Whilst researching about this king whose generation separates a golden age of France to the decades of revolution that began with the fall of Bastille and culminated with the deaths of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, it came to our knowledge that what is most commented about him in general is the period regarding the ascension of mistresses as Madame de Pompadour and the effect she had upon him. Policies in general? Almost nothing was found in it's particularities, unfortunately. Nevertheless, with the material found, we were able to write about this figure that is ironically best remembered for his mistresses, as if his predecessors never had been seduced by the female power and beauty before.
So who was Louis XV as person and king? Did he leave a legacy for France? Questions are these that we hope to give some enlighten, as one definite answer is no answer at all where history is concerned.
We start today's post by firstly pointing out the obvious and the irony that comes with it. By the time Louis was born, his great-grandfather, the sun king, Louis XIV was still on the French throne for nearly 70 years. Because France was still tied to the Salic Law that forbade any woman to inherite it's throne, Louis XIV needed an heir and by then he had two. His oldest son with his consort the Spanish Marie Thérèse d'Autriche, was also named Louis and better know as Le Grand Dauphin. He, in turn, was eventually married to a princess of noble birth, the duchess of Bavaria Maria Anna Victoria and together they had three children, but one of which interests us alone, the second Dauphin, who was the Duke of Burgundy. Burgundy, who was named Louis as well, was the father of the king we intend to discuss here.
And when Louis was born in 15 February 1710, he was the second child of Maria Anna Victoria and the duke of Burgundy. However, here lies the irony: with the death of his older brother, Louis became the third in line after his grandfather and father, who were expected to succeed the French throne in their respective time following the death of Louis XIV. And yet, history wanted it to be the other way around. It was by disease, and we don't intend to go very deep on this particular matter, that Louis XIV saw le Grand Dauphin and his wife, as well as the second dauphin and his own consort's lives fade away. Which turns us to Louis, who was only five years old when he became Louis XV.
Because of his tender age, Louis XIV left a regency for his great-grandson in order to rule the kingdom on his behalf until he reached the age of 14, which was by then the majority to reign by himself, unlike in countries as England where majority to minor kings was usually accepted at the age of 18. Nonetheless, for this regency, Louis left two natural sons as part of it, his Princes of blood, though chiefed by his nephew, Philippe, the second duke of Orléans, who was the son and heir of his father Philippe, first duke of Orléans, with his second wife Élisabeth of Palatinate. This regency would follow the orders of Louis XIV, where he expected the orders to be voted by all those who were part of the council.
Yet, upon Louis XIV's death in 1715, naturally, things did not follow as he wished it would. Philippe II not only took command the regency alone, thus being the regent himself, but stripped off the titles of Louis XIV's natural sons, and moved court away from Versalles, leaving it abandoned for a while. As for Louis XV, what we next know is about his education, which was:
In 1724, with Fleury on power, the old rivalries between Catholics and Protestants were relived, since this was the year that a declaration against the Protestants was approved, leading for a long while prosecution from the Catholics to the Protestants again, despite the brief periods of peace that happened when France was involved in foreign Wars, as such was the case when France was involved in Austria's War of Succession that involved many european countries, and in fear to have the French protestants supported by their enemies, a truce between the two parts was accorded. As we can see in the next paragraphs:
He did hold, apparently, a strong hand to politic matters more than his grandson did and this considering both were not expected to inherite the throne. A twilight Louis XV he was, compared to what had come to his grandson's reign, and yet he did leave his legacy by bringing efforts to modernize France with electricity and estimulating education in universities. But there are few sources that try to enlight the figure he was, or his importance to France. He was not a weak king, though manipulative in some ways, but neither was too strong. An average king? Difficult it is to say. We conclude with more questions rather than answers, but hopefully this in the future changes and we might find something that leads us at what sort of king was Louis XV, overshadowed by the glory of Louis XIV and the fall of Louis XVI.
Louis XV died on 10 May 1774, in Versailles, comforted by his last mistress, Jeanne du Bérry, comtesse du Berry.
Bibliography:
So who was Louis XV as person and king? Did he leave a legacy for France? Questions are these that we hope to give some enlighten, as one definite answer is no answer at all where history is concerned.
We start today's post by firstly pointing out the obvious and the irony that comes with it. By the time Louis was born, his great-grandfather, the sun king, Louis XIV was still on the French throne for nearly 70 years. Because France was still tied to the Salic Law that forbade any woman to inherite it's throne, Louis XIV needed an heir and by then he had two. His oldest son with his consort the Spanish Marie Thérèse d'Autriche, was also named Louis and better know as Le Grand Dauphin. He, in turn, was eventually married to a princess of noble birth, the duchess of Bavaria Maria Anna Victoria and together they had three children, but one of which interests us alone, the second Dauphin, who was the Duke of Burgundy. Burgundy, who was named Louis as well, was the father of the king we intend to discuss here.
