Louis XIV was born in 1638. In the year 1661 he succeeded the regent Cardinal Mazarin. At the time he was only twenty-three. Louis applied the symbol of the sun to his reign; "the light that imparts to the other heavenly bodies." Louis intended to make the other states of Europe "the other heavenly bodies," him take taking the role and duties of the sun. As you will see King Louis XIV was a very proud, clever, glory-hungry, and well-spoken ruler. There are three authors in the section on Louis XIV who discuss the qualities and short-comings during his time of power. These authors are Saint-Simon, Voltaire, and Pierre Goubert. They reveal the different ways that King Louis XIV was depicted during reign until his untimely death in 1715.

The first author is Saint-Simon of Versailles. He was born in Versailles in 1675 and lived there until the year of 1705. In the...