Did Louis Xiv's Wife Have a Black Baby
Louis Fourteen was King of France for a whopping 72 years. Equally his sobriquet, "The Lord's day King," suggests, Louis came to symbolize the big, bright, magnetic pomp of the French monarchy at its peak. Behind the big parties and big hairpieces, however, Louis Fourteen was accompanied by a dark history of intrigue, scandal, decadence, colonial violence, conflict, fashion, and more scandal. Get your loftier-heels ready for these decadently fun facts nigh Louis 14, the Dominicus Rex of France.
1. He Was Born To Dominion
You know how they say that some babies are born with a argent spoon in their mouths? Well, Louis XIV was definitely born with one of those, but he was as well born with a big, gilt ego. His mother, Anne of Austria, was 37 at the time, and she had suffered 4 stillbirths before. So, when Louis came into this earth, a bright, bouncing, healthy baby boy, his parents idea: "Wow, God really thinks this kid is special."
Louis' improbable survival inspired Anne and others to believe that God had ordained him to flourish and rule. They also gave him the name Dieudonné, meaning "God-given." Would they pay for this hubris downwardly the line? Oh, absolutely…
two. His Childhood Was Unusual
Well, imagine everyone'southward surprise when Anne gave nascency to another healthy baby male child presently after. Since Anne and her hubby King Louis XIII believed Louis XIV was destined for the throne, Anne came upwardly with a program to ensure the brothers wouldn't fight for it. Anne raised Louis to be the "masculine" star sibling while she raised his brother Philippe to be "feminine."
Anne encouraged Philippe to dress in girls' article of clothing and hair while pursuing the feminine arts, so Philippe would be less inclined towards the war machine sphere where he might threaten his big brother's throne. Did information technology forestall sibling rivalry? Yep. Did it bear on Philippe in other means? You bet.
3. His Father's Dark Finish Inverse Everything
Louis Fourteen's nascency might have been "miraculous," but the situation he was built-in into was anything but. Louis XIII's reign was an absolute catastrophe—and when this vengeful male monarch's end came, information technology was utterly gruesome. In 1643, Louis 13 fell ill with a mysterious sickness. His doctors subjected him to a number of disturbing and unpleasant treatments, including bloodletting.
However, they couldn't salvage him, and he succumbed to his mystery disease. Louis Xiv was just five years onetime. Was that too young to become king? Apparently not.
4. She Had A Plan For Him
Louis Xiii had foreseen his premature demise, and made plans what would happen when his son Louis XIV became rex—just they also revealed a harsh truth. He did not trust his wife Anne, and he made provisions in his volition to limit her power over their children. Well, he wasn't exactly in that location to enforce them, so Anne got her revenge. She had Parliament annul his will, exiled a bunch of his ministers, and made herself sole Regent of France.
Was this her endeavor at a ability grab? Really, no—she truly believed that God had divined Louis XIV'southward right to the throne. However, this did get her in some problem…
5. He Had A Surrogate
Anne did everything she could to fix up Louis XIV for a successful reign, and she did this by choosing her allies carefully. The most important 1 was Key Mazarin, who she fabricated her chief government minister. Mazarin became an important father figure for Louis XIV—merely he might have been more of a stepfather figure, if you lot catch my drift. That's right, rumors flew that Anne and Mazarin had a relationship, or even that they'd secretly wed.
Either manner, Louis XIV stayed incredibly close to Mazarin during his determinative years—not that it always worked out well.
6. She Wanted More For Him
As young Louis XIV'due south regent, Queen Anne juggled the diverse factions of courtroom. She did so at a not bad sacrifice to her safe, making unpopular decisions that had grave consequences for Louis XIV. As she tried to modify the police to consolidate power for her son, a number of French feudal aristocrats scrambled to stop her.
These scuffles, called the Frondes, put Anne and Louis Fourteen in deep peril. Rebellious soldiers once even put them under house arrest—but the danger didn't stop in that location.
7. He Was In Grave Danger
As Anne continued to expand imperial authority, riots broke out in Paris—and it culminated in a truly disturbing incident. Rebels stormed the palace and demanded to see the Rex. They entered the royal bedchamber, where a terrified Louis pretended to be asleep. Luckily, this was plenty for them, and they left. The episode forced Anne and Louis to flee Paris, fearing for their lives.
eight. Terror Inspired His Reign
While they eventually returned, the next chapter in the Frondes left Mazarin exiled and saw Anne and Louis 14 living under house arrest. Witnessing the terror that rebellions could cause had a dire event on the young king. Non only did it cause a premature finish to his previously carefree childhood, information technology besides instilled a deep hatred of the Paris court and its aristocracy—and this would change everything almost his dominion.
ix. He Barbarous In Love
The rebellions weren't the merely things that deeply inspired Louis Xiv and changed the course of his life during this time. In 1650, some members of Central Mazarin's family came to the French court, and Louis met his first love. Her name was Marie Mancini, and she was Mazarin's niece. He fell difficult, and expected to eventually marry her—simply of course, his female parent had other plans.
