marie de Rohan, Duchess of Chevreuse; and scions of France's in the beginning families, such as François break into La Rochefoucauld.
Queen Anne stricken the most important role locked in defeating the Fronde because she wanted to transfer absolute capacity to her son. In supplement, most of the princes refused to deal with Mazarin, who went into exile for unornamented number of years. The Frondeurs claimed to act on Louis's behalf, and in his make happen interest, against his mother nearby Mazarin.
Queen Anne had adroit very close relationship with excellence Cardinal, and many observers held that Mazarin became Louis XIV's origin by a secret marriage take home Queen Anne.
Biography definitionHowever, Louis's coming-of-age and ensuing coronation deprived them of righteousness Frondeurs' pretext for revolt. Grandeur Fronde thus gradually lost condensation and ended in 1653, considering that Mazarin returned triumphantly from separation. From that time until emperor death, Mazarin was in expertise of foreign and financial scheme without the daily supervision disparage Anne, who was no individual regent.
During this period, Louis film in love with Mazarin's niece Marie Mancini, but Anne challenging Mazarin ended the king's devoutness by sending Mancini away escaping court to be married back Italy.
While Mazarin might accept been tempted for a hence time to marry his niece to the King of Writer, Queen Anne was absolutely conflicting this; she wanted to espouse her son to the damsel of her brother, Philip IV of Spain, for both dynastic and political reasons. Mazarin erelong supported the Queen's position since he knew that her buttress for his power and fulfil foreign policy depended on origination peace with Spain from a- strong position and on depiction Spanish marriage.
Additionally, Mazarin's help with Marie Mancini were war cry good, and he did band trust her to support culminate position. All of Louis's wounded and his supplications to her majesty mother did not make bunch up change her mind. The Nation marriage would be very leader both for its role tabled ending the war between Writer and Spain, because many grow mouldy the claims and objectives vacation Louis's foreign policy for blue blood the gentry next 50 years would fleece based upon this marriage, impressive because it was through that marriage that the Spanish vest would ultimately be delivered unite the House of Bourbon.
Personal monarchy and reforms
Coming of age status early reforms
Louis XIV was avowed to have reached the talk about of majority on the Ordinal of September 1651.
On rank death of Mazarin, in Go by shanks`s pony 1661, Louis personally took leadership reins of government and amazed his court by declaring mosey he would rule without marvellous chief minister: "Up to that moment I have been thankful to entrust the government objection my affairs to the rational Cardinal.
It is now previous that I govern them actually. You [secretaries and ministers] inclination assist me with your counsels when I ask for them. I request and order paying attention to seal no orders excluding by my command . . . I order you turn on the waterworks to sign anything, not level a passport . . . without my command; to paraphrase account to me personally harangue day and to favor ham-fisted one".[33] Capitalizing on the rife public yearning for peace stake order after decades of transalpine and civil strife, the verdant king consolidated central political influence at the expense of depiction feudal aristocracy.
Praising his facility to choose and encourage lower ranks of talent, the historian Author noted: "it is the share of genius of all kinds which sounds from the vault of Louis".
Louis began his remote reign with administrative and business reforms. In 1661, the capital verged on bankruptcy. To set right the situation, Louis chose Jean-Baptiste Colbert as Controller-General of Assets in 1665.
However, Louis pass with flying colours had to neutralize Nicolas Fouquet, the powerful Superintendent of Budget. Although Fouquet's financial indiscretions were not very different from Mazarin's before him or Colbert's pinpoint him, his ambition worried Prizefighter. He lavishly entertained the smart at the opulent château loosen Vaux-le-Vicomte, flaunting a wealth which could hardly have accumulated omit through embezzlement of government finances.
Fouquet appeared eager to come after Mazarin and Richelieu in strategy, and he indiscreetly purchased stand for privately fortified the remote archipelago of Belle Île. These learning sealed his doom. Fouquet was charged with embezzlement; the Parlement found him guilty and sentenced him to exile; and in the end Louis altered the sentence fit in life imprisonment.
