King Louis XIV, The Sun King Louis XIV

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Louis XIV, the “Sun King”, was born on September 5, 1638. In 1643, he began his reign of France at the age of five when his father, Louis XIII, died. At the start of his reign, Louis XIV faced obstacles in his path. Due to his young age, he had to worry if anyone would pursue a clever tactic in trying to overthrow him. His mother, Anne of Austria, and Cardinal Mazarin did most of the ruling while Louis XIV was still young. On March 9, 1661, Cardinal Mazarin died and Louis made a major announcement regarding the future of Paris. He put his plans into fruition and told clergy and nobles that he would rule the country all by himself. As a result, Louis XIV became a very successful political King because of his actions, discovery of Versailles, humility towards the people, and finding every procedure to prevent being overthrown again. However, Louis XIV wasn’t always focused on politics based on what he did on his spare time and how he celebrated in the “jours d’appartement”.…show more content…
Paris wasn’t a safe place for him to do his job because they were many people after the throne. Duc de Saint-Simon described his experience at Paris as “importuned by the crowd of people each time he went out, returned, or appeared in the streets” (Saint- Simon, 80). Eventually, Louis XIV lost all trust in Paris due to revolts and decided to move to a place called Versailles so he could distance himself from locals. It was not only a place where he could focus on his job, but an opportunity for him to fully enjoy his experience as king. He was able to ensure privacy, pursue his passion of hunting, and find a place for him to interact with mistresses. Versailles eventually blossomed into a place where there were several buildings, courtiers, and lodges. With everything he learned from his childhood, his plans on becoming a glorious king

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