Louis XIV, the Sun King (1638-1715)

[tiaraprin]

In my opinion, you cannot have a discussion of French Royalty or a French Royalty subsite without Louis XIV Le Roi Soleil (the Sun King).

The man famously quoted for saying "'L'Etat, C'est Moi" (I am the state) was born 9 months after a strange incident between his parents, Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. Married for 23 years, they did not have one child. In the beginning, they tried, but Anne had a series of miscarriages. They never liked one another, so they gave up trying.

Then one winter evening in December 1637, bad weather prevailed upon Louis XIII to share a bed for the night with his wife. The results of the bedding came 9 months later with the birth of Louis Dieu-Donne (Louis the Gift of God) in 1638. With his successful birth, Louis' parents tried again and had his brother Phillippe in 1640.

Louis XIV is seen as the man who summed up what absolute monarchy was. He created a system about him that made him the constant focus of the aristocracy; to keep them fighting amongst themselves jockeying for positions nearer the King rather than trying to rebel against him. He made a secret, yet famous morganatic marriage with Francoise Scarron (Madame de Maintenon) after the death of Queen Marie Therese in 1683. Though blessed with many illegitimate children, he had only one legitimitate child, a son, by his Queen.

I invite everyone here to share their knowledge of Louis XIV.

 

[Harry's polo shirt]

http://www.chateauversailles.fr/en/210_Louis_XIV_the_Sun_King.php

I think he was a snob. He named himself the sun king, because the sun gives life to everything! But he did become king at age 5.

 

[Harry's polo shirt]

http://www.louis-xiv.de/louisold/louisxiv.html
here is an AWSOME web-site about him. I am addicted to it!!

I don't know much about him, but he must have been a great king, but a little struck on himself.

 

[tiaraprin]

http://www.chateauversailles.fr/en/210_Louis_XIV_the_Sun_King.php

I think he was a snob. He named himself the sun king, because the sun gives life to everything! But he did become king at age 5.

The sun was considered the center of the universe then and that is why he got the name. He was the center of the universe in France and made sure he stayed that way!

Some would argue he was not a snob due to his morganatic marriage to Madame de Maintenon. Someone of Louis' stature, marrying the impoverished widow of the commoner poet Paul Scarron?

 

[Harry's polo shirt]

Now that I am reading up on him, I am starting to like him. His first wife Maria Mancini was pretty.

 

[tiaraprin]

Now that I am reading up on him, I am starting to like him. His first wife Maria Mancini was pretty.

Marie Mancini, was not his wife. Marie Mancini was the niece of Cardinal Mazarin, who was a regent for Louis XIV's minority. Louis and Marie fell in love, but were not permitted to marry for she was not royal. Marie was exiled by her uncle the Cardinal Mazarin in the hopes that Louis would forget her. For awhile, Louis followed where she went, but the Cardinal told Louis a lie about his niece to make him forget her. He duly did.

Louis married Maria Teresa of Spain, his first cousin. She was the niece of Louis' mother, Anne of Austria and daughter of the King of Spain (Anne's brother). Queen Marie-Therese, as she became known, was unattractive, ultra religious, and fascinated with dwarfs.

 

[ladybelline]

I visited Versailles last week, and I was told some interesting things:

Louis XIV was very defiant towards the French nobility. He had suffered one nobility revolt during his childhood (called "La Fronde") and her mother's regency. So that could explain why he created such an étiquette in Versailles, to keep an eye on noble people, and also keep them near him.

His ministers (Colbert, Louvois...) were not noble for most of them. And yes, he secretly married Madame de Maintenon, who was definitely not from nobility (in fact, her grandfather, the poet Agrippa d'Aubigné, had claimed himself as nobility before his wedding).

 

[tiaraprin]

Louis XIV website

A website dedicated to Louis XIV, The Sun King (Le Roi Soleil):

http://www.louis-xiv.de/louisold/louisxiv.html

Following pictures are from this website:

Louis XIV at the age of 10:

Louis XIII-his father

Anne of Austria--His Mother

Marie-Therese-- Louis' Queen and first wife

 

[Harry's polo shirt]

WOW great pictures!!

