Louis XIV by Ian Dunlop

Louis XIV by Ian Dunlop

This is not a reassessment of the reign of Louis XIV; those are plentiful enough. This book is in many ways complementary to them, using contemporary quotations to show how the king was seen at the time and presenting him as the inspirer and enabler of creative artists of many kinds. 'It is with this august cortege of immortal genius,' wrote Cardinal Maury, 'that Louis XIV faces the judgement of posterity, backed by all the great men who had reached or retained their positions through his discretion.'Louis XIV also faces the judgement of posterity as the warrior king who first had all Europe at his feet and then faced the long sequence of defeats by the combined brilliance of Marlborough and Eugene. Louis' love of the art of war brought France into humiliation; his love of the arts of peace gave France her position as the cultural centre to which all Europe looked. 'Who could have told,' asked Montesquieu, 'that the king established the greatness of France by building Versailles and Marly?'The literary skill and elegant prose of Ian Dunlop makes this book pleasurable reading - especially, perhaps, for those who have themselves fallen under the spell of Versailles.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780712667098
ISBN 10	0712667091
Title	Louis XIV
Author	Ian Dunlop
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Vintage Publishing
Year published	2001-01-04
Number of pages	512
Prizes	Winner of Enid McLeod Literary Award 1999
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable