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History Daily

Louis XIV Becomes King of France

History Daily

Airship | Noiser | Wondery

History

4.42.1K Ratings

🗓️ 14 May 2024

⏱️ 21 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

May 14, 1643. A four-year-old prince ascends to the throne of France, beginning a decades-long reign that will change the country forever.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad free.

0:04.0

Listen with Wundry Plus in the Wundry app.

0:06.0

As a member of Noiser Plus at Noiser.com or in Apple Podcasts,

0:10.0

or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at into History.com. It's May 14th, 1643 at a royal residence near Paris, France. Queen Anne snaps

0:32.3

snaps awake at the sound of church bells in the distance.

0:35.9

Takes a moment for the 43-year-old to remember where she is sitting in a chair next to the

0:40.8

bed of her husband, King Louis the 13th of France.

0:44.0

Although Louis is two years younger than Anne, his health is failing,

0:48.0

and doctors have predicted that his death is imminent.

0:50.0

Anne has sat in vigil by Louis's bed for days, but she's so exhausted she must have drifted off to sleep.

0:57.0

Ann has more to worry about than just her husband's illness.

1:01.0

Their eldest child, who is also named Louis, is next in line to

1:04.8

the throne, but he's only four years old. And this is not a time for a boy king.

1:09.3

France is nearly out of money and the country's nobles have spent the last few decades either fighting

1:15.2

among themselves or quarreling with the king.

1:18.3

It's such an unstable situation that Anne fears an ambitious noble will attempt to seize the throne after her husband is gone.

1:26.4

She dips a cloth in a bowl of water and holds it to King Louis's forehead.

1:30.8

It seems to revive him a little.

1:33.0

He mutters weekly and lifts his head off the bed as though grasping for something.

1:37.0

Anne puts her ear close to his mouth to make out his words.

1:41.0

He's asking for his sword. and smiles sadly and strokes Louis's forehead.

1:46.2

Her husband has no need for a weapon now, but Anne fears her son might soon.

...

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