Here is a fun fact from http://www.soupsong.com/bhistory.html
Louis XIV baits his brother with soup: Louis XIV, who governed Versailles with a velvet-covered iron hand, relentlessly forced his brother, the august Monsieur, to attend dinner each day by issuing him a formal and personal daily invitation...then one day teased him by splashing soup at his wig until, driven into a hot temper, Monsieur threw his bowl of boiled beef at the Sun King himself. Louis XIV's sister in law, the Duchess of Orleans, wrote of the King's appetite in a 1682 letter: "I have often seen the King consume four plates of different soups, a whole pheasant, a partridge, a large plate of salad, two big slices of ham, a dish of mutton in garlic sauce, a plateful of pastries followed by fruit and hard-boiled eggs. The King and Monsieur greatly like hard-boiled eggs."

 

[tiaraprin]

WOW great pictures!!

Here is a fun fact from http://www.soupsong.com/bhistory.html
Louis XIV baits his brother with soup: Louis XIV, who governed Versailles with a velvet-covered iron hand, relentlessly forced his brother, the august Monsieur, to attend dinner each day by issuing him a formal and personal daily invitation...then one day teased him by splashing soup at his wig until, driven into a hot temper, Monsieur threw his bowl of boiled beef at the Sun King himself. Louis XIV's sister in law, the Duchess of Orleans, wrote of the King's appetite in a 1682 letter: "I have often seen the King consume four plates of different soups, a whole pheasant, a partridge, a large plate of salad, two big slices of ham, a dish of mutton in garlic sauce, a plateful of pastries followed by fruit and hard-boiled eggs. The King and Monsieur greatly like hard-boiled eggs."

Splashing his brother Philippe with soup would be highly annoying for Philippe because Philippe was very fastidious about his looks. Philippe was an open homosexual who went into battle completely coiffed and perfumed. Yet they say he kicked butt on the battle field and was no wimp.

Philippe's first wife, Henrietta of England (Charles II's sister) could not stand his philandering. For a time, Louis pursued his sister-in-law but knew his brother would be insanely jealous even though he didn't love Henrietta. Philippe could not stand any attacks on his ego. Henrietta was his '"property" and no one else could touch her.

 

[Warren]

A little palace pic

To add some more colour to this thread here is a pic of Versailles, courtesy of the Louis XIV web site...
.

 

[semisquare]

a dish of mutton

what is mutton? has anyone tried this dish? if so, does it taste good?

Philippe's first wife, Henrietta of England (Charles II's sister) could not stand his philandering. For a time, Louis pursued his sister-in-law but knew his brother would be insanely jealous even though he didn't love Henrietta. Philippe could not stand any attacks on his ego. Henrietta was his '"property" and no one else could touch her.

snap, u got to be kiddin me that philippe was a homesexual. what happen to his marrage to henrietta? was such a life style look kindly on by the royal court of france?

on the subject of Versailles, i think it is the most beautiful palace i have ever seen. eventhough the inside of the palace smells of urine. nothing can compare to its beauty. my dying wish would be to spend several days and nights dress like and living like a 17th century courtier, in versailles. when i saw a picture of the palace several years ago, i fell in love with the palace and i had to see it for myself because i could believe one person could have made such a thing. when i saw it i just couldnt get enough.

 

[ladybelline]

No, it's true that Philippe of Orleans was attired by men. It was never said at that time, but very hard to hide also...However, that doesn't prevent him to have 3 children with Henrietta of England, and 3 others to the Palatine Princess.(Because he wanted to have a descendance.) His two wives had to live with the fact, it was quite a challenge for Henrietta.

 

[tiaraprin]

what is mutton? has anyone tried this dish? if so, does it taste good?



snap, u got to be kiddin me that philippe was a homesexual. what happen to his marrage to henrietta? was such a life style look kindly on by the royal court of france?

Mutton is lamb I believe.

Yes Phillipe was a homosexual and his brother and mother accepted it. His mother, Anne of Austria, encouraged his interests in clothes, perfumes, jewelry. Her reason for it was that Philippe would be so caught up in this that he wouldn't plot against his brother for the throne. French history is filled with rival brothers plotting for the top spot. Strange as it sounds, it is true.

Henrietta died in 1670, escaping her misery with Phillipe.

 

[Elsa M.]

Then one winter evening in December 1737, bad weather prevailed upon Louis XIII to share a bed for the night with his wife. The results of the bedding came 9 months later with the birth of Louis Dieu-Donne (Louis the Gift of God) in 1738. With his successful birth, Louis' parents tried again and had his brother Phillippe in 1740.