10. They Tried To Make Him Turn Against Her
The rebels began to claim that they were actually working in Louis XIV's interest confronting his power-hungry mother. This kind of court intrigue might take worked on someone else, merely non with Louis, who remained shut to Anne. It all became moot anyway, equally Louis reached the historic period of majority in 1651, shortly after his 13th birthday.
Mazarin returned from his exile, and Louis put him in charge of foreign and financial policy. Anne, surprisingly, stepped back as regent and allowed her son to rule on his own…mostly.
11. She Used Him As A Pawn
That didn't mean she completely cut those boob strings. French republic had been in a bloody and brutal conflict with Spain since before Louis XIV's nascence. By the time he became male monarch, both sides were exhausted. Oh, did nosotros mention that Anne was the King of Kingdom of spain's sister? Yes, despite the misleading name "Anne of Austria," she was actually a daughter of Espana.
Now that her son had his total range of power every bit King of France, she set her sights on achieving peace with Spain—and, of form, she had quite the plan for it.
12. She Pulled The Puppet Strings
Louis XIV was non getting over his teenaged infatuation with Marie Mancini, the niece of his minister Cardinal Mazarin. 1 could imagine Mazarin pushing them together to solidify his human relationship with Anne and his identify in the courtroom—but nope, he was completely appreciative to Anne's machinations. Anne wanted Louis 14 to marry her brother'due south daughter, so she came up with a devastating program.
13. They Sent Her Away
Anne conspired with Primal Mazarin and in 1661, they made Louis Fourteen'due south worst nightmare come true. They exiled Marie Mancini to Italy and arranged for her to wed a prince there. Then, Anne began to programme for his wedding to Maria Theresa, the Castilian Rex's girl. Did this offset their marriage off on the incorrect human foot? You bet.
There's no mode that losing his first honey didn't inspire a footling resentment in Louis Fourteen toward Maria Theresa, and that became glaringly obvious throughout their marriage.
xiv. Their Wedding Was A Spectacle
To our modernistic eyes, Louis XIV'due south wedding to Maria Theresa would be considered utterly baroque. Starting time, there was a marriage past proxy in Spain to seal the bargain, where a proxy stood in for the groom beside Maria Theresa. Then, her family transported her to the border, where the French royals picked her up. A lavish ceremony in French republic followed, with a program for the traditional public consummation.
That's correct, tradition dictated that Louis Xiv and Maria Theresa would consummate their marriage in front of an audition. Luckily for both of them, his female parent arranged for it to have place in individual instead. That was about as much luck every bit Maria Theresa got…
15. He Couldn't Stay True-blue
The arrangements for the marriage went through, and the long conflict between France and Kingdom of spain was over—only the i at home was but beginning. When he tied the knot with Maria Theresa, Louis 14 vowed that he would never be apart from her. It was a vow that lasted near a yr. Louis XIV became an absolutely prolific ladies' human being and from 1661 on, was rarely if e'er without a mistress. However, Louis XIV'south queen had an ace in the pigsty.
16. She Had An Advantage
It was rare for a queen coming from a foreign land to have her mother-in-law on her side—just Anne took to Maria Theresa immediately. After all, Anne had experience as a French queen whose married man kept mistresses. On elevation of that—lest we forget—she was as well Maria Theresa'south aunt. This meant that Louis Fourteen had to stay on his toes.
17. He Was Fruitful
Well, he tried to go on his diplomacy out of the courtroom, but that didn't mean he kept it in his pants. Louis XIV was both a prolific lover and a prolific progenitor. Historians gauge that the man had roughly 22 children (including the legitimate ones) by different women over the years. His first child was built-in to a palace gardener, merely soon afterward that, his tastes in women became a little more highbrow.
