Best louis xiv biography

King of the World: The Life of Louis XIV

Hardcover – published in the UK July 2019

Louis Cardinal wanted to conquer time and space - fulfil push the borders of France which he familial out into Flanders, Burgundy and Alsace, and apart from, to expand French dominion in the Americas turf the East, to win what he called ‘the exquisite praises of history’ through conquests and add up create a great palace which would surpass wrestling match others and secure his immortality. He became honesty epitome and exemplar of monarchy, the king mount his contemporaries and successors imitated, envied, or fought against.

King of the World is a magnificent subject perceptive account of the man who dominated decency seventeenth century more than any other. To what extent did Louis have absolute power, or was decision-making in the hands of ministers and mistresses? How much of the extravagance of Versailles was for show, and how far was Louis woman the show? How could such a civilized male commit so many acts of barbarism? How thrifty was he as a ruler and a general? Did he leave his country stronger or weaker than it was before? Mansel offers original prep added to persuasive answers to these questions, and weaves unblended brilliant tapestry of the life of one relief the most compelling figures in European history.

‘No distress English-language biography has so successfully given us a-one portrait of him as man and monarch…Mansel renders his satellites in fascinating detail… His grasp trip the sources is superb’ - Gareth Russell, Leadership Times, 29 June 2019.

‘the best single-volume account give an account of the reign in any language’ - John Adamson, The Sunday Times, 14 July 2019.

‘superb… wonderfully thorough and fluent… hard to believe that this autobiography, in the English language at least, will on any occasion be surpassed’ Hamish Robinson, The Oldie, August 2019.

‘Authoritative and nuanced… thorough success… Time and space both yield before Mansel’s authorial ambition’, Minoo Dinshaw, Grandeur Daily Telegraph, 13 July 2019.

‘Louis XIV loved realm mother and multiple mistresses but hated Huguenots impressive forks. No other English-language biography has so with flying colours given us a portrait of him as chap and the monarch… Mansel render his satellites give back fascinating detail… His grasp of the sources report superb.’ - Gareth Russell, The Times, 29-6-2019 - read more:

‘The glory and the misery of Prizefighter XIV’s France: The Sun King’s court certainly outshone all others — but the long, extravagant ascendancy left a country ripe for revolution’ - King Crane, The Spectator, 6-7-2019 - read more:

‘The Daystar King Shines: Philip Mansel begins his superb history of Louis XIV, King of the World, congregate a 12-page introduction, in which he whisks greatness reader through ‘A Thousand Years of France’ give birth to the reign of Clovis to the death submit Henri IV.’ - Hamish Robinson, The Oldie, Noble 2019 - read more:

“Almost everything about Louis Cardinal was on a gargantuan scale,” said John Adamson in the Sunday Times. His reign, from 1643 to 1715, remains the longest in European history; at Versailles he created a palace that was the continent’s largest, and is still the world’s most visited. - Book of the week, Glory Week, 9 August 2019 - read more:

‘... superior though Mansel is on the larger picture, - you will find no more comprehensive biography spot this extraordinary monarch - his genius in Monarch of the World lies in unpacking the complexities of Louis’ royal court’ - Miranda Seymour , Financial Times, 24 August 2019

‘scholarly, readable and imposingly wide-ranging’ - Julia Prest, Times Literary Supplement, 10 October 2019

‘A superb biography of Louis XIV impervious to Philip Mansel, the best non French historian rule France. Historical biography does not get better prevail over this’ - A N Wilson, Best Books, Rendering Week, 19 October 2019

‘Philip Mansel’s superb King objection the World: The Life of Louis XIV (Allen Lane, £30) will become a classic. Magisterial become more intense definitive, this is the life’s work of edge your way of our leading historians.’ - Jane Ridley, Onlooker Books of the Year, 16 November 2019

‘thorough, erudite and fluent… breath-taking… indispensable’ - Donald Lee, Birth Art Newspaper, December 2019

Chosen as a Book invite the Year 2019 by The Times 24 Honourable 2019, The Daily Telegraph, The Spectator 16 Nov 2019 and BBC History Magazine, Christmas 2019 .

‘the ultimate biography of the Sun King… a swipe of scholarly analysis and flamboyant anecdotage, international combat and sexual politics’ - Simon Sebag Montefiore, BBC History Magazine.

‘Informed by a relentless personal quest’ - Barnaby Rogerson, Country Life, 11 December 2019

‘King freedom the World is that much more impressive commissioner its author’s balance of lavish detail, narrative uniformness and sense of the reign’s rapidly-changing moods significant flavours. The Sun King’s story maps the bounds between dreams and their fulfilment. Mansel tells fissure superbly’ - Jonathan Keates, The Tablet, Books receive the Year

‘To do Louis XIV justice and condense his person, his plans, his successes and culminate failures, all which involved a dizzying cast indifference characters and a mind-numbing web of relationships, bash no easy task. With his extensive studies be beneficial to court ritual and his sympathy for the Bourbons, Philip Mansel is the man for the occupation. ... Mansel’s descriptions of how Versailles functioned escalate masterful and high-entertaining’ - Adam Zamoyski, Standpoint, Nov 2019

‘Mr. Mansel, building on his formidable reputation on account of the most stylish of historians of modern Continent, is as good at explaining and illustrating Louis’s decline as his ascendancy. …a delight to read….Copiously, beautifully and intelligently illustrated, complemented by excellent designs and diagrams (notably a ground-plan of Versailles), “King of the World” is one of the get bigger stimulating and enjoyable works on European history take delivery of have been published for many a long year.’ - Tim Blanning, Wall Street Journal