No offence, but these dates are 100 years in advance... Louis XIV, le Roi Soleil, is the key figure of XVII century France. He was born in 1638 and became effectively king of France in 1661 (although Anne of Austria's regency officially ended in 1651, when Louis was 13 years old).

 

[semisquare]

history is great fun because life is stranger than fiction

 

[EmpressRouge]

They say a royal's first and most important job - above governing, creating national unity, or smiling and waving - is to produce children and descendents, be him/her heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual.

 

[tiaraprin]

OOPS!! Hit Wrong Key!

No offence, but these dates are 100 years in advance... Louis XIV, le Roi Soleil, is the key figure of XVII century France. He was born in 1638 and became effectively king of France in 1661 (although Anne of Austria's regency officially ended in 1651, when Louis was 13 years old).

Thanks Elsa, I corrected my error. Thought I had hit the 6 instead of the 7.

 

[semisquare]

i had read in a book that louis mother wanted to make sure her son would product an heir. so she had one of her chamber maids teach louis about the birds and the bees. he was only 14 at the time.
some kind a of mom, huh

 

[tiaraprin]

I actually read elsewhere that she wished to keep him chaste as long as possible. She didn't want a mistress interfering in his growing up, learning of his duties, and his faith. She also didn't want a mistress whom he could foolishly fall in love with and marry who would be utterly unsuitable such as Marie Mancini, who has been mentioned in this thread previously. Louis, in his lustful youth, wanted to marry Marie Mancini. You would think her Uncle, the Cardinal, would have promoted this. He didn't. He saw the damage that could come to the monarchy and sent his niece away instead of pursuing the glory of his family and power gains. Besides, He had a great amount of power at the time.

 

[rchainho]

http://english.eastday.com/eastday/...1ai1414722.html

The 'Sun King' beams on Shanghai​

5/9/2005 9:14​

Shanghai Daily news​

The biggest show being held at the Shanghai Museum this year is one of the concluding events of "The Year of France in China" and is a salute to the era of the greatest of French monarchs - Louis XIV, writes Wang Jie.​

Louis XIV (1638-1715), France's "Sun King," is ready to receive guests at his luminous Chateau of Versailles - but the venue has been changed from Paris to the Shanghai Museum.​

​

​

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-09/01/content_3429153.htm
here you have the pics of the Louis XIV exhibition opens in Shanghai.

 

[tiaraprin]

Francoise d'Aubigne Scarron, Madame La Marquise de Maintenon

Here is biographical information about Louis XIV's morganatic second wife, Madame La Marquise de Maintenon.

http://www.kings.edu/womens_history/demaintenon.html

Francoise d'Aubigne was born in 1636 outside the walls of the Chateau- Trompette, "the Bastille of Bordeaux." Cardinal Richelieu had imprisoned her father, so her mother, Jeanne de Cardilhac, was forced to raise her daughter on the streets while living off charity from her relatives. There was also a time when the family lived in Martinique.

Francoise d' Aubigne was a modest woman who had a reputation for dignity, austerity and piety. She was a strict Christian who believed in constant devotion to the Roman Catholic faith. While not ambitious, she was a good teacher. On April 4, 1652, Francoise d' Aubigne married the disabled Bohemian Starriest Paul Scarron. This marriage did not last very long as the poet Scarron was already a middle-aged man. Shortly after the death of her husband, Madame de Montespan chose Miss Aubigne to educate the illegitimate children of King Louis XIV. In 1670 Francoise gained the title of governess. Due to her unswerving devotion to his children, King Louis XIV began to seek her guidance and comfort. In 1674 King Louis gave the governess the new title Madame de Maintenon.

In July of 1683, six months after the death of Louis XIV's wife, Maria Theresa, King Louis secretly married Madame de Maintenon. Shortly after her marriage to King Louis XIV, Madame de Maintenon began to teach at the Chateau de Noisy which was located near Versailles. In 1686 she began to teach at a school called Saint Cyr that she and the King had founded. Madame de Maintenon ran this institution which educated two hundred daughters of the poor nobility from the area.

Madame de Maintenon did influence on the King's decision making, especially in making him act more religious. Although King Louis had no theological background himself, she influenced him to participate in religious celebrations. Because Madame de Maintenon believed in strict education of the young people about Roman Catholicism, she is often blamed for the persecutions of the Protestants. Madame de Maintenon supported the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685.

