Louis XV
Louis XV was King of France from 1715 to 1774, ascending the throne at age five and ruling through one of the longest reigns in European history.
His reign saw France's decline as a major power, costly wars, and mounting debt that would contribute to the Revolution fifteen years after his death.
He is associated with the ornate Rococo style and reportedly said Après moi, le déluge—after me, the flood.
- ancien régimeReplaced system of governance
- VersaillesFrench royal palace complex
- rococoExcessively elaborate in style
- salonsGrooming establishments
- royal courtMonarch's official household
monarchy · porcelain factory · Seven Years' War · absolutism · hunting lodges · hunting parties · Regency · War of Austrian Succession · Diderot · centralization · secret diplomacy · economic stagnation · mistresses · deer park · Madame de Pompadour · Enlightenment · colonial expansion · French colonies
Louis XVGeorge Washington
Oliver Cromwell · Thomas Jefferson · Benjamin Franklin · John Locke · Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Louis XVMarcus Aurelius
Stoic emperor of Rome
Frederick the Great · George Washington · Abraham Lincoln · philosopher-king · Catherine the Great
Louis XVLouis XIV
Napoleon Bonaparte · Charles de Gaulle · Charlemagne · nation-builder