Louis XIV, with his talent, strategy, culture and martial arts, made the Kingdom of France the most powerful country in Europe at that time, made French the common language of the entire European diplomacy and upper class society for two centuries, and made himself a The greatest monarch in French history and one of the longest-ruling monarchs in world history. A contemporary of Kangxi, the great Western emperor was respectfully known as the "Sun King" at the time. On September 5, 1638, Louis XIV was born in the royal castle of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. He is the daughter of French King Louis XIII and Queen Anne of Austria (Anne d'Autriche. Although her title is "Austria", she is actually a Spanish princess, the daughter of King Philip III of Spain

Portraits of Louis XIV in various periods (8 photos)

The eldest son of his son). Louis succeeded him as King of France in 1643, when he was still a young child, and ruled France until his death in 1715, four days before his birthday, at the age of 77.

Louis XIV only became interested in ruling the country when he was 22 years old, and to everyone's surprise, he was quite good at it. Louis XIV ruled France for 72 years. He was called the Sun King (Roi Soleil) because he had played the role of the sun god Apollo in the play. He is one of the longest reigning monarchs in the world.

Louis XIV was regarded as a miracle at the time, because his parents had been married for 23 years without

Bronze Statue of Louis XIV

children. He became king when he was four years old (1643), and his mother Anna of Austria ruled on his behalf, but for the next 18 years Cardinal Mazarin was the real ruler of France. It was not until Jules Mazarin's death in 1661 that he began to take charge. His reign was a model and example of European monarchy.

During the 54 years of Louis XIV's reign (1661-1715), the king's power reached its peak. In politics, he advocated the supremacy of royal power, "I am the country", and used the "divine right of kings" to create a theoretical basis for the supremacy of royal power. Louis XIV implemented a high-pressure policy against the nobility, revoked the power of the Paris High Court to criticize the king's edicts, refused to convene the three-level meeting of the kingdom, and ruthlessly suppressed the provincial nobles who dared to rebel; at the same time, he built the Palace of Versailles and summoned the great nobles from all over the palace to serve in the palace. royal family. Louis XIV also dispatched "judicial, police and financial supervisors" to each province, rectified armaments and expanded military resources, introduced new weapons and advanced technology, and controlled the dispatching power of the provincial armies in the hands of the central government. Ideologically, all subjects are required to believe in Catholicism. Economically, Louis XIV handed over economic issues to Colbert and promoted mercantilism.

With the support of the diplomatic achievements of Cardinal Armand Jean de Plessis Richelieu and Mazarin, Louis XIV established a Baroque style in France centered around him. autocratic kingdom. He glorified himself by waging wars, holding lavish celebrations at Versailles, and subsidizing the development of art and science. With the help of his ministers such as Jean-Baptiste Colbert he concentrated the entire French bureaucracy around him, thus strengthening the French king's military, financial, and institutional might. Events detrimental to his reign included his feud with the Pope, his persecution of the Huguenots, and the War of the Spanish Succession. At the end of his reign, the French treasury was empty and on the verge of bankruptcy. In 1660, Louis married the Spanish princess Marie-Thérèse. After Marie-Thérèse's death in 1683, he married Fran?oise de Aubigny, the Marquise de Maintenon, whose status was lower than his own. Louis outlived his son and eldest grandson, and was succeeded by his great-grandson Louis XV.

Louis XIV, who ruled for 72 years, is the longest reigning monarch in the world since accurate history exists. However, this king did not bathe more than 7 times.

When Louis was young, there was a huge riot in France (the Fronde, 1648-1653), which was mainly directed at the policies of Bishop Mazarin. This riot may have had a great impact on Louis, and he decided never to allow such a riot to happen again.

Louis XIV in military uniform

Louis XIV and his minister Colbert were both believers in mercantilism. They accumulated a lot of precious metals in France based on this theory.

During his reign, France participated in four major wars: the War of Devolution with Spain from 1667 to 1668 (the War of Devolution), and the War with the Netherlands from 1672 to 1688 (Franco-Dutch War). War), the Nine Years' War with the Holy Roman Emperor from 1688 to 1697 (War of the Grand Alliance, also known as the War of the League of Augsburg, the War of the Palatine Succession), and the Spanish Succession from 1702 to 1713 war. These wars drained France's treasury and plunged the country into high debt.

In 1674, the French government purchased Martinique from a private company.

