King Louis XIV THE SUN KING

-The reign of France’s Louis XIV (1638-1718)

-He was known as the Sun King, lasted for 72 years longer than that of any other known European sovereign.

-In that time, he transformed the monarchy, ushered in a golden age of art and literature and annexed key territories and established his country as the dominant European power.

-During the final decades of Louis XIV’s rule, France was weakened by several lengthy wars that drained its resources and the mass exodus of its Protestant population following the king’s revocation of the Edict of Nantes.