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Paris History -
The Sun King
This
period was one of the most dynamic period for France with the reign
Francois the first followed decades later by the one of King Louis XIV,
the Sun King, from 1643 to 1715 who decided to move the royal
residence from Paris to nearby Versailles. Many Paris monuments where
build or begun during this 300 years : Les Invalides, The Pantheon,
Madeleine Church, ... |
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VISIT PARIS |
Louis XIV : The
Sun King
Louis XIV
was born at the Royal chateau in Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1638. He was
only five when he became king on the death of his father, Louis XIII.
The regency, confided to his mother, Anne of Austria, was marked by a
period of rebellion known as the Fronde (1648-1653), led first by the
nobility and later by the urban commoners. The boy felt both
humiliated by arrogant nobles and threatened by the people of Paris
and would never forget it.
In 1660, Louis XIV married Maria Theresa, Infanta of Spain. The
following year, on the death of his godfather and prime minister,
Cardinal Mazarin, the 23-year-old monarch announced that he himself
would govern.
The first twenty years of the king's personal reign were the most
brilliant. 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).
These accomplishments would be depicted on the ceiling of the Hall of
Mirrors. See Pictures of Versailles Castle
History
and details about French Revolution |
