Louis XIV

by Olivier Bernier

Louis XIV - the Sun King or Louis the Great, as he was also known - ruled France with an iron fist for over half a century, from 1651 to his death in 1715, outliving his son and even his grandson. His court at the Palace of Versailles became the most dazzling on the Continent, and through his intelligence and cunning, he made France the leading power of Europe. Now, in this masterful biography, historian Olivier Bernier brilliantly recreates Louis XIV's world to reveal the secrets of this monarch's unequaled sovereignty and to explore the singular mystique that surrounds him today.

Not only was Louis heir to his father's throne, he felt he was divinely chosen to rule France. From the year he became king at the age of thirteen, he oversaw every aspect of government, from waging war and making political appointments to supervising the building of his many palaces.

Along with political treachery that marked Louis XIV's long reign, Bernier also brings to light the personal scandals. We witness the poignant resignation of Louis XIV's queen to her husband's parade of mistresses and illegitimate children, the infamous intrigue when the king's brother was accused of poisoning his wife in a jealous rage, and the momentous building of Versailles, not an act of monstrous self-indulgence that bankrupted the nation but the visible expression of Louis XIV's new monarchy - his ingenious methods of centering all activity around court life, thus preventing his courtiers from fomenting rebellion.

Under the Sun King, architecture, painting, music, and theater flourished, making France not only a great political force but a paradigm of fashion and culture as well. Louis XIV takes us from the grandeur of Versailles to the battlefields of the countryside, from the bedrooms of the king's mistresses to the chambers of his ministers, and presents an engrossing portrait of royal life and a commanding leader.

Genres: History, Biography, France, Nonfiction, European History, Historical

351 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Jose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent work. The most thorough book you'll find on Louis XIV. Unlike some other biographies that can get dull, this one is entertaining the entire way through. I look forward to reading Olivier Bernier's book on Louis XIV's Great-grandson, Louis XV.

[Lee Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. Learned a lot. Read was prompted by the beautiful TV series "Versailles." Author did a great job.

[Juliew. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was very well researched with the king's own memoirs being used but honestly I was looking for a more personal account rather than so much political back story.While there are chapters that include his relationships with his family,courtiers,mistresses and fantastic entertainments I felt the political timeline of his reign took those over.Focusing mostly on his government,his wars,ministers in power and world happenings.Also I wished there had been more back ground info leading up to his reign this just jumped right in with his mother's regency and his education.The writing was dry and unexciting and I felt at points I'd prefer to watch grass grow which I really don't know how the author managed to make a subject as fascinating as the Sun King seem dull.Otherwise,this might be interesting for the king's memoir accounts.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting book on an incredible figure in European History that is rarely talked about these days. He transformed Europe in terms of its power structure, the arts, diplomacy, culture, power - basically in every way. This biography was great in the first half, but as hard as I tried I got lost in the dozens of names and characters in the second half of the book as his family and power expanded. I would love to read more about the international affairs and the specifics on that diplomacy, but the book moved through those years rather quickly. I also realize that is my preference as a reader and someone who loves history - so as always these ratings are just my enjoyment of the book.

[Koit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting departure -- I've rarely read anything Francophilic for the Grand Alliance period, and my previous familiarity with the Sun King derived from M Alexandre Dumas. This, here, is a story of an entirely different kind though the legendary captain of musketeers does get mentioned once. 

I enjoyed the story thoroughly and the large number of eye-witness accounts which were drawn upon added colour and depth to the narrative. However, it is this very same large primary source reliance which perturbed me in this work. There was no substantive overview in one place of what works would be consulted and for a book which relied on quotations for, quite possibly, a half of its volume, that sounds slack to me. Instead, we run from one person's view into another with the author's comments on them being limited to a very few words. 

As such, what we don't get is M Bernier's biography on the Sun King but rather M Bernier's edited letters of the Sun King's reign. These two are not quite the same though they sound similar, but nevertheless the life and rule of this monarch come through nicely. I would recommend this book, but be aware that you will be reading a very disjointed work that needs a lot of analysis to comprehend.

Originally posted on my blog.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seemed like a very thorough account of the life of The Sun King to me.

Only one minor quibble, there where a couple times when the author jumped back a couple years in the chronology to touch upon something and it seemed a little jarring. I don't mind a little reference back to something related to wherever the story is later on, but for some reason in this book they just felt too random and distracting a couple of times.

