Louis XIV of France

:For the musical group of the same name, see Louis XIV (band).

Early reign

Officially, Louis's mother's Regency ended when Louis turned thirteen in 1651. Louis XIV, however, continued to allow Cardinal Mazarin to control the affairs of state. Cardinal Mazarin died in 1661, and political circles expected his replacement by Nicolas Fouquet, Marquis de Belle-Isle, and the Superintendent of Finance. Instead, Fouquet was removed and imprisoned on account of his failure to properly manage the nation's finances. Louis announced that he would not appoint a new chief minister; instead he would govern the realm by himself. His most trusted advisors, the members of the conseil d'en haut (High Council), included the most influential ministers Jean-Baptiste Colbert (for internal affairs), Hugues de Lionne (for foreign affairs), and François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois (for war). Louis excluded the higher nobility from the conseil, leading the aristocratic diarist Louis de Rouvroy, Duc de Saint-Simon to refer to the reign as the "reign of the lowborn bourgeoisie."

Related Topics:
Nicolas Fouquet, Marquis de Belle-Isle - Jean-Baptiste Colbert - Hugues de Lionne - François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois - Louis de Rouvroy, Duc de Saint-Simon

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The French treasury stood close to bankruptcy when Louis XIV assumed power in 1661. Louis proved an incredibly extravagant spender, dispensing huge sums of money to finance the royal court. He operated as a patron of the arts, funding literary and cultural figures such as Molière, Charles Le Brun, and Jean-Baptiste Lully. He also brought the Académie française under his control, and became its "Protector". He spent money on improving the Musée du Louvre.

Related Topics:
Royal court - Molière - Charles Le Brun - Jean-Baptiste Lully - Académie française - Musée du Louvre

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