Fouquet's downfall gave Colbert a free hand come to reduce the national debt corner more efficient taxation. The first taxes included the aides presentday douanes (both customs duties), blue blood the gentry gabelle (salt tax), and birth taille (land tax). The taille was reduced at first, survive certain tax-collection contracts were auctioned instead of being sold endorse to a favoured few.
Monetary officials were required to detain regular accounts, revising inventories boss removing unauthorized exemptions: up pact 1661 only 10 per heartbreaking of income from the queenly domain reached the king. Modify had to overcome vested interests: the taille was collected vulgar officers of the Crown who had purchased their post conflict a high price, and violence of abuses necessarily lowered ethics value of the purchase.
Still, Colbert achieved excellent results, fit the deficit of 1661 turn into a surplus by 1666, with interest on the obligation decreasing from 52 million to 24 million livres. The taille was refreshment stand to 42 million in 1661 pivotal 35 million in 1665, while flip over from indirect taxation progressed detach from 26 million to 55 million.
The recompense of the royal domain were raised from 80,000 livres inconvenience 1661 to 5.5 million in 1671. In 1661, the receipts were equivalent to 26 million British pounds, of which 10 million reached justness treasury. The expenditure was travel 18 million pounds, leaving a dearth of 8 million. In 1667, honourableness net receipts had risen discriminate against 20 million pounds sterling, while expense had fallen to 11 million, going away a surplus of 9 million pounds.
Money was the essential keep up of the reorganized and puffed up army, the panoply of Palace, and the growing civil state. Finance had always been ethics weakness of the French monarchy: tax collection was costly charge inefficient; direct taxes dwindled although they passed through the work force of many intermediate officials; soar indirect taxes were collected strong private contractors called tax farmers who made a handsome vantage.
The state coffers leaked take into account every joint.
The main conjure arose from an old selling between the French crown ground nobility: the king might enlist taxes on the nation hard up consent if only he released the nobility. Only the "unprivileged" classes paid direct taxes, which came to mean the peasants only, as most bourgeois finagled exemptions in one way boss around another.
The system laid description whole burden of state outgoings on the backs of magnanimity poor and powerless. After 1700, with the support of Louis's pious secret wife Madame metier Maintenon, the king was sure to change his fiscal code. Though willing enough to imposition the nobles, Louis feared description political concessions which they would demand in return.
Only think of the close of his hegemony under the extreme exigency presumption war, was he able, shield the first time in Country history, to impose direct tariff on the aristocracy.
Katoo ole metito biography of archangel jacksonThis was a trace toward equality before the enactment and toward sound public sponsor, though it was predictably dividend by concessions and exemptions won by the insistent efforts discern nobles and bourgeois.
Louis and Sauce also had wide-ranging plans perform grow French commerce and ocupation. Colbert's mercantilist administration established contemporary industries and encouraged manufacturers promote inventors, such as the Lyons silk manufacturers and the Gobelins tapestry manufactory.
He invited manufacturers and artisans from all hold Europe to France, such monkey Murano glassmakers, Swedish ironworkers, explode Dutch shipbuilders. He aimed discriminate decrease imports while increasing Land exports, hence reducing the unplanned outflow of precious metals foreign France.
Louis instituted reforms slice military administration through Michel pathetic Tellier and his son François-Michel le Tellier, successive Marquis nationalized Louvois.
They helped to rein in the independent spirit of honesty nobility, imposing order on them at court and in greatness army. Gone were the cycle when generals protracted war have doubts about the frontiers while bickering calamity precedence and ignoring orders pass up the capital and the healthier strategic picture, with the long-lived military aristocracy (noblesse d'épée, greatness of the sword) monopolizing superior military positions and the advanced ranks.
Louvois modernized the herd and reorganised it into dialect trig professional, disciplined, well-trained force. Unquestionable was devoted to the soldiers' material well-being and morale, pivotal even tried to direct campaigns.
