Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume X.djvu/665

 LOUIS XIV. (FKANCE) 659 The English revolution of 1688 had raised to the throne of Great Britain the prince of Or- ange, the ablest and most determined of the enemies of Louis, and had added the forces of that kingdom to the coalition against France. The war continued with mingled success and reverses on the part of Louis till September, 1697, when it was terminated by the peace of Kyswick. By the treaties here made, Louis granted to the Dutch extraordinary commercial privileges, and regained from them Pondicherry in India ; to Spain he restored his conquests in Catalonia, and a large part of Flanders, with many strong fortresses; to the Germans he restored all that he had taken ; he gave up Lorraine to its legitimate sovereign, and lastly recognized William III. as king of England. Charles II. of Spain died Nov. 1, 1700, and, having no heir, left his crown by will to Philip, duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis, a testament accepted by the French king, with the ominous remark that "the Pyrenees no longer existed." This event set all Europe in commotion, and led in the following year to the war of the Spanish succession, Austria, England, Holland, Prussia, and Hanover having formed an alli- ance against France. This great struggle was in the end eminently disastrous to Louis, who saw his armies defeated by Prince Eugene, Marlborough, and others, his fleets destroyed, his kingdom invaded, his resources exhausted, and France distressed by famine, caused by the most rigorous winter ever known in Europe. He therefore sought for peace, and after re- jecting with haughty disdain the severe and humiliating conditions at first demanded by the triumphant allies, succeeded by skilful diplo- macy in effecting the treaties of Utrecht, April 11, 1713, with Holland and England, and in the following year the treaty of Rastadt with the German empire. These were the last impor- tant events in the foreign policy of the reign of Louis. In the internal history of France, the most striking events were the outbreak of poisoning in Paris (for an account of which see BKINTILLIERS) ; the tragical death of Hen- rietta of England ; the revocation of the edict of Nantes, Oct. 22, 1685, and the subsequent persecution of the Protestants, which was ac- companied with frightful barbarities, and cost France half a million of her most industri- ous inhabitants, who fled to different parts, taking with them their skill and industry ; the revolt of the Camisards in 1703 ; the building of the magnificent palace of Versailles; and the singular and mysterious detention of the man in the iron mask. During the greater part of his reign the mistresses of Louis XIV. played an important and often a conspicuous part in the affairs of his brilliant court. The most noted of these were the duchess de La Valliere and the marchioness de Montespan, by both of whom he had several children, who were acknowledged and legitimated. His queen, Maria Theresa, died July 30, 1683, and in the year 1685 or 1686 Louis was privately married to Mme. de Maintenon, whom he had in vain sought to make his mistress, and who ex- ercised over him a powerful influence which ended only with his life. The reign of Louis XIV. has been styled the Augustan age of France, and it will certainly ever be illus- trious from the splendid array of great men whom the king assembled around his throne. We have already mentioned his great minis- ters Colbert and Louvois. Among his gener- als, besides Turenne, Conde, and Luxembourg, were Catinat, Crequi, Bouflers, Montesquiou, Vendome, and Villars, all of them eminent soldiers; his distinguished naval commanders were Chateau-Renaud, Duquesne, Tourville, and Duguay-Trouin ; Mole, Lamoignon, Talon, and D'Aguesseau were among the civilians of his reign ; Vauban and Riquet were his engi- neers; Perault, Mansart, Blondel, and Levau his architects ; Len6tre his landscape gar- dener ; and Puget, Girardon, Poussin, Claude Lorraine, Lesueur, Le Brun, and the two Mi- gnards were among his sculptors and painters. In the list of the literary notabilities of his reign are the names of Corneille, Racine, Mo- liere, Quinault, La Fontaine, La Bruyere, Boi- leau, Bossuet, Bourdaloue, Massillon, F6nelon, Flechier, Fleury, and Mme. de Sevigne, most of whom still hold a place in the foremost rank of French authors. At an early period of his reign Louis XIV. established at his court a most rigid system of etiquette, which he always maintained with jealous care. He rose at 8 o'clock, performed his devotions, and was dressed by his valets in presence of a crowd of courtiers, and then read for an hour, at the close of which time he breakfasted. He left his chamber at 10, attended the council, and heard mass at 12. From noon until 1 o'clock he appeared in public. At 1 he dined, seat- ed alone at the table, and waited on by the highest officers of the court. After dinner he spent some time with the royal family, and then held conferences with his ministers ; af- terward he received petitions and gave audi- ences, during which he exhibited great urban- ity and patience. The rest of the afternoon was spent in conversation, in driving, at the theatre, or the card table. At supper, which was his favorite repast, he collected about him all the princesses and their ladies of honor, and passed the evening in conversation and amuse- ments. In person the king was about 5 ft. 8 in. in height, but had the art by his dress and carriage to appear much taller, and was uni- versally admired by his contemporaries for his majestic air. His features were large and hand- some, and his manner singularly grave and commanding. In the latter part of his life he devoted much time to his religious duties. His old age was embittered by the reverses of his armies, by the deaths of his children and grand- children, and by remorse for the vices of his early life. His last words to his great-grand- son who succeeded him were : " My child, you are about to become a great king ; do not imi-