Who Was Louis XIV?

Louis XIV was born in 1638, the son of Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria.  He reigned as king of France from 1643 (aged 4!) until his death from gangrene in 1715 aged 76.  He did not assume actual control of the government until the death in 1661 of his First Minister Mazarin.  

Louis XIV is known as The Sun King or Louis the Great and his 72 year reign is the longest of any French or major European monarch.  He became the archetypal absolute ruler - the phrase  "L'État, c'est moi" ("I am the State") is attributed to him.  
He increased French power and political influence in Europe and fought three major wars, including the War of the Spanish Succession.  During his reign France also enjoyed a cultural dominance - through writers like Molire and painters such as Rigaud - that brought the country great prestige.  The King was a generous patron of the arts.  

Louis XIV married Maria Theresa, daughter of the King of Spain, in 1660.  Only one of his children, Louis 'the Dauphin', survived to adulthood but he predeceased the King and so it was Louis XIV's grandson who succeeded him, as Louis XV.