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Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King
The self-proclaimed Sun King, Louis XIV ruled over the most glorious and extravagant court in seventeenth-century Europe. Now, Antonia Fraser goes behind the well-known tales of Louis’s accomplishments and follies, exploring in riveting detail his intimate relationships with women.
The king’s mother, Anne of Austria, had been in a childless marriage for twenty-two years before she gave birth to Louis XIV. A devout Catholic, she instilled in her son a strong sense of piety and fought successfully for his right to absolute power. In 1660, Louis married his first cousin, Marie-Thérèse, in a political arrangement. While unfailingly kind to the official "Queen of Versailles," Louis sought others to satisfy his romantic and sexual desires. After a flirtation with his sister-in-law, his first important mistress was Louise de La Vallière, who bore him several children before being replaced by the tempestuous and brilliant Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan. Later, when Athénaïs’s reputation was tarnished, the king continued to support her publicly until Athénaïs left court for a life of repentance. Meanwhile her children’s governess, the intelligent and seemingly puritanical Françoise de Maintenon, had already won the king’s affections; in a relationship in complete contrast to his physical obsession with Athénaïs, Louis XIV lived happily with Madame de Maintenon for the rest of his life, very probably marrying her in secret. When his grandson’s child bride, the enchanting Adelaide of Savoy, came to Versaille she lightened the king’s last years—until tragedy struck.
With consummate skill, Antonia Fraser weaves insights into the nature of women’s religious lives—as well as such practical matters as contraception—into her magnificent, sweeping portrait of the king, his court, and his ladies.
The king’s mother, Anne of Austria, had been in a childless marriage for twenty-two years before she gave birth to Louis XIV. A devout Catholic, she instilled in her son a strong sense of piety and fought successfully for his right to absolute power. In 1660, Louis married his first cousin, Marie-Thérèse, in a political arrangement. While unfailingly kind to the official "Queen of Versailles," Louis sought others to satisfy his romantic and sexual desires. After a flirtation with his sister-in-law, his first important mistress was Louise de La Vallière, who bore him several children before being replaced by the tempestuous and brilliant Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan. Later, when Athénaïs’s reputation was tarnished, the king continued to support her publicly until Athénaïs left court for a life of repentance. Meanwhile her children’s governess, the intelligent and seemingly puritanical Françoise de Maintenon, had already won the king’s affections; in a relationship in complete contrast to his physical obsession with Athénaïs, Louis XIV lived happily with Madame de Maintenon for the rest of his life, very probably marrying her in secret. When his grandson’s child bride, the enchanting Adelaide of Savoy, came to Versaille she lightened the king’s last years—until tragedy struck.
With consummate skill, Antonia Fraser weaves insights into the nature of women’s religious lives—as well as such practical matters as contraception—into her magnificent, sweeping portrait of the king, his court, and his ladies.
388 pages, Hardcover
First published October 24, 2006
383 people are currently reading
9166 people want to read
About the author
Antonia Fraser
183 books1,494 followersAntonia Fraser is the author of many widely acclaimed historical works, including the biographies Mary, Queen of Scots (a 40th anniversary edition was published in May 2009), Cromwell: Our Chief of Men, King Charles II and The Gunpowder Plot (CWA Non-Fiction Gold Dagger; St Louis Literary Award). She has written five highly praised books which focus on women in history, The Weaker Vessel: Women's Lot in Seventeenth Century Britain (Wolfson Award for History, 1984), The Warrior Queens: Boadecia's Chariot, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Marie Antoinette: The Journey (Franco-British Literary Prize 2001), which was made into a film by Sofia Coppola in 2006 and most recently Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King. She was awarded the Norton Medlicott Medal by the Historical Association in 2000. Antonia Fraser was made DBE in 2011 for her services to literature. Her most recent book is Must You Go?, celebrating her life with Harold Pinter, who died on Christmas Eve 2008. She lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 329 reviews
September 25, 2013
Busty young princess Marie-Adélaïde set tongues and codpieces wagging today as she made her first appearance in court looking dressed to kill in a daring figure-hugging gown. The saucy Savoyarde (34-20-34, after corset) was presented to future hubby the Dauphin – but onlookers said her Alpine attributes also had the King giving her the royal once-over. Official courtiers were unavailable for comment, but sources close to Versailles told us: ‘She may only be 11, but that's hardly likely to stop Louis. Frankly, if we didn't keep a steady supply of hos round here, I honestly worry he'd start humping the furniture.’ ‘House of Bourbon?’ said another. ‘House of Whore-bon, more like!’
This book is essentially a Louis-Quatorzian tabloid.
The problem I had with it was that it felt a bit too light to be valuable history, but at the same time not quite salacious enough to be enjoyed as just good gossip. Antonia Fraser's approach is to tell the story of Louis XIV's reign through the women that were close to him – from his mother Anne of Austria, through his wife(s?) and mistresses, down to his beloved granddaughter-in-law Adelaide – but although it does contain quite a few fascinating anecdotes, overall I felt I didn't finish the book much more enlightened than before I started.
It does drive home to you quite how much Louis, for want of a better word, slutted it up at court. The very fact that there was a semi-official position for his maîtresse-en-titre, complete with suite of royal apartments, kind of amazes me – what on earth did the queen think of it? (One of many fundamental questions that this book doesn't really address.) They all lived in each other's pockets, so nothing can have been a secret, yet the fiction had to be maintained. The queen on one occasion actually walked right past the room where Louise La Vallière was going into labour with Louis's love-child. ‘Are you all right?’ the queen asked, seeing this girl clearly in some pain. Louise, panicking, called back, ‘Colic, Madame, an attack of colic’!
My favourite mistress was Françoise-Athénaïs, a.k.a. Madame de Montespan – the only one who seems to be enjoying herself, she had a famously sparkling line in conversation and also (Fraser seems weirdly shocked by this) liked sex a whole lot. She's described as having long blonde hair, a pouting mouth, and eyes that were ‘huge, blue and very slightly exophthalmic’, all of which makes me think casting directors should be calling up Amanda Seyfried.
Athénaïs happened to be married already; her husband, despite being advised that if your wife's cheating on you with the king you should probably just keep quiet, kicked up a huge fuss about it and ended up getting exiled from court. Back on his estate, he pulled down the gates to his château, telling everyone loudly that his cuckold's horns were now too big to fit through them. Classy way to handle it.
Dominating the latter parts of the book is Françoise d'Aubigné, Madame de Maintenon, who was older than Louis and clearly more of an emotional support for him than a sexual fling. Indeed she didn't really want to be a mistress, as such, preferring the role of religious advisor and loyal friend – but, as Fraser puts it, she ‘decided that a best friend's duty to Louis XIV did unfortunately include sleeping with him, in order to prevent other more frivolous, less religiously focused people doing it without her own pure motives.’ Louis probably married her in secret after his first queen died.
Perhaps my favourite character at court was not a mistress at all, but Louis's sister-in-law – a German princess known as Liselotte. She was rather overweight and hated almost everyone, especially the royal bastards whom she referred to cheerfully as ‘the mouse-droppings in the pepper’. While all around her were consumed with etiquette and courtesy, she was scribbling happily during a particularly nasty cold that she probably looked like ‘a shat-on carrot’, or enjoying impromptu farting competitions with her immediate family (the winner could make ‘a noise like a flute’).
