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Louis XIV is born
He was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France to Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria. -
Louis dad died
Louis XIII died and Louis XIV took the throne shortly after. -
Louis became King of France
Louis XIV became king at the age of four. His reign was the longest that ever lasted of any European Monarch. He began ruling after the death Louis XIII, his father, and the Cardinal Mazarin, his chief minister. -
Louis weaken nobles, and strengthen government
When the Cardinal Mazarin died, Louis took control of the government by himself, at the young age of four. He does this by decreasing the power of the nobles, and increasing the strength and dominance of the government who collect taxes and administered justice. In order to do this, Louis had to make sure he made contact with the local officials. -
Louis attempts to expand
Louis tries to expand France's boundaries. He captured Spanish Netherlands and gained 12 towns for his country. Confident with his success, he led his army to invade Dutch Netherlands. But, they had failed. Still, France gained several towns and even a region called Franche-Comte. So, overall it was pretty successful. -
Louis fights additional wars
Louis decided to fight additional wars, just in case he could gain more land. However, he had ran out of land, and by the end of the 1680's, a European wide alliance formed to stop France from gaining any more land. Their defensive strategy was to balance out the power, in which no single country could dominate others. (Weakness for the people) -
Louis expands the Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles was originally a hunting lodge built in 1624, by Louis XIII. Louis XVI expanded this palace to proof his absolute power. This palace was the official residence of the Kings of France from 1682 - 1790. The palace is beautifully made. (Weakness for the people, because they would've taken many taxes from the people) -
Louis cancels the Edict of Nantes
Louis slows down the economic process of France. He cancels the Edict of Nantes, which protects religious rights of Huguenots, he was a christian who despised Huguenots. Because of this action skilled workers and businessmen fled the country. Louis did not like their religion - protestants. -
Dutch prince William of Orange become king of England
Dutch prince William of Orange joined the league of of Ausgburg, which consisted of leaders of several European countries. All the countries equaled France's strength. France was weakened by a poor harvest, which then added to war, and France suffered greatly. Louis had no choice but to raise taxes, for him to pay for his wars. (Weakness for France) -
War of the Spanish Succession
A war that laster from 1701 - 1713, in which various European states fought to prevent the Bourbon family from controtlling Spain and France. France lost their colonies and wealth. (Weakness for France) -
Louis XIV dies
Louis dies tragically. He realizes that the wars have ruined France, he regrets all the suffering people had to go through. Louis XIV died in his bed and the news of his death made France happy. They have had enough of him. (Strength for the people)
