King of the World
The Life of Louis XIV
Philip Mansel
- Winner
- of
- the
- Franco-British
- Society
- Book
- Prize
- 2019'The
- ultimate
- biography
- of
- the
- Sun
- King'
- Simon
- Sebag
- MontefioreLouis
- XIV
- dominated
- his
- age.
- He
- extended
- France's
- frontiers
- into
- Netherlands
- and
- Germany,
- and
- established
- colonies
- overseas.
- The
- stupendous
- palace
- he
- built
- at
- Versailles
- became
- the
- envy
- of
- monarchs
- all
- over
- Europe.
- In
- his
- palaces,
- Louis
- encouraged
- dancing,
- hunting,
- music
- and
- gambling.
- He
- loved
- conversation,
- especially
- with
- women:
- the
- power
- of
- women
- in
- Louis's
- life
- and
- reign
- is
- a
- particular
- theme
- of
- this
- book.
- Louis
- was
- obsessed
- by
- the
- details
- of
- government
- but
- the
- cost
- of
- building
- palaces
- and
- waging
- continuous
- wars
- devastated
- the
- country's
- finances
- and
- helped
- set
- it
- on
- the
- path
- to
- revolution.
- Nevertheless,
- by
- his
- death,
- he
- had
- helped
- make
- his
- grandson
- king
- of
- Spain,
- where
- his
- descendants
- still
- reign,
- and
- France
- had
- taken
- essentially
- the
- shape
- it
- has
- today.King
- of
- the
- World
- is
- the
- most
- comprehensive
- and
- up-to-date
- biography
- of
- this
- hypnotic,
- flawed
- figure
- in
- English.
- It
- draws
- on
- all
- the
- latest
- research
- to
- paint
- a
- convincing
- and
- compelling
- portrait
- of
- a
- man
- who,
- three
- hundred
- years
- after
- his
- death,
- still
- epitomises
- the
- idea
- of
- le
- grand monarque.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
