This new biography examines the policies and consequences of the monarch’s 72-year reign. Ascending the throne in 1643 aged four, under the tutelage of his mother Anne of Austria and Cardinal Mazarin, in maturity he cultivated the image of the all-powerful Sun King, waging war across Europe, promoting the arts and science, and establishing a centralized, autocratic regime in France.
Intelligent, authoritative, and often surprising, a biography of the most famous of French monarchs, by an acclaimed biographer and historian.
Louis XIV's story has all the ingredients of a Dumas classic: legendary beginnings, beguiling women, court intrigue, a mysterious prisoner in an iron mask, lavish court entertainments, the scandal of a mistress who was immersed in the dark arts, and a central character who is handsome and romantic, but with a frighteningly dark side to his character.
Louis believed himself to be semidivine. His self-identification as the Sun King, which was reflected in iconography of the sun god, Apollo, influenced every aspect of Louis's life: his political philosophy, his wars, and his relationships with courtiers and subjects.
As a military strategist, Louis's capacity was debatable, but he was an astute politician who led his country to the heights of sophistication and power - and then had the misfortune to live long enough to see it all crumble away. As the sun began to set upon this most glorious of reigns, it brought a gathering darkness filled with the anguish of dead heirs, threatened borders, and a populace that was dangerously dependent upon - but greatly distanced from - its king.
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https://www.psbooks.co.uk/louis-xiv542358Louis XIVhttps://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/4/542358_media-0.jpg10.9910.99GBPInStock/New arrivals/New arrivals/History New Arrivals/New arrivals/Non-Fiction New Arrivals/Campaigns/Amberley/History/History/Categories/Modern History/Non-Fiction/Categories/Biography & Memoirs/Non-Fiction/Categories/Biography & Memoirs/Biographies/Non-Fiction/Categories/Biography & Memoirs/Biographies/Historical BiographiesThis new biography examines the policies and consequences of the monarch’s 72-year reign. Ascending the throne in 1643 aged four, under the tutelage of his mother Anne of Austria and Cardinal Mazarin, in maturity he cultivated the image of the all-powerful Sun King, waging war across Europe, promoting the arts and science, and establishing a centralized, autocratic regime in France.Hardback00https://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/4/542358_media-1.jpghttps://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/4/542358_media-2.jpgadd-to-cartrrp_info:£20.00productId:176254bic_code:BGH, BGR, HBLH, HBLLBGH, BGR, HBLH, HBLL£20.00Josephine WilkinsonGeneral240x162mmAmberleyNoHardbackHistorical, Political & MilitaryEarly Modern: 1450-1700
