Louis XIV became king of France at age 5 after his father's death. As a child, he experienced hardship during a revolt against his regents that shaped his authoritarian leadership style as an adult. Louis XIV centralized power around himself, declaring that he embodied the state. He invested in infrastructure, the military, and culture, transforming France but also bankrupting the nation's finances. Growing discontent among the population due to economic troubles and the perception that Louis XVI was out of touch led to the French Revolution.

1. French Revolution

2. Louis XIV (14th)

3. Taking revenge……
Louis XIV was only five when his father (Louis XIII) died
and he became king. “While his mother was regent (ruled
b/c Louis was too young) the great nobles and the judges
of the parlement of Paris launched a major but
uncoordinated revolt (the Fronde of 1648-53) in reaction
to the centralizing policies of Louis XIII's minister Cardinal
Richelieu and his successor, Mazarin. The royal family was
twice driven out of Paris, and at one point Louis XIV and
Anne were held under virtual arrest in the royal palace in
Paris. This civil war brought Louis XIV poverty, misfortune,
fear, humiliation, cold and hunger. This shaped his
character and he would never forgive either Paris, the
nobles, or the common people.” (1)

4. Louis XIV: the Sun King
Louis XIV broke with tradition and astonished his
court by declaring that he would rule without a
chief minister. He viewed himself as the direct
representative of God, endowed with a divine right
to wield the absolute power of the monarchy. To
illustrate his status, he chose the sun as his emblem
and cultivated the image of an omniscient and
infallible “Roi-Soleil” (“Sun King”) around whom the
entire realm orbited. While some historians
question the attribution, Louis is often remembered
for the bold and infamous statement “L’État, c’est
moi” (“I am the State”). (2)

5. 'The Century of Louis XIV'
“With his minister Colbert, he carried out the
administrative and financial reorganization of the
kingdom, as well as the development of trade and
manufacturing. With the Marquis de Louvois, he
reformed the army and racked up military
victories. Finally, Louis encouraged an
extraordinary blossoming of culture: theatre
(Molière and Racine), music (Lully), architecture,
painting, sculpture, and all the sciences (founding
of the royal academies)”.(3)

6. Versailles: the great palace built by Louis XIV
see the slide-show

7. Versailles
• A brief history:
FROM THE SEAT OF POWER TO THE MUSEUM OF THE
HISTORY OF FRANCE
The Château de Versailles, which has been on UNESCO’s
World Heritage List for 30 years, is one of the most
beautiful achievements of 18th-century French art. The
site began as Louis XIII’s hunting lodge before his son
Louis XIV transformed and expanded it, moving the court
and government of France to Versailles in 1682. Each of
the three French kings who lived there until the French
Revolution added improvements to make it more
beautiful. (http://en.chateauversailles.fr/the-palace-)

8. Great Hall of Mirroros

9. Louis XVI & Marie-Antoinette

10. Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette
• Louis XIV died in 1715 and his grandson Louis XV
came to power and ruled until his death in 1774.
It is said Louis XV’s rule was a bit
disasterous…wars lost, France broke etc…
• Louis XVI came to power in 1774 and ruled until
1792
• During Louis XVI’s reign the French Revolution
breaks out, the economy even after attempts of
economic reform, is still in ruins. Louis is out of
touch with the people who were unemployed,
hungry and wanting change.

11. Two short videos
• http://www.history.com/topics/french-
revolution/videos/the-french-
revolution?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&
f=1&free=false
• http://www.history.com/topics/french-
revolution/videos/origins-of-the-french-
revolution?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&
f=1&free=false

13. References
(1) http://www.louis-xiv.de/index.php?id=31
(2) http://www.history.com/topics/louis-xiv
(3) http://www.oocities.org/heartland/bluffs/64
03/LOUISXIV.html
(4) https://blog.uwgb.edu/revolutions/revolutio
ns-what-is-the-primary-cause/
(5) http://www.history.com/topics/french-
revolution