Louis XV (nickname Beloved) born. February 15, 1710 - death on May 10, 1774 - French king from September 1, 1715 from the Bourbon dynasty.
Ascension to the throne
1710 - when Louis (who received the title of Duke of Anjou at birth) was born, there was no sign that he would one day become king - he was only the second son of the eldest grandson of the reigning King Louis XIV and was in the order of heirs in fourth place. However, the terrible misfortune that broke out over the Bourbon dynasty in 1711–1712 unexpectedly cleared the way for him to the throne.
During these years, the Dauphin Louis, his son the Duke of Burgundy and Louis's older brother, the Duke of Brittany, died one after another. So the 2-year-old Duke of Anjou became the heir of his great-grandfather, 73-year-old Louis XIV, and after his death in 1715 he was declared King Louis XV. His great-uncle, the Duke of Orleans, became regent under him.
Regency
From the age of six, Louis was given to the education of the Abbot Fleury, whom he loved dearly, like a father. From 1726 to 1743, the first minister was Louis' mentor, Abbot Fleury. The reign of de Fleury, who served as an instrument in the hands of the clergy, can be characterized as follows: inside the country - the absence of any innovations and reforms, the exemption of the clergy from paying duties and taxes, the persecution of Jansenists and Protestants, attempts to streamline finances and make great savings in costs and the inability to achieve this due to complete ignorance of the minister in economic and financial matters; outside the country - the thorough elimination of everything that could lead to bloody clashes, and, despite this, the conduct of two devastating wars, for the Polish inheritance and for the Austrian.
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Personal life. Character
The king studied diligently and knew a lot; in particular, he liked mathematics and geography. In addition to ordinary subjects, he was taught how to conduct state affairs: the regent forced him to attend important meetings and explained diplomatic affairs in detail. From 1723 the king was considered an adult. 1725 - he married the Polish princess Maria. According to the Duke of Richelieu, Louis at this time was considered by many to be the most handsome youth in the kingdom. All were delighted with the nobility and pleasantness of his appearance. But already at that time he was burdened by his royal duties and tried to delegate them to ministers.
At the age of 20, Louis was pure and blameless in heart, and his court was a picture of the most innocent and innocent manners. The monarch was passionate about hunting, loved a refined society, a game, a luxurious table and Toulouse wines. He was dexterous in his hand and did not shy away from painstaking work: he was happy to plant a bow, embroider on canvas and grind snuff boxes. In his private life, he was kind and accommodating. Shy in a crowd of people, he became very witty in private conversation.
Despite the many beautiful seductive women, the king remained loyal to his wife for a long time. The first years of their marriage were cloudless. But having given birth to 10 children from 1727 to 1737, Mary began to show fatigue and coldness to Louis. "What is this? she said once. - All to lie and be pregnant, but to give birth incessantly!.."
She began to refuse the king to perform her conjugal duties, became cold and very pious. The offended king gradually withdrew from his wife. They write that once, offended by his wife's stubborn unwillingness to host him in the evening, he vowed never to demand from her the fulfillment of her duty. Since then, their life together was limited only to ceremonial relationships, and other women took the place of Mary in the heart of the sensual king.
Abbot Fleury and the Marquis de Pompadour
Madame de Mally became his first favorite. The king, in his timidity, did not like too noisy society and the court, constrained by the framework of etiquette, but preferred a close company, consisting of several friends and beautiful women. The small apartments of the monarch made up that part of the courtyard where no one was allowed without a special invitation from his favorite. Everything here was full of taste and grace. To have even more freedom, the king bought a Choisy.
He immediately liked the location of this place: around a dense forest full of game and a river snaking among the parks. He ordered to completely rebuild the castle and decorate it luxuriously. In Versailles, Louis appeared only on solemn days. Here he was an excellent husband, a kind father of a family, and all the time he attended church services. The rest of the time the emperor lived in Choisy. In this sanctuary of love, mechanical tables first appeared, ridding the witty society of feasting at evening orgies from the presence of immodest and talkative servants.
The Countess de Maglyi could, like no one else, add charm to such dinners: she was so fascinating with her gaiety, so naively, from the bottom of her heart, she laughed that the monarch, inclined to melancholy by nature, was merry and laughing like a child. However, the Countess de Magli did not long dominate the heart of Louis. Soon he had other hobbies. At first, he fell in love with her older sister, the Duchess de Vantimille, but she died of childbirth, and then he was seriously carried away by her younger sister, the ardent Marquise de la Tournelle, who was later granted Duchess de Chateauroux. Together with her, a militant party came to the leadership, which demanded a break with Austria. Under her pressure, the king in 1740 supported Prussia and Bavaria in their war for the Austrian succession.
