Louis XV of France

Biography

Louis XV (1710-1774) ruled France for almost sixty years, becoming King of France and Navarre at just five years old after his great-grandfather Louis XIV passed away in 1715. Initially called Louis the Beloved, his reign of 58 years and 8 months is the second longest in French history. Since he was so young, the kingdom was under the regency of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, until Louis was 13 in 1723. Cardinal Fleury was the chief minister from 1726 until his death in 1743, after which Louis took over direct control of the government.

Louis XV married Marie Leszczyńska, the daughter of the former Polish king Stanisław Leszczyński, in 1725. They had ten children, and their marriage helped form diplomatic alliances. Despite this, the king became infamous for his many mistresses, like Madame de Pompadour and Madame du Barry. His court at Versailles stuck to the elaborate traditions of his predecessor while also becoming a hub for the arts and culture.

On the military and diplomatic front, Louis XV had mixed success. France achieved wins like the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745, but the king’s decision to give back the Austrian Netherlands at the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748 was controversial. The Seven Years' War (1756-1763) was disastrous, leading to France losing most of its North American colonies, including New France, to Great Britain. Still, during his reign, France added the Duchy of Lorraine in 1766 and got Corsica from Genoa in 1768.

Historians generally see Louis XV's reign as a time when France's international status and financial health went downhill. His lavish spending, expensive wars, and seeming lack of care for government reform led to rising debt and public dissatisfaction. His hesitance to tackle major issues in French society and administration set the stage for his successor, Louis XVI, who inherited a kingdom in financial trouble and in dire need of political change, eventually leading to the French Revolution.