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The Birth of Louis XIV
He was born on September 5, 1638 .in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, next to Paris. His father, Louis XIII, and his mother, Anne of Austria, interpreted the fact that their son was already born with two teeth as a sign of good omen, which might give him the power to be the future king since he was said to be chosen by God. -
His father's dead
Due to his father's dead, Louis XIV was sent to "Cardenal Mazarino", where he was educated. He was the one who taught Louis XIV the sense of royalty. -
Louis XIV Coronation
Louis XIV was crowned King of France in Reims Cathedral at the age of 21. -
Mazzarino's dead
Due to Mazzarino's dead Louis now had all the power, this event marked the begining of the absolute monarchy of Louis. -
Detention of Nicolas Forquet
The king considered him too rich anrd powerfull, and he thought that he could became a possible sucessor to the cardenal, so he arrested Forquet. That way he showed the others that he was the most important one, that made that the royal authority increased even more. -
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Death of Felipe IV and conquest of the Netherlands
Louis started a battle to claim the Spanish Netherlands in his wife's name. In 1667 England allied with the Netherlands and Sweden forming the Triple Alliance. Finishing with the "Paz de Aquisgrán in 1668 by which Spain recovered Besançon and France earned Flanders. -
Conquest of the Netherlands
In the spring of 1672 a powerful army of 200,000 men, commanded by the king himself, crossed Liège and invaded Holland, conquering it in a few weeks. -
Marriage with Maria Teresa
In 1683 she secretly married the King, in a ceremony blessed by the Archbishop of Paris. This event introduced Louis XIV to his old age. -
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The Grand Alliance and the end of the French expansionism.
England, Germany, and Austria joined in the Grand Alliance to resist the French expansionism. The resulting war was of a long duration, stretching from 1688 to 1697, years in which Louis XIV was unable to win the military victory he was searching for. -
Louis XIV death
On September 1, 1715, Louis XIV died. His last words were: "I am leaving. France is staying." He had ruled for sixty-four years, being the longest reign in the history of Europe.