Louis XIV: The Sun King

In 1516, the publication of one small book would coin a new word and give rise to centuries of literature, theory, and thought. In his most influential work, the lawyer and Tudor politician Thomas More (1478-1535) described a seemingly perfect – but entirely fictional – island ca ...  Show more

Misha Glenny chooses the first of his archive picks - bringing back classic conversations from the In Our Time archive, every Monday. Humans have tried to calculate, regulate, and measure time for thousands of years: from systems based on tracking sunrise and sunset, to the inven ...  Show more

Louis XIV, King of France from 1638 to 1715, ruled over the court at Versailles with the sheer magnetism of his personality. All were desperate to be in the light of the sun king. His image was paramount to maintaining his place at the center of the Universe. The 5’4” monarch wor ...  Show more

As the Sun King, Louis XIV ruled France for over 70 years. Yet even a king can't get everything he wants. Learn about Louis' secret marriage to Madame de Maintenon -- and why it was secret -- in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.

Louis XIV, King of France from 1638 to 1715 was, like all French Kings, expected to have many lovers to prove his virility. And as could be expected in a time before reliable birth control, he also had large a crop of illegitimate children. Last week we met 13 of Louis’ mistresse ...  Show more

This used to be a Patreon-only bonus episode, but now everyone can hear it! Since we'll be discussing Versailles in upcoming episodes, it felt appropriate to share this episode about Louis XIV aka The Sun King, who basically invented that whole scenario. To hear more bonus episod ...  Show more