Louis XIV of France died on 1 September 1715 in Palace of Versailles, aged 76. King of France and Navarre for seventy-two years, one of the longest reigns in European history, Louis XIV inherited the throne at age four, and after the death of Cardinal Mazarin in 1661 he ruled personally. Known as the Sun King, he built up royal power, supported by ministers such as Colbert, and moved the court to the vast palace of Versailles, which made the nobility dependent on royal favour. He patronized artists and writers including Molière, Racine and Lully. His wars of expansion, notably the War of the Spanish Succession, and his revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, which drove many Protestants out of France, left a mixed legacy and strained the royal finances.
Before and after
- 5 October 1713Birth of Denis Diderot
- 1714Construction of Belvedere
- 26 July 1714Battle of Gangut
- from 1715 to 1717Yamasee War
- 1 September 1715Death of Louis XIV of France
- 12 October 1715Birth of Peter II of Russia
- 13 November 1715Battle of Sheriffmuir
- from 8 July 1716 to 21 August 1716Siege of Corfu
- 14 November 1716Death of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
More in Wars, politics & history
- 1534Henry VIII becomes head of the Church of England
- from 17 January 1558 to 26 May 1583Livonian War
- from 2 April 1562 to 30 April 1598French Wars of Religion
- from 28 December 1688 to 1 January 1689Glorious Revolution
- 1713Peace of Utrecht
- from 16 December 1740 to 18 October 1748War of the Austrian Succession
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 18th century.