To put him in context his reign began before Charles I was executed in Whitehall, lasted through the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth, the reigns of Charles I, James II, William III and into the beginning of the reign of Queen Anne. Nancy Mitford assumes that you'll need no introduction to Louis XIV, who ascended the throne when he was four years old and reigned for well over seventy two years. And it is indulgent: it might look like history or biography, but this is more in the nature of a gossipy conversation with someone who has seen it all, is shocked by nothing and is prepared to tell all she knows with supporting detail. Once I was over the shock of realising that it was over fifty years since The Sun King was published and just about as long since I first read the book, the memories came rushing back and I couldn't wait to settle down to an indulgent read. Summary: A gossipy look at the life and times of Louis XIV and probably the best pen-picture of the Palace of Versailles which you'll ever read.
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