Louis XV of France

Louis XV was born on February 15, 1710, at the Palace of Versailles, to Louis Bourbon, Duke of Burgundy and Marie Adelaide of Savoy. At birth he was created Duke of Anjou and succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV, after his death in 1715. Louis became king at the age of 5.

Phillipe, Duke of Orléans, ruled the nation as Regent till Louis reached the age of 13. In 1717, François de Villeroy was appointed as Governor to coach 7 year old king in royal duties, