The Bourbons
(1601-1643) was the son of Henry IV and Marie de' Medici. He became king in 1610, his mother acting as regent until 1617. Conflict between Louis and his mother nearly led to civil war. For most of his reign the real ruler was Cardinal Richelieu, his chief adviser. Richelieu strengthened the crown by crushing the political power of the Huguenots (French Protestants), but then involved France in the Thirty Years' War on the Protestant side. It was during Louis XIII's reign that the French Academy was established.
(1638-1715), known as“the Great,”“the Grand Monarch”and“the Sun King,”had the most magnificent court in Europe. He built the lavish palace of Versailles. It was in his reign—the longest in European history—that France had a golden age of literature and art.
Louis became king in 1643, at the age of five. His mother, Anne of Austria, and Cardinal Mazarin ruled for him during his minority. A major event during this period was the Peace of Westphalia (1648), ending the Thirty Years' War.
After Mazarin's death in 1661, Louis ruled as an autocrat in accord with the famous statement attributed to him: “L'éeat c'est moi” (“I am the state”). Under him France for a time was the strongest military power in Europe. His armies took a part of the Spanish Netherlands and other areas, including Franche-Comté, at that time a Spanish possession bordering on Switzerland. He also made war on the Dutch. Only after the other leading nations, including England, combined against him to form the Grand Alliance did he cease his aggressions. He suffered his greatest military defeats in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14).
In 1685 the Edict of Nantes, which had protected the Huguenots, was revoked and Louis cruelly persecuted this group. Because many of them left France, the French economy suffered. Although Louis sponsored reforms in administration and commercial policy that strengthened the country for a time, France went into an economic decline during his last years.
(1710-1774) succeeded his greatgrandfather Louis XIV in 1715. He was a weak king who was more interested in pleasure than in governing. He was dominated by his mistresses, especially Madame de Pompadour and Madame du Barry.
France was involved in three major wars during Louis XV's reign: the War of the Polish Succession (1733-35), the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48), and the Seven Years' War (1756-63). The first war added Lorraine to France, but the other two were disastrous in cost and in loss of territory. As a result of the Seven Years' War (of which the French and Indian War was a part), France lost Quebec and other American territory to England. France was also forced to give England a free hand in India.
The government was nearly bankrupt at the end of Louis's reign. His extravagances and immorality, together with the corrupt and inefficient government that he tolerated, caused widespread dissatisfaction among all classes. This discontent helped set the stage for the French Revolution.
(1754-1793) was deposed and beheaded in the French Revolution. Unlike his grandfather, Louis XV, whom he succeeded in 1774, Louis XVI shunned the immorality of the court. Shy and dull, he preferred tinkering with locks and other mechanical devices to directing the affairs of state. Louis was concerned for the welfare of the middle and lower classes, but accepted bad advice on policies and appointments. Some of this advice came from his extravagant queen, Marie Antoinette. Even his successful support of the revolution in America against Great Britain proved to be unwise, for the cost of that support placed a heavy strain upon the already overburdened treasury.
After the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, Louis agreed to accept a constitution limiting his powers (1790). The following year he was arrested while trying to flee the country, but was allowed to remain king when he reaffirmed his support of the constitution.
In 1792 came war with Austria and Prussia. The Prussian commander threatened to destroy Paris if Louis, a virtual prisoner of the revolutionaries, were harmed. This threat convinced the Paris mob that Louis—who was related by marriage to the ruler of Austria—was a traitor. He was cenvicted of treason and in January, 1793, was guillotined. Marie Antoinette was beheaded nine months later.
(1785-1795?), the son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, never ruled. He was imprisoned with his family in 1792. After his father was beheaded, young Louis was called Louis XVII by his uncle, the count of Provence (later Louis XVIII). According to legend, another boy was substituted for him in prison and he escaped, but disappeared, becoming known as “the Lost Dauphin.” Most historians, however, agree that he died while imprisoned.
(1755-1824) was a brother of Louis XVI. He escaped from France during the Revolution. When Napoleon was defeated in 1814, the Allies helped Louis to become king. He fled when Napoleon returned in 1815. Restored to the throne after Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo three months later, Louis XVIII was at first moderately liberal. By the end of his reign in 1824 he had become repressive.
