The Great Achievements And Accomplishments Of King Louis XIV

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You’ve heard of Louisiana, right? Well, I bet you’ve never heard of the man whom it was named after...King Louis XIV. When explorer René-Robert Cavelier claimed the territory for France, he named it La Louisiane to honor the French King. Today, we can see very clearly why Cavelier wanted to honor his king. King Louis XIV had many great accomplishments in government, trade, military, and much more. King Louis was born on September 5, 1683 in the palace Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. His father was King Louis XIII, and his mother was the Spanish queen, Anne of Austria. He had one sibling: a younger brother who was Philippe I, Duke of Orleans. After 23 years of marriage and trying to have children, Louis XIII and Anne finally had Louis XIV, …show more content…

Back then they probably didn’t have enough knowledge of diseases to know how to cure them, so there was nothing they could do for him. So on May 14, 1643, Louis XIV became known as King Louis XIV of France and was left the crown of a rundown, volatile country. Before he died, though, Louis XIII appointed in his will a regency council to rule until Louis XIV got old enough to rule by himself. Anne, assisted by Cardinal Jules Mazarin, served as sole regent for Louis XIV. Just imagine the role of Louis XIV...a toddler with no more time to play. He was expected to grow into a man earlier than anyone else, with all the eyes of France on him. Also, unlike most children, Louis XIV had no impact from his father on his life, which can make all the difference in a young man. (http://www.history.com) …show more content…

Mazarin then started to build a complex administration as Louis stood back by and learned from him. At this time Louis XIV had come of age. He was old enough and wise enough to become king of France, at last. However, Mazarin being Louis XIV’s teacher, Louis was afraid to question Mazarin’s authority. The Franco-Spanish war was just coming to an end, but before it did, the French needed support on the battlefield from their king. So Louis XIV, being the honorable man that he was, went and fought for France. Finally, in 1659 the war ended as a result of the Treaty of Pyrenees. I believe that this was what made Louis XIV such a great king...he cared for his people and he honored them. Now Louis faced a completely different conflict. He had fallen in love with Mazarin’s niece, Marie Mancini. As a king, he didn’t have the luxury of being with whoever he wanted. He had to think of his kingdom, expanding his power, and making peace with other countries. For two years he struggled with the decision of love and duty, but in the end duty won. In 1660 he married Marie-Therese of Austria, the daughter of King Philip IV of Spain. This particular marriage ensured peace between France and

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