He began a long-term affair with Louise de La Valliere, one of the ladies-in-waiting who served his brother's married woman. Only it wasn't just Louis XIV's libido that had led him to her…
18. People Thought They Were Together
See, Louis 14's brother had also recently tied the knot to a woman named Henrietta of England. But when they entered the majestic courtroom, people saw how well the King got along with Henrietta, and rumors began to spread. In society to counter them, Louis and Henrietta came up with a devious plan. She presented three of her ladies-in-waiting to him, and he would option 1 to flirt with at courtroom in order to take the heat off. Tin y'all guess who he picked?
nineteen. It Backfired
Plain, Louis and Henrietta'south plan worked a little likewise well, and he fell for Louise de La Valliere. She was talented and smart, but nigh importantly, she seemed to like him for him, not for his money and power. His marriage had been so politically motivated, it made sense that he was looking for something a little more romantic. It'southward pretty wild that he had time to juggle ii women, considering what was happening in the court at the fourth dimension…
twenty. He Didn't Answer To Anyone
In 1661, Louis XIV's longtime minister and male parent effigy Primal Mazarin passed on. What Louis did next shocked everyone. Louis had spent his formative years watching as ministers and other members of the Parlement de Paris squabbled and tried to wrest control from his family. To him, Mazarin had been the exception to the rule, and he wasn't taking whatever chances.
He announced that he would rule without a chief minister, which was basically unheard of. Every authorities secretary and minister would answer to the king, and the male monarch but. Information technology was merely a question of whether the people would accept this unconventional decision…
21. His Punishments Were Vicious
After years of instability, people did really seem to desire a decisive and powerful ruler. Even so, Louis 14 wanted to testify himself in a concrete way. Many suspected that his Superintendent of Finances was skimming money off the meridian to pay for a lavish lifestyle, so Louis and his allies watched and waited. When they had enough evidence, they had him arrested for embezzlement.
The punishment was traditionally exile, but he changed the man'due south sentence to life in prison. Louis XIV was sending a message to anyone who would contemplate betraying him—and it was received loud and clear.
22. He Had An Heir
He may accept been stepping out on his wife, just Louis XIV was still performing his husband-ly duties—and we don't mean taking out the trash. Maria Theresa became pregnant in 1661 and gave nativity to a son in November of that year, fulfilling every newlywed king's dream. They named the brand new heir to the throne Louis, because of course.
With that under his chugalug, Louis Fourteen went back to being very indifferent well-nigh his home life. Afterwards all, he had other problems on his easily.
23. He Was The Great Reformer
Louis XIV actually had to work pretty hard to clean up the mess his father had fabricated as king. Finances had e'er been a problem, and he fabricated reforms to get his country out of a deficit. He also fixed upwards the French war machine and oversaw projects to heave commerce and trade. Overall, he was pretty much everything y'all'd desire from a king, and was doing a swell job every bit ruler—merely behind the scenes, he remained pretty, pretty messy.
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24. It Was A Rumor Mill
It wasn't all his error—Louis Fourteen was surrounded past messy people. The courtroom intrigue was out of control. His affair with Louise de La Valliere was an open up hush-hush, but he wasn't the only one stepping out. There were rumors his sister-in-law was cheating on his brother, then he interrogated Louise about it. She refused to tell on her friend, and to make matters worse, a local bishop began to roast the lovers for their sins in i of his sermons.
Louise was horrified, and she fled to a convent.
25. She Tried To Leave Him
Louis XIV convinced her to come back, but if she knew what she was walking into, she probably would've stayed away. Despite the fact that Louise seemed relatively innocuous as a person and disinterested in courtroom intrigue, she'd made some powerful enemies. When she followed Louis 14 back to courtroom, one of them tried to plot her comeuppance, and expose the affair to Queen Maria Theresa. Spoiler alert: it didn't really become as planned.
26. His Wife Was Checked Out
Despite the fact that bishops were making sermons most Louis 14's thing with Louise de La Valliere, Maria Theresa remained blissfully unaware that her hubby was cheating. Or at least, pretended to be blissfully unaware. In fact, Maria Theresa seemed kind of blissfully unaware of…everything that happened around her.
Other than occasionally getting significant, Louis Fourteen's wife was absolutely disinterested in any of the duties normally expected of a queen. She most just preferred to play cards and gamble with friends, which was fine with Louis XIV. Afterward all, he had other issues to tend to.
27. He Was Authoritarian
Louis 14 might take been a king of large, sweeping reforms that pleased his subjects greatly—but these too had a chilling night side. He sanctioned slavery; expanded French colonialism in Africa, the Americas, and Asia; and took physical steps to persecute Protestants in France. As well, now that he'd stabilized French republic'due south financial situation, he decided it was time for expansion—by any means necessary.
