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The Louis XIV ruled France from 1651 until his death in 1715 (Bernier, Foreward). Louis XIV was on one the most well-known monarchs in France and in Europe. "When twentieth-century men speak of a king, the image that usually comes to mind is Charlemange or Loui ....

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.... 5, 1638. It was also an event that fell just short of being miraculous, for the king and queen had been married for twenty-three years and they detested each other. After all these years of unfruitful marriage, everyone had become resigned to the idea that the reigning couple, Louis XIII and Anne of Austria, would remain childless. This meant that the King's brother, Gaston d'Orleans would eventually inherit the throne. The birth of the new king brought national rejoicing (though not Gaston's). France finally had their longed-for "Dauphin," as the heir to the French throne has been called since the acquisition by France, in 1349, of the province ....