Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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 her, he respected her and treated her with great kindness, never complaining about her gambling debts, her pet dwarves or dogs, and being genuinely heartbroken when she died.

Next to be introduced are the two sisters-in-law, both wives of Monsieur and known simply as "Madame." Henriette was the sister of Charles II of England, witty, charming and delightful -- it would always be rumored that she and Louis carried on a physical relationship -- and after she died suddenly, Elisabeth-Charlotte, a German princess who was also witty, and one of the chief sources for life at Versailles. But she was rather plain, and not at all shy about voicing her opinion.

What the Sun-King was also known for of course, are his assorted mistresses, of whom it would never be really be tallied as to however many there were. Fraser concentrates most of her time on three of them, Louise de La Valliere, Athenais de Montespan, and Francoise Scarron. Each would have a profound influence on the King, and Fraser is able to make the three women very distinct and shows them with flaws and all. Athenais would be the most scandalous of the three, bearing more than a half-dozen of the King's illegitimate children, and become embroiled in the notorious "Affair of the Poisons." Louise would be eventually supplanted by Athenais, and would retire to a convent and take the veil when it was apparent she had lost the king's interest.

But it was Francoise Scarron, later known as Madame de Maintenon, who had what seems to be the most intriguing relationship with Louis. I had thought that she was more or less just another mistress, but Fraser takes the unusual step of revealing how the Catholic faith played a prominent role in Louis' psyche and his relationships with women. Francoise would be the companion of Louis' life, providing a stable, secure relationship that did not require sex as a foundation. For her part, she found herself as an advisor to the king, and managed to curb his instincts to stray. It's something that most historians skip over completely, tending to focus instead on earlier mistresses.

Finally, there is the young Savoyard princess, Adelaide, destined to be Louis' granddaughter-in-law, and the future mother of Louis XV. She would be an enlivening presence, arriving at Versailles as a child-bride, and when she and her husband both died within days of each other in 1712, it would be the final blow for the king, who declined rapidly afterwards.

Fraser shows her talent as a storyteller in this lively narrative. She uses contemporary diaries, letters and extracts of the period, weaving the stories of these many women who orbited around the Sun-King, showing each woman's life in portraits of who they actually were. She doesn't gloss over their bad faults, and doesn't let romanticism cloud the issue either. It's a refreshing and revealing look at history, and while it did help me to know a bit about the time beforehand, it's not inaccessable to the average reader either. She keeps the prose free of foreign terms, confusing quotes, and while she does diverge in spots to show the wider picture of the world at the time, it's what history ought to be -- a cracking good story.

Two inserts of colour photos are included, along with two genealogical charts, an extensive bibiography, notes and index help to give a framework for the story.

Recommended.

"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 pretty good biography of King Louis XIV but, sadly, I found the book a little lacking.
Antonia Fraser (her biography of King Charles is one of my favourite royal biographies) makes a decent enough effort in this book, but perhaps 300 pages weren't enough to really focus on the many intriguing individuals (re: ladies) in this King's life. The many ladies (Queen Anne, Louise de la Valliere, Madame de Montespan, Madame de Maintenon, etc) get introduced and written about, in turn, but from reading many more books on the period I know that there is much, much more to be said about these women.
I would have loved to have read more about the tense, love/hate relationship between the two "rivals" Montespan and Maintenon and about what would make the very sensual Louis fall in love with a woman like the outwardly not very sensual Maintenon. His attachment and loyalty to the very beautiful exiled Queen in his care would perhaps have warranted some more mention.
I would have loved to have read more about his relationships with his natural daughters and granddaughters as well.

Plus a few of Ms. Fraser's conclusions didn't sit well with me. Montespan's role in the "Affair of the Poisons" could be debated, but Fraser concludes that Louis must have believed her innocent because he still made a show of having her around the court. Well, Louis WAS about outward show. Though Montespan is hardly the worst character in the world, in the book she goes from saucy, sensuous and greedy vixen to a paragon of virtue, passing out alms to the poor within a heartbeat. This is rather confusing, how did this change come about?