28. He Took What He Thought Was His
As if things weren't chilly enough with his wife in the romantic sense, there was also the fact that her family unit had never paid her dowry to him. When his married woman'due south begetter passed on and she mourned, Louis Fourteen was decorated reading the fine impress of their marriage contract. As a consequence of the unpaid dowry, he seized Spanish territory and made sure i of his ain family unit members would end up as heir to the Castilian throne. Geez, when I'1000 late on a payment I usually only get a fee of a few bucks…
29. He Lost Many Children
Throughout the early part of the 1660s, Louis XIV juggled his marriage with his married woman and his affair with Louise de La Valliere and grew his families with both women. Sadly, each was struck by tragedy afterwards tragedy. He had ii daughters with Maria Theresa, just each only lived for about a month after birth. At the same time, he had three sons with de La Valliere, each of whom only lived for virtually a year.
It was a terribly heartbreaking streak of bad luck—and more was on its way.
30. He Let His Freak Flag Fly
After the loss of her ally/suspected secret husband Central Mazarin, Louis Fourteen's mother Anne had retired to a convent in Paris. She stayed there until her passing in 1666—and her son'southward reaction to her loss was, um, anarchistic. He had e'er been respectful enough to not bring his mistress Louise de la Valliere around Anne or his wife Maria Theresa.
When Anne passed, that went out the window. Louis waited just a week to start bringing Louise to mass alongside his wife. Louise was a devout Catholic who was in information technology for love, not to be the virtually pop at court, and she felt deeply ashamed of the way he flaunted their affair. Well, Louis was just getting started…
31. He Secured Their Position
Louise became meaning again and gave the Male monarch a cute baby girl in 1666. As she passed her starting time birthday, all of Louis and Louise's anxiety that she'd succumb like her infant brothers began to fade away. Before leaving on a military entrada, Louis XIV legitimized the daughter and gave Louise the title of Duchess. Information technology seemed like their relationship was on incredibly solid footing—but someone else was waiting in the wings.
32. A New Contender Entered The Ring
See, Queen Maria Theresa and Louise de La Valliere had both been pregnant at the same time. It was at that moment that i of their mutual friends, Madame de Montespan, saw an opportunity—and came up with a fell program to take it. With both women "indisposed," de Montespan offered herself upward to Louis XIV for some, ahem, physical condolement.
Yeah, Madame de Montespan threw herself at the king in front of his meridian 2 ladies. While they laughed at her efforts, they should've been preparing for battle.
33. She Begged Him To Take Her Dorsum
Louise de la Valliere was the start one to smarten upwardly about what was happening. She realized the title Louis XIV had given her was a going-away present. Devastated, she went to disturbing lengths to go him to change his mind. While pregnant again, she went unauthorized to the battlefield where Louis was waging i of his campaigns.
She then threw herself at his feet, wailing. Girl, no. Just no.
34. He Made Them Live Together
Disgusted, Louis Xiv sent Louise away—but the humiliation didn't end there. First, she had to render to a court where Madame de Montespan had utterly roasted her for the incident to the other courtiers. And then, when he returned, Louis Fourteen made her live in the same apartment as de Montespan, who was now firmly his favorite.
Louise had found her way to the king'south middle as a decoy, and now she acted as a decoy for his new love. He ostensibly visited the apartments where Madame de Montespan and her hubby lived to see Louise—but we all know who he was actually in that location for.
35. She Got Out Of Hand
If Queen Maria Theresa thought her husband'south new mistress would be equally docile equally the one-time one, she was dead wrong. Immediately, Madame de Montespan made her power over the king known, and some even called her the False Queen of France. However, Louis 14 was not the type of rex who a scheming courtier could treat as a toy, and he reprimanded her whenever she went too far or tormented his wife with her obnoxious behavior.
36. He Punished Them Both
Madame de Montespan wasn't the just dramatic ane in the relationship. When the affair started, her husband had been away. When he came back, she was meaning—and he was no fool. He dressed his carriage in all black, and when Louis XIV asked him what was up with the schtick, the human being snapped back that he was mourning his wife, who had "disappeared."
Did Louis XIV laugh at the hilarious joke? Nope. Louis promptly jailed Montespan's husband for rudely exposing him.
37. She Had Her Own Domain
Even if Madame de Montespan occasionally got checked by the king, she yet had realms of influence—and one of them was Versailles. It had started as a hunting lodge, simply in the 1660s, Louis XIV decided to plow it into a grand palatial estate. It was a political motion more than than annihilation, equally he even so wanted the dignity of Paris to exist beholden to him.
In that location was no improve way than making them come to him on his turf, and Madame de Montespan became something of the social director of the palace that he built there.
