# Louis XIV

Canonical: https://www.bookquiver.com/josephine-wilkinson/louis-xiv

JSON version (same data): https://www.bookquiver.com/josephine-wilkinson/louis-xiv.json

![Louis XIV](https://quivercdn.com/covers/amberley-publishing/josephine-wilkinson/louis-xiv_978-14-4569-173-2-10cc1238.webp?v=2026-10-18%2003%3A43%3A02)

- Authors: [Josephine Wilkinson](https://www.bookquiver.com/josephine-wilkinson)
- Language: en_US
- Published: 2019-03-15
- Genres: History

## Description

Intelligent, authoritative, and often surprising, a biography of the most famous of French monarchs, by an acclaimed biographer and historian. Louis XIV’s story has all the ingredients of a Dumas classic: legendary beginnings, beguiling women, court intrigue, a mysterious prisoner in an iron mask, lavish court entertainments, the scandal of a mistress who was immersed in the dark arts, and a central character who is handsome and romantic, but with a frighteningly dark side to his character. Louis believed himself to be semidivine. His self-identification as the Sun King, which was reflected in iconography of the sun god, Apollo, influenced every aspect of Louis’s life: his political philosophy, his wars, and his relationships with courtiers and subjects. As a military strategist, Louis’s capacity was debatable, but he was an astute politician who led his country to the heights of sophistication and power – and then had the misfortune to live long enough to see it all crumble away. As the sun began to set upon this most glorious of reigns, it brought a gathering darkness filled with the anguish of dead heirs, threatened borders, and a populace that was dangerously dependent upon – but greatly distanced from – its king.

## Editions

### Louis XIV

- Publisher: Amberley Publishing
- ISBN: 978-14-4569-173-2
- Pages: 352
- Published: 2019-03-15
- Language: en_US