And when Louis was born in 15 February 1710, he was the second child of Maria Anna Victoria and the duke of Burgundy. However, here lies the irony: with the death of his older brother, Louis became the third in line after his grandfather and father, who were expected to succeed the French throne in their respective time following the death of Louis XIV. And yet, history wanted it to be the other way around. It was by disease, and we don't intend to go very deep on this particular matter, that Louis XIV saw le Grand Dauphin and his wife, as well as the second dauphin and his own consort's lives fade away. Which turns us to Louis, who was only five years old when he became Louis XV.
Because of his tender age, Louis XIV left a regency for his great-grandson in order to rule the kingdom on his behalf until he reached the age of 14, which was by then the majority to reign by himself, unlike in countries as England where majority to minor kings was usually accepted at the age of 18. Nonetheless, for this regency, Louis left two natural sons as part of it, his Princes of blood, though chiefed by his nephew, Philippe, the second duke of Orléans, who was the son and heir of his father Philippe, first duke of Orléans, with his second wife Élisabeth of Palatinate. This regency would follow the orders of Louis XIV, where he expected the orders to be voted by all those who were part of the council.
Yet, upon Louis XIV's death in 1715, naturally, things did not follow as he wished it would. Philippe II not only took command the regency alone, thus being the regent himself, but stripped off the titles of Louis XIV's natural sons, and moved court away from Versalles, leaving it abandoned for a while. As for Louis XV, what we next know is about his education, which was:
"(...) overseen by his Governor, the Maréchal de Villeroy, and his preceptor, Cardinal de Fleury, nurtured his interest in the natural sciences, botany, medicine, astronomy, geography and history. His tutor, the Duke of Orléans, who ruled the kingdom as Regent during the king's childhood, provided the young Louis XV with a pragmatic political education. From the age of ten he took part in cabinet meetings."As the young king grew up, Orléans was concerned about the female influence that "gold-diggers" could set upon him, so apparently he gathered a few boys to make Louis's company instead and it's rumoured they were not only his friends but lovers. Whatever the case, they were soon dismissed. At the age of 11, Louis XV was betrothed to the infanta of Spain, who was only three, but the emergency of producing children after a period of illness the king has fallen to and his impatience in waiting his cousin to grow to an acceptable age to marry were factors to break the betrothal. Before his marriage to the impoverished polish princess Marie Leczinska, daughter of the dethroned and exiled Polish king Stanislaw Leczinsky, he moved court back to Versalles around 1720, and by then Louis was already reigning alone, despite consulting Philippe II and not replacing him from his position until his death three years later. It was then that his former preceptor, Cardinal de Fleury, was summoned to occupy the position previously under the charge of Philippe II.
In 1724, with Fleury on power, the old rivalries between Catholics and Protestants were relived, since this was the year that a declaration against the Protestants was approved, leading for a long while prosecution from the Catholics to the Protestants again, despite the brief periods of peace that happened when France was involved in foreign Wars, as such was the case when France was involved in Austria's War of Succession that involved many european countries, and in fear to have the French protestants supported by their enemies, a truce between the two parts was accorded. As we can see in the next paragraphs:
"(...) the 1724 Declaration was not really followed until 1726 when Fleury, Bishop of Fréjus, became Prime Minister. Fresh arrests and convictions were made. In 1730, soldiers took Bibles. Psalters and other religious books from the Protestants of Nimes, and they were burned in the public square."Nevertheless, Louis's popularity remained high to his subjects and he earned the nickname "Le Bien Aimé" (English: The Well Loved), because:
"He took to the battlefield himself and seemed to take charge of the country's leadership. Louis XV chose to rule without having a first minister after the Fleury's death in 1743."However,
"Louis didn't retain the affections of his people for long. The War of Austrian Succession proved costly for France. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which ended the war in 1748, did little to advance the country or to settle disputes with Britain over certain colonies."After the decrease of Louis' popularities, he would try to improve it by settling a few reforms but before we speak of these, we must turn a few years back to his personal life. As it was briefly mentioned already, Louis dismissed the betrothal to the Spanish Infanta and was married instead to a Polish princess, Marie Leszcynska, at the age of 15 and she, a few years older than him, at 22. Though Marie was not described as beauty, she was neither ugly and held the king's affection for a while. She was gracious and most fond of arts and music. The Queen gave King Louis ten children, born between 1727 and 1737, of which only one was the Dauphin. Louis XV would send his princesses, known as mésdames, to be raised at the nunnery, and to his heir he'd have a separate and comissioned chambers for him alone.
"As children they lived in the Princes' Wing, now known as the South Wing. At the age of six the Dauphin moved to the main wing of the Palace, where a suite of apartments was set aside for the heir to the throne on the ground floor. For the education of his daughtrs, Louis XV chose the Abbey of Fontevraud. When they reached adulthood they returned to Versailles, with the exception of the eldest, who married her cousin in 1739, the Infante of Spain, later the Duke of Parma."However, Queen Marie's apparently frigid sexuality frustated Louis and he sought attention elsewhere, hence his mistresses. The first of them was one of the Nesle sisters, known as Madame de Chateauroux, who was said to have been the prettiest of the girls. But...
"(...) like her sisters, she was a self-centered golddigger. She demanded a grand house in Paris, jewels and a monthly income. Any children that might be born were to be legitimized. Louis XV, deeply in love, accepted all her demands. Although Madame de Chateauroux used and abused the king, she was probably the great passion of his life."Apparently, the next in line was Madame de Pompadour, whose real name was Jeanne-Antoinette de Poisson. She was not an aristocrat like her predecessors, but was more respectful to the king and seemed to have enjoyed a genuine loving relationship with him, no wonder being his favourite and long-time mistress. Here it is important to remember that Madame de Pompadour played an important political part in Louis XV's life as well. The reforms we have mentioned a few paragraphs above were partly influenced by her. In the next quotes, we can see better how far extended Madame de Pompadour's influence, and it must be noted that her "low born"'s origin were seen with suspicious and, naturally, seen with disdain by the court, who did not tolerate such a thing.
"The parti philosophique was supported by the Marquise de Pompadour, who acted as a sort of minister without portfolio from the time she became royal mistress in 1745 until her death in 1764. The Marquise was in favour of reforms. Supported by her clan of financiers (Pâris-Duverney, Montmartel, etc) she obtained from the king the appointment of mininsters (such as the foreign minister François Joachim de Pierre de Pernis in 1757) as well as their dismissal (such as Philippe Orry in 1745 and the Navy secretary Maurepas in 1749)."However, "(...) these efforts were too little too late. Louis XV himself lacked the leadership skills and drive necessary to help push through changes." If he began his reign as "le bien aimé", by the last decades of his reign, he:
"(...) was abhorred by many due to his stubborn personality and detrimental political actions, including damaging France's foreign relations and continuously overspending, which exacerbated the country's financial problems."Outside the political atmosphere, however, Louis XV exerced his influence in other fields of study. For example, he "advocated the creation of departments in physics (1769) and mechanics (1773) at the Collège de France.". He developed eclectic tastes, and it was thanks to this interest that Versailles had the first experiment with electricity:
"In 1746, at Versailles, Abbé Nollet performed a Leyden jar experiment for the King, successfully accumulating an electric charge."Another observation of his reign in general can be perceptible in the next paragraph:
"He had read many times the instructions of Louis XIV: "Listen to the people, seek advice from your Council, but decide alone." His political correspondence reveals his deep knowledge of public affairs as well as the soundness of his judgement. Most government work was conducted in committees of ministers that met without the king. The king reviewed policy only in the Counseil d'en haunt, the High Council, which was composed of the king, the Dauphin, the chancellor, the fnance mininster, and the foreign minister."Also:
"This breach in the privileged status of the aristocracy and the clergy, normally exempt from taxes, was a first in French history, although it had already been advocated by men such as Vauban under Louis XIV. However, the new tax was received with violent protest from the privileged classes sitting in the estates of the few provinces that still retained the right to decide over taxation (most provinces had long lost their provincial estates and the right to decide over taxation). The new tax was also opposed by the clergy and by the parlements. Pressed and eventually won over by his entourage at court, the king gave in and exempted the clergy from the twentieth in 1751."
"As a result, (...) the Parlement, which was made up of privileged aristocrats and ennobled commoners, proclaimed itself the "natural defender of the fundamental laws of the kingdom" against the arbitrariness of the monarchy."Coming to the end of this post, we can only make some assumptions surrounding Louis' character. He was no lazy man where kingship was concerned, despite his preferrances in leaving the duties on the hands of those he trusted. At the same time, he was not weak. Could he prevent the French Revolution? Perhaps he could if his regent had not given, indirectly, permission for the French Parliament in doing so when he took the regency for himself. Or perhaps he could not, as there were many events that lead to this symbolic event in european's history.
He did hold, apparently, a strong hand to politic matters more than his grandson did and this considering both were not expected to inherite the throne. A twilight Louis XV he was, compared to what had come to his grandson's reign, and yet he did leave his legacy by bringing efforts to modernize France with electricity and estimulating education in universities. But there are few sources that try to enlight the figure he was, or his importance to France. He was not a weak king, though manipulative in some ways, but neither was too strong. An average king? Difficult it is to say. We conclude with more questions rather than answers, but hopefully this in the future changes and we might find something that leads us at what sort of king was Louis XV, overshadowed by the glory of Louis XIV and the fall of Louis XVI.
Louis XV died on 10 May 1774, in Versailles, comforted by his last mistress, Jeanne du Bérry, comtesse du Berry.
Bibliography:
http://www.medadvocates.org/celebrati/february/feb_15a.htm
http://www.museeprotestant.org/en/notice/the-church-under-louis-xv-1724-to-1760/
http://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/louis-xv#a-keen-interest-in-science
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