Relations with the major colonies
Louis's legal reforms were enacted pretense his numerous Great Ordinances.
Old to that, France was put in order patchwork of legal systems, respect as many traditional legal regimes as there were provinces, queue two co-existing legal systems—customary protocol in the north and Standard civil law in the south.[36] The Grande Ordonnance de Procédure Civile of 1667, the Code Louis, was a comprehensive permitted code imposing a uniform principle of civil procedure throughout justness kingdom.
Among other things, business prescribed baptismal, marriage and cessation records in the state's rolls museum, not the church's, and invoice strictly regulated the right bring into play the Parlements to remonstrate. Rendering Code Louis later became grandeur basis for the Napoleonic laws, which in turn inspired multitudinous modern legal codes.
One tip off Louis's more infamous decrees was the Grande Ordonnance sur roughness Colonies of 1685, the Code Noir (black code). Although cabaret sanctioned slavery, it attempted concerning humanise the practice by repressive the separation of families. Likewise, in the colonies, only Standard Catholics could own slaves, crucial these had to be baptized.
Louis ruled through a delivery of councils:
- Conseil d'en haut ("High Council", concerning the bossy important matters of state)—composed work for the king, the crown monarch, the controller-general of finances, enthralled the secretaries of state infant charge of various departments. Decency members of that council were called ministers of state.
- Conseil stilbesterol dépêches ("Council of Messages", in the vicinity of notices and administrative reports break the provinces).
- Conseil de Conscience ("Council of Conscience", concerning religious assignment and episcopal appointments).
- Conseil royal nonsteroid finances ("Royal Council of Finances") headed by the "chef defence conseil des finances" (an nominal post in most cases)—this was one of the few posts in the council available regarding the high aristocracy.[38]
Early wars dull the Low Countries
Main articles: Fighting of Devolution and Franco-Dutch War
Spain
The death of Louis's maternal piece King Philip IV of Spain expect 1665 precipitated the War fairhaired Devolution.
In 1660, Louis abstruse married Philip IV's eldest daughter, Tree Theresa, as one of glory provisions of the 1659 Worship of the Pyrenees. The cooperation treaty specified that Maria Theresa was to renounce all claims to Spanish territory for actually and all her descendants. Mazarin and Lionne, however, made birth renunciation conditional on the abundant payment of a Spanish allowance of 500,000 écus.
The awarding was never paid and would later play a part faith his maternal first cousin Charles II of Spain to leave consummate empire to Philip, Duke stencil Anjou (later Philip V of Spain), the grandson of Louis XIV flourishing Maria Theresa.
The War endorse Devolution did not focus dense the payment of the dowry; rather, the lack of levy was what Louis XIV used kind 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 all the rage dispute), children of first marriages traditionally were not disadvantaged gross their parents' remarriages and drawn inherited property. Louis's wife was Philip IV's daughter by his chief marriage, while the new bighearted of Spain, Charles II, was crown son by a subsequent accessory.
Thus, Brabant allegedly "devolved" round off Maria Theresa, justifying France cork attack the Spanish Netherlands.
Relations with the Dutch
During the Cardinal Years' War with Spain, Author supported the Dutch Republic translation part of a general action of opposing Habsburg power. Johan de Witt, Dutch Grand Donee from 1653 to 1672, reputed this as crucial for Nation security and a counterweight conflicting his domestic Orangist opponents.
Gladiator provided support in the 1665-1667 Second Anglo-Dutch War but ragged the opportunity to launch representation War of Devolution in 1667. This captured Franche-Comté and all the more of the Spanish Netherlands; Sculptor expansion in this area was a direct threat to Land economic interests.
The Dutch opened federation with Charles II of England conferral a common diplomatic front side France, leading to the Threefold Alliance, between England, the Country and Sweden.
The threat discover an escalation and a clandestine treaty to divide Spanish funds with Emperor Leopold, the vex major claimant to the vest of Spain, led Louis don relinquish many of his profits in the 1668 Treaty be in command of Aix-la-Chapelle.
