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Louis XIV of France

1638 CE – 1715 CE

Retrace Louis XIV of France's life across the map — 28 events in chronological order, from a cinematic flythrough to a full timeline.

Life journey

1. Franco-Spanish War1635 CE
   The Franco-Spanish War, May 1635 to November 1659, was fought between France and Spain, each supported by various allies at different points. It consists of two distinct phases, the first from May 1635 to October 1648, which is considered a related conflict of the Thirty Years' War, the second continued until the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659.
2. Reapers' War1640 CE
   The Reapers' War, also known as the Catalan Revolt or Catalan Revolution, was a conflict that affected the Principality of Catalonia between 1640 and 1659, in the context of the Franco-Spanish War of 1635–1659. Incited by an unrest among the Catalan peasantry and institutions, as well as French diplomatic movements, the war resulted in the establishment of the short-lived Catalan Republic and the subsequent clash of Spanish and French armies on Catalan soil for over a decade.
3. Anglo-Spanish War1654 CE
   The Anglo-Spanish War of 1654–1660 was fought between the Commonwealth of England and Habsburg Spain. It was driven by the economic and religious rivalry between the two countries, with each side attacking the other's commercial and colonial interests in various ways, such as privateering and naval expeditions.
4. Treaty of the Pyrenees1659 CE
   The Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed on 7 November 1659 and ended the Franco-Spanish War that had begun in 1635.
5. Djidjelli expedition1664 CE
   The Djidjelli expedition was a 1664 military expedition by Louis XIV to seize the port of Djidjelli and establish a naval base against the Barbary corsairs. There was a disagreement among the leaders of the expedition as to what its objectives should be. Ultimately the town of Djidjelli was taken easily, but after three months, heavily besieged and deprived of reinforcements by an outbreak of plague, the French abandoned the city and returned home.
6. Treaty of Breda1667 CE
   The Peace of Breda, or Treaty of Breda was signed in the Dutch city of Breda, on 31 July 1667. It consisted of three separate treaties between England and each of its opponents in the Second Anglo-Dutch War: the Dutch Republic, France, and Denmark–Norway. It also included a separate Anglo-Dutch commercial agreement.
7. Siege of Lille1667 CE
   The siege of Lille took place during the War of Devolution. Louis XIV's forces besieged Lille from 28 August to 26 September 1667. It was the only major engagement of the war. Lille was the first major victory for Vauban’s siege techniques. Louis XIV, arguing that the Spanish dowry of his wife Maria Theresa of Spain had not been paid, began to expand French borders to the north and east, invading the Spanish Netherlands. This began a conflict with Spain that became the War of Devolution. After taking Charleroi, Tournai, and Douai, French troops laid siege to Lille, at that time part of the county of Flanders under Spanish rule. Siege techniques applied by the French military engineer Vauban were instrumental in their capture.
8. Treaty of Lisbon1667 CE
   The Treaty of Lisbon was signed on 31 March 1667 by Portugal and France, which agreed to a ten-year defensive and offensive alliance against Spain. The treaty was driven by Louis XIV, who was preparing to seize the Spanish Netherlands. The Portuguese Restoration War, which had begun in 1640, was coming to an end. Ensuring that it continued would absorb Spanish resources and prevent Spain from sending reinforcements.
9. Siege of Tournai1667 CE
   The siege of Tournai was an event in the War of Devolution. A French army commanded by Louis XIV successfully besieged the town of Tournai, then part of the Spanish Netherlands. The siege, which began on 21 June 1667, led to the surrender of the defenders loyal to the Spanish Empire fewer than five days later.
10. War of Devolution1667 CE
    The War of Devolution took place from May 1667 to May 1668. In the course of the war, France occupied large parts of the Spanish Netherlands and Franche-Comté, both then provinces of the Holy Roman Empire ruled by Spain. Its name derives from an obscure law known as the Jus Devolutionis, used by Louis XIV to claim that these territories had "devolved" to him by right of marriage to Maria Theresa of Spain.
11. Third Anglo-Dutch War1672 CE
    The Third Anglo-Dutch War, began on 27 March 1672, and concluded on 19 February 1674. A naval conflict between the Dutch Republic and England, in alliance with France, it is considered a related conflict of the wider 1672 to 1678 Franco-Dutch War.
12. Franco-Dutch War1672 CE
    The Franco-Dutch War, 1672 to 1678, was primarily fought by France and the Dutch Republic, with both sides backed at different times by a variety of allies. Related conflicts include the Third Anglo-Dutch War of 1672 to 1674 and the Scanian War of 1675 to 1679.
13. Second conquest of Franche-Comté1673 CE
    The second conquest of Franche-Comté, also known as the definitive conquest of Franche-Comté, was a military campaign during the Dutch War that took place in the Franche-Comté region from 12 October 1673 to 10 July 1674, culminating in the capture of the Château de Sainte-Anne. This conflict pitted France against the County of Burgundy, then a possession of the Spanish House of Habsburg and part of the Holy Roman Empire. After a nine-month campaign, France annexed Franche-Comté through the Treaties of Nijmegen in 1678, ending the war and securing the region.
14. Siege of Maastricht1673 CE
    The siege of Maastricht took place from 13 to 30 June 1673 during the 1672 to 1678 Franco-Dutch War. A French army captured the Dutch fortress of Maastricht, which occupied a key strategic position on the Meuse river and was their main objective for 1673.
15. Siege of Besançon1674 CE
    The siege of Besançon took place from 25 April to 22 May 1674 during the Franco-Dutch War, when French forces nominally led by Louis XIV invaded Franche-Comté, then part of the Spanish Empire.
16. Siege of Cambrai1677 CE
    The siege of Cambrai took place from 20 March to 19 April 1677 during the 1672–1678 Franco-Dutch War; then part of the Spanish Netherlands, it was invested by a French army under the duc de Luxembourg. Siege operations were supervised by the military engineer Vauban; Louis XIV was nominally in command but played little part in operations.
