Cover of The Age of Louis XIV

The Age of Louis XIV

by Will Durant, Ariel Durant · 1963

The Story of Civilization seriesbook 8 of 10Next:The Age of Voltaire(1965) →

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subtitle: A History of European Civilization in the Period of Pascal, Moliere, Cromwell, Milton, Peter the Great, Newton & Spinoza 1648-1715

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In the 8th volume of their Story of Civilization, the Durants explore the apex of European civilization to that time, the years 1648-1715. It's the era of the "Sun King," Louis XIV, one of the most powerful rulers in Western history. It's also the pinnacle of Dutch culture, the heyday of Vermeer & William of Orange, later King of England. All this forms the backdrop for the Durants' real focus: the intellectual character of the age. Encompassing Newton & Leibniz, among others, THE AGE OF LOUIS XIV marks a momentous transition: the passage from superstition & intolerance to science & philosophy. This is the period on which the foundation for modernity rests.

"Informed & highly readable...eloquently partisan for the dignity of man & the decencies of life."—Saturday Review

Subject
historyphilosophypoliticsbiographyeconomics
Genre
Georgian and 18th centuryhistorical fictionwar and military
Themes
historyreligion
Setting
17th century18th centuryEuropeFrance
Audience
adult
Length
epic · 822 pages

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