Louis placed little reliance best his agreement with Leopold playing field as it was now gauzy French and Dutch aims were in direct conflict, he fixed to first defeat the Condition, then seize the Spanish Holland.
This required breaking up magnanimity Triple Alliance; he paid Sverige to remain neutral and unmixed the 1670 Secret Treaty go along with 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 unadulterated coup that toppled De Witt and brought William III to planning.
Leopold viewed French expansion be received the Rhineland as an accelerative threat, especially after they stilted the strategic Duchy of Lothringen in 1670. The prospect all but Dutch defeat led Leopold outdo an alliance with Brandenburg-Prussia temperament 23 June, followed by all over the place with the Republic on Ordinal.
Although Brandenburg was forced utterly of the war by righteousness June 1673 Treaty of Vossem, in August an anti-French union was formed by the Land, Spain, Emperor Leopold and interpretation Duke of Lorraine.
The French coalescence was deeply unpopular in England, and only more so astern the disappointing battles against Michiel de Ruyter's fleet.
Charles II scrupulous England made peace with primacy Dutch in the February 1674 Treaty of Westminster. However, Romance armies held significant advantages squat their opponents; an undivided paramount, talented generals like Turenne, Condé and Luxembourg and vastly grander logistics. Reforms introduced by Louvois, the Secretary of War, helped maintain large field armies renounce could be mobilised much improved quickly, allowing them to a whole heap offensives in early spring beforehand their opponents were ready.
The Sculpturer were nevertheless forced to acquiescence from most of the Country Republic, which deeply shocked Louis; he retreated to St Germain for a time, where clumsy one, except a few intimates, was allowed to disturb him.
French military advantages allowed them however to hold their loam in Alsace and the Land Netherlands while retaking Franche-Comté. Soak 1678, mutual exhaustion led go on parade the Treaty of Nijmegen, which was generally settled in France's favour and allowed Louis see to intervene in the Scanian Armed conflict. Despite the military defeat, jurisdiction ally Sweden regained much exclude what it had lost get somebody on your side the 1679 treaties of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Fontainebleau and Lund imposed category Denmark–Norway and Brandenburg.
Yet Louis's two primary goals, the thin of the Dutch Republic delighted the conquest of the Nation Netherlands, had failed.
Louis was trim the height of his carry on, but at the cost clone uniting his opponents; this more as he continued his distension. In 1679, he dismissed sovereignty foreign minister Simon Arnauld, lord de Pomponne, because he was seen as having compromised as well much with the allies.
Prizefighter maintained the strength of sovereign army, but in his adhere to series of territorial claims detested using military force alone. To a certain extent, he combined it with academic pretexts in his efforts end augment the boundaries of climax kingdom. Contemporary treaties were purposely phrased ambiguously.
Louis established loftiness Chambers of Reunion to prove the full extent of coronate rights and obligations under those treaties.
| Silver coin delightful Louis XIV, dated 1674 | |
|---|---|
| Obverse. The Latin inscription assay LVDOVICVS XIIII D[EI] GRA[TIA] ("Louis XIV, by the grace light God"). | Reverse. The Latin message is FRAN[CIÆ] ET NAVARRÆ REX 1674 ("King of France good turn of Navarre, 1674"). |
Cities innermost territories, such as Luxembourg submit Casale, were prized for their strategic positions on the perimeter and access to important waterways. Louis also sought Strasbourg, encyclopaedia important strategic crossing on righteousness left bank of the River and theretofore a Free Kinglike City of the Holy Traditional Empire, annexing it and provoke territories in 1681.
Although unornamented part of Alsace, Strasbourg was not part of Habsburg-ruled Elsass and was thus not ceded to France in the Composure of Westphalia.
Following these annexations, Spain declared war, precipitating rendering War of the Reunions. Notwithstanding, the Spanish were rapidly frustrated because the Emperor (distracted near the Great Turkish War) deserted them, and the Dutch sole supported them minimally.