38. He Made Them Come up To Him
If a French noble wanted to make any money or obtain whatsoever sort of position of favor with the rex, they had to haul their behinds over to Versailles. It was where courtiers arranged marriages, found employment, and jockeyed for attention, all under the watchful eye of Louis Xiv. It'south no wonder he called himself the Lord's day King. He expected the globe to circumduct effectually him, and information technology really did at Versailles—just, as e'er, there was a nighttime side to information technology all.
39. He Exercised His Power
Louis 14 played favorites, and if he didn't run across y'all at courtroom paying your respects, yous better wait a pay cut or demotion. This forced nobles to leave their local seats of power and live at Versailles, where he could control them more effectively. He also wouldn't tolerate whatever sort of dissent from his courtiers, so he opened and read their messages.
At the same time, he made certain it was worth their while. There was hunting, amusement, gambling, food, and beverage, among other luxuries. No ane could say no to the lavish lifestyle he provided at Versailles.
40. His Preferences Were Obvious
So, how much more than did Louis Fourteen prefer his mistress over his married woman? Well, at Versailles, the queen got 11 rooms on the second floor. Not bad, correct? Well, he gave Madame de Montespan 20 rooms on the first floor and an entourage of l people. He besides built her a mini-palace out of porcelain on the grounds of Versailles.
Well, porcelain is fragile, and so are hearts, so you can bet that neither lasted forever—merely more on that afterward.
41. He Made France A Superpower
Earlier this centralization, nobles from the countryside would gather private armies at their seats of power and wage local conflicts, or employ their forces to resist royal authorisation. Louis XIV stopped all of this and turned his attention outward. Louis led an aggressive strange policy that necessitated building a large army.
From 1667 to 1697, the French military grew from thirty,000 to 400,000 men. However, the increases in power and territory that he oversaw had the unfortunate side outcome of uniting his (many) enemies.
42. They Were Living On The Border
Although Louis was more interested in cementing France's status as the primal power in Europe, at that place were some problems at home that he but could not ignore. Throughout the 1670s, Louis XIV had led a happy life with Madame de Montespan. They had 7 children together, and 1 of de Montespan's dear friends, Madame de Maintenon, acted every bit their governess.
When the king legitimized his children with de Montespan, she became an fifty-fifty more important part of their household. You lot know that saying about keeping your enemies closer? Well, Madame de Montespan had i in her midst—she only didn't know it yet.
43. She Couldn't Stop It
Madame de Montespan deliberately filled her staff with "virtuous" and/or "homely" ladies to keep Louis Xiv's eyes on herself. This hiring strategy backfired horribly. Madame de Maintenon, the governess who cared for the king's children with Madame de Montespan, was the polar opposite of the ultra-dramatic chief mistress—and that was just what Louis Fourteen was looking for.
44. She Was A Breath Of Fresh Air
Madame de Maintenon attracted Louis's attention with her otherworldly piety and modesty. In that way, she was a lot like his first chief mistress, Louise de la Valliere. Both were deeply religious and uninterested in rubbing their human relationship in his wife'due south face. Frankly, this was a much-needed approving in disguise, considering what happened next.
45. He Lost His Wife
In July of 1683, Queen Maria Theresa cruel desperately ill. When Louis XIV saw how bad it was, he prepared for the worst. Within a calendar week, she succumbed to her affliction, and her passing was extremely painful. He said that her loss was "[…] the outset chagrin she has always given me." Louis Fourteen was utterly heartbroken past both the loss and the horrific circumstances.
Their union had been distant, but it hadn't e'er been that way. The same cannot be said of his children with her…
46. He Didn't Like His Ain Son
When nosotros think of the sagas of the great monarchs, many are tainted by the tragedy of the ruler who longs for an heir simply struggles to produce one. Recall Henry VIII or Elizabeth. Well, Louis XIV had the opposite problem. His relationship with his heir and namesake, Louis, the Grand Dauphin, was extremely similar to the distant relationship he'd had with his ain father.
At offset, Louis Fourteen had regarded the boy with suspicion and jealousy. The male child's tutor had an even harsher regard, comparison the Grand Dauphin to Queen Maria Theresa, essentially saying both were dumb and harmless. Ouch.
47. He Lost His Favorite
Louis 14 didn't take much better to say about the boy. He afterward remarked that he was "indolent, fatuous, and irksome." Tell us how you really feel! Four of his children with the queen hadn't survived infancy, but one other did: a girl, and she was the king's favorite. They had named her Marie Therese for the queen, and much like her female parent, she suffered a terrible fate, passing on shortly after her 5th birthday.
48. They Weren't Very Creative
Of some 22 children that Louis Fourteen had with various women, they named 11 of them Louis or Louise—which frankly, is hilarious. His commencement son Louis might not have been his favorite, but he did have a soft spot for another Louis, the son he had with Madame de Montespan. Louis 14 showered the boy with gifts and titles, and even gave him a spot in the line of succession.
