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Period: to
Important Dates
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Louis become King of France.
Louis XIV became king at the age of four. His reign was the longest that ever lasted of any European Monarch. He began ruling after the death of Cardinal Mazarin, his chief minister. -
Marriage of the king
Marriage of Louis XIV with Maria Teresa, infanta of Spain; she renounces her right to the Spanish throne against a promised dowry -
Louis weaken nobles, and strengthen government.
When Cardinal Mazarin dies, Louis takes control of the government by himself. He does this by decreasing the power of the nobles, and increasing the dominance of the government who collect taxes and administered justice. -
Sale of Dunkirk
Charles II sells Dunkirk (which Cromwell had won from Spain with French help) to Louis XIV for five million francs -
Louis attempts to expand France.
Louis tries to expand France's boundaries. He captured Spanish Netherlands and gained 12 towns for his country. Confident with his success, he led his army to invade Dutch Netherlands. But, they had failed. -
Dutch prince William of Orange become king of England.
Dutch prince William of Orange joined the league of of Ausgburg, which consisted of leaders of several European countries. All the countries equaled France's strength. France was weakened by a poor harvest, which then added to war, and France suffered greatly. Louis had no choice but to raise taxes, for him to pay for his wars. (Weakness for France) -
Louis XIV dies.
Louis dies tragically. He realizes that the wars have ruined France, he regrets all the suffering people had to go through. Louis XIV died in his bed and the news of his death made France happy.
