Summary : Œuvres de Voltaire Tome XIX: Siècle de Louis XIV.—Tome I

Voltaire first conceived the idea of writing the history of the reign of Louis XIV in 1732, eventually publishing an initial essay in late 1739. The French council quickly suppressed this early draft, which comprised the first two chapters of the future work. Voltaire spent the next decade finishing the complete text, which was published in Berlin in 1751 under the pseudonym of M. de Francheville. This first edition was notable for being printed entirely with Voltaire's preferred orthography. It immediately drew the attention of unauthorized publishers, who produced multiple pirate editions across Europe. Voltaire continuously revised, corrected, and expanded the text throughout his life. In 1756, he integrated the work into his broader historical project, Essai sur l’histoire générale. Over subsequent decades, chapters were reorganized, catalogs of notable writers and artists were moved to the beginning of the volume, and a continuation covering the reign of Louis XV was appended. Posthumous editions, such as those published in Kehl, introduced further changes, while a heavily censored version edited by Madame de Genlis in 1820 removed sections on Calvinism and Jansenism to protect religious sensibilities. The original history had already been condemned and banned by Rome in 1753. The historical work itself opens with preliminary materials detailing the royal family and key figures of the era. Louis XIV married Maria Theresa of Austria in 1660. The queen lived a simple life until her death in 1683. Their only surviving child was Louis, the Grand Dauphin, who died in 1711. He married Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, fathering Louis, Duke of Burgundy—a highly educated and peace-loving prince who died of measles in 1712—alongside Philip, Duke of Anjou (later Philip V of Spain), and Charles, Duke of Berry. The text also documents Louis XIV’s legitimized natural children. With the Duchess de La Vallière, he fathered the Count of Vermandois and Marie-Anne, Princess of Conti. With Madame de Montespan, his children included the Duke of Maine, the Count of Toulouse, and daughters who married into the prominent Condé and Orléans lines. Furthermore, the genealogy traces other key members of the royal bloodline. These include Gaston, Duke of Orleans, whose political plotting against Cardinal Richelieu ultimately brought ruin to his allies, and Henriette-Marie, the queen consort of King Charles I of England. Finally, the lineage details the King's brother, Philip, Duke of Orléans, who established the modern House of Orléans and fathered the future Regent of France.