‘I shall look like a shat-on carrot’
Occasionally I questioned Antonia Fraser's methods. She has an admirable desire to make her story readable and compelling, but sometimes she takes liberties to get the job done. Consider this passage:
Louise flung herself trembling on the ground before him. Only then did his glacial reception – she had defied his explicit orders to stay at Versailles – convince her of her terrible mistake. ‘How much inquietude you might have spared me, had you been as tepid in the first days of our acquaintance as you have seemed for some time past! You gave me evidence of a great passion: I was enchanted and I abandoned myself to loving you to distraction.’ The poignant words were those of a young woman in […] the celebrated best-seller of the time, Letters of a Portuguese Nun. They might have been spoken word for word by Louise.
Wha–? You can't do that! You can't just borrow lines from a novel and say, ‘Wow, historical figures might well have said something a bit similar’ – at least not without a lot of care and signposting. This is not cool.
If I look out of my kitchen window, I can see the building where Louis XIV was born – now an overpriced hotel. My daughter plays in the enormous gardens of what was once the royal château of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. So this is a place and period I am particularly interested in, and this book does give you a few clues as to the ‘interesting mixture of sexuality reined in by religious fervour’ that prevailed at the Sun-King's court. But in the final analysis, I find myself craving something a bit more detailed and critical.
tl;dr: Phwoar what a scorcher
June 27, 2017
In my post-Versailles TV series hangover, I wanted to read this to get a sense of the historical reality behind the fiction - sadly, though, this is not Fraser at her best. The narrative feels unfocused in comparison with her Mary Queen of Scots and The Gunpowder Plot, and that seems to be because she changed the remit of the book mid-way. She originally planned to write about Louis' mistresses, then widened it to also cover his relationships with other women: his mother, Anne of Austria; his daughters; the wife of his grandson. The result is a book which feels messy in its organisation and skimpy in its details.
The first two sections that take us from Louis' birth to the death of his wife Marie-Therese are the most pulled-together; the latter two sections that take in his later crisis of conscience and move away from the gallant image of the virile, playboy Sun King are less coherent.
Ultimately, Fraser seems to want to say something about the position of a certain class of women during Louis' reign but the narrative itself is organised around his life, and the two imperatives seem to be at odds with each other.
This is interesting and entertaining enough, but ends up being a somewhat mixed and chaotic enterprise.
The first two sections that take us from Louis' birth to the death of his wife Marie-Therese are the most pulled-together; the latter two sections that take in his later crisis of conscience and move away from the gallant image of the virile, playboy Sun King are less coherent.
Ultimately, Fraser seems to want to say something about the position of a certain class of women during Louis' reign but the narrative itself is organised around his life, and the two imperatives seem to be at odds with each other.
This is interesting and entertaining enough, but ends up being a somewhat mixed and chaotic enterprise.
January 6, 2018
Did you know that Louis the XIV used to be given an enema on a regular basis? Or that no matter one's suffering, they we're bled from their arms or their legs? Now that is some horror stuff right there. I can only appreciate the age I'm living in, with all its advances in medicine.
This book is more than just a look at the women in the Sun King's life. It contains references to his military expeditions and the life quality of the common folk.
I find Louis a very self-centered man (he had been raised to be as such) and I like him less than before reading this book. I think Antonia Fraser wanted to paint him as a not so cruel, selfish person, but that's what I understood while reading Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King. All he ever did, he did it for he's ego, with little thought to those who actually formed the country (the everyday man or woman who found sustenance harder while his army was playing at war).
I think I better understand why the people hated the nobility more with each passing year and why the French revolution came to pass.
This book is more than just a look at the women in the Sun King's life. It contains references to his military expeditions and the life quality of the common folk.
I find Louis a very self-centered man (he had been raised to be as such) and I like him less than before reading this book. I think Antonia Fraser wanted to paint him as a not so cruel, selfish person, but that's what I understood while reading Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King. All he ever did, he did it for he's ego, with little thought to those who actually formed the country (the everyday man or woman who found sustenance harder while his army was playing at war).
I think I better understand why the people hated the nobility more with each passing year and why the French revolution came to pass.
March 22, 2024
This book is exactly what the title say......well, almost..............mini-biographies of the women in the life of Louis XIV, from his mother through his various dalliances with his mistresses (official and otherwise). But is also covers some of the social and political environment of the times which add interest to this history. There is enough history t0 keep it from being gossipy but the author doesn't skimp on the personal details.
The life at the court of the Sun King was so bound by court etiquette that one misstep could evoke the displeasure of the King and result in banishment or in the case of women, being sent to a nunnery. Conversely, flagrant affairs were overlooked and in the case of the King, expected. The lives of the major and minor players in this history read like fiction and range from ludicrous to delightful. The author has done her usual impeccable research, dispels some rumors about Louis' reign, and provides a window into a time of court intrigues, politics, arranged marriages, and love affairs. Quite entertaining..
The life at the court of the Sun King was so bound by court etiquette that one misstep could evoke the displeasure of the King and result in banishment or in the case of women, being sent to a nunnery. Conversely, flagrant affairs were overlooked and in the case of the King, expected. The lives of the major and minor players in this history read like fiction and range from ludicrous to delightful. The author has done her usual impeccable research, dispels some rumors about Louis' reign, and provides a window into a time of court intrigues, politics, arranged marriages, and love affairs. Quite entertaining..
February 13, 2017
I don't know that I am totally unbiased in my review of this book, as just from a glance it held many of my favorite things: history, courtly drama, France, clever women in high places, gorgeous color photo sections, and Antonia Fraser. I read her "Marie Antoinette: The Journey" at the beginning of 2016 and was extremely impressed, and I found my reaction to be the same here. I was thoroughly entertained throughout.
September 11, 2009
A detailed look at the reign of Louis XIV and the various women in his life. The list begins with his mother, Anne of Austria, who acted as regent when Louis assumed the throne at age four; and then ends with his last mistress, Madame de Maintenon. In between we get details of his first love, a couple other maitresses-en-titres, his wife, daughters, and in-laws. My favorite of the bunch was Mary Beatrice d'Este, who was the wife of the exiled King James II. When the king had to leave his country, he took his wife and daughter to the French court, where they lived under Louis's protection for several years. Mary Beatrice, apparently, was very intelligent in addition to being beautiful, and she and Louis were very close. Fraser doesn't think they ever slept together (I vote "doubtful"), but their relationship was still very interesting.
Information about each of the women is pretty evenly distributed, but Fraser spends the most time with Maintenon - makes sense, since they were together the longest. Fraser thinks they actually got married in secret after Louis's wife died, but I'm still not convinced. Fraser's evidence is basically, "they were around each other all the time so you know, why not, and also once Maintenon was painted wearing royal ermine."
And I have to point out - this book is, all things considered, kind of dull. If you're a history nerd like me this won't bother you, but still. For every interesting story Fraser gives us (dirty details, people. That's what we want), there are pages of boring politics. Yes, Louis was involved in lots of wars, but let's try and keep the book's title in mind, Fraser. As Louis himself once said, "Whores over wars, bro. Whores over wars." [citation needed:]
Information about each of the women is pretty evenly distributed, but Fraser spends the most time with Maintenon - makes sense, since they were together the longest. Fraser thinks they actually got married in secret after Louis's wife died, but I'm still not convinced. Fraser's evidence is basically, "they were around each other all the time so you know, why not, and also once Maintenon was painted wearing royal ermine."
