Attributes royaux louis xiv biography

Early Life of Louis XIV

Born on September 5, 1638, to King Louis XIII of France and his Habsburg queen, Anne of Austria, the future Louis XIV was his parents’ first child after 23 years of marriage; in recognition of this apparent miracle, he was christened Louis-Dieudonné, meaning “gift of God.”

A younger brother, Philippe, followed two years later.

When his father died on May 14, 1643, 4-year-old Louis inherited the crown of a fractured, unstable and nearly insolvent France.

After orchestrating the annulment of Louis XIII’s will, which had appointed a regency council to rule on the young king’s behalf, Anne served as sole regent for her son, assisted by her chief minister and close confidant, the Italian-born Cardinal Jules Mazarin.

Did you know?

At the Palace of Versailles, aristocrats were expected to compete for the privilege of watching Louis XIV wake up, eat meals and prepare for bed.

The Fronde

During the early years of Louis XIV’s reign, Anne and Mazarin introd