17. Siege of Ypres1678 CE
    The siege of Ypres in the Spanish Netherlands took place between March 18 and March 25, 1678, as part of the Franco-Dutch War, and ended with the conquest of the city by the French.
18. Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye1679 CE
    The Treaty or Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye of 19 June (OS) or 29 June (NS) 1679 was a peace treaty between France and the Electorate of Brandenburg. It restored to France's ally Sweden her dominions Bremen-Verden and Swedish Pomerania, lost to Brandenburg in the Scanian War. Sweden ratified the treaty on 28 July 1679.
19. French–Tripolitania War1681 CE
    The Franco–Tripolitanian War (1681-1685) was part of a wider campaign by France against the Barbary Pirates in the 1680s.
20. War of the Reunions1683 CE
    The War of the Reunions (1683–84) was a conflict between France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, with limited involvement by Genoa. It can be seen as a continuation of the War of Devolution (1667–1668) and the Franco-Dutch War (1672–1678), which were driven by Louis XIV's determination to establish defensible boundaries along France's northern and eastern borders.
21. Nine Years' War1688 CE
    The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between France and the Grand Alliance. Fought primarily in Europe, related conflicts include the Williamite war in Ireland, and King William's War in North America.
22. Siege of Mons1691 CE
    The siege of Mons, 15 March – 10 April 1691, was a major operation fought during the Nine Years' War, and was the main French objective for the 1691 campaign in the Spanish Netherlands. The city was besieged and captured before the normal commencement of the campaigning season with minimal losses. The outcome was not in doubt, but in a conflict dominated by siege warfare, neither the French army of King Louis XIV, nor the forces of the Grand Alliance under King William III, could bring about a decisive battle. After the siege the duc de Boufflers bombarded the neutral city of Liège, whilst the duc de Luxembourg captured Halle, and scored a minor victory against the Prince of Waldeck at the Battle of Leuze in September. Strategically, however, little had changed in the war, and both combatants returned to winter quarters at the end of the campaigning season.
23. Siege of Namur1692 CE
    The siege of Namur, 25 May–30 June 1692, was a major engagement of the Nine Years' War, and was part of the French grand plan to defeat the forces of the Grand Alliance and bring a swift conclusion to the war. Namur, sitting on the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre rivers, was a considerable fortress, and was a significant political and military asset. French forces, guided by Vauban, forced the town's surrender on 5 June, but the citadel, staunchly defended by Menno van Coehoorn, managed to hold on until 30 June before capitulating, bringing an end to the 36-day siege. Concerned that King William III planned to recapture the stronghold, King Louis XIV subsequently ordered his commander-in-chief, the duc de Luxembourg, to join battle with the Allies in the field, resulting in the bloody Battle of Steenkerque on 3 August.
24. Peace of Utrecht1713 CE
    The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne of Spain, and had involved much of Europe for over a decade. Essentially, the treaties allowed Philip V to keep the Spanish throne in return for permanently renouncing his claim to the French throne, along with other necessary guarantees that would ensure that France and Spain should not merge, thus preserving the balance of power in Europe.
25. Siege of Bitche1870 CE
    The siege of Bitche was a battle during the Franco-Prussian War initially caused by the German forces on August 8, 1870, to March 26, 1871, where the two nations would sign an armistice. The siege was considered a brave siege under the command of governor Louis-Casimir Teyssier, and of the chief of the troops of the place: Geniès-Hippolyte Bousquet who both would be appointed lieutenant-colonels during the siege.
26. Battle of Dijon1870 CE
    The Battles of Dijon were a series of battles that took place in 1870 and 1871, as part of the Franco-Prussian War, on the current territory of the French commune of Dijon between the French Republic and the German states of Prussia and Baden and later, the German Empire.
27. Siege of Longwy1871 CE
    The siege of Longwy was a military conflict during the Franco-Prussian War, which took place from 16 to 25 January 1871, in the Longwy which was near the border of Belgium and Luxembourg. After the artillery fire from the Prussian army, the siege ended with the defenders of Longwy under the command of Colonel Massaroly surrendering to Prussia under the command of Colonel Von Cosel. With this victory, the Prussian army captured many prisoners and cannons of the enemy. This was one of the consecutive victories of the German army in a short period of time during the war. The town of Longwy was badly damaged during the siege.
28. Battle of Pontarlier1871 CE
    The Battle of Pontarlier, also known as the Battle of Pontarlier-La Cluse, was the final military operation of the Franco-Prussian War, that took place from 29 January to 2 February 1871, near Pontarlier and La Cluse-et-Mijoux, not long after the newly formed German Empire and French Republic had a ceasefire. During these engagements, the German Army of the South, under the command of Lieutenant General Edwin von Manteuffel won over the French Eastern Army under the command of General Justin Clinchant, the battle forced the French Eastern Army to withdraw to neutral Switzerland. The strong efforts of the German armies led by General August von Werder in The previous Battle of the Lisaine, as well as that of General Von Manteuffel's armies at the Battle of Pontarlier, resulted in the collapse of the assault on southern Germany which the Eastern Army had expected to be ruined. At the same time, the defeat of the Eastern Army finally forced the French Interior Minister Léon Gambetta to end resistance to the Germans. The defeat at Pontarlier also brought the French heavy losses, including a large number of soldiers being taken prisoner.

Event data from Wikipedia/Wikidata (CC-BY-SA). Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected].