Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King

Louis XIV, styled the Sun King, was the King of France for 72 years (1643 to 1715). At the time of his birth, his mother (Queen Anne) was almost 37, and was childless after 22 years of marriage (to King Louis XIII). It is no wonder, then, that Louis was styled 'Dieudonne' or 'Deodatus' ('Godgiven'). It is perhaps also unsurprising that Louis's bond with his mother was so strong. The reign of Louis XIV has been written about by many: there were many achievements during his long reign (including the construction of Versailles, reforms of taxation and administration, and patronage of the arts). Antonia Fraser has focussed on his relationships with women. From his strong loving relationship with his mother, his kind but formal relationship with his wife Marie-Therese, his multiple and very different mistresses, as well as with the women of his extended family, we obtain a more complete picture of Louis XIV man and king. I have read, enjoyed and learned from Antonia Fraser's non fiction since 1974. This book does not disappoint. By illustrating Louis XIV's awareness of the conflict between church doctrine, and adultery, Ms Fraser gives us another dimension of insight into this successful monarch's long reign. Highly recommended to those interested in the life and times of Louis XIV. Jennifer Cameron-Smith

"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 demonsrates 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 generousity. 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.

A book which I knew would spend a lot of time telling us about Louis XIV's adulterous behavior did not strike me as worth my time, but because I was so appreciative of Antonia Fraser's great biographies of Mary, Queen of Scots,(read by me Mar 7, 1970), and of Cromwell (read by me Jun 18, 2000) and, most of all, of Marie Antoinette (read by me Oct 28, 2001), I decided to read this book. To my surprise I found it consistently interesting and came to admire the fact that Louis, in contradistinction to his great-grandson, Louis XV, actually did put aside the immoralities of his younger years and strove to save his soul. And one feels that he was successful, at least as far as his sexual behavior was concerned. The book is enhanced by a political timeline in the beginning, and there is a genealogical table on the front and back covers which is some help in keeping straight the tangled ancestry of some of the characters. When I finished the book I felt that the book was worth my time, and enlightened me on the life and character of France's most famed king and of his often maligned second and never officially declared second wife, Madame de Maintenon.

Why buy this book?? Two words. ~Antonia Fraser~. She is a renown historical biographer and this book delivers. Her descriptions of the Sun King's court are so vivid...I felt like I stepped back to 17th century France. Highly recommend this book to any royal reader.

Mention the name of Louis XIV, and several things come to mind -- most of all the palace of Versailles, which still awes visitors today, and the image of the Sun-King, forever youthful and virile. Popular literature and film has presented a king who is gloriously dressed, distainful of his long-suffering wife and mother, and chasing after anything in a skirt, along with behavior that would shame a five-year old. The reality, as with most history, is far more interesting and different than what we thought it would be. Long-time author Antonia Fraser takes on the long life and reign of Louis XIV, and shows an entirely new aspect of Europe's most powerful ruler of the seventeenth century. Using diaries, histories and the artifacts of the period, she crafts a very unique and entertaining way of understanding this monarch. What she does is take a look at the Sun-King by the various women in his life, from his mother, to his misunderstood wife, sisters-in-law, and all those mistresses. She begins with the earliest of his relationships, that of his mother, Anne of Austria. By the time that she gave birth to Louis, the 'God-Given,' she was in her late thirties, and dispairing of ever having a child, much less a longed-for, prayed for son. Her husband, Louis XIII, supremely indifferent than her, and swaying between jealousy and callousness, was already in weak health by the time he had managed to rouse himself to sire one son, and a second son, Philippe -- always known as 'Monsieur' -- was born. Anne adored her eldest son, and broke with the usual stiff etiquette of the time that favored that royal infants be treated as miniature adults. In return, Louis forged an unusually close relationship with his mother, and for the rest of her life treated her with courtesy and listened carefully to her advice. Nor was being a child-king easy for Louis, having to cope with a revolution that was lead by the nobility -- the Fronde -- and at one point being harried out of Paris. The next woman who would play a major role in Louis' life was the niece of one of his regents, Cardinal Mazarin. Marie Mancini was rumored to be his mistress, but it was a platonic relationship between the teenage king and the young lady -- her future husband was surprised to find her a virgin on their wedding night. It was a romance, however, that was doomed to failure. Louis needed to marry a fellow royal, and the one that proved to be the most profitable for him was a Spanish Infanta, Maria Teresa, or as her name would be known as, Marie-Therese. Marie-Therese was short, rather stout, blonde and not that good looking. But she had an inherent sense of dignity and brought a peace treaty with her. She also fell desperately in love with her good-looking, dark husband, and she tolerated his philandering with a stoic good nature. Most portrayals of her have her either as a shrew, a dunce, and Louis treating her with cruelty. The opposite was true, while he would never feel passionate about