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When did Louis XIV become king of France?
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Louis XIV
Portrait of King Louis XIV, by Charles Le Brun, c. 1655.
Louis XIV became king of France on May 14, 1643, following the death of his father, Louis XIII.1
At the time of his accession, he was only four years and eight months old. During his minority, his mother, Anne of Austria, served as regent, working alongside Cardinal Jules Mazarin to maintain the crown's authority during the period of civil unrest known as the Fronde. Although he was proclaimed of age to rule in 1651, he continued to be guided by Mazarin until the cardinal's death. Louis XIV reigned until 1715, becoming the definitive symbol of absolute monarchy in the classical age.123