In 1689, Louis XIV issued the "Code Noir" allowing the slave trade in all French colonies.

Louis XIV expanded France’s territory during his lifetime, making it the most powerful country and cultural center in Europe at that time. In the 17th and 18th centuries, French was the common language of European diplomacy and upper class society. In the 18th century, more French-speaking Russian aristocrats spoke French than Russian. But at the same time France was heavily in debt and the French people were living in poverty.

Edit this paragraph Economic situation When Louis XIV came to power in 1661, France was on the verge of bankruptcy. Through extensive wars and court expenditures he promoted the development of commerce and the circulation of currency. Late in his reign it was estimated that half of French tax revenue was spent on the expenses of Versailles. In addition, much money is lost in corruption in the bureaucracy.

The taxes in France at that time included commercial taxes (aides, douanes), salt taxes (gabelle) and land taxes (taille). At that time, France's outdated tax system stipulated that nobles and monks did not have to pay taxes, so the heavy tax burden fell entirely on the farmers and the emerging middle class (citizens). One of the causes of the later French Revolution was dissatisfaction with the unfairness of the French tax system.

Louis XIV's Finance Minister Colbert raised French taxes by overcoming corruption and reorganizing the bureaucracy, but these measures still failed to reduce France's huge debt.

Colbert practiced mercantilism. He believed that the more wealth a country has, the better. The more wealth, the stronger the national power. Therefore, he encouraged exports and restricted imports. Vigorously develop industry and commerce. These measures promoted the development of the French economy. But this has led to countries scrambling to follow suit. Caused business competition. It is not conducive to social and economic development.

Edit this paragraph Versailles Palace The construction of Versailles Palace was one of Louis XIV's strategies to concentrate political power. Louis XIV completed the efforts of Richelieu and Mazarin to establish a centralized, authoritarian nation-state. He weakened the power of the nobles by turning them into members of his court and removing them from their powers as magistrates. For this purpose he built the Palace of Versailles. On May 6, 1682, he moved into this huge palace on the outskirts of Paris. The rules of the court forced nobles to pay huge sums for their clothes, and they had to stay in the palace from morning to night to attend balls, banquets, and other celebrations that were part of court life. It is said that Louis XIV had an amazing memory. After entering a hall, he could see who was present and who was absent at a glance. Therefore every nobleman who wished to be favored by the king had to be present every day. These nobles loved France. This leaves them no time to manage local issues, and slowly they lose local power.

Edit this paragraph Luxurious Life Louis XIV is called the "Sun King". Comparing the monarch to the sun may not only be because Louis XIV dared to shout "I am the world" and created the most prosperous period in French feudal history, but also because he set off a "golden light" in the court. The luxurious style spread throughout France. From the world-famous Palace of Versailles for its grandeur and luxury, the huge palace expenditure equivalent to half of France's annual tax revenue, to the extremely luxurious banquets held day and night in the magnificent palace, it is not difficult to imagine that under such a "sun" Under the influence of such a dazzling king, the French table in the seventeenth century was so rich and mouth-watering. Let's go to a reception dinner held by Louis XIV at the Palace of Versailles to experience the "luxury" dining culture of France during the Sun King's period.

Today, the king invited thirty guests to the Palace of Versailles for a dinner. This is not a small number, and these people are all in high positions, including the emperor's chamberlain, captain of the guard, imperial doctor, court priest, etc.

First of all, we need a table that can accommodate 31 people. The shape of the table is square, round, long or oval. There are 14 people on the left and 14 people on the right. The master sits on the upper seat and the other two people sit on the lower seat. The white tablecloth should not just cover the tabletop, but should hang down to the ground on all sides.

According to the fashion at the time, a pot of fresh soup with meat and vegetables should be placed at each of the four corners of the table. A plate rack should be placed between the four pots of soup, and a plate rack should be placed next to each pot of soup. A dedicated large salt cup for seasoning. The middle of the table is filled with small salt cups for guests to help themselves to and turntables for enlarging dishes. The plates for guests should not be flat plates, but large deep soup plates, which are convenient for serving soup and allow guests to take as much food as they need at one time. If the dishes that the guests take out are not enough because the plates are too small, they will have to take them from the big plate again and again - after all, if you put the spoon that you just took out of your mouth into the big plate to take something, it may Cause resentment to other guests. This rule only began to appear during the reign of Louis XIV. Before the mid-seventeenth century, even in aristocratic families, when friends gathered or family dinners were held, everyone drank soup from the same basin without hesitation - to put it bluntly, they were still eating "big pot rice", and the "separated meals" of Western food had not yet formed. "Habit.

