20 Interesting Facts About Louis XIV

French King Louis XIV is renowned far beyond the borders of France. He ruled around the same time as Peter the Great in Russia, and these two monarchs were even acquainted. The era of the “Sun King” was marked by a brief but vibrant period of cultural flourishing, during which hundreds of artists found a patron in the head of state.

Facts About Louis XIV’s Life:

1. King Louis XIV ascended the French throne at the age of 4.
2. He was a long-awaited child; his parents tried for 22 years to conceive an heir.
3. During his childhood, the kingdom was in decline. He and his brother, Philippe, wore hand-me-downs and were sometimes so hungry that they had to sneak into the castle kitchen and steal food right from the hot pans.
4. Louis XIV reigned for 72 years, the longest reign of any European monarch.
5. Louis XIV had not only French ancestry but also Jewish and Moorish roots, giving him a somewhat “Eastern” appearance.
6. The Sun King wanted to fill the gardens of Versailles with trees and fountains, but at that time, Versailles was just a barren plain. He used a mechanism to pump water from the Seine River for irrigation and transported mature trees from Compiègne to Versailles.
7. Louis is credited with being a fashion designer; it is believed he invented high-heeled shoes with red soles.
8. When the Italian sculptor Bernini crafted a marble bust of Louis XIV that accurately depicted the slight hook in his nose, the king made him alter it to appear straight, indicating some self-consciousness about his nose.
9. There is a popular myth about a twin brother whom Louis XIV supposedly kept hidden under an iron mask. However, this is likely untrue; if twins had been born, Louis’ parents would have celebrated the fact openly, as it would have been a double assurance that the throne wouldn’t remain vacant.
10. One of Louis XIV’s favorite dishes was turkey, so he ordered these birds to be raised specifically for him on his farm.
11. He outlived both his son and grandson, so the throne passed to his great-grandson.
12. During Louis’ reign, the court was extraordinarily lavish. The king loved luxury, and his grand vision of transforming the hunting lodge at Versailles into a residence with gardens, palaces, and parks came at a significant cost to the treasury: for 50 years, 14% of the annual income was spent on its construction.
13. His mistress, Françoise-Athénaïs de Montespan, constantly feared finding hair in her food. Louis XIV, a notorious prankster, would often hide a few strands in her plate for fun.
14. The future “Sun King” greatly respected and even feared his mother. In his youth, he fell deeply in love with Mazarin’s niece, Marie. The young man begged the queen to allow him to marry his beloved, who reciprocated his feelings, but she firmly said, “No.” He had to enter into a politically advantageous marriage for the sake of France.
15. The king’s second marriage was morganatic; he married his faithful companion, the Marquise de Maintenon, who raised his six illegitimate children. However, the marriage was not legally recognized by the higher social and religious authorities, and when Louis was on his deathbed, the 80-year-old Marquise was sent away from court so that the monarch could face God “cleansed of sin.”
16. In Versailles, the king established an unusual rule: no one could knock on the castle door without first scratching it with their fingernail.
17. The phrase “L’État, c’est moi!” (“I am the state!”) was indeed spoken by Louis XIV. However, it was not said lightly but in response to actions by Parliament attempting to limit the 17-year-old monarch’s power. Louis XIV had to remind the high-ranking officials that he, the lawful king, was in charge, not them.
18. Louis XIV lived to be 77 years old. His reign might have lasted even longer had he not fallen from his horse during a ride—a fall that proved fatal.
19. Under Louis’ patronage, a brilliant generation of classical writers flourished; the king awarded generous pensions to scholars and poets and was friends with Boileau, Racine, and even the excommunicated Molière.
20. The dishes consumed by the monarch at dinner could have fed not only all the queen’s ladies-in-waiting but also his entourage. And this meal was not the only one. Louis XIV constantly satisfied his hunger at night as well, but he did so alone, with his valet secretly bringing him food.