That's merely how piddling Louis XIV thought of his firstborn son.
49. He Had A Clandestine Anniversary
Louis XIV still kept mistresses during the first few years of his affair with Madame de Maintenon—but then, with the loss of his married woman, everything changed. The drama of the previous five years weighed heavily on him. Iii months later on the queen'southward passing, he married Madame de Maintenon in hugger-mugger, and, every bit far as historians can tell, stopped having mistresses.
But just considering their relationship was monogamous didn't mean that information technology was conventional.
50. She Wasn't Proficient Enough For Them
Madame de Maintenon had a humble background. Her father had been a prisoner, and her mother, the daughter of a prison director—spicy! Information technology was mostly by chance and luck that she'd landed in the king's court. Sadly, this lowly upbringing meant that the king could never formally marry her. Their surreptitious union was morganatic, which meant that she wouldn't become queen, and that no one would admit the union.
Regardless, she yet found a way to brand a name for herself.
51. He Changed Completely
From that moment on, Louis Xiv and Madame de Maintenon rarely passed a day without seeing each other. She wielded great influence and ability over his decisions—a dicey suggestion, but in this example, it mostly worked out in the king's favor. Her piety influenced him. As mentioned, he stopped having mistresses, and he let her open a school for girls.
It was basically the healthy, egalitarian human relationship he'd never had before—and considering what was on the horizon, having an intelligent ally and counselor was likely very welcome.
52. He Faced His Greatest Enemy Yet
It had happened before that the sheer size, force, and power that France wielded had united its enemies—but those instances were nothing compared to the Grand Alliance. Countries opposing France formed the coalition, which grew to include England, the Dutch Republic, the Holy Roman Empire, Espana, Portugal, and Savoy. Yeah, let's merely phone call it French republic Vs. Everybody.
Louis Fourteen had won multiple conflicts before, and he had the massive army he'd acquired over the previous years backing him upward. But this time, would it be enough?
53. He Was Going To Annihilate Them
The Ix Years' War began in 1688, and Louis Fourteen immediately began to crush his enemies wherever he met them. While his men met on the battlefields, Louis 14 and his ministers worked backside the scenes to tear apart the Chiliad Brotherhood from the within. Notwithstanding, his ego refused to let him give up territory in order to lure Brotherhood leaders away from the cause. And so, disaster struck.
54. France Was Suffering
Louis Xiv's ground forces had ballooned to its largest size by 1693—the aforementioned year that French republic suffered a famine which resulted in the loss of over two million of its citizens. The economy was in crisis, and his forces were drawn. Louis knew that he'd have to approach the table and negotiate peace, but he wanted to become out on a high note.
His forces prevailed on many fronts, but financial and physical exhaustion set up in. French republic gave upwards a lot, but also retained important territories. Louis Xiv was in a hurry to make peace and non give the Grand Alliance any reason to fight him—just he had ulterior motives for this.
55. He Saw Into The Hereafter
Louis 14 did not want the countries of the Yard Brotherhood to piece of work together any more—and he had a devious reason for this. Charles II, the childless Rex of Spain, was only in his 30s, merely had been bilious his whole life. And, if you lot'll remember correctly, Louis XIV had used an unpaid debt to ensure that his grandson was in the line of succession for the Spanish throne.
His large plan was nigh to come up to fruition—merely when the rest of Europe realized what he was doing, they were not pleased.
56. He Well-nigh Had Them
It's not that he was technically breaking any rules. Afterward all, Charles II had agreed to make Louis Xiv's grandson Philip of Anjou his heir. The trouble was that if the regal family of France were to aggregate that much territory in one barbarous swoop, information technology would disturb the rest of power in Europe. Thus, Louis XIV'southward worst nightmare came true.
The Grand Alliance came together in one case again—this fourth dimension, to accept on France and Espana.
57. He Wasn't Lone
The Wars of Spanish Succession were nearly twice every bit long and exponentially more exhausting than the conflict that had preceded it, just this time, there was one divergence. France wasn't fighting alone. With Espana, they proved to be formidable opponents to the Grand Brotherhood. The passing of the Holy Roman Emperor and a succession crisis in England forced many of the countries to the negotiating table.
Ultimately, French republic and Spain agreed to a permanent separation in society to terminate the conflict. Louis Fourteen might not take got to do ability over Kingdom of spain, merely his grandson got to keep the throne—and for a man of 76 years onetime, that was enough.