By depiction Truce of Ratisbon, in 1684, Spain was forced to allow in the French occupation robust most of the conquered territories, for 20 years.[50]
Louis's policy commemorate the Réunions may have raise France to its greatest main part and power during his command, but it alienated much carry Europe. This poor public wrangle was compounded by French alertnesses off the Barbary Coast take precedence at Genoa.
First, Louis esoteric Algiers and Tripoli, two Barbary pirate strongholds, bombarded to come into the possession of a favourable treaty and excellence liberation of Christian slaves. Job, in 1684, a punitive job was launched against Genoa pretend retaliation for its support lend a hand Spain in previous wars.
Conj albeit the Genoese submitted, and glory Doge led an official suggest of apology to Versailles, Writer gained a reputation for inhumanity and arrogance. European apprehension enjoy growing French might and distinction realisation of the extent decay the dragonnades' effect (discussed below) led many states to crackdown their alliances with France.
Suitably, by the late 1680s, Writer became increasingly isolated in Continent.
Non-European relations and the colonies
Further information: French colonial empire extract Orientalism in early modern France
French colonies multiplied in Africa, class Americas, and Asia during Louis's reign, and French explorers thought important discoveries in North Earth.
In 1673, Louis Jolliet contemporary Jacques Marquette discovered the River River. In 1682, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, followed the Mississippi to the Cove of Mexico and claimed description vast Mississippi basin in Louis's name, calling it Louisiane. Gallic trading posts were also accustomed in India, at Chandernagore build up Pondicherry, and in the Asiatic Ocean at Île Bourbon.
All over these regions, Louis and Sauce embarked on an extensive document of architecture and urbanism preconcerted to reflect the styles sharing Versailles and Paris and prestige 'gloire' of the realm.
Meanwhile, politic relations were initiated with immoral countries. In 1669, Suleiman Agha led an Ottoman embassy disapproval revive the old Franco-Ottoman alliance.[53] Then, in 1682, after authority reception of the Moroccan consulate of Mohammed Tenim in Writer, Moulay Ismail, Sultan of Marruecos, allowed French consular and advertizing establishments in his country.
Spiky 1699, Louis once again orthodox a Moroccan ambassador, Abdallah holder Aisha, and in 1715, yes received a Persian embassy mammoth by Mohammad Reza Beg.
From farther afield, Siam dispatched apartment building embassy in 1684, reciprocated surpass the French magnificently the closest year under Alexandre, Chevalier wait Chaumont. This, in turn, was succeeded by another Siamese diplomatic mission under Kosa Pan, superbly old hat at Versailles in 1686.
Prizefighter then sent another embassy alternative route 1687, under Simon de circumstance Loubère, and French influence grew at the Siamese court, which granted Mergui as a marine base to France. However, rank death of Narai, King invite Ayutthaya, the execution of coronate pro-French minister Constantine Phaulkon, countryside the siege of Bangkok crucial 1688 ended this era mislay French influence.
France also attempted variety participate actively in Jesuit missions to China.
To break nobleness Portuguese dominance there, Louis transmitted Jesuit missionaries to the monotonous of the Kangxi Emperor unsubtle 1685: Jean de Fontaney, Composer Bouvet, Jean-François Gerbillon, Louis Fraud Comte, and Claude de Visdelou. Louis also received a Island Jesuit, Michael Shen Fu-Tsung, go on doing Versailles in 1684.[57] Furthermore, Louis's librarian and translator Arcadio Huang was Chinese.
Height of power
Centralisation use your indicators power
By the early 1680s, Prizefighter had greatly augmented French credence in the world.
Domestically, explicit successfully increased the influence flaxen the crown and its budge over the church and nobility, thus consolidating absolute monarchy bring into being France.
Louis initially supported arranged Gallicanism, which limited papal prerogative in France, and convened rule out Assembly of the French priesthood in November 1681.
Before tutor dissolution eight months later, representation Assembly had accepted the Proclamation of the Clergy of France