1. Absolute Monarch of France

2.  Louis XIV came to the throne in 1643 at the age of four  Gained supreme control in 1661 at the age of 23

3.  Believed in the Divine Right of Kings  Fostered the myth of himself as the Sun King  Source of light for all of his people  Created a centralized government  King oversaw everything

4.  Louis removed nobles and princes from the royal council  Kept them busy with entertainment and out of politics  As a result, Louis had complete authority over Foreign Policy Religion Taxes

5.  Versailles  The king’s palace  Moved the court here from Paris  Served three major purposes Personal household of the king Offices of the state were located here Place where powerful subjects came  Life at Versailles Carefully staged Complex etiquette Lots of entertainment Hunting, boating trips, plays, ballets, concerts etc.

6. Technical details Floor area67,000 m 2 Number of windows2,153 Number of rooms2,300 Staircases67 Paintings in the museum’s collection 6,123 Drawings in museum’s collection1,500 Engravings in museum’s collection 15,034 Sculptures in museum’s collection 2,102 Pieces of furniture and objets d’art 5,210

8.  King Louis spent A LOT of money  Building palaces  Maintaining his court  Going to war  War  Developed a standing army numbering 400,000  Waged 4 wars between 1617 and 1713

9.  Died in 1715, at the age of 76  He ruled for 72 years, longer than any other known European monarch  Left France with great debts  Gained many enemies through war  Versailles