The tableware used by the king was made of gold, while the princes and nobles used gold-plated tableware. Forks are placed on the left side of the plate and knives are placed on the right side. The order of placement is from the main seat to the bottom. It is worth mentioning that the use of knives and forks also became popular during the period of Louis XIV. However, Louis XIV himself refused to use knives and forks, preferring to eat with his hands. He also asked ministers who used knives and forks to follow him **Also eat with your hands during meals. The movements used when using knives and forks are highly aggressive, such as cutting and stabbing. They are done with brutal force, unlike using chopsticks. They mainly rely on support and clamping. The movements are skillful and gentle, which is very different from the potential aggressiveness of knives and forks. Perhaps it was because Louis XIV was worried that the knives and forks on the table would become a threat to the throne, so there were no knives and forks on the tables in the Palace of Versailles.

After the meal preparations are completed, a meal ceremony must be held. This was stipulated by the Sun King in 1661 and was not abolished until Louis XVI. The ceremony was held in the front hall of the king's bedroom. All guests attending the banquet had to be neatly dressed and lined up in front of the table to wait. Only a few ladies of very high status could sit and wait. The clerk and servants were waiting nearby. If the dinner is announced to the public in advance, the ceremony will be more grand and the dishes more sumptuous, in order to set an example to the public and show the emperor's dignity.

At this time, the king's steward shouted: "Let us share the meat given by the king!" Then he blew a few notes on a clarinet decorated with golden lilies (a symbol of the French royal family), announcing The dinner officially started.

The servant brings a dish to each guest. Serving of dishes is also very particular. The first dish should be given to the first guest on the right hand side of the host, and the second dish should be given to the first guest on the left, right first and then left, to show that the guest on the right has a higher status. The dish contains the starter of this dinner: delicious meat and vegetable soup, carefully made meat fillings or rich-tasting bread soup. Drinking soup before eating is very similar to the Cantonese habit. The host usually prepares two to three different soups, such as nutritious soup (actually a meat and vegetable soup that has been simmered for a long time), and "queen" soup (a kind of soup with partridge meat or pheasant meat filling). soup, sometimes with a little butter), and shrimp bisque sauce soup. In addition to delicious soup, there are also several kinds of meat fillings, artichokes, mushrooms and other ingredients and large breads for guests. The bread must be large enough for a man with a big appetite to eat, and even its crust must be big enough for a woman to dip into the soup. And the king's bread was always much softer than other people's, because Louis XIV had bad teeth. At this time, you will find that some guests drank Queen's Soup, while others tasted Bisque Sauce Shrimp Soup. This was not a mistake on the part of the servants, but a popular practice in the seventeenth century - half the guests got the "Queen's" soup, the others got shrimp soup with bisque sauce, and then switched to another one after they finished. Different soups are paired with different meat fillings, and can also be eaten with bread. Generally, they are light in taste and strong in taste.

Before serving the second course, the servant must change a new set of tableware for each guest and hand him a wet towel to wipe his hands. This is a necessary procedure before serving the dish. The second course is also a starter. It is a hodgepodge. The food is mainly small pieces of barbecue, hot pies, buns, ham, sausages, sausages, and fruits as a starter.

A large plate full of food should never be placed in front of a more distinguished guest because it would block the guest's view and make it inconvenient for him to pass food or speak to others.

The banquet really reaches its climax in the third course. Beef, veal, and sheep can all be the protagonists of the third course. They are usually grilled, boiled in thick soup, or made into meat fillings. The now popular lamb was considered "tasteless" at the time and could not be served on the table. If it is barbecue, add oranges, lemons or olives in the middle of the meat to make the barbecue more delicious and oily but not greasy.

The ingredients for the next small barbecue are mostly birds. The swans, cranes, and herons that were popular in the Middle Ages had been replaced by pigeons, chickens, and ducks in the era of Louis XIV. The ducks supplied to the king were raised in Rouen in northwest France, and the chickens were raised in Le Mans. In order to make these poultry taste more meaty, some plant spices were added to the food when feeding.

