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What personal losses did Louis XIV suffer during the War of the Spanish Succession?
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Louis XIV
Portrait of King Louis XIV, by Charles Le Brun, c. 1655.
During the War of the Spanish Succession, Louis XIV endured significant personal tragedies alongside the public calamities of the conflict. Within a short period, he suffered the loss of several close family members:
- His son, the grand dauphin
- Two of his grandsons, the dukes de Bourgogne and Berry
- His great-grandson, the duke de Bretagne
- His granddaughter-in-law, the duchess de Bourgogne, who had been a source of comfort during his final years1
Despite these profound personal losses and the military disasters facing France, Louis XIV maintained his resolve, bearing both his private grief and the suffering of his people with notable determination until the war concluded with the Treaties of Utrecht.1