And I have to point out - this book is, all things considered, kind of dull. If you're a history nerd like me this won't bother you, but still. For every interesting story Fraser gives us (dirty details, people. That's what we want), there are pages of boring politics. Yes, Louis was involved in lots of wars, but let's try and keep the book's title in mind, Fraser. As Louis himself once said, "Whores over wars, bro. Whores over wars." [citation needed:]
October 18, 2008
Lady Antonia Fraser is an accomplished historian; her Tudor books have enthralled me for years. I chose her to introduce me to the French court--sadly, a disappointment. This book is focused on King Louis XIV and the women he loved in his life.
It begins well, with a focus on Louis XIV's mother and regent Anne of Austria. Anne was a pious and effective ruler, and she left her son with a profound belief in the Catholic Church. Partly through her influence, Louis abandoned his love affair with Marie Mancini and married the Spanish Infanta Marie-Therese. After a short period of romance, their marriage was stable, if loveless. Louis was in love with Louise de La Valliere, a young woman as passionately in love with God as she was with Louis. They had several illegitimate children together before Louis's attention passed on to the far more glamorous Francoise-Athenais de Rochechouart de Mortemart. Athenais was dazzling in beauty and wit, and reigned Versailles for about ten years. After a short affair with the beautiful but dim Angelique de Fontanges, who died bearing his child, Louis moved on to his illegitimate children's governess, Francoise de Maintenon. She was three years older than he, with no connections, wealth, or reputation, and yet Louis was true to her until his death. In fact, it is rumored that after the death of his queen, he married her in a secret, morganatic ceremony. Whatever the case, Louis's remaining years were spent in the War of the Spanish Succession (wherein he tried to put his grandson on the Spanish throne--and eventually Philip V did reign) and marrying his grandchildren by his mistresses to his grandchildren by his wife. Creeeepy.
There was a real lack of quotes or letters in this book. After reading the whole thing, I had as little understanding of Louis's character as at the start. The women do not shine through either. I was confused by the many titles and the incredibly similar names (Marie-Jeanne, Marie-Anne, Anne-Marie...ugh!), a situation made worse when a character would be named on pg 100 and then reappear, with no explanation, on pg 300. Overall, a frustrating book about a fascinating period.
It begins well, with a focus on Louis XIV's mother and regent Anne of Austria. Anne was a pious and effective ruler, and she left her son with a profound belief in the Catholic Church. Partly through her influence, Louis abandoned his love affair with Marie Mancini and married the Spanish Infanta Marie-Therese. After a short period of romance, their marriage was stable, if loveless. Louis was in love with Louise de La Valliere, a young woman as passionately in love with God as she was with Louis. They had several illegitimate children together before Louis's attention passed on to the far more glamorous Francoise-Athenais de Rochechouart de Mortemart. Athenais was dazzling in beauty and wit, and reigned Versailles for about ten years. After a short affair with the beautiful but dim Angelique de Fontanges, who died bearing his child, Louis moved on to his illegitimate children's governess, Francoise de Maintenon. She was three years older than he, with no connections, wealth, or reputation, and yet Louis was true to her until his death. In fact, it is rumored that after the death of his queen, he married her in a secret, morganatic ceremony. Whatever the case, Louis's remaining years were spent in the War of the Spanish Succession (wherein he tried to put his grandson on the Spanish throne--and eventually Philip V did reign) and marrying his grandchildren by his mistresses to his grandchildren by his wife. Creeeepy.
There was a real lack of quotes or letters in this book. After reading the whole thing, I had as little understanding of Louis's character as at the start. The women do not shine through either. I was confused by the many titles and the incredibly similar names (Marie-Jeanne, Marie-Anne, Anne-Marie...ugh!), a situation made worse when a character would be named on pg 100 and then reappear, with no explanation, on pg 300. Overall, a frustrating book about a fascinating period.
May 13, 2017
I loved this book. I read it before watching the Versailles series on Ovation and so glad I did. The series stays somewhat true to history but of course it is TV and has to add its flare to it. He was a very interesting King and contributed so much. A must read for any monarchy fan.
December 31, 2019
Dans « Les femmes dans la vie de Louis XIV » on trouve la grande Antonia Fraser au sommet de son art. Elle y démontre que le conté de fée était vrai : c’est-à-dire que Louis XIV était un galant d’un grandeur âme extraordinaire et d’une puissance extraordinaire. Bref, le roi soleil était un amant de rêve.
Pour bâtir sa thèse, Fraser se sert des écrits des grands écrivains qui ont fréquenté le cours de Louis XIV tels que la comtesse de la Fayette, Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, Pierre Corneille, Jean Racine, Molière, Mme. de Scudéry, Mme. de Sévigné, François Fénelon, le Duc de Saint-Simon, Paul Scarron, et Jean de la Fontaine. À ce groupe, il faut aussi ajouter les compositeurs Marc-Antoine Charpentier et Jean-Baptiste Lully. Fraser connait extrêmement bien les œuvres majeures et mineurs de ces auteurs. À tout moment, elle est capable de citer un passage qui illustre bien l’état d’âme de la femme en question dans l’entourage du roi soleil.
« Les femmes dans la vie de Louis XIV » lit comme « Le Dit du Genji ». C’est un récit dynamique et fluide d’un grand homme d’état qui sait aimer. Le problème est qu’il faut connaitre assez bien les auteurs cités afin de rentrer dans la magie. Les lecteurs qui non rien lu de la comtesse de la Fayette, Bossuet et compagnie seront perdus.
Il y a très peu de français qui aiment la littérature française du dix-septième siècle autant qu’Antonia Fraser. J’encourage tous les francophones de lire ce livre qui ouvre une nouvelle fenêtre sur cette grande époque littéraire.
Lu en anglais.
Pour bâtir sa thèse, Fraser se sert des écrits des grands écrivains qui ont fréquenté le cours de Louis XIV tels que la comtesse de la Fayette, Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, Pierre Corneille, Jean Racine, Molière, Mme. de Scudéry, Mme. de Sévigné, François Fénelon, le Duc de Saint-Simon, Paul Scarron, et Jean de la Fontaine. À ce groupe, il faut aussi ajouter les compositeurs Marc-Antoine Charpentier et Jean-Baptiste Lully. Fraser connait extrêmement bien les œuvres majeures et mineurs de ces auteurs. À tout moment, elle est capable de citer un passage qui illustre bien l’état d’âme de la femme en question dans l’entourage du roi soleil.
« Les femmes dans la vie de Louis XIV » lit comme « Le Dit du Genji ». C’est un récit dynamique et fluide d’un grand homme d’état qui sait aimer. Le problème est qu’il faut connaitre assez bien les auteurs cités afin de rentrer dans la magie. Les lecteurs qui non rien lu de la comtesse de la Fayette, Bossuet et compagnie seront perdus.
Il y a très peu de français qui aiment la littérature française du dix-septième siècle autant qu’Antonia Fraser. J’encourage tous les francophones de lire ce livre qui ouvre une nouvelle fenêtre sur cette grande époque littéraire.
Lu en anglais.
July 27, 2018
Louis XIV and the women in his life. I had expected this book to be interesting and entertaining, but I found it chaotic and at times boring. The subject matter is simply too broad (Fraser doesn't only look at relationships between Louis and his wife and mistresses, but also his mother, daughters and in-laws). It would have been better to focus on only a few women and really explore those relationships thoroughly.
This is the second book by Antonia Fraser that I've read and both were rather disappointing. I have no intention to read a third.
This is the second book by Antonia Fraser that I've read and both were rather disappointing. I have no intention to read a third.
May 30, 2017
Antonia Fraser is known for her impeccable research and ability to bring history to life. Love and Louis XIV is no different. I thoroughly enjoyed this review of the women who influenced the Sun King and recommend it.
November 17, 2020
I got intrigued by Louis XIV through podcast I listened about him. First I was hesitant that this book will only focus on his love affairs but I didn’t have to be. It told an encompassing story of his life, love, politics, scandal and war.
It fills me with warmth to see history narrated through lives of women. In this case many women in Louis XIV’s life. These were not just lovers, but mother, sister-in-law, cousin, grand-daughter-in-law and many others.
Through their eyes we see it was difficult to be a woman in those times. Even if you were the maitresse-en-titre.
I sympathized with Henrietta Marie, with Marie Mancini, LisaLot and Adelaide. So much youthful potential simply squandered by bad men in their lives (not Louis).
Louis was a great king for the times. He was a sensual king with great hair (at first) who loved theater, danced ballet, loved orange trees, fountains and of course Versailles. You can tell he genuinely loved and respected women and loved to surround himself with them. He tried to do his best and in many aspects he did. In some others not so much.
Reading this book I felt like I was taken into his family, got to know the main players at his court along with all the drama that went with it.
One irk that I had was with the writer’s sometimes snarky comments and conclusions. For example, she mentioned that Louis loved oranges probably because they are round and that reminded him of a sun which was his symbol of the Sun King. That was a little simplistic and rude justification for something natural like beautiful oranges.
It fills me with warmth to see history narrated through lives of women. In this case many women in Louis XIV’s life. These were not just lovers, but mother, sister-in-law, cousin, grand-daughter-in-law and many others.
Through their eyes we see it was difficult to be a woman in those times. Even if you were the maitresse-en-titre.
I sympathized with Henrietta Marie, with Marie Mancini, LisaLot and Adelaide. So much youthful potential simply squandered by bad men in their lives (not Louis).
Louis was a great king for the times. He was a sensual king with great hair (at first) who loved theater, danced ballet, loved orange trees, fountains and of course Versailles. You can tell he genuinely loved and respected women and loved to surround himself with them. He tried to do his best and in many aspects he did. In some others not so much.
Reading this book I felt like I was taken into his family, got to know the main players at his court along with all the drama that went with it.
One irk that I had was with the writer’s sometimes snarky comments and conclusions. For example, she mentioned that Louis loved oranges probably because they are round and that reminded him of a sun which was his symbol of the Sun King. That was a little simplistic and rude justification for something natural like beautiful oranges.
February 21, 2020
As someone who loves his daughters and can't bear the thought of being away from them for very long, it blows my mind how for hundreds of years the royalty of Europe sent their girls off to marry crowned douche bags in foreign countries, fully knowing that they would almost certainly never see them again. They were ostensibly doing this to ensure peace with marriage alliances, but IT ALMOST NEVER WORKED. In fact, as Love and Louis XIV shows, these marriages were at least as likely to bring war as they were to bring peace, because every time country A would send a princess to country B, they would essentially be giving country B a claim to the throne of country A. It was an insane, stupid, and cruel way to conduct foreign policy.
I don't like Louis XIV. From the very first time I learned about the way he ran his court, I realized, "here's a man I wouldn't want to have to talk to at a neighborhood barbecue." But his constant self-aggrandizing wars were worse. The thought of this pompous garbage golem in silk tights bringing his wife and mistresses along with him to live in splendor on campaign while he spread death and misery all over Europe with his armies (the financing of which caused a great deal of misery back in France) makes me want to push the man down the stairs.
One of France's best kings, Henri IV, had ended the wars of religion in France almost a century earlier with the Edict of Nantes, and Louis XIV threw this document out the window so he could persecute the Huguenots, spreading more misery.
And then there was his massive hypocrisy in matters of sex and religion, which is more the focus of this particular book. Women were important to Louis, not just as wives and mistresses, but as friends. In Love and Louis XIV, Antonia Fraser, one of our best writers of popular history, brings the soap opera that was Louis's court to life. She makes sense of the relationships, untangles the intrigue, and tells the story with sympathy for its characters. The result is a very good book.
I don't like Louis XIV. From the very first time I learned about the way he ran his court, I realized, "here's a man I wouldn't want to have to talk to at a neighborhood barbecue." But his constant self-aggrandizing wars were worse. The thought of this pompous garbage golem in silk tights bringing his wife and mistresses along with him to live in splendor on campaign while he spread death and misery all over Europe with his armies (the financing of which caused a great deal of misery back in France) makes me want to push the man down the stairs.
One of France's best kings, Henri IV, had ended the wars of religion in France almost a century earlier with the Edict of Nantes, and Louis XIV threw this document out the window so he could persecute the Huguenots, spreading more misery.
And then there was his massive hypocrisy in matters of sex and religion, which is more the focus of this particular book. Women were important to Louis, not just as wives and mistresses, but as friends. In Love and Louis XIV, Antonia Fraser, one of our best writers of popular history, brings the soap opera that was Louis's court to life. She makes sense of the relationships, untangles the intrigue, and tells the story with sympathy for its characters. The result is a very good book.
December 31, 2012
"Love" as presumed by casual browsers of the title, and "Love" as meant by the author may differ. The book covers his friendships, flirtations, infatuations, in-law relations, marriage and (perhaps) pseudo marriage and his views of the female obligation to sacrifice for international diplomacy. By the standards of his cousin, Charles II of England, Louis XIV was the much more responsible adulterer.
Fraser demonstrates how Louis' early bond with a loving mother- an exception for a time characterized by royal nurseries-was replicated in his intimate relationships with women. There is an interesting symmetry that you come to understand as the story evolves.
The best part is the end when Fraser gives analysis of Louis and his attitude towards women and his basic generosity.
My only criticism is that the genealogical chart is difficult to read. A different lay out would have helped.
This book doesn't try cover the weighty historic issues which are well documented in many other sources. This book brings something new to the table. Like all Fraser books, it is very well researched and readably presented.
Fraser demonstrates how Louis' early bond with a loving mother- an exception for a time characterized by royal nurseries-was replicated in his intimate relationships with women. There is an interesting symmetry that you come to understand as the story evolves.
The best part is the end when Fraser gives analysis of Louis and his attitude towards women and his basic generosity.
My only criticism is that the genealogical chart is difficult to read. A different lay out would have helped.
This book doesn't try cover the weighty historic issues which are well documented in many other sources. This book brings something new to the table. Like all Fraser books, it is very well researched and readably presented.
June 12, 2021
I found this book difficult to get into, but once I did I couldn't put it down. The history of Louis XIV's reign told through his relationships with the women in his life starring with his mother, his wife, mistresses, daughters, sisters in law, etc. Other themes running through the book on the role of the Catholic church and the condition of women in seventeenth century France.
December 15, 2011
Maybe because i expect something more from this book, i finished it with disappointment.
The Sun King's life is so grande and amazing but Antonia Fraser manage to make it tame and dull.
I remember reading page after page and wanting it to end. I just keep reading because i promise myself that i would finish it.
She divide the book into chapters of Louis XIV's life, that is Summer, Spring, Autumn and Winter. And in every chapter, the woman who influenced him the most. Starting with his mother Anne of Austria (whose actually Spanish Princess) who break the tradition and practically raise Louis herself (in the medieval time it is customary that royal children is separated with their royal mothers). Queen Anne also the one who instill a grandiose in Louis's mind with the believe that he is a god-given son and King. An Apollo.
Next come Louise his first mistress who truly believe that she loves the man and not the king. Though a pious woman, Louise sacrifice her religion into a relationship that she believes is her service to her king and god. But of course she is then replaced with a sensual goddess, Athenais de Montespan. For 17 long years and 7 children Athenais takes the role of Louis mistress until she becomes too old and too fat. The poison scandal help close the lid of Athenais coffin as the king's mistress.
Next, and older Louis finally want to repent and live the life of a true catholic. which means, he has to give up his philandering ways. Unfortunately his loyal (albeit dull) wife Maria Teresa died on him. So he found comfort and religion in Madame de Mointenon until he died 32 years later.
Louis XIV's legacy is a kingdom wreck in poverty because his love for war. He paved the way for French Revolution that take the lives of his great grandchildren not a 100 years later.
The Sun King's life is so grande and amazing but Antonia Fraser manage to make it tame and dull.
I remember reading page after page and wanting it to end. I just keep reading because i promise myself that i would finish it.
She divide the book into chapters of Louis XIV's life, that is Summer, Spring, Autumn and Winter. And in every chapter, the woman who influenced him the most. Starting with his mother Anne of Austria (whose actually Spanish Princess) who break the tradition and practically raise Louis herself (in the medieval time it is customary that royal children is separated with their royal mothers). Queen Anne also the one who instill a grandiose in Louis's mind with the believe that he is a god-given son and King. An Apollo.
Next come Louise his first mistress who truly believe that she loves the man and not the king. Though a pious woman, Louise sacrifice her religion into a relationship that she believes is her service to her king and god. But of course she is then replaced with a sensual goddess, Athenais de Montespan. For 17 long years and 7 children Athenais takes the role of Louis mistress until she becomes too old and too fat. The poison scandal help close the lid of Athenais coffin as the king's mistress.
Next, and older Louis finally want to repent and live the life of a true catholic. which means, he has to give up his philandering ways. Unfortunately his loyal (albeit dull) wife Maria Teresa died on him. So he found comfort and religion in Madame de Mointenon until he died 32 years later.
Louis XIV's legacy is a kingdom wreck in poverty because his love for war. He paved the way for French Revolution that take the lives of his great grandchildren not a 100 years later.
January 30, 2022
If you love history and drama this real life story is one I’d recommend. Truly intriguing facts of what life was like during the 1700s and the kings and Queens of its time. I really loved how the author wrote Louis XIV in detail from his beginnings to end. Great narration in the audio book I read it in a day and a half! If you love history I highly recommend this book!
January 22, 2020
Antonia Fraser obviously did her research. . . on absolutely everyone she includes.
There are likable people (Adelaide), not so likable (Marie Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans, Duchess of Berry), and downright hateful people, (Liselotte).
There's a lot happening in this book, some of it interesting, some of it a bit sloggish, and some was just tmi (too much information); fissure for Louis for instance.
In some ways I was impressed with the medical diagnoses and in other times, disheartened, because it was what was the norm: leeches for example, but how is that any different from the same "treatment" for cancer today that has been used forever: slash, burn, poison, but I digress.
Louis was a major horn dog and tried to legitimize his illigitmate kids, only to have that changed/ignored when he died. He was definitely a flawed man, he did a lot wrong and was certainly egocentric, but how much of that was the fault of how he was raised? He wasn't all bad either, he did help people, but he was probably also a bit OCD/control freak and had to have certain things exactly as he wanted them.
It's a wonder if Louis XIV had been able to marry whom he wanted, instead of his political choice, would things been different? In the book we are led to believe he certainly did change when he "married" Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon. What would life had been like had she been his first wife? Even the royals didn't have freedoms to marry whom they chose, just as the women didn't.
The waste was ridiculous, as I suppose only extremely wealthy royals can be.
I'm glad I read the book, but I'm not keeping it. I'd recommend it to people interested in history or royals.
There are likable people (Adelaide), not so likable (Marie Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans, Duchess of Berry), and downright hateful people, (Liselotte).
There's a lot happening in this book, some of it interesting, some of it a bit sloggish, and some was just tmi (too much information); fissure for Louis for instance.
In some ways I was impressed with the medical diagnoses and in other times, disheartened, because it was what was the norm: leeches for example, but how is that any different from the same "treatment" for cancer today that has been used forever: slash, burn, poison, but I digress.
Louis was a major horn dog and tried to legitimize his illigitmate kids, only to have that changed/ignored when he died. He was definitely a flawed man, he did a lot wrong and was certainly egocentric, but how much of that was the fault of how he was raised? He wasn't all bad either, he did help people, but he was probably also a bit OCD/control freak and had to have certain things exactly as he wanted them.
It's a wonder if Louis XIV had been able to marry whom he wanted, instead of his political choice, would things been different? In the book we are led to believe he certainly did change when he "married" Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon. What would life had been like had she been his first wife? Even the royals didn't have freedoms to marry whom they chose, just as the women didn't.
The waste was ridiculous, as I suppose only extremely wealthy royals can be.
I'm glad I read the book, but I'm not keeping it. I'd recommend it to people interested in history or royals.
July 12, 2017
I LOVE THIS BOOK. historical ladies are my favourite thing so a whole book about them is the best thing that could have happened to me.
i got to read about amazing ladies like anne of austria, athénaïs de montespan or françoise de maintenon, and i also learned a lot about louis xiv himself without having to read a biography fully about him
so yes, 5/5 for this book. read it if you come across it, you won't regret it!!
i got to read about amazing ladies like anne of austria, athénaïs de montespan or françoise de maintenon, and i also learned a lot about louis xiv himself without having to read a biography fully about him
so yes, 5/5 for this book. read it if you come across it, you won't regret it!!
September 9, 2018
A second read of this one and it's still terrific.I love Ms Fraser's books so this is a no brainer for me. Telling about the life of the sun king and the women in it, from his mother Anne of Austria, his cousins,his wife and of course his mistress. Great read.
September 10, 2019
Moves along at a good pace, and doesn't get weighed down by politics! Fantastic for a more personal biography of Louis and the women in his life
January 15, 2018
Well...a few historical inaccuracies . But aside from this I like the format of the novel many mentioned there was a lack of structure the further into the book - which is true , but I felt this just mirrored Louis life in love and with the women at court . In the beginning it was incredibly structured ...and as those who were mistresses and wife’s fell from favour his lovers and his ways became more erratic . I just felt that this structure followed the pace of his life so it didn’t bother me so much.
I love anything from this era and want to read more fiction related to Louis / Atenais but I cannot seem to find much...recommendations welcome !!
I love anything from this era and want to read more fiction related to Louis / Atenais but I cannot seem to find much...recommendations welcome !!
July 22, 2018
Detailed without dragging, fast-paced and highly interesting; great read and gives just enough to understand the context with the events that unfold without detracting from the main subjects.
January 13, 2018
Honestly, I've always enjoyed history but my new found interest in Louise XIV is a result of loving the TV production of "Versailles" and wanting to know a bit more about the facts underpinning the entertainment!
I opted for this Antonia Fraser book to begin because I find her style to be engaing and I enjoyed her biography of Marie Antoinette a few years back also, I liked the idea of her focussing on the women of this era and I was pleased to read about all the generations that touched upon the King's life - beginning with the influence of his Mother, his early loves, his wife(s), mistresses, sisters in law and more at every age from a young boy to an elderly man.
Informative and interesting I thought.
I opted for this Antonia Fraser book to begin because I find her style to be engaing and I enjoyed her biography of Marie Antoinette a few years back also, I liked the idea of her focussing on the women of this era and I was pleased to read about all the generations that touched upon the King's life - beginning with the influence of his Mother, his early loves, his wife(s), mistresses, sisters in law and more at every age from a young boy to an elderly man.
Informative and interesting I thought.
July 18, 2022
A very enjoyable read for me, and another addition to my keeper shelves. Besides the more famous mistresses of Louis XIV, there's also a look at the lesser known ones, and the women that adored Louis, but were unlikely to have shared his bed, such as his two sisters-in-law, Henriette-Anne and Liselotte, the Duchesses of Orleans.
For the complete review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Book_L...
For the complete review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Book_L...
January 5, 2015
Um livro interessante que nos permite entrever a personalidade de Luís XIV e a influência que as mulheres que o rodeavam tiveram na sua vida. Sendo o retrato de uma época em que as mulheres eram meros objectos de prazer ou moedas de troca entre nações, vislumbramos ainda assim assinaláveis indícios da férrea vontade e determinação de algumas destas mulheres em contrariar o inevitável destino a que estavam votadas... Exemplo disso mesmo é a "mulher secreta" do Rei-Sol, Madame de Maintenon, que se submete quase exclusivamente ao que considera ser a "vontade de Deus" na "reconversão" do Rei.
February 18, 2017
Absolutely fascinating but a little too short for my liking in a biography like this. In fact, the only thing holding this book back from a 5 star rating is the length. Antonia Fraser never disappoints.
March 2, 2013
When one gets sick, it's always assumed that it's the perfect time to thin one's personal to-read pile. In some ways it is: after all, it's not as if one can get up and go to work, or have life in general cut into one's reading time when one is supposed to be lying down and recovering. Unfortunately, not all illnesses prove conducive to reading. It may be easy to read a book when one is sick with a cold, but when one is doubled-over with gastroenteritis, then it's a bit more difficult to muster up the necessary focus for anything beyond terrible reality TV shows.
This was very much the case with myself. After picking up a stomach bug from who-knows-where (though I speculate it was either dirty ice or spoilt milk from my favorite milk-tea shop), I wound up pinned to my bed, unable to consume anything more than small sips of water and crackers, and downing medication by the handful. This also meant that my brain wasn't working in tip-top shape, either, which made any and all reading grind to a halt. It was only two or three days after I first started medication, when I was really, truly beginning to recover (and was eating a lot more than just crackers) that I decided to read Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King by Antonia Fraser.
Now, this is not to say that Love and Louis XIV is a simple book - far from it. But it did seem like a good "middling ground" sort of a book, especially when looking at my other choices: a stack of romance novels (gastroenteritis is thoroughly unromantic), or some interesting novels I'd already lined up since I was getting towards the end of my non-fiction kick. Fraser's book was no novel, based as it was solidly on fact, which meant I wouldn't have to exert my imagination much in order to recreate the glory of the Sun King's court, but it still promised a great deal of entertainment.
In that regard, it certainly delivered. Love and Louis XIV was entertaining in its account of Louis' relationships with women, but it also provided a chronicle of his relationship with the Church, which disapproved of some of those relationships he had with women. Alternating with glittering court scenes and tales of scandals and maneuverings at the court of the Sun King are stories of the Church attempting to reform the amorous monarch - something which eventually, surprisingly, actually worked, mostly thanks to Anne of Austria's early influence on her son's ideas regarding adultery and extra-marital affairs.
Fraser identifies five women who might be considered crucial to Louis' life, but his mother, Anne of Austria, was perhaps the most important. Unlike many other noblewomen of her time (and certainly unlike a great many queens), she was a very hands-on mother, taking an active part in raising her children and therefore shaping them into the people they would become later on in life. A devout Catholic, she raised Louis to not only be a king, but also to have a great deal of respect for the Church - and a great deal of concern for the state of his soul. While alive she took an active part in the saving of his soul: for instance, manipulating the fate of Marie Mancini (with help from the girl's uncle, Cardinal Mazarin) to ensure that she would not get in the way of Louis' duty to marry Marie-Therese (or Maria-Teresa, as she was known in Spain), who was Anne's niece and her ideal candidate as Louis' wife.
Of all the women in the book, Queen Anne is the one I find the most fascinating - mostly because I read about her in The Three Musketeers and loved her as a character in that book. Surprisingly, it appears Dumas managed to capture her pretty accurately, except perhaps when it comes to the issue of her affair with the Duke of Buckingham. It was interesting to read how much of that fictional depiction of her overlaps with the reality of her as researched by Fraser, and personally satisfying to realize that both Fraser and Dumas appear to agree a great deal about who she was as a person and as a queen. While the more critical part of me wonders if Fraser might not have been just a bit blinded by Dumas' own glowing prose, I rather tend to believe that Fraser, as a serious researcher, would not have allowed such a thing to happen, and whatever qualities of Dumas appears in her writing regarding Queen Anne, they must be backed up by fact.
The second woman who might be considered vital in Louis' life is Marie-Therese. As Louis' wife and Queen of France, this should be obvious, but in the long run she didn't seem to have been as important as Louis' mistresses - or at least, that was the idea I got from Fraser's book. It's clear she was important enough to Louis that he did not take another (official) wife to take her place when she died, but the space she occupied in his life was clearly more an official as opposed to a romantic and personal one. Fraser clarifies, though, that this might not entirely have been Marie-Therese's fault: her upbringing at the Spanish court had left her ill-prepared for the culture of the French court, and therefore unable to fulfill the role of Queen as Louis had imagined it (and as Anne herself had shaped it). Fraser opines in the book that, while Marie-Therese might have made a great Spanish queen (and for a while, she could have been: the royal line of Spain and Portugal at the time was a confused, tangled mess, with heirs constantly dying out, and since Spain did not have anything like the French Salic Law of inheritance, she could have ruled Spain and Portugal in her own right), as a French queen, she was a disaster waiting to happen - and she certainly was that, in the public sphere, anyway. This, therefore, left the public role of the Queen of France (as set by Queen Anne, and as idealized by Louis himself) open to someone else. This role would be filled by Louis' famous mistresses: Louise de La Valliere, Duchesse de La Valliere; Athenais, Marquise de Montespan; and Francoise, Madame de Maintenon.
It is in the discussion of these mistresses and their children that things get more than a little confusing, since the names tend to get in the way. Fraser attempts to mitigate this confusion by giving a list of all the key players in the book at the very beginning, in a section titled "Principal Characters," but despite this, names get mixed up all the time: there were times in the middle of the book when I would get Athenais mixed up with Francoise because Athenais is actually named Francoise-Athenais, and Fraser uses that full name on occasion instead of just adhering to the more distinct Athenais. And since the mistresses tended to name their children after each other sometimes, it was difficult trying to figure out which child was whose - particularly in the case of Madame de Maintenon, who got started out as the governess for Athenais' children before becoming Louis' mistress. It might be argued that some of that confusion might be due to the fact that I was sick at the time I was reading this, but since I was already on the mend by the time I got to this part of the book and I was still throwing my hands up in confusion, I rather think it might be an organizational flaw of the book.
I found myself wishing that Fraser had thought to break up her list of "Principal Characters," spreading it out across the four major sections of the book (each named after the four seasons of the year), instead of putting them all down in one massive lump at the start of the book, where they could easily have been forgotten by the reader by the time he or she was in the thick of the book itself. In the Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of Shikibu Murasaki's The Tale of Genji, translator Royall Tyler does precisely that, prefacing every chapter with a gradually-updated list of crucial characters who are central in that particular chapter of the book. While it's true that such a mechanism is necessary in that particular instance, given that The Tale of Genji has a truly massive cast of characters, I think something similar would have worked very, very well in Fraser's book, to help keep all the names straight.
As a matter of fact, it would appear that organization is a major concern in this book. Stories interweave and collide on a frequent basis, and while this is unsurprising given the number of players, it certainly made things rather confusing in the middle third of the book. Fraser jumps from personage to personage, often making leaps from past to present and occasionally to the future, in a manner that can leave the reader scratching his or her head and wondering just where he or she is in the context of the story. While I have absolutely no issue with multiple or colliding storylines, or even ones that jump back and forth across the timeline, I do take issue with the way such techniques are handled. Not all writers are capable of keeping the reins of narrative tight enough to have the story not seem like a mess, and unfortunately Fraser is not one of those writers. She does so much better when she only has one subject to focus on (her biography of Marie Antoinette is my favorite example), but when she has more than one primary character, and therefore more than one competing storyline, she doesn't do so well.
Overall, Love and Louis XIV is not only entertaining, but in its own way enlightening, particularly when it highlights Louis' conflict between his role as king (and all the expectations that come with it); his own emotional needs as a person; and his sense of his own faith and his standing with the Church. Many women, from his mother Queen Anne to Marie-Therese to his mistresses played crucial roles in his life, and Fraser takes time and care to depict their struggles equally: not even the great Marquise de Montespan, in many ways the most glorious of Louis' mistresses, was without her own troubles. The heartbreaking story of Louise de La Valliere, who loved Louis for who he was, and not because of his title, stands out, as does the story of Madame de Maintenon (who was quite the bluestocking in her own way), whom Louis married in secret years after Marie-Therese had died.
However, while the stories themselves are fascinating, it is the way they're presented that may create some trouble for the reader. Fraser attempts to tell these many stories side-by-side as they happen in the timeline, but is not above jumping to the past and to the future on occasion if she feels it necessary. This creates a certain lack of organization and tight narrative that constantly pulls the reader out of the story, instead of allowing him or her to completely immerse himself or herself in the narrative. If the reader can overcome that particular problem with this book (keeping notes ought to help), then this is as entertaining and as insightful a book as anyone interested in the Sun King, his life, and his loves could ever hope for.
This was very much the case with myself. After picking up a stomach bug from who-knows-where (though I speculate it was either dirty ice or spoilt milk from my favorite milk-tea shop), I wound up pinned to my bed, unable to consume anything more than small sips of water and crackers, and downing medication by the handful. This also meant that my brain wasn't working in tip-top shape, either, which made any and all reading grind to a halt. It was only two or three days after I first started medication, when I was really, truly beginning to recover (and was eating a lot more than just crackers) that I decided to read Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King by Antonia Fraser.
Now, this is not to say that Love and Louis XIV is a simple book - far from it. But it did seem like a good "middling ground" sort of a book, especially when looking at my other choices: a stack of romance novels (gastroenteritis is thoroughly unromantic), or some interesting novels I'd already lined up since I was getting towards the end of my non-fiction kick. Fraser's book was no novel, based as it was solidly on fact, which meant I wouldn't have to exert my imagination much in order to recreate the glory of the Sun King's court, but it still promised a great deal of entertainment.
In that regard, it certainly delivered. Love and Louis XIV was entertaining in its account of Louis' relationships with women, but it also provided a chronicle of his relationship with the Church, which disapproved of some of those relationships he had with women. Alternating with glittering court scenes and tales of scandals and maneuverings at the court of the Sun King are stories of the Church attempting to reform the amorous monarch - something which eventually, surprisingly, actually worked, mostly thanks to Anne of Austria's early influence on her son's ideas regarding adultery and extra-marital affairs.
Fraser identifies five women who might be considered crucial to Louis' life, but his mother, Anne of Austria, was perhaps the most important. Unlike many other noblewomen of her time (and certainly unlike a great many queens), she was a very hands-on mother, taking an active part in raising her children and therefore shaping them into the people they would become later on in life. A devout Catholic, she raised Louis to not only be a king, but also to have a great deal of respect for the Church - and a great deal of concern for the state of his soul. While alive she took an active part in the saving of his soul: for instance, manipulating the fate of Marie Mancini (with help from the girl's uncle, Cardinal Mazarin) to ensure that she would not get in the way of Louis' duty to marry Marie-Therese (or Maria-Teresa, as she was known in Spain), who was Anne's niece and her ideal candidate as Louis' wife.
Of all the women in the book, Queen Anne is the one I find the most fascinating - mostly because I read about her in The Three Musketeers and loved her as a character in that book. Surprisingly, it appears Dumas managed to capture her pretty accurately, except perhaps when it comes to the issue of her affair with the Duke of Buckingham. It was interesting to read how much of that fictional depiction of her overlaps with the reality of her as researched by Fraser, and personally satisfying to realize that both Fraser and Dumas appear to agree a great deal about who she was as a person and as a queen. While the more critical part of me wonders if Fraser might not have been just a bit blinded by Dumas' own glowing prose, I rather tend to believe that Fraser, as a serious researcher, would not have allowed such a thing to happen, and whatever qualities of Dumas appears in her writing regarding Queen Anne, they must be backed up by fact.
The second woman who might be considered vital in Louis' life is Marie-Therese. As Louis' wife and Queen of France, this should be obvious, but in the long run she didn't seem to have been as important as Louis' mistresses - or at least, that was the idea I got from Fraser's book. It's clear she was important enough to Louis that he did not take another (official) wife to take her place when she died, but the space she occupied in his life was clearly more an official as opposed to a romantic and personal one. Fraser clarifies, though, that this might not entirely have been Marie-Therese's fault: her upbringing at the Spanish court had left her ill-prepared for the culture of the French court, and therefore unable to fulfill the role of Queen as Louis had imagined it (and as Anne herself had shaped it). Fraser opines in the book that, while Marie-Therese might have made a great Spanish queen (and for a while, she could have been: the royal line of Spain and Portugal at the time was a confused, tangled mess, with heirs constantly dying out, and since Spain did not have anything like the French Salic Law of inheritance, she could have ruled Spain and Portugal in her own right), as a French queen, she was a disaster waiting to happen - and she certainly was that, in the public sphere, anyway. This, therefore, left the public role of the Queen of France (as set by Queen Anne, and as idealized by Louis himself) open to someone else. This role would be filled by Louis' famous mistresses: Louise de La Valliere, Duchesse de La Valliere; Athenais, Marquise de Montespan; and Francoise, Madame de Maintenon.
It is in the discussion of these mistresses and their children that things get more than a little confusing, since the names tend to get in the way. Fraser attempts to mitigate this confusion by giving a list of all the key players in the book at the very beginning, in a section titled "Principal Characters," but despite this, names get mixed up all the time: there were times in the middle of the book when I would get Athenais mixed up with Francoise because Athenais is actually named Francoise-Athenais, and Fraser uses that full name on occasion instead of just adhering to the more distinct Athenais. And since the mistresses tended to name their children after each other sometimes, it was difficult trying to figure out which child was whose - particularly in the case of Madame de Maintenon, who got started out as the governess for Athenais' children before becoming Louis' mistress. It might be argued that some of that confusion might be due to the fact that I was sick at the time I was reading this, but since I was already on the mend by the time I got to this part of the book and I was still throwing my hands up in confusion, I rather think it might be an organizational flaw of the book.
I found myself wishing that Fraser had thought to break up her list of "Principal Characters," spreading it out across the four major sections of the book (each named after the four seasons of the year), instead of putting them all down in one massive lump at the start of the book, where they could easily have been forgotten by the reader by the time he or she was in the thick of the book itself. In the Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of Shikibu Murasaki's The Tale of Genji, translator Royall Tyler does precisely that, prefacing every chapter with a gradually-updated list of crucial characters who are central in that particular chapter of the book. While it's true that such a mechanism is necessary in that particular instance, given that The Tale of Genji has a truly massive cast of characters, I think something similar would have worked very, very well in Fraser's book, to help keep all the names straight.
As a matter of fact, it would appear that organization is a major concern in this book. Stories interweave and collide on a frequent basis, and while this is unsurprising given the number of players, it certainly made things rather confusing in the middle third of the book. Fraser jumps from personage to personage, often making leaps from past to present and occasionally to the future, in a manner that can leave the reader scratching his or her head and wondering just where he or she is in the context of the story. While I have absolutely no issue with multiple or colliding storylines, or even ones that jump back and forth across the timeline, I do take issue with the way such techniques are handled. Not all writers are capable of keeping the reins of narrative tight enough to have the story not seem like a mess, and unfortunately Fraser is not one of those writers. She does so much better when she only has one subject to focus on (her biography of Marie Antoinette is my favorite example), but when she has more than one primary character, and therefore more than one competing storyline, she doesn't do so well.
Overall, Love and Louis XIV is not only entertaining, but in its own way enlightening, particularly when it highlights Louis' conflict between his role as king (and all the expectations that come with it); his own emotional needs as a person; and his sense of his own faith and his standing with the Church. Many women, from his mother Queen Anne to Marie-Therese to his mistresses played crucial roles in his life, and Fraser takes time and care to depict their struggles equally: not even the great Marquise de Montespan, in many ways the most glorious of Louis' mistresses, was without her own troubles. The heartbreaking story of Louise de La Valliere, who loved Louis for who he was, and not because of his title, stands out, as does the story of Madame de Maintenon (who was quite the bluestocking in her own way), whom Louis married in secret years after Marie-Therese had died.
However, while the stories themselves are fascinating, it is the way they're presented that may create some trouble for the reader. Fraser attempts to tell these many stories side-by-side as they happen in the timeline, but is not above jumping to the past and to the future on occasion if she feels it necessary. This creates a certain lack of organization and tight narrative that constantly pulls the reader out of the story, instead of allowing him or her to completely immerse himself or herself in the narrative. If the reader can overcome that particular problem with this book (keeping notes ought to help), then this is as entertaining and as insightful a book as anyone interested in the Sun King, his life, and his loves could ever hope for.
September 10, 2018
This is a pretty big heavy book, and I started reading it right at the start of the summer, when Love Island was on. I am not embarrassed to say I watched every episode of that show and I would often do so before going to bed and reading this book. What's funny is that intellectuals deride Love Island constantly, saying it's trash for the culturally braindead, but I don't think a single one would say the same for getting stuck into Love and Louis XIV. And yet I realised that they are both essentially studies into an isolated group of people getting off with each other and breaking up with each other.
However, the drama and scandal in this book is far superior than what happened in Mallorca, and in fact life at Versailles makes Love Island look like the Antiques Roadshow.
As anyone who watched the TV series knows, Louis had an affair with his gay, cross-dressing brother's wife, who also happened to be their first cousin, he had a super-religious mistress who felt so guilty about their relationship she ran off to be a nun, and another mistress who was a grade- A shit stirrer who got caught up in a devil worship rumour. I have a soft spot for the show because I once interviewed the actor who plays Louis and he was so charming and told me loads of interesting facts about Versailles that didn't make it onscreen, and so I was overjoyed to find out my favourite historical biographer Antonia Fraser had written about the Sun King and his court. Like, sadly overjoyed. I loved Fraser's book on Charles II, who incidentally was Louis IV's cousin, and this lived up to those high standards - even if Louis is somewhat less likeable than the Merry Monarch. That's because Louis was an absolute raving egomaniac. I'm quite pleased about that since outrageous characters always make for a better historical read. His love life was suitably colourful and he cultivated a sense of drama and decadence at his court that resulted in many of the people around him also behaving outrageously. I've been to Versailles and it really is one of the most magical places on earth, so between story and backdrop the book is already onto a winner before you take into account Fraser's intelligent but accessible writing style (I love that I always learn a couple of words reading a book of hers). My one complaint is that there is a little too much time and effort dedicated to Louis's wars, but then, it is a vital part of history and to be honest I'm always moaning about it...
However, the drama and scandal in this book is far superior than what happened in Mallorca, and in fact life at Versailles makes Love Island look like the Antiques Roadshow.
As anyone who watched the TV series knows, Louis had an affair with his gay, cross-dressing brother's wife, who also happened to be their first cousin, he had a super-religious mistress who felt so guilty about their relationship she ran off to be a nun, and another mistress who was a grade- A shit stirrer who got caught up in a devil worship rumour. I have a soft spot for the show because I once interviewed the actor who plays Louis and he was so charming and told me loads of interesting facts about Versailles that didn't make it onscreen, and so I was overjoyed to find out my favourite historical biographer Antonia Fraser had written about the Sun King and his court. Like, sadly overjoyed. I loved Fraser's book on Charles II, who incidentally was Louis IV's cousin, and this lived up to those high standards - even if Louis is somewhat less likeable than the Merry Monarch. That's because Louis was an absolute raving egomaniac. I'm quite pleased about that since outrageous characters always make for a better historical read. His love life was suitably colourful and he cultivated a sense of drama and decadence at his court that resulted in many of the people around him also behaving outrageously. I've been to Versailles and it really is one of the most magical places on earth, so between story and backdrop the book is already onto a winner before you take into account Fraser's intelligent but accessible writing style (I love that I always learn a couple of words reading a book of hers). My one complaint is that there is a little too much time and effort dedicated to Louis's wars, but then, it is a vital part of history and to be honest I'm always moaning about it...
August 30, 2023
Louis XIV was pretty well known for his many romantic liaisons. He was married to Maria Theresa of Spain. Together, they had six children, with one surviving to adulthood. He seemed to care for her a great deal, but was never faithful to her. He took a second wife after her death. He took a slew of mistresses, including Françoise-Athénaïs, Marquise de Montespan. He had multiple illegitimate children with these women. His second wife was actually a caregiver for Athenais' children, which is how he came to know her. The lives of the women were really interesting to read about. The only one that I was familiar with was Athenais.
I enjoy Antonia Fraser's work. I have all of her books, except one. She always does a tremendous amount of research into whoever she is writing about. I always learn new things when I read her books, and this one was no exception. I enjoyed learning about these women and what court life was like in the time of Louis XIV. Fraser always writes in a way that tells the facts and a story that isn't boring to read. I liked this book a lot.
I enjoy Antonia Fraser's work. I have all of her books, except one. She always does a tremendous amount of research into whoever she is writing about. I always learn new things when I read her books, and this one was no exception. I enjoyed learning about these women and what court life was like in the time of Louis XIV. Fraser always writes in a way that tells the facts and a story that isn't boring to read. I liked this book a lot.
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