Louis XIV Begins Personal Rule

Date: March 10, 1661 • Location: Sainte-Lizaigne, France

French "Sun King" Louis XIV begins his personal rule of France after the death of his premier, the Cardinal Mazarin.

Louis XIV, known as the "Sun King", was King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. He is the longest-reigning monarch in history, reigning for 72 years and 110 days. His reign brought about a golden age in French history, marked by a great expansion of the French colonial empire and a flourishing of French culture throughout Europe. As an absolute monarch, Louis expanded monarchical rule and diminished the power of the nobility, developing a strong centralised state ruled from the Palace of Versailles that persisted until the French Revolution.