It's interesting that Ms. Fraser gives a very human touch to all her works (which is to be commended, I think she is by and large still a very gifted biographer), and I would still recommend this book for history buffs. Perhaps writing about so many characters in one book is too ambitious a project.

I would give the book 3 1/2 stars. :)

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.

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

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.

I give Antonia Fraser's Love and Louis XIV four stars. Why not five? Because of the plethora of typos in the Kindle Edition. Someone carelessly must have done a "spell check" and changed all the "due to's" to "Duc to's," thinking that the author was referrring to the French word for "Duke." This is only the most egregious example of the many typos. Ms. Fraser, please. Have someone re-proof-read the Kindle Edition.

This is a fascinating and factual biography of Louis XIV and his various marital and extramarital relationships. I listened to the unabridged audio edition and found it to be quite entertaining. Louis XIV was an incredibly powerful, self-centered and at times sensitive person and his mistresses were influential, manipulative and loving.

I'd recommend this book for those interested in biographies and the life of the Sun King and his fascinating life.

Antonia Fraser briefly profiles dozens and dozens of those women who however briefly captured the attention of Louis XIV. And there are A LOT of ladies. Which makes keeping all the of these ladies straight difficult, and the material would be better suited by several charts to establish the hierarchy and family tree of the French Court for reference. The print edition may have included such resources, but the audio book did not. Had Fraser focused her scope somewhat that may have not been necessary, but as the book is written, it is hard to follow. I also wouldn't have minded some historical context to encapsulate some of these romances or amusements, nor would I have been against a little more focus or detail on some of those ladies who were more important to Louis life and reign. Instead we get brief profiles and scant details on almost everyone whom the king has a flirtation with, those who marry within the upper echelon of the court, or can claim descent from Louis. I feared it would get to the point where Fraser would introduce Louis' maids, cooks or those who walked through the room briefly were not introduced to the King.

Eyre delivers an impeccable French read (at least to my ears) but at times her inflections, pauses and pronunciations tend towards snobbery. Even if that was the point, I found her unlikable. And though Eyre's performance did not curb my enjoyment of the book, she didn't bring anything special to the material either.

I can't get enough details on the scandalous courts and love lives of European Monarchic figures, so of course I did really enjoy the book. However it may not suit more discriminating listeners.

Reviewed By Michele E. Davis

You know how Louis XIV's life ended, but in order to understand it, you have to go back to the beginning.

Antonia Fraser, a rolific historical writer, paints a gorgeous portrait of Louis XIV, the Dauphin. He was the first male child borne to Anne of Austria, and his love of women continued throughout his life. Timelines, bloodlines and everything you ever wanted to know about Louis XIV is written in an engaging, witty style, drawing from numerous texts that are highly footnoted. This is a comprehensive study of 17th Century France and the torn dichotomy of Louis's soul: he feared God, wanted to provide for the French people, yet had an astounding sexual appetite.

He gave up his first true love, Marie Mancini, to marry his cousin Maria Teresa, the Spanish princess. He flirted mercilessly at Court with his sister-in-law, Henriette-Anne, who was England's Charles II's sister. But Charles and Henriette had a plan for Louis to become involved with a different woman. Falling for it, Louis found himself with Louise de La Vallière, who still preserved her maiden head. Ever restless with his respective bed partners, Louis proceeded to have sexual relations with the Marquise de Montespan but eventually gave her up to be involved with his own granddaughter-in-law, Adélaïde.

While women of the day were not allowed to rule as they could in England or Spain, "Under a king, a country is really ruled by women," states Adélaïde prior to her death from measles. Reign these women did, while whispering sweet nothings of a political bent in the bedchambers of the promiscuous Louis XIV.

An excellent book about Louis XIV, a must-read for anyone fascinated with history, as well as French politics.

Armchair Interviews says: Well-written and fascinating with a touch of wit and well-referenced quotes.