History of Louis XIV

by John S.C. Abbott

Abraham Lincoln raved that this series of historical biographies gave him "just that knowledge of past men and events which I need. I have read them with the greatest interest. To them I am indebted for about all the historical knowledge I have." Considered what we would now call "young adult" literature, this collection, first published between 1848 and 1871, was designed to present a clear, distinct, connected narrative of the lives of the great figures of world history, those people who have been most influential, at least as American pastor and historian JOHN STEVENS CABOT ABBOTT (1805-1877) saw it from his 19th-century perspective. Wildly popular and republished many times under different collected names, this replica set mimics the 1904 reprint known as the "Makers of History" series. It will delight students of history as well as show the scholar how history telling has changed over the last few centuries. More than 30 other volumes in the series are also available from Cosimo Classics. This volume, dating from 1870, covers French king Louis XIV (1638-1715), from his birth and childhood and his rule as "the boy-king" to festivities at the court, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, intrigues and wars, and more.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction

412 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1857

About the author

John Stevens Cabot Abbott (Andover Theological Seminary; Bowdoin College, 1825) was a historian, Congregationalist pastor, and pedagogical writer. With his brothers, including Gorham and Jacob Abbott, he was a co-founder of Abbott Collegiate Institute for Young Ladies in New York City.

Reviews

[Kara]

Going in, I did not know much about Louis XIV except that he had a cool nickname and really liked his bling. This was, perhaps, not the best biography to start with. I liked the straightforward chronological approach, following him though his life and how people at the top did (or did not) affect him.

But, wow, does Abbott get judgmental about pre-Democratic societies! He keeps going on and on about how Americans would NEVER fawn all over someone OR allow someone to walk all over them just because they were celebrities. Oh Abbott, I am so glad you never lived to see the rise and rule of the Kardashians.

Abbott also commits the cardinal historian sin of allowing his own philosophies color how he portrays the various people of Louis’s court, constantly yammering on about these weak, foolish women who really needed to turn to Jesus to avoid the temptation of being a mistress and how various politicians were sure to not be able to bribe their way out of eternal damnation when they were called up in front of God’s throne. Wow.

But, despite all the little digs and snide comments throughout about how AMERICA IS THE GREATEST! ABSOLUTE MONARCHIES CAN SUCK IT! as well as a lot of preachy A HIGHER COURT WILL JUDGE HIM SO GOD REST HIS CORRUPT SOUL there is a good, solid biography of the basics to the life of Louis XIV.

But for more context and a more balanced portrayal, I will clearly have to seek elsewhere.

[Roger Rosenberg]

Review of the life and reign of Louis XIV. I wanted to learn more about the Sun King. The book lacks documentation, that is a bibliography and extensive footnotes, that would be helpful for deeper learning .

[Phil Syphe]

This is a well-written biography of King Louis XIV of France. The book opens with a summary of his parents, Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. Louis XIII was a mere teenager at his wedding; Anne just eleven. It was common place for nobles to marry this young during the 1600s, which seems inconceivable from a twenty-first century perspective.

Louis XIII died when his son was seven, leaving Anne to rule France as regent.

Louis XIV was crowned king of France at the age of thirteen. It seems incredible that one so young should be given so much power. This perhaps was the first contributing factor to turning him into a man who instigated many cruelties to his subjects.

What Louis did to Frenchmen of the Protestant faith competes with what Hitler did to the Jews. He wanted France to be populated by Catholics only. Any Protestant who refused to convert would be assaulted by soldiers without mercy or even killed. This extended to young children, though many children were torn from the homes and forced to live with adult Catholics, who'd force them to adapt to their faith.

Louis was power-obsessed. At one point he declared war on the Dutch with no apparent reason. Many of his actions shocked the rest of Europe in the latter half of the 1600s and the early 1700s.

Louis was also fickle regarding women. He would flirt with his favourite mistresses without a thought for the queen. When a new young beauty caught his eye he'd focus his attentions on her, not caring how he mentally tortured his previous 'favourite'. Again and again his treatment of women proved heartless.

As John Abbott - the author of this fine work - points out in the brief intro, Louis XIV's actions and cruelties to his subjects sewed the seeds of the French Revolution. Many of the poor starved so Louis could live in luxury and spend endless amounts of the treasury on creating new buildings.

Despite all Louis XIV's faults, he was an interesting - and at times fascinating - character. I recommend this work to anyone interested in French or European history, or to those interested in historical figures who made a huge impact on the world, be it good or bad.

[Anna]

More enjoyable than the last Abbott book that I read. This book provides a light synopsis of the very long reign of Louis XIV. Some parts were really engaging, particularly discussions of his personal life. However, when it came to detailing crucial events, Abbott's writing style made it very difficult to grasp.

Furthermore, the lack of bibliography and reference to source material causes the validity of events and judgments to come into question.

A very narrative read with someone with a fuller knowledge of Louis XIV may be able to fully enjoy as a brief overview of Louis XIV's reign whilst taking precaution with the accuracy of the text.

[Jonathan Baldie]

Given that this was written in the 19th century, this book reads extremely well. Its short, punchy chapter structure flows brilliantly, it almost seems like an extended book of anecdotes on Louis XIV. The Sun King is already a fascinating figure to study, and this book makes it easy and enjoyable to get a glimpse into his daily life and psychological struggles.

[José Luis]

Depois que assisti à série Versailles (Netflix), fiquei curioso para ler algo mais sobre o rei Luis XIV. Por coincidência, como ele também nasci em um 5 de setembro. Esse livrinho me matou a curiosidade, muito bem escrito, entra em detalhes da vida da corte do Rei Sol, seus desmandos,suas amantes, seus gastos exorbitantes, suas festas, seus impostos absurdos para manter a vida de luxo da corte. Perseguiu implacavelmente os huguenotes ou protestantes da França, com ações inacreditáveis até para o contexto da época. Talvez tenha sido o começo do pavio que levou à Revolução Francesa. Normalmente, não leio biografias, raramente me interessam. Tinha medo da morte, e morreu atormentado pelo que causou de mal aos franceses e, em particular, aos huguenotes. Mas valeu a leitura, ajudou a fechar o ciclo de Versailles, deu contexto à história. Valeu a leitura.

[Mary K.]

Excellent synopsis

[Libby Mintzer]

Good book but lacked details. I was interested in reading about the building of Versailles.