He was a Protestant who converted to

Catholicism to become king

Had a saying Paris is worth a mass
He issued the Edict of Nantes which promised
religious toleration for French Calvinists
known as Hugenotes
Henry IV
He was assassinated leaving his young son in
control of France.

He inherited the throne at 10 years of age.

His family-appointed advisor, Cardinal Richelieu
ran France
through the young king. These policies included:
Diminishing the power of the nobility by
outlawing dueling
destroying castles and dissolving the Estates
General
Mercantilist economic policies that enriched
France.
Selling off titles of nobility to successful
merchants.

Wars:
During his reign he fought Spain, Holland, Sweden and
England.
Led France in the 30 Years War, where Catholic France helped
Protestant German Princes against the Hapsburg Holy Roman
Emperor.
War of Spanish succession
-Louis grandson becomes king of Spain.
-An alliance forms against France., fearing French control of
both France and Spanish territory
-After a long war, the Treaty of Utrecht is signed
that promises that the French and Spanish thrones may never
be
united.
These wars are costly and bankrupt France.

Louis revokes the Edict of Nantes as he is

intolerant of Protestants
This forces successful Hugenot merchants
out of the country, and thus much of the
middle class is stripped from the economy.

Louis XIV calls himself the Sun King who is at the center of
everything and believes in divine right the idea that God has
chosen him to be king.
He says Letat cest moi!(I am the state!)
He builds the Palace of Versailles outside of Paris to:
-focus politics on him, not the city of Paris
-entice nobles who want influence with him to leave
Louis XIV
their estates(land) and move into the palace to be near him
(however, in the process they give up their land- the real
source of
their power)
Louis XIV never once convenes the Estates General emphasizing
his view that he is the government and does not need to share
power.