[Donald McAlpin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive chronicle of the Sun King's life and times with a welcome focus on the politics rather than the more salacious episodes. The biographer is obviously a fan of Louis and, from time to time, he allows his bias to come to the surface. Overall however, a very readable and entertaining account of Louis's life.

[Joseph Ficklen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read, the author was engaging all throughout. Louis XIV had an amazingly accomplished and long life, he was born when Cardinal Richelieu governed France, and by the time he died in 1715, he had outlived his children, his grandchildren, and all but one of his great grandchildren. He went from having rebels intrude into his bedroom when he was 10 to commanding the obedience of every rank of French society during his personal rule. He expanded the borders of France in almost every direction. I had read quite a bit about the wars of Louis XIV before this, but never had I been able to contextualize them within the man’s own life. The author corrected many misconceptions I had about Louis; rather than being a spendthrift, it was Louis’ careful, personal management that led to France having balanced books for most of his reign. Louis had the same quality as Napoleon, an amazing attention to detail that gave him visibility and command over the smallest details of government. Even the cost of building Versailles never exceeded 1% of the annual budget. Louis was also not hidebound about rank, but promoted capable men to serve him, even if they weren’t born into the high nobility, like Colbert and Louvois.

However, I must criticize the author for being dazzled himself by Louis’ ‘gloire’. It would be hard to look so long into the reign of a great king without being spellbound, but he should have maintained a more impartial eye. The author almost never criticizes Louis for anything, the most egregious example of which is the way he exonerates Louis for the persecution of the Huguenots during his reign. Having giving multiple examples of Louis’ amazing attention to details, suddenly the King cannot be blamed for knowing what was happening in the countryside. Having given multiple examples of Louis’ genuine concern for his people’s welfare, suddenly the King is perfectly justified for disenfranchising and exiling a large portion of his people for not converting to Roman Catholicism. But perhaps religious persecution doesn’t matter as much to a secular author. This hagiographic tendency is the main reason this book does not get 5 stars from me. Still, it’s a great read, and has everything you could like in a history, plots, poisonings, assassinations, glories, defeats, etc.

[Kevin O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book about a remarkable man. So while it is in some respects a hagiography, there is at least some justification for that. This covers the life and times of The Sun King from birth to death, and he did live a long and eventful life. The way he tamed the French nobility was masterful, and he did have a good grasp of international politics. But I think that he did best when he had advisors he listened to, such as Colbert. It looks like by the end he started believing his own press and was convinced he knew better than everyone else, and that is not always the case. Was the War of Spanish Succession really a net positive for France? I think you can make the argument that it was not, and it is an example of where Bernier argues a bit too hard that Louis made the right call. And from an historical point of view, this regime is the great example of absolutist monarchy, and while it was successful at the time, it helps set the stage for the Revolution against his descendant Louis XVI.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. It was an enjoyable read, the way a fiction book would be. The language was very formal and felt flowery to me. It seemed much was stated very discreetly. I appreciate this in regard to the gossip which I don't need to know much about. When it came to history, it was difficult to tell what was actually happening, since the language was so formal and distant. I enjoyed the descriptions of Versaille and other architecture very much. I think for me, there must be a better biography of this historical figure. I did appreciate the quotations that Louis XIV wrote himself about how to rule and his reflections on his life. 3 stars, with an extra .5 stars for the fact I enjoyed the writing and architectural descriptions. If the work had been fiction, it would have been 4 stars, but from non-fiction I expect a better handle on facts and details.

[Ellie Midwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very detailed, thoroughly researched biography that truly brought the personality of Louis XIV to life. I was somewhat familiar with the Sun King’s reign before diving into this book, but I must admit, I learned so much after reading it; many aspects of Louis XIV’s rule became much clearer, let it be his decisions to wage wars or build Versailles, or place such importance on etiquette. I learned that most of the times it wasn’t indulgence or pride that motivated him to act in a certain way but a calculated strategy. I won’t go into details, but I’ll just say I’m so very glad I read it. Very eye-opening, extremely detailed, the most meticulously researched biography I’ve read to date.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a wealth of information in this book but at times it gets bogged down in the politics of the age. But Louis XIV’s life is so fascinating that it doesn’t detract too much from the book. The one thing seemed a pity was his determination not to allow his son to become close to him … this was his way of making sure there was never a chance for his son to take over his place as king before Louis died. Thus Louis kept his son mostly unenlightened and made sure he was kept rather stupid. But Louis XIV was by all measures a brilliant leader and brought, not only himself , but also his country much glory and honor .

