Louis XIV

"Louis XIV's parents, King Louis XIII and his wife Anne of Austria, hated each other. Their marriage remained unconsummated for at least 4 years; it was 23 years before their first child, Louis, was born in 1638. Apparently encouraged by this success, the royal couple produced another son, Phillipe, in 1640."(source)

"Louis XIV, France's Sun King, had the longest reign in European history (1643-1715). During this time he brought absolute monarchy to its height, established a glittering court at Versailles, and fought most of the other European countries in four wars. The early part of his reign (1643-61), while Louis was young, was dominated by the chief minister Cardinal Mazarin. In the middle period (1661-85) Louis reigned personally and informatively, but the last years of his personal rule (1685-1715) were beset by problems."(source)

"When Louis XIV came to the throne as a five-year-old boy (actually four years, eight months) on 14 May 1643, the Thirty Years' War was still in progress, and Cardinal Richelieu, the French éminent grise, had died the preceding year. The situation did not look good for France, but the young boy became one of the world's great monarchs and the embodiment of the divine-right, absolute monarch ('L'état, c'est moi'). Louis (5 September 1638-1 September 1715) ruled France for seventy-two years, one of the longest reigns in recorded history, and dominated European cultural and political affairs."(source)

"Louis, who adopted the sun as his symbol to become the ‘Sun King’, displayed the splendour of his reign by constructing his opulent and vast palace at Versailles. There his dazzling court strutted and bickered, while Louis reserved real authority for himself. Louis is reputed to have claimed ‘I am the state’, and although this statement may be apocryphal, his will was, indeed, the will of the state in matters of military matters and foreign policy."(source)

"Louis XIV ruled France for more than half a century and is typically remembered for his absolutism, his patronage of the arts and his lavish lifestyle - culminating in the building of Versailles. This original and lively biography focuses on Louis' personal life while keeping the needs of the history student at the forefront, featuring analysis of Louis' wider significance in history and the surrounding historiography. An analytical account of Louis' life, this study proposes that the Sun King's reign and legacy cannot be fully understood without a detailed investigation of Louis' private life and personality, including his upbringing and his many lovers. Louis' relations with his closest family set the tone for the treatment of his French subjects and for his foreign policy towards the rest of Europe."(source)

Louis XIV was a brilliant monarch and the only reason for why his kingdom maintained so well was because thrrough out his entire reign he never doutbed himself or his right to be king. Louis was indeed a great king, and though many people many rulers after him tried to his triumph, they were all unsuccessful.(source)

"Far more harmful were Louis' wars. He fought many, and before his death he realized that they had cost too much in money, in blood, and in reforms postponed. He was further saddened by the death of his son and heir and two grandsons. His throne was to pass to his great-grandson, and in 1715 the dying monarch called this sickly led to him and said, 'My child, you will soon be the king of great realm. Never forget your obligations towards God; remember that you owe him all that you are. Try to preserve peace with your neighbors. i have been too fond of war. Do not imitate me in that, nor in the too great expenditures I have made. Lighten the burdens of your people as soon as you can, and do that which I have had the misfortune not to accomplish myself.' A few days later, Louis XIV, the Grand Monarch, died after a reign of seventy-two years. He, Richelieu, and Mazarin had broken the power of Spain. They had expanded France a long way towards its present boundaries, but they had bankrupted their people. They had created an absolute monarchy, but they had failed to make the type of reforms necessary to ensure loyalty to the crown."(source)

Book 1
Book 2