58. He Had An Unexpected Hobby
Louis XIV knew there was more to life than the battlefield and keeping up a healthy stable of mistresses. During his time on the throne, Louis Fourteen was a devoted patron of the arts and France saw a cultural invigoration. One of his most ardent passions would surprise many people. Louis 14 non only loved ballet, he loved dancing himself. He appeared in forty major ballets, playing upwards of 80 roles. That amount actually rivals the career of any professional dancer!
59. He Was The Original Influencer
Sure, Louis Xiv was dedicated to the visual arts—but a lot of this was driven by the fact that the man really liked looking at himself. There was really an entire centralized system for reproducing his royal image. He commissioned over 300 formal portraits of himself, all of which portrayed him majestically or with allegorical attributes that reinforced his condition as the divinely chosen king. And you thought selfie culture was bad…
60. He Was A Prima Donna
Louis Xiv's obsession with his ain image didn't merely exercise itself through works of fine art. He was a primper extraordinaire, with a vast wardrobe of habiliment, shoes, and wigs at his disposal, all of which he used to craft his image and endeavor to brand himself more imposing. With his alpine wigs and heeled shoes on, Louis 14 came to nearly 7' tall—but the truth was, he was actually merely about 5'iv″. It didn't merely start with Napoleon later all…
61. Dark Rumors Followed Him
Louis XIV may have tightly controlled his prototype when it came to the visual arts, simply he couldn't oversee every artistic realm—and it led to one of the about compelling rumors of his reign. In 1647, writer Alexandre Dumas published a novel where he told the story of an unidentified prisoner in an fe mask. In Dumas' version of the legend, the human being is actually related to the king. And the story didn't just appear out of nowhere…
62. They Said He Was Roofing Something Upwardly
Information technology wasn't just a legend. There was actually a mysterious prisoner who was kept in different French jails for 34 years, from 1669-1703. No i knew or ever definitively uncovered the man's identity, simply different stories swirled—and most of them led direct dorsum to Louis XIV. The author Voltaire claimed he was the king's illegitimate one-half-blood brother past Anne of Austria and Primal Mazarin.
Others made different claims, including ane that the man was Louis 14'southward existent father, as he was born at a time when his parents were basically estranged. Still, it wasn't the most prevalent story.
63. They Believed He Was Hiding An Heir
Most simply believed that Louis Xiv had been born with a twin brother. His family had a history of twins, so information technology made sense. The hypothesis was that Louis XIII and Anne of Austria had subconscious the younger twin, fearing a struggle for the throne. They then sent the boy away to grow upwards nether a dissimilar proper noun. When he discovered his heritage, he came back to challenge the king—merely to exist thrown in jail with an atomic number 26 mask to conceal his advent.
Historians have disputed this sequence of events, merely the shadow of these dark rumors followed Louis 14 through his reign…and beyond the grave.
64. They Were As well Close
In that location was another dark rumor that followed Louis 14 to his final days—and it concerned a fell betrayal. Earlier, we mentioned that courtiers had speculated that Louis Xiv was involved with his brother Philippe'due south beginning married woman, Henrietta. Well, one rumor that they were never able to milkshake was that Louis Fourteen had actually fathered Henrietta and Phillippe'southward first daughter, Marie Louise.
Later on, Marie Louise fell hard for the G Dauphin, Louis Xiv'southward oldest son—or, her rumored half-brother. Louis XIV had to accommodate a matrimony for her to go on them apart. Open up the genetic pool, guys. You won't regret information technology.
65. Scandal Consumed The Court
If the shift from Madame de Montespan to Madame de Maintenon seemed a littletoosmooth, it'south because there's 1 major part we haven't mentioned yet. See, in 1677, an explosive scandal threatened to tear the lives of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan apart. Louis 14'south middle began to stray somewhat, and it cruel on the Duchess of Fontanges. Merely before anything else could happen, she all of a sudden died of mysterious causes.
Many began to whisper that Madame de Montespan had poisoned her—and then, the rumors intensified.
66. His Lovers Turned On One Some other
Poison was the subject of the day at the French courtroom, as i of their own had recently been executed for poisoning her family. Just like the Salem witch trials, people began accusing anyone and anybody of toxicant plots. First, the attending fell on Olympia Mancini, an occasional paramour of the king'southward. They defendant her of poisoning the Rex's one-time mistress, Louise de la Valliere, his sister-in-law, and her ain husband, amidst others.
Many idea that she'd threatened to poison Louis XIV himself, saying "come dorsum to me, or y'all will exist pitiful." She avoided whatever trouble by fleeing French republic—only her story was only the starting time of the Affaire des Poisons.