Madame de Maintenon ended her life in quiet retirement at St. Cyr until her death in 1719. She has become an example of how a thoughtful woman could rise in the world of the absolute monarchs through her influence and prestige.

 

[ladybelline]

Thank you for the biography of Madame de Maintenon, tiaraprin!
Just a little correction, if you allow me: her mother's name was Jeanne de Cardilhac, not Martinique. In fact, Françoise d'Aubigné spent 3 years in the island of La Martinique as a child with her family.

 

[susan alicia]

this mini serie is fun to watch:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112326/

"Allée du roi, L'" (1996) (mini)

Directed by
Nina Companéez

Writing credits
Françoise Chandernagor (novel)
Nina Companéez

 

[ladybelline]

Yes! I watched it, so great! A good evocation of her life, and the life at Louis XIV's court!

The novel by Françoise Chandernagor is excellent, too.

 

[susan alicia]

yes, and I loved the final scene when she is walking on the allee du roi and he is waiting for her by the gate and they are still in the prime of their life

Yes! I watched it, so great! A good evocation of her life, and the life at Louis XIV's court!

The novel by Françoise Chandernagor is excellent, too.

 

[tiaraprin]

Thank you for the biography of Madame de Maintenon, tiaraprin!
Just a little correction, if you allow me: her mother's name was Jeanne de Cardilhac, not Martinique. In fact, Françoise d'Aubigné spent 3 years in the island of La Martinique as a child with her family.

I made a copy of that article and that is what it said. I thought it unusual and they meant the country of Martinique instead of her mother's name but I will go make the correction.

Well, I cannot post Madame de Maintenon without posting Louis' first wife and Queen, Marie-Therese. She was an unhappy woman who was quite upset with her husband's love affairs. She loved him, but unfortunately did not possess the beauty, grace, and wit that Louis XIV found so necessary in a woman.



http://1.1911encyclopedia.org/M/MA/MARIE_THERESE.htm

MARIE THERESE (1638-1683), queen consort of France, was born on the 10th of September 1638 at the Escurial, being the daughter of Philip IV. of Spain and Elizabeth of France. By pretending to seek a bride for his master in Margaret of Savoy, Mazarin had induced the king of Spain to make proposals for the marriage of his daughter with Louis XIV., and the treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 stipulated for her marriage with the French king, Marie renouncing any claim to the Spanish succession. As the treaty, however, hinged on the payment of her dowry, which was practically impossible for Spain, Mazarin could evade the other terms of the contract. Marie Therese was married in June 1660, when Philip IV. with his whole court accompanied the bride to the Isle of Pheasants in the Bidassoa, where she was met by Louis. The new queen's amiability and her undoubted virtues failed to secure her husband's regard and affection. She saw herself neglected in turn for Louise de la Valliere, Mme. de Montespan and others; but Marie Therese was too pious and too humble openly to resent the position in which she was placed by the king's avowed infidelities. With the growing influence of Madame de Maintenon over his mind and affections he bestowed more attention on his wife, which she repaid by lavishing kindness on the mistress. She had no part in political affairs except in 1672, when she acted as regent during Louis XIV.'s campaign in Holland. She died on the 3oth of July 1683 at Versailles, not without suspicion of foul play on the part of her doctors. Of her six children only one survived her, the dauphin Louis, who died in 1711.

 

[RussianHistoryBuff]

Louis de' Bourbon XIV should be remembered for building great palaces, waging great wars, and destroying His Highness's own Kingdom of France.


Amazingly, France has been the Heart of Liberalism since His Higness's grandson Louis de' Bourbon XVI fell from His throne. Although non-reigning, there were twenty Louis de Bourbons including Louis de' Bourbon XX who was born in 1974. Here is His story. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Alphonse%2C_Duke_of_Anjou

 

[Furienna]

Wowie! It's a good thing Philippe was a royal, or I don't think that lifestyle would have been accepted from him. I feel so sorry for his wives.

I also feel bad for Maria Theresa/Marie Therese. Was her mother Louis XIV:s father's sister?

 

[Avalon]

Wowie! Was her mother Louis XIV:s father's sister?

No, Marie-Therese's father, Philip IV of Spain, was Anne of Austria's (the mother of Louis XIV) brother. So Marie-Therese was niece to Anne of Austria, not Louis XIII.