France under Louis XIV was full of pleasure and pain. This book takes us through many walks of life in the France in the time of Louis the XIV. Nobles had the least amount of worries, but they also had no power. The Sun-King made sure he was the head of the Empire. Peasants were taxed and had no choice in the matter. Thousands of Huguenots were sent to the galleys during Louis XIV time. The King could override the Pope at will. There were many developments during the reign of the Sun-King and much deception, as he knew how to use people and society to his advantage. Up to the day he died, Louis XIV ate with his fingers and acted like God. The opening account of Louis' XIV private life and loves sets the scene for this century, which was a time of transition. Louis XIV was born in 1638 and raised by two people, dare I say parents, who hated each other. Like his father Louis loved music and military strategy. Like his mother, he was a very proud person. His mother did not keep a sharp eye on the young lad, and when he got a chance he would sneak away, associating with many peasants of whom he grew fond. The book leads on that perhaps, this is why he always seemed to show, only to his servants, a certain side in his adult years. I believe that Louis XIV thought of himself as the father of his Empire, as the book said, "He was divinely appointed to stand in loco parentis to all members of the European ruling caste."" Many words in this book are not translated so I had to make many assumptions. I assume that "loco parentis- does not mean crazy parent. I did however understand that Louis XIV did believed in the divine origin of power. He was obviously of a rank superior to all other men."" .
W.H. Lewis emphasizes that Versailles is not all of France and, "Magnificence was what was aimed at in a seventeenth-century house, not comfort.""p.38. To be in the Sun-King's court, one had best know how to conduct oneself.