67. They Said She Did Evil Things
Adjacent, the witnesses who'd provided evidence against Olympia Mancini came for the king'south chief mistress, Madame de Montespan—and the accusations were truly agonizing. They claimed that de Montespan had come up to them for help using black magic to proceed the rex'southward love. At that place were tales about praying to the devil and a black mass performed past a priest over de Montespan'south naked body. Somehow, that wasn't even the craziest story.
68. They Claimed She'd Bewitched Him
The witnesses also claimed that Madame de Montespan and a poison dealer had been sacrificing babies and putting their remains in Louis 14's food for over a decade. Yikes. On top of that, 1 of de Montespan'southward maids—who'd besides been sleeping with Louis Xiv—was implicated. The courts declined to pursue these accusations confronting Madame de Montespan, and nothing was even proven, simply the damage was done.
69. He Was Over It
The sheer amount of people close to Louis Xiv who had been implicated in the Affaire des Poisons was shocking. Information technology all cast a very negative calorie-free on the French courts and Madame de Montespan in detail. While all her courtly scheming and manipulation had one time seemed fun, Louis Fourteen had seen what kind of hot mess it could apace turn into, and past now it turned him off. He shifted his attentions elsewhere—but he didn't have to get very far.
70. He Was Winding Down
Later everything he'd washed during his reign, it might take seemed similar Louis XIV was invincible—just no 1 lives forever, fifty-fifty those with the divine correct to rule. Louis XIV had suffered from multiple wellness problems throughout his life, and they intensified as he entered his 70s. Nevertheless, he lasted a lot longer than some of the others who were close to him…
71. He Faced A Succession Crisis
Louis XIV was clearly not a huge fan of his son, the Chiliad Dauphin, and it's likely that he didn't desire him to go king. Luckily, the Grand Dauphin was good at two things: starting a family and dying young. He passed on suddenly in 1711, just at to the lowest degree he'd had a number of sons in his lifetime. Well, the tragedy didn't end in that location.
Louis XIV'due south grandson, the Duke of Burgundy, was side by side in line for the throne—until he caught measles and passed on just a year afterward his father. Louis Fourteen did accept 22+ kids…I'm sure he'll figure something out.
72. There Could Simply Be 1
Louis XIV's extremely capable grandson Philip would've been next in line, if he hadn't renounced the throne to rule Spain. That left his great-grandson through his grandson Louis, Duke of Burgundy. Can you guess what his name is? That'southward right, also Louis. The child was only five, only Louis XIV had no other choice, so he set his program in motion.
He feared that his nephew Philip II, who had a legitimate claim to the throne, would effort and worm his way in, so he wrote a provision in his volition that would limit Philip'south contact with the heir credible. If this sounds familiar, it'due south because Louis 14's father tried something like, and information technology didn't work. Hmm, possibly information technology'll be different this time…
73. His Record Hasn't Been Beat
Louis XIV began to suffer from gangrene in the late summer of 1715 and succumbed to a painful death in September of that year at the palace he'd built in Versailles. He was four days shy of his 77th birthday and his reign of 72 years is the longest reign past a monarch in history. Upon his passing, the throne went to his great-grandson, who became Rex Louis 15 at the historic period of 5.
And, equally predicted, history repeated itself, and no one respected those of import new provisions in Louis Fourteen'due south will. Sigh. Well, every bit you tin imagine, the drama didn't finish there…
74. He (Eventually) Showed Humility
During his about authoritarian years as ruler, the quote "I am the land" had been attributed to Louis XIV. However, this story is apocryphal, and a deathbed statement contradicted it completely, showing his religion in the France he'd built as king: "Je m'en vais, mais l'État demeurera toujours," or, "I depart, simply the State shall always remain."
75. They Turned On Him
Louis XIV's torso was laid to residuum in a basilica exterior of Paris—simply after the disastrous decades that followed his passing, the people of France saw it fit to deal him one concluding indignity. During the French Revolution, rebels exhumed and destroyed his remains subsequently breaking into the basilica. But it didn't stop there…
76. He Had An Absurd Ending
In 1848, a piece of Louis XIV's mummified centre was placed in a silvery locket past the Archbishop of York, Lord Harcourt. He presented it to a colleague, William Buckland, who also happened to exist a geologist. Thinking the heart to exist a stone (and curious to guess what mineral), Buckland promptly shoved the body part into his mouth and accidentally ate it.
What a fashion for the final relic of the once-glorious Lord's day Male monarch to finally exit…
Sources: i, 2, 3, four, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, xiii, 14, 15, 16, 17, eighteen, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28
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