The King Who Thought He Was the Sun | Louis XIV and the Fall of Royal Power

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]Meet Louis the 14th, the king of France who called himself the Sun King. He ruled France for over 70 years, longer than almost any king in European history. Louis wanted everyone to see him as the center of the world, just like planets move around the sun. He wanted all of France to revolve around him. He built the massive Palace of Versailles with over 700 rooms to show off his power. Nobles had to follow strange rules just to be near him. Some even watched him wake up in the morning like it was a special event. Louis believed kings ruled by divine right, meaning God chose him to rule. But while he lived in luxury, many ordinary people in France were poor and starving. And years after his death, anger against the monarchy exploded into the French Revolution. The king who acted like a god became a warning from history.