Louis XIV

Introduction & Top Questions
Early life and marriage
The young king
Patronage of the arts
Zenith and decline
Revocation of the Edict of Nantes
Final years
Legacy

Quotes References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Charles Le Brun: Portrait of King Louis XIV

Peter Paul Rubens: portrait of Anne of Austria

Nicolas de Largillière: Louis XIV and His Family

At a Glance

Louis XIV summary

Quizzes

Close-up of a palette held by a man. Mixing paint, painting, color mixing.

Artists, Painters, & Architects

Hagia Sophia. Istanbul, Turkey. Constantinople. Church of the Holy Wisdom. Church of the Divine Wisdom. Mosque.

Architecture: The Built World

Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon in Coronation Robes or Napoleon I Emperor of France, 1804 by Baron Francois Gerard or Baron Francois-Pascal-Simon Gerard, from the Musee National, Chateau de Versailles.

Kings and Emperors (Part III) Quiz

Related Questions

How did Cardinal Mazarin influence Louis XIV?
How did Colbert encourage manufacturing in France?
How did Colbert try to make the taille fairer for French taxpayers?
How did Colbert’s trade policies contribute to conflict with the Dutch?
How did Louis XIV restrict the Parlement of Paris in 1673?
How did Louis XIV transform Versailles from a hunting lodge into a palace?
How did Louis XIV use the High Council to govern France?
How did the Canal du Midi improve transportation and commerce in France?
How did the Fronde affect Louis XIV as a child?
How long did Louis XIV rule France?
How many people were connected with the royal court at Versailles?
How old was Louis XIV when he inherited the French throne?
What hardships did French people face during the food shortages of 1693–94 and 1709–10?
What personal losses did Louis XIV suffer during the War of the Spanish Succession?
What powers did provincial intendants exercise under Louis XIV?
What were the major results of the Treaties of Utrecht for France and Spain?
When and where did Louis XIV die?
When did Louis XIV become king of France?
Where was Louis XIV born?
Who became king of France after Louis XIV died?
Who decorated the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles?
Who designed the gardens at the Palace of Versailles?
Who governed France while Louis XIV was young?
Who were Louis XIV’s parents?
Why did Colbert create French trading companies?
Why did Colbert impose tariffs on foreign goods?
Why did Colbert review claims of noble status?
Why did Louis XIV accept the Spanish crown for his grandson Philip?
Why did Louis XIV distrust the nobles and the city of Paris?
Why did Louis XIV establish the Comédie-Française in 1680?
Why did Louis XIV invade the Spanish Netherlands in 1667?
Why did Louis XIV seize Strasbourg in 1681?
Why was Versailles criticized as an extravagant royal project?
Who was Napoleon III?
How did Napoleon III die?
When did Charles de Gaulle become famous?
What were Charles de Gaulle’s policies as president of France?
When did Charles de Gaulle lose power?
Who was Napoleon?
How did Napoleon become emperor of France?
What did Napoleon accomplish?
What happened to Napoleon?
Was Napoleon short?

Politics, Law & Government World Leaders Kings

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External Websites

Digital Commons at Lindenwood University - Louis XIV: Ar Louis XIV: Art as Persuasion Suppor ersuasion Supporting the Dominance of F ting the Dominance of France in 17th Century Europe (PDF)
Palace of Versailles - Louis XIV
The Canadian Encyclopedia - Louis XIV
Humanities LibreTexts - Louis XIV - the Sun King
World History Encyclopedia - Louis XIV of France
BBC - In Our Time - Louis XIV: The Sun King
Purdue e-Pubs - Louis XIV: Patron of Science and Technology (PDF)

Louis XIV

king of France

Also known as: Le Roi Soleil, Louis le Grand, Louis le Grand Monarque, Louis the Grand Monarch, Louis the Great, The Sun King(Show More)

Written by

Philippe Erlanger

Head, Artistic Exchange Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Paris, 1946–68. Author of Louis XIV and others.

Philippe Erlanger

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

Louis XIV (born September 5, 1638, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France—died September 1, 1715, Versailles, France) was the king of France (1643–1715) who ruled his country, principally from his great palace at Versailles, during one of its most brilliant periods and who remains the symbol of absolute monarchy of the classical age. Internationally, in a series of wars between 1667 and 1697, he extended France’s eastern borders at the expense of the Habsburgs and then, in the War...

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