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The Age of Louis XIV (The Story of Civilization VIII)

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Over the past year I have read extensively about the 17th century. "The Age of Louis XIV" is the best book which I have found on the period. Volume VII of Will and Ariel Durant's multi-volume "Story of Civilization", this book documents more detail of the era than any others which I have read.

The book begins with sections on France and England. The next section is "The Periphery" dealing with Russia, Poland, Scandinavia, Germany, Italy, and Iberia. After the geographically oriented sections, the reader is treated to sections organized along intellectual topics, such as science, philosophy, and faith and reason, which contain chapters dealing with specific philosophers or scientists. The conclusion wraps it all up with the denouement of Louis XIV.

This book makes the 17th century understandable. The premier character of the era was Louis XIV, the Sun King of France. During his reign, the policies of he and his ministers established France's day in the sun. Absolute ruler of the most populous and powerful kingdom in Western Europe, Louis made France the center of Western Civilization. On these pages we learn about the Fronde, the revolt by the nobility at the rising of his Sun, from which Louis acquired his life long aversion to Paris, Louis' aggressive support of Catholicism, while at the same time maintaining illicit personal relationships, and his generous support for the arts. This era, rich in French literature and theatre, as represented in Moliere, is revealed.

The forces threatening to rend the Catholic Church further asunder, as well as the relationship between King and Pope, are dealt with in detail. I was surprised to learn that Louis exercised a power over the Church in France similar to that which Henry VIII had previously established over the Church in England.

England, meanwhile, endured Cromwell, The Stuart Restoration, and the Glorious Revolution, while spawning Milton, Dryden, Swift and other literary giants.

Interesting contrasts are illustrated. Whereas in France the monarchy was strengthened into absolutism, England was making hesitating steps toward democracy. Whereas Louis excluded much of the nobility from government and military service, essentially forcing them into the role of idle rich, the English nobility gradually gained power and responsibility for the governance of their country. We can see how these trends may have encouraged the resentment of the aristocrats on the part of the French peasantry, which may have contributed to the intensity of feeling during The Terror of the French Revolution. By contrast, the empowerment of the English nobility may have helped solidify the tradition of peaceful political maturation.

On the Periphery, Charles XII brought Sweden to the zenith of its international power, while Peter the great modernized Russia. Germany survived the onslaught of the Turks, while Italy and Iberia, the "Old Europe" of the day, slid through an era of decline.

Intellectually the era was one of giants. Many of the names with which we are familiar come alive as we read of Isaac Newton, Thomas Hobbes, John Lock, Spinoza, Leibniz and others.

The conclusion of the era was the sunset of the Sun King. Having exhausted his country with dynastic war, bled it with unequal taxation and incurred the enmity of the world, Louis negotiated a peace which left his kingdom a shattered hulk of its former greatness.

For anyone desiring an introduction to the history of the 17th century, this is a great place to start. It has me ready for other books in the Durants' "Story of Civilization".

You don't have to be a historical researcher or student to understand and enjoy this book. The well-written style of the book makes it much easier to read. Will Durant very successfully putted the whole Europe together of the age without lost you in the jungle. The words from Will Durant were so elegant and entertaining. There is no word could explain how good the book is! Go get one, and you will enjoy it! I heat to carry a thick book with me but this one is the only exception because you don't want to stop reading it. That's how good the book is!

Will and Ariel Durant once more met with success in writing about a period of history exposing all fundamental aspects of the european life during the age of Louis XIV. Politics, Science, Economy, Arts, Religion, Philosophy... Nothing escapes of the Durants' accurate appreciation. Essencial episodes for a better understanding of that age are detailed explained: The incredible France's power; the enormeous vitality of Netherlader Republic; the revolutions that shaked England; the transformations in the Holy Empire; the spanish decadence; the russian ascension. But even analysing the usual looks, the Durants didn't forget the great individual personalities of the seventeenth century: The subtle political strategy of Mazarin; The sarcastic Moliére's novels; the confusing philosophy of Spinoza; the masterly campaigns of Marlboroug; the extraordinary physics of Newton and - of course - the most powerful caracther that gave his name to the book's title: Louis XIV. When writing about this man, the Durants showed, not only their historical kowledge, but - very important - their deep phisicological analysis of a man and his age. The greatness and the misery of the most mighty overlord of the seventeenth century. Probably this is the great merit of this book. The authors expound the details, without losing the general focus.

Though the central figure of this book is Louix XIV, this book is not about French history, but about European history as a whole.

The focus of this book is not on political and military history but on the history of religion, art, literature, science and philosophy. Or I can say politics is deeply involved in religion, art, literature and philosophy. I have never studied European philosophy before, and I thought it would be exttremely difficult to understand philosophy. But while I was reading this book, I found that phlosophy could be much easier when it was explained in a political context of the times.

And in this book English history was emphasized as much as French history. It is quite natural because Louis himself was deeply involved in and greatly responsible for the 17th century English history, and Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were Englishmen.

I believe that this book is the best book I've ever read. I'd like to read all 12 volumes of Will & Ariel Durant's "The History of Civilization" series.

By the way, I found 2 trivial mistakes in this book.
According to p 505, Halley identified another comet, seen in 1680, with one observed in the year of Christ's death; he traced its recurrence every 575 years, and from the periodicity he computed its orbit and speed around the sun. According to my own calculation, however, 575 x 2 + 33 = 1183, while 575 x 3 + 33 = 1758.
According to p 513, Mariotte amused his friends by showing that "cold" could burn: with a concave slab of ice he focused sunlight upon gunpowder, causing it to explode. To focus sunlight, however, we need a convex lens, not a concave lens.

Durant covers Western Civilization and European history with an in-depth clarity that no historian of the 20th century can match. If you like history, don't pass on Will Durant. With regard to this book, it does an excellent job of covering all aspects of European history at the time of Louis XIV. Durant delves far deeper than a mere political and social history of the times.

The Durants succeed again in encapsulating the 17th century in Europe. They label it as the landmark century intellectually and scientifically and there is much truth to their assessment: the 18th Century, the "Enlightenment" and "Aufklarung" usually takes pride of place given the American and French Revolutions that dominated them and the general retreat of superstition and obscurantism that marred both Catholicism and Protestantism in the previous centuries. The Durants clearly show that all the 18th century did was develop themes initially sounded and expounded by 17th century thinkers such as Hobbes, Locke, Newton, Leibniz, Spinoza and the English Deists. These writers, and others, laid the bedrock for the various revolutions that shook Europe in the 1700 and 1800s and which have culminated in our own day: The Industrial, Political and Scientific.

Thematically, the book is erected upon the scaffolding of the Le Roi Soleil's life. They present his wars, mistresses, patronage of art, political autocracy as well as murderous bigotry. In my opinion, in their conclusion they let Louis off far too lightly. He was a man who countenanced, nay, actually encouraged and gloried not only in wars to dominate Europe--a common enough failing amongst the crowned--but in the Persecution of the Huguenots he left a blot on his record that, in light of the deadly century we just left and the religious fanaticism of 11 September, should sink his record in the humanitarian sense.

His vanity and thirst for "la glorie" (which he admitted himself to have been his worst failing) bankrupted France and left the Peasants in a savage and degrading poverty they hadn't experienced since the calamities of the 14th century. His refusal to use his power to actually reform government and tax the nobility mark his reign as regressive and disastrous in many ways. Still his impeccable taste in the visual and plastic arts-as opposed to his love of second-rate playwrights and third-rate opera--make him the supreme art patron in history. And the prestige and admiration that accumulated acted as a sort of bank that his incompetent, worthless successor cruised upon. Only under sixteenth Louis did the credit of the Sun King's name finally run out...

Still, the Durants must credited for making this error sparkle and shimmer with life and the lovely prose still entrances and pleases regardless of how dull or recondite the subject might be. Again, they are two of the greatest of all American writers. Someday, I hope, they will be acknowledged as such.

This is the 8th volume of the Story of Civilization that I have read. Each book has been a joy to read and has been a great education for myself. I have discovered many great men in the pages of these books, and have used it as the basis for my reading list. This series is much more than a typical history with events and dates, but a history of culture, philosophy, science, and almost all other important fields of study.

The Age of Louis XIV covers the years 1648 - 1715, which is the same time Louis was king of France. The focus is mainly Europe, but does touch on the rest of the world. At this time France was in her zenith, and England was making strides toward its golden age. Spain was past its glory, and the Netherlands and Germany were significant forces.

Many great men graced this period; including great writers like Moliere, Milton, Swift, and Defoe; scientists such as Newton, Pascal, Descartes, Halley, and Huygens. The philosophers Hobbes, Locke, Spinoza, and Leibniz were in their prime during this time. It would have been a fascinating time to be alive with so many new ideas coming to the forefront.

It was also a time of wars and destruction. I'm always intrigued by how greed and pride cause so much suffering in the world. The impact of war on economies and people is graphically illustrated in this volume.

I highly recommend this volume, or this whole series to anyone interested in history and philosophy. This volume can easily be read as a standalone book if one wants to focus on this time period. I just love Durant's prose and views. His love of history is contagious and gives me a greater desire to learn more. What more could a good history book offer?

The entire line of story of civilization is a great line for a person of any age, it has a very nice feel about the writting and a very good coverage of the period. I highle recomend all of them.

Durant fills the tome up with side people and issues that have little bearing or interest on the time. I think he just didn't know how to edit himself and was looking to make 'big volumes'. I have read all of the series and his earlier works up to the Renaissance, were much much better. This book is boring and I cannot understand how 4 volumes came out of the Enlightment, except this unrepetant liberal really loved Rationalism and the Napoleonic code. Unless you too are very liberal and want to view history that way pass this by. Out of the French books, Voltaire and Napoleon are the best but again no where near the intensity and interest of earlier ones.