Self-government
Summer 1741 - Two French armies crossed the Rhine. In November, the French took Prague. But in August 1742 the Austrians blocked it and forced the French to retreat. Abbot Fleury died the following year. Louis announced that he was tired of the rule of the first minister, which condoned his laziness, and that he would now rule himself, like Louis XIV. In fact, he began to lead a more active life, worked with secretaries of state and often chaired the council.
He had worthy qualities, a sharp mind and a strong sense of power, but an irresistible weakness of character never gave him the opportunity to be himself, so he always succumbed to someone else's influence. In the councils of state, Louis usually showed a lot of intelligence, but never insisted on his opinion.
The king's heartfelt affairs during these years were as follows. For some time, Louis mourned the Duchess of Chateauroux, and then fell into a painful despondency. Lost in thought, he returned to Paris, where the Dauphin's wedding began. There, in 1745, at a costume ball, the king was carried away by the charming Madame d'Etiol, who was soon awarded the title of Marquise de Pompadour.
King Louis XV (In his youth and mature years)
Favorite of the Marquis de Pompadour
She was very beautiful and charming, played great music, was fond of painting, was well educated and witty. Having become close to Louis, she soon became more than a favorite and acquired such an influence on Louis that she was for many years a real uncrowned French queen. Marquis, replaced at her discretion the commanders and ministers. Its influence was not always positive for the state, but it undoubtedly gave splendor to the reign of Louis XV.
An admirer of the arts and sciences, the Marquis de Pompadour gathered around her artists, writers, philosophers and painters. She became a trendsetter and entire trends that later bore her name. Her power, however, lay not so much in her charm as in her incredible ability to dispel the overwhelming boredom of the monarch.
Seven Years War
An important consequence of the War of the Austrian Succession was the change of allies. Austria and France, for three centuries continuously at odds with each other, began to draw closer, and the former ally, Frederick II, became increasingly hostile to Louis. Learning in January 1756 about the Anglo-Prussian military alliance, Louis agreed in May to conclude a defensive alliance with Austria. Both powers promised each other help against any conqueror. At the end of the year, the Russian Empress Elizabeth joined this agreement. With these allies, Louis in August 1756 began the Seven Years War against England and Prussia.
1757, May - Marshal Richelieu could easily occupy Hanover and Braunschweig. At the same time, the main French army, under the command of Soubise, joined up with the Imperial army on the Main. In November, at Rosbach, the 60 thousandth Franco-German army entered into battle with the 20 thousandth Prussian army and was defeated. 1758 - The Prussians launched an offensive on the Rhine and defeated the French at Krefeld.
The campaign of 1759, marked by several battles, was more successful for the French, but they were unable to take advantage of their victories. Their fleet was defeated by the British. This predetermined the defeat in the colonies. Both in America and in India the British achieved decisive successes. Canada came under their control in 1759, and in 1761 Pondicherry surrendered in India. In addition, the British took possession of Senegal, Martinique, Grenada and some other islands. All Frenchmen cursed this war.
Society still disliked the Austrians and rejoiced at every victory of Frederick. The Marquis de Pompadour, who was considered the culprit of the Austrian union, was cursed in all walks of life. The treasury was empty. 1761, March - The French army in Europe achieved success at Grünberg, but in the summer it was again defeated at Villinghausen. Russia's withdrawal from the war in 1762 hastened the conclusion of a general peace. It was signed in February 1763 in Paris and ended the colonial empire of France. All the conquests of the British in America and Hindustan remained with them. The French lost in this war their military prestige, their navy and their colonies.
The next year after the Paris Peace, the Marquis de Pompadour died. With her death, little has changed in court life. At first, it was thought that Louis XV gave up the idea of having a titled mistress and would be satisfied with his concubines in Deer Park, but he returned from there boring. It took a long time before a replacement for the marquise was found. The last favorite of Louis XV in 1768 was the Countess du Barry.
Death of Louis XV
From the beginning of 1774, everyone began to notice a profound change in the monarch's habits and mindset. He quickly grew old and decrepit. Deep sadness never left him for a minute. With the greatest reverence he attended all sermons and strictly observed the fasts. The king seemed to have a presentiment of his imminent end. At the end of April 1774, he suddenly fell ill. It was smallpox. On May 10, Louis XV passed away, leaving his heir Louis XVI huge public debts, many unresolved problems and the kingdom, which was in a protracted crisis.
K. Ryzhov