Public image

Louis XIV carefully curated his image to ensure that his people both respected and feared

France had been in varying degrees of turmoil for well over a century before Louis XIV’S accession and he was determined to unify the nation with himself as figurehead, bringing much needed order to the realm. To accomplish this, it was not enough that he should be a mere man, albeit one who wore a crown – he would need to be something more, something godlike in both outward splendour and omnipotence.

At ground level, Louis loved to be seen as approachable, and was punctiliously polite and kind to everyone he met, regardless of their social class, but the image that he wished to project from a distance was very different, and specifically designed to underline the distance between himself and his people. Other leaders might have cultivated a more paternal image, portraying themselves as the affectionate but firm father of the nation, but Louis, who was fascinated by the Roman Emperors, decided to follow a rather different path and instead portray himself as akin to an actual god, more specifically Apollo, the charismatic sun god who also governed truth, light, knowledge and poetry. To this end, Louis ruthlessly engineered his own image and reputation, carefully ensuring that every painting, engraving and sculpture displayed him at his magnificent best, inspiring reverent respect from his subjects and fearful awe from everyone else.

Even in old age, when Louis was corpulent and infirm, no longer the handsome and athletic king that he had been in his youth, he still managed to project an unassailable aura of power and majesty that almost made those around him forget his infirmities.