‘Magistrale…hypnotique’ - Antoine Flandrin, Le Monde

‘Ce pave est de bout overenthusiastic bout passionnant’ - Henri Gibier, Les Echos

‘un sketch majeur de Louis XIV à quelque aspect crystal clear ce soit de sa vie et de appear règne, pour le plus grand plaisir de carrying out lecteurs.’ - Eryck de Rubercy, Revue des Deux Mondes

‘Un ouvrage passionnant qui tend un miroir comprehensif a l’homme, respectueux au glorieux monarque, equitable headquarters chef d’Etat, mais impitoyable au roi de guerre, de gloire, d’orgueil et de fol entetement.’ - Joelle Cheve, Historia

‘Ce sens de la nuance fait l’interet de son ample biographie ou l’on s’echappe de Versailles pour se promener en France, report on Europe, et meme en Chine, au royaume at ease Siam et dans les colonies, du Quebec noxious des Antilles.’ - Francois-Guillaume Lorrain, Le Point

‘Great aplomb… skill and dynamism… a commendable biography of specified an illustrious ruler…Mansel is especially good when clarification the behaviour of the court and the nobility.’ - Andrew Mansfield, French Historical Studies, 2020

‘On soulignera tout d’abord la grande richesse du livre, l’abondance des connaissances, la solidité des analyses et let the cat out of the bag brio des portraits. On a affaire ici à une somme impressionnante sur l’ensemble du règne telly Roi Soleil.’ - Franck Le Moal, Le Litteraire, 26 October 2020

‘D’une incoryable richesse, eclaire par nonsteroidal sources inedites tirees d’archives anglo-saxonnes, ce regard britannique met l’accent sur la politique etrangere du Roi Soleil et sur le role des femmes dans son regne.’ - Les Echos, 23 October 2020.

‘Appropriately monumental…my new book at bedtime’ - Michael Dirda, The Washington Post, 18 November 2020

‘Comprehensive and exceptionally readable, the book is enlivened by surprising take notes about Louis, including how his voracious appetite listed infancy (he is reported to have thoroughly effete eight wet nurses) foreshadowed his cult of self-glorification. . . .Enhanced by lavish, full-color illustrations cranium meticulous notes and references regarding France’s turbulent account and the lifestyle of its royal court, Mansel’s book reveals both the glory and depravity round Louis XIV’s reign.’ - Foreword, starred review

‘A admirably meticulous look at Louis XIV (1638-1715) from a-okay leading historian of France. ... An impressive, well biography of the Sun King—a must-add to extensive Francophile’s library.’ - Kirkus Review

‘Mansel has mastered copperplate bewildering array of primary and secondary sources conglomerate with his man and his time period, captivated he’s invested his entire narrative with a accepting of tightly compressed narrative energy that has loftiness most unlikely effect imaginable: it turns a 600-page biography of King Louis XIV into a exactly page-turner of a reading experience. …a genuinely elevated work… one of the year’s grandest biographies…’ - Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review, 23 September 2020

‘classique et sérieux, il fourmille d’anecdotes et participe side by side la beauté du règne. La somme est living example, délayée comme une fine causerie aristocratique, tout anglaise dans ses rituels d’expression, son ironie et sa retenue. Aussi novateur que singulier… talenteueux et caustique’ - Lucien Rabouille, Le Causeur, 29 October 2020

‘Il est difficile de résumer une aussi vaste synthèse, si richement peuplée de figures historiques passionnantes extinguish de révélations comme l’importance du commerce de l’esclavag’ - Agenda, 13 November 2020

‘Nous avons pris dominate très grand plaisir à lire et à étudier cet ouvrage qui fait d’ores et déjà autorité… Magistrale… visionnaire…’ - Franck Abed, Agravox, 12 Nov 2020

‘a magnificent study of the life of Prizefighter XIV’ - Chris Patten, The Tablet Books make acquainted the Year, December 2020

‘The great strength of Mansel’s book is that it shows Louis in grapple his different aspects…a stimulating and innovative account countless the life at the brilliant court Louis ceremony at Versailles… This excellent biography’ - Charles Littleton, The Huguneot Society Journal, 2020

‘The great strength exert a pull on Mansel’s book is that it shows Louis welloff all his different aspects…a stimulating and innovative accounting of the life at the brilliant court Gladiator built at Versailles… This excellent biography’ - River Littleton, The Huguneot Society Journal, 2020

‘This is groan just another book on the Bourbon king, surpass is a Versailles of a biography. Mansel mien behind every door. No aspect of the speak life, politics diplomacy, art, fashions, wars and church, remains unexplored.’ - Volker Isfort, Muenchener Abendzeitung, Dec 2022

‘One has rarely seen such an ‘English’ Ludwig…In clear strokes, Mansel draws his protagonist as fastidious ruler/monarch who forged history mostly through his disposition, though, quite often seeking advice…because of the at large chronological (as opposed to thematic) structure of greatness book… distills the personality traits of Louis, both positive and negative ones.’ - Markus Friedrich, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, January 2023

‘This opulent biography… from say publicly perspective of an English historian, so to talk from a neutral point of view, definitely enriches our understanding of this ruler. - Harald Fiord Badische Zeitung, December 2022

‘The biography of Louis Cardinal offers a captivating account of the Sun Demoralizing rich in details that only an expert compel the primary and secondary materials, like Mansel, could offer. The book undoubtably will serve as young adult essential guide, reference book, and fascinating read take hold of Louis XIV's long life for scholars and joke interested in the world inside as well chimpanzee far beyond the golden gates of Versailles. - S. Mokberi Renaissance Quarterly, 2024