[Matt Glady · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The author did a great job relaying Louis XIV’s life story in a format that was genuinely engaging and enjoyable to read. It’s clear that he submerged himself in the subject matter and source text. There were just SO many names and titles that it became hard to follow. This is not the fault of the author per se, but it was a lot and certainly created confusion.

While the focus of this book is undoubtedly (and rightly so) on the monarch, I would have been intrigued to have a more broad and often view in to how his decisions impacted his subjects. I guess that’s a tale for a different book that probably dives in to the causes of the French Revolution

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great biography. Really paints the Sun King in a bright light. It was entertaining to read and enjoyable. Sometimes I do feel it was biased toward to Louis, but there again, I can find no evidence to suggest that the points it made were anything but well-researched and well thought-out. It really made me think extremely highly about Louis, and I can confidently say he is probably my favorite monarch of all time (at least in French history). Regardless of my opinion, the biography was nothing if not thorough and informative.

[Pattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into the Sun King’s mind. I found parts of the book to be repetitive, but that serves to reinforce and reiterate why Louis XIV did what he did. I was looking for more descriptions of etiquette and fashion. There was not quite enough of that. I skimmed over the politics, yet that was also fascinating.

[James Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Revelation

In my next life, I shall be an historian. I've been to Versailles as a boy, but nothing I learned then led me to think there was so much more to the life of Louis XIV. What a pleasure it was to come to know His Majesty.

[Daniel Song · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clear view of the man, the court, and the state with relevant context and valuable primary source quotations. Sometimes the descriptions of décor are superfluous. Comes with a family tree that is helpful but insufficient to navigate through the various dukes and duchesses.

[Sekhar N Banerjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good history

The reign of the most glorious King of France has been very decently and elaborately presented. I liked the book very much

[Lucas Shumpert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much about him I didn't know! Fantastic! Loved it!

[John Kenrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and enjoyable

I knew little about Louis XVI, and found this bio an excellent introduction to his life story. Well worth reading.

[Barbara Albright · Rating 3 out of 5]

No

[Lynn Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lent this from Lincoln Public Library. I think after Nancy Mitford this was the 2nd biography I read about Louis XIV and by a French Historian. A really good biography.

[lynne-marie jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was astonished and disappointed to find no bibliography at the end of this book. It made my suspicions about its veracity confirmed. Nice try.

[Jinjer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy and interesting read.

[Boobyj Gard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

[Art Wangchu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should be renamed "Louis XIV's Personal Life". If you want to know something about society, diplomacy, and warfare of that age, it is a wrong book.

I do not like Louis XIV. How could such an ugly short man attract as many ladies as he wanted, just because he was the mighty king? As a Chinese, I see nothing new in Louis XIV's career as an absolute monarch. He just did what Qin Shi Huang of China had done nearly two thousand years before. It was the absolute monarchy that made the great revolution possible. As you know, the changes of dynasties in China always happened with drastic revolutions.

Louis XIV did it more gracefully. He made him an actor, or a celebrity serving as a king. The keyword of his regime was "attendance". The king himself should attend to show "I am still in power". The noble should attend to impress the king. Those who were forgotten by the king got neither power nor wealth.

I have to admit that Louis XIV was an ascetic and self-controlling man. Power often erodes and conceits people, but seemingly changed Louis little. His identity remained almost stable all his life long. This reminds me of Augustus.

[Rick Gross · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful tightly written book about Louis XIV. For the most part it reads like a fine novel .... never boring, easy to follow, and full of intrigue. I am convinced after reading this work that Louis ranks as one of the greatest monarchs of all time. A must read for anyone wanting to learn about him and France during his rule.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent biography. This is such an excellent biography of Louis XIV. The author's use of primary sources is superb. There is so much more to Louis than Versailles. I didn't realize what an excellent king he was. I highly recommend that this book.

[Josh U · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really factual, if you're interested in facts and history as a narrative, not bad.

Too much information to take in all at once, though.