King Louis XIV

King Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, ruled France for 72 years, longer than any known European king. By that time, he had converted the monarchy, ushered in a golden age of art and literature, presided over the glorious royal court at Versailles, annexed important territories, and established and became the dominant power in Europe. During the last decades of Louis XIV's rule, France was weakened by a number of protracted wars that depleted its resources and the mass exodus of the Protestant population, including many of the Huguenots, after the king revoked the Edict of Nantes.

King Louis XIV embodies the Levity of the sovereign rule of the eighteenth century. His aim was to symbolize an image of power even though his legacy led his country to revolution. He ruled for a long time but his reign was a dark shadow to the people. He is known as the most famous and scandalous King of all time. As a result, he became one of the most awesome monarchs every historian should know. The reign of Louis XIV is often referred to as "Le Grand Siècle" (The Great Century), forever associated with the image of an absolute monarch and a powerful, centralized state. Enthroned as a child, under the tutelage of Cardinal Mazarin, the Sun King embodies tyrannical principles. In 1682, he moved the Royal Court to the Palace of Versailles, the defining symbol of his power and influence in Europe.

• Description: King of France
• Born: 1638
• Died: 1715 (aged 76 - Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France)
• Reign: 1643 - 1715