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How did the court of Louis XIV make French the main language of diplomacy?

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Taking prisoners — diplomacy A larger-than-life Ramses II towering over his prisoners and clutching them by the hair. Limestone bas-relief from Memphis, Egypt, 1290–24 bce; in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

The shift toward French as the primary language of diplomacy was a direct result of the preeminence of Louis XIV and his court during the late 17th century.1

As France rose to a position of dominance in European affairs, the French court became the cultural and political center of the continent. This influence transformed the nature of the diplomatic corps, which became increasingly professionalized and dominated by the aristocracy to reflect the prestige of the monarchs they served. Because of the king's central role in European politics and the prestige associated with his court, French superseded Latin as the lingua franca of international relations. This status persisted until the 20th century, cementing French as the standard medium for diplomatic communication and negotiation across Europe.1