LE SIECLE DE LOUIS XIV

It was Voltaire who in 1751 publicly proposed the term “Age of Louis XIV”. It has come to denote what was surely the longest golden period in the history of France, from 1643 to 1715. Its radiance was certainly not entirely free of shadows, and the assessment here makes no secret of the horrors of the time, alongside the splendor of the king's reign. And, far from being immobile, this glorious age was a period of maturation and the transformation of all facets of society. The book, divided into seven chapters, focuses not only on the royal personage but also on the kingdom's government and economy, on religion and war, the king's entourage as well as foreign affairs and popular movements, and last but not least, arts and letters. To create this panorama, Jean-Christian Petitfils has enlisted twenty renowned historians, all distinguished by the depth of their knowledge and their fine writing style. They include L. Bély, Y.- M. Bercé, J.-M. Constant, J. Cornette, B. Cottret, M. Da Vinha, A. Maral, Th. Sarmant, J.-F. Solnon ? and J.C. Petitfils himself. The book is intended and written for a wide public. The contributions, straightforward and witty, are accompanied by a short bibliography. Expert on France under its pre-revolution Ancien Régime, Jean-Christian Petitfils wrote the biographies of the last four Bourbons of the old monarchy between 2002 and 2014, for publication by Perrin. The most recent on Louis XV is recognized as exceptional. His book on Louis XIV, published in 1995 by Fayard, winner of the French Academy's Grand Prix, has been repeatedly reissued in various forms.