Louis XV

Louis XV (1710-1774) was king of France form 1715 to 1774. His reign was marked by the decline of the prestige of the monarchy and the deepening of the crisis that eventually led to the French Revolution.

Since Louis XV, the great-grandson of Louis XIV, was only 5 years old when he became king, the regent, the Duc d'Orléans, was the actual ruler until his death in 1723. In 1725 Louis XV was married to Marie Leszczynska, daughter of a claimant to the Polish throne. Although the Queen bore him nine children, this political marriage to a woman 7 years his senior was not a happy one. In 1726 Cardinal Fleury, already 73 years old, became first minister, a position that he retained until his death (1743).

Louis XV's personal reign began with the death of Fleury. His decision to rule without a first minister gave promise of a strong regime in the tradition of Louis XIV. However, although the King was intelligent, generous, and, at the beginning at least, sincere in his desire to aid his people, he lacked the qualities of a strong ruler. He was timid, cynical, bored by administrative matters, and incapable of sustained effort. The result of the King's lassitude was the emergence of court factions which sought to influence policy. Although the political role of the succession of royal mistresses has sometimes been exaggerated, such favorites as Madame de Pompadour and Madame du Barry often intervened to obtain gifts and positions for their friends.

The foreign policy of Louis XV, under the direction of Cardinal Fleury, was based upon the principle that France could not afford more wars after the reign of Louis XIV and that cordial relations with England must be maintained. During the personal rule of Louis XV it might be said that France had two foreign policies, an official one and the King's personal diplomacy, the so-called secret du roi, carried out by secret agents. The main objective of Louis XV's diplomacy was to maintain an influence in Poland and to strengthen France's allies in central and eastern Europe. In addition to France's involvement in Continental affairs, the conflict with England for colonial supremacy continued. However, both on the Continent and in the colonial world, France suffered military and diplomatic setbacks during the reign of Louis XV.

Although Louis XV recognized the need for internal reforms, particularly of the inequitable system of taxation, until the end of his reign he failed to back up his reforming ministers against opposition from the court and coalitions of all those threatened by change. In 1771, however, Louis XV resolutely supported the minister Maupeou, who successfully limited the powers of the parlements, the main obstacle to change, and began a program of fiscal and economic reform. However, after Louis XV's death in 1774, his successor, Louis XVI, abandoned an effort that might have saved the monarchy. Despite this late attempt at reform, Louis XV, at first called the bien-aimé (the much beloved), died an unpopular ruler.

Further Reading

Pierre Gaxotte, Louis the Fifteenth and His Times (trans. 1934), is a royalist interpretation. G. P. Gooch, Louis XV: The Monarchy in Decline (1956), is more recent. Also useful is Alfred Cobban, A History of Modern France, vol. 1 (1957; new ed., 3 vols. in 1, 1965).

Additional Sources

Antoine, Michel, Louis XV, Paris: Fayard, 1989.

Bernier, Olivier, Louis the Beloved: the life of Louis XV, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1984. □

Louis XV 1710–74, king of France (1715–74), great-grandson and successor of King Louis XIV, son of Louis , titular duke of Burgundy, and Marie Adelaide of Savoy.

Early Reign

Louis succeeded to the throne with Philippe II, duc d'Orléans (see Orléans , family) as regent. After the regent died (1723), the king was guided by André Hercule de Fleury , his main adviser from 1726. When Fleury died in 1743, the king decided not to appoint a chief minister. Louis, however, lacked both the will and interest to govern forcefully, and his reign was influenced by a succession of favorites. Of these, Mme de Pompadour and her adherents were the most important and were in favor from the 1730s until 1764. The comtesse Du Barry was installed in 1768 and retained her influence until the king's death.

Foreign Affairs

While Louis was king, France was involved in a series of wars. As a result of the king's marriage (1725) to Marie Leszcynska, France took part in the War of the Polish Succession (see Polish Succession, War of the ), and eventually obtained (1766) the duchy of Lorraine for its efforts. Louis's diplomacy, which was often conducted secretly by the king's personal agents rather than through his official ministers, involved France in the War of the Austrian Succession against Austria (see Austrian Succession, War of the ) and, after a switch of alliances that realigned (1756) France with Austria, in the Seven Years War . The Treaty of Paris (see Paris, Treaty of , 1763), ending the Seven Years War, marked the loss of most of France's colonial empire and a low point in French prestige on the Continent.

Domestic Policies

The domestic abuses of Louis XIV's rule and the disastrous financial policy of the regency were partly liquidated by Fleury, but the extravagances of Louis XV's court, the expense of warfare, and the defeat of attempts at reform left the monarchy weak by the time of the king's death. Efforts to reform the inequitable tax system failed, as did the attempt by René Nicolas de Maupeou to suppress opposition to reform from the parlement .

Throughout Louis's reign, the aristocracy asserted more influence, and the upper bourgeoisie gained more financial power. The country knew general prosperity, but the government was near bankruptcy. The apathy of Louis XV in the face of these problems found expression in the saying "Après moi le déluge" [after me, the flood], wrongly attributed to the king himself. The failure of the monarchy to solve its fiscal difficulties led directly to the French Revolution during the reign of Louis's successor, Louis XVI .

Bibliography

See P. Gaxotte, Louis the Fifteenth and His Times (1934); G. P. Gooch, Louis XV; the Monarchy in Decline (1956); A. Cobban, A History of Modern France, Vol. I (1957, repr. 1969).

Louis XV (1710–74) King of France (1715–74), a great grandson of LOUIS XIV. During his minority Philippe, duc d'Orléans was regent, followed by Cardinal Fleury. After Fleury's death in 1743 Louis decided to rule without a chief minister, but he proved to be a weak king who reduced the prestige of the French monarchy both at home and abroad.

At the age of 15 Louis married Marie Leszczynska, daughter of the King of POLAND, and France intervened in the War of Polish Succession, gaining the duchy of Lorraine in 1766. In foreign affairs France was involved in almost continuous warfare; in the War of the Austrian Succession, in alliance with FREDERICK II of Prussia until hostilities were concluded at AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. The SEVEN YEARS WAR saw France and Austria fighting Prussia and Great Britain but with little success. The Treaty of PARIS (1763) marked the loss of most of France's overseas territories.

In domestic policy Louis XV was influenced by a succession of favourites and mistresses, including Madame de POMPADOUR and Madame DU BARRY, on whom he lavished enormous amounts of money. The extravagance of the court and the high cost of war absorbed all of France's resources and efforts to rationalize the tax system failed. The Parlement of Paris secured the suppression of the Jesuits in 1764 but otherwise failed to achieve reforms. The members of the Parlement were banished and a compliant Parlement appointed in their place in 1771. The reign saw the aristocracy and the wealthy bourgeoisie prosper, though the country was close to bankruptcy. The king's failure to solve his financial affairs left an insolvent government for his successor, LOUIS XVI.

Louis XV ( the Well-Beloved) (1710–74) King of France (1715–74). Grandson and successor of Louis XIV, he failed to arrest the slow decline of the monarchy. Disastrous wars, especially the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War, resulted in financial crisis and the loss of most of the French empire. Louis encountered opposition from parlements (the supreme courts) and conflict with the followers of Jansenism and court factions. The monarchy became deeply unpopular in France.