King Louis XIV reigned in France from 1643-1715 and began his reign at only 4 years old. He was born on September 5, 1638 and was considered to be the "god-given" child. As a child his reign was dominated by the chief minister Cardinal Mazarin who called all the shots as he grew up. After Mazarin's death Louis XIV shocked his public by becoming his own chief minister and controlled his government almost entirely until his death in 1715. He acted through his high state council and select ministers including Jean Baptiste Colbert (Steingrad).
As we can see with his love of Moliere, King Louis XIV was a huge fan of the arts. Him and his minister Jean Baptiste Colbert wanted to glorify the monarchy through the arts. High amounts of money were spent on extravagant buildings, sculptures, paintings, theatre and even science. It later turns out that one of Louis XIV's favorite artists is Colbert's son, Moliere (Steingard).
After Colbert's death, the King's reigned seemed to decline. It began with the revoking of the free worship of the Protestant minority called Edict of Fontainebleau. Many Huguenots left the country bringing their skills and the capital they produced with them. His reign continued to decline as wars ensued until his death in 1715 (Steingard).
King Louis XIV kept a testy relationship with his mother his entire life. As a child she neglected him and he was raised by servants of the palace. At one point he almost drowned in a lake since no one was watching him (Steingard). Later in his life their relationship was no better. For Moliere, her influence prevented many of his original plays from being performed. For example, Tartuffe was banned for 5 years because of her and the church's influences. Most of the time King Louis XIV had to compromise with her to get the shows performed since he adored them so much. When Tartuffe was finally performed for the public it went through multiple revisions and King Louis XIV and Queen Anne had a huge argument filled with tears where Queen Anne gave up realizing fighting makes her more upset than she ever wants to be (Fraser).
Louis XIV was also known as "The Sun King" to many. This is because he chose the sun as his emblem since it represents the god Apollo. Apollo is the god of peace and of the arts. Louis XIV in his early years was a warrior-king who brought peace and adored the arts. The sun also represents regularity as it rises and sets for each day. Louis XIV showed this routine in his work habits (Steingard).
As we can see with his love of Moliere, King Louis XIV was a huge fan of the arts. Him and his minister Jean Baptiste Colbert wanted to glorify the monarchy through the arts. High amounts of money were spent on extravagant buildings, sculptures, paintings, theatre and even science. It later turns out that one of Louis XIV's favorite artists is Colbert's son, Moliere (Steingard).
After Colbert's death, the King's reigned seemed to decline. It began with the revoking of the free worship of the Protestant minority called Edict of Fontainebleau. Many Huguenots left the country bringing their skills and the capital they produced with them. His reign continued to decline as wars ensued until his death in 1715 (Steingard).
King Louis XIV kept a testy relationship with his mother his entire life. As a child she neglected him and he was raised by servants of the palace. At one point he almost drowned in a lake since no one was watching him (Steingard). Later in his life their relationship was no better. For Moliere, her influence prevented many of his original plays from being performed. For example, Tartuffe was banned for 5 years because of her and the church's influences. Most of the time King Louis XIV had to compromise with her to get the shows performed since he adored them so much. When Tartuffe was finally performed for the public it went through multiple revisions and King Louis XIV and Queen Anne had a huge argument filled with tears where Queen Anne gave up realizing fighting makes her more upset than she ever wants to be (Fraser).
Louis XIV was also known as "The Sun King" to many. This is because he chose the sun as his emblem since it represents the god Apollo. Apollo is the god of peace and of the arts. Louis XIV in his early years was a warrior-king who brought peace and adored the arts. The sun also represents regularity as it rises and sets for each day. Louis XIV showed this routine in his work habits (Steingard).