Louis XIV - Sun King

What a huge gap between Louis XIV and his unfortunate descendant Louis XVI, the King that will be guillotined during the French Revolution and who notoriously had said: "Help us God, for we are too young to reign"...

On 7 September 1654, young Louis XIV was crowned. Two days before, he had just turned 16. He will wisely let Cardinal Mazarin govern until his passing in 1661 and in the meantime, he perfected his education.

The painting of Louis XIV after his coronation by Juste d'Egmont shows a serene 16yr old King. Louis picked the sun as his symbol and he could not have chosen a better one. He will shine and cast a shadow on other European monarchs of his time.

Voltaire will refer to Louis XIV' era as the "grand siècle": the grand century! But every coin has two sides. Find out the dark side of Louis XIV...