Of course, fish is an integral part of the feast: the most popular river fish are salmon and trout, while sea fish include cod and sole. Fish is loved by the French not only because of its delicious meat, but also because it is the only "meat" that can be eaten during fasting days. Louis XIV was a devout Catholic, so he stipulated that every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and other religious holidays must be fasted. On fasting days, you can only eat one meal after evening prayers, and abstain from all meat and Alcohol. As the saying goes, "There are policies from above, and countermeasures from below." Some smart chefs came up with ways to turn "fish into meat," euphemistically called "vegetarian meat."

Cold cuts are the sixth course of the dinner. The vegetable salad is paired with colorful jelly and placed in the middle of the table, which is really beautiful. Commonly used vegetables include mushrooms, cabbage, artichokes, chrysanthemum, and small peas, which Louis XIV was very fond of. But why are there no potatoes? That's what the French must eat with every meal now. In fact, potatoes were not popular in the era of Louis XIV. It was not until the era of Louis XV that they had a place on the dining table.

Fruits are the highlight of the banquet. Exquisite fruit baskets, various liquid or solid jams, fennel beans wrapped in different flavored sugar coatings (musk-flavored and ambergris-flavored), marzipan, which is very popular among French people, and other snacks that have become popular in France. Chocolates are waiting for all guests. Chocolate entered France in the 16th century under Louis XIII. Because Queen Louis XIV loved this food so much, the Sun King, who had unhealthy teeth, persuaded her to allow the import of cocoa beans, the raw material for making chocolate. Louis XIV jokingly called chocolate "the food that deceives the stomach."

Speaking of it now, you may feel that something is missing? A wonderful dish that seems to be missing an important pairing? That's right, we haven't mentioned wine yet - France's most proud treasure, how could such a wonderful dinner be without her presence. During the time of Louis XIV, the best red wines came from Burgundy, Auxerre and Coulanges. The wine used for palace banquets must be more than four years old. Liqueurs and chilled wine were also Louis XIV's favorites. Coffee became popular during this period as a lord suggested to Louis XIV that women drank more alcoholic drinks than men. In order to control excessive drinking, coffee also became a banquet drink.

After finishing the dessert and drinking the drinks, the dinner party came to an end. However, Louis XIV did not entertain guests simply by having a meal, as that would appear to be unworthy of the king. After enjoying this wonderful meal, the king who likes to party will invite all the guests to a grand dance. The "prosperous age" must be explained by complicated etiquette, sumptuous food, luxurious pomp and bustling sleepless nights. Otherwise, wouldn't the phrase "I am the world" be in vain?

Edit this paragraph Palace Pardon Louis XIV believed that in order to gain supreme power, he must unify the religious beliefs of the French. So he put pressure on the Protestants. The Fontainebleau Edict of 1685 was especially ferocious. He used this to overturn the tolerant Nantes Pardon issued by French King Henry IV in 1598. After the edict was issued, Huguenot churches were destroyed and Protestant schools were closed. Louis's order forced many Huguenots to emigrate, mostly to the Netherlands, Prussia, England, and the United States. This was a historic mistake, as many of these fugitives were very good craftsmen and their skills traveled with them into exile. These exiles brought great wealth to the countries they arrived. For Louis and his archbishops a united France was a Catholic France.

There is a bronze statue of him in front of the entrance to the Louvre in France.

Edit this paragraph has far-reaching influence. In France, Louis XIV was respected because he made France strong, but his immeasurable wars bankrupted the French national economy and he had to continuously increase taxes on farmers. Require. French historian Alexis de Tocqueville believed that this heavy tax, his reduction of power to the nobility, and the dissatisfaction of the political class of citizens with the policy were the political, social, and economic reasons that led to the French Revolution in 1789.

Edit this paragraph’s interactions with the Qing Dynasty. Louis XIV and Kangxi lived almost in the same era. Both were in power for a long time from the mid-17th century to the early 18th century. Both were famous for their literary and military achievements, and both ascended the throne at a young age. , there is even an old minister with power over everything.

The difference is that after Kangxi ascended the throne at the age of 8, he soon relied on his own strength to design and capture Oboi. After Louis XIV ascended the throne at the age of 5, he waited until the natural death of his old minister Jules Mazarin at the age of 23 before he began to truly take charge.

After taking office, Louis XIV also accomplished a lot: he implemented the autocratic rule of "I am the country", adopted mercantilist policies, and promoted the development of industry and commerce; he launched four major wars and expanded France. The territory made it the most powerful country in Europe at that time; it built the Palace of Versailles, prepared the French Academy of Painting and Sculpture, the French Academy of Sciences, and the French Academy of Architecture, and cultivated Molière, the founder of classical comedy, and Descartes, the father of modern philosophy. A large number of literary and artistic masters such as his son made France replace Italy as the European literary and artistic center...

What is more interesting is that Louis XIV sent envoys to Kangxi. They brought 30 boxes of scientific instruments such as the Huntian ware. They cured Kangxi's malaria with golden chicken. They helped Kangxi negotiate on the northeastern border issue between China and Russia. They participated in drawing the first modern national map in Chinese history, "Imperial Yu". "Overall Map"...

Louis XIV even wrote a personal letter to Kangxi.

Among all the emperors of China, the one who liked studying science the most was undoubtedly Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. Louis XIV, on the other hand, was obsessed with dancing.

Kangxi’s obsession with science reached the point where the imperial doctor had to warn against it affecting his health. Louis XIV, on the other hand, simply went into battle on his own and starred in 21 ballets. One courtier even worried that the king would fall ill from over-practicing.

Of course, there is one thing that Kangxi did not have - Louis XIV was regarded as a miracle at the time because his parents had no children after 23 years of marriage, and Louis XIV's life span was longer than his. His son and eldest grandson both lived long, so his successor was his great-grandson Louis XV.

Edit this paragraph: Incestuous marriage Louis XIV’s marriage was a true incest marriage. It was not only a close relative, but also a consanguineous marriage, because his biological aunt married his biological uncle, and he married his uncle. Becoming queen with his aunt's daughter means that his uncle became his father-in-law and his aunt became his mother-in-law; for Queen Marie-Thérèse, her uncle became her father-in-law and her aunt became her mother-in-law, while Louis XIV was only Cousin Marie-Thérèse is five days older. Louis XIV and his cousin Marie-Thérèse had three boys and three girls. Three of them died that year, and the other two lived to be three and five years old. Only the eldest son, the Crown Prince, lived to be 50 years old. The crown prince's son, Louis of France, only lived to be 30 years old, so when the great Sun King died, he had to pass the throne to his great-grandson Louis XV, who was only five years old.

Louis XIV had four sons and two daughters with his second mistress, as well as three illegitimate sons and one illegitimate daughter.

Edit this paragraph: Palace personnel In the era of Louis XIV. Louis XIV abolished the prime minister and personally selected six ministers. These six ministers advised the king, and the final decision was made by Louis XIV himself.

Although the generals of the navy and army were also palace personnel, Louis XIV selected 8,000 men from France's best legions to defend the Palace of Versailles. At that time, the palace staff of Versailles also included sculptors.

Edit this paragraph Children Louis XIV and his queen had three boys and three girls, but except for the dauphin who grew up, the others all died young. In addition, he has 16 recognized adopted children, but he and his concubine have no children.

Edit this paragraph’s influence on the Enlightenment Era. Reward the political ideas pioneered by many politicians such as Montesquieu, Voltaire and other economists.

Influence on the French Revolution In France, Louis XIV was respected for making France strong, but his immeasurable wars bankrupted the French national economy and he had to continuously increase taxes on farmers. Require. French historian Alexis de Tocqueville believed that this heavy tax, his reduction of power to the nobility, and the dissatisfaction of the political class of citizens with the policy were the political, social, and economic reasons that led to the French Revolution in 1789.

Edit this paragraph to invent high-heeled shoes. Louis XIV was a short man, about 154cm tall, so he was very dissatisfied with his height. He felt that his status and height did not match, so he asked a shoemaker to make them for him again. When wearing shoes, a thick heel was placed on the heel, forming the first high-heeled shoes in the modern sense.

Edit this section's scientific contribution Louis XIV proposed some plans:

1. The concept of electricity and electricity storage came from analyzing ocean elements to find materials suitable for generating electricity.

2. And encourage experiments to burn suitable metal wires and replace candles with metal; influencing Thomas Alva Edison.

3. Use weapons to understand the properties, even density, etc. of various metals.

4. Study tidal phenomena and the atmosphere.

5. The scientific community is also reminded to legislate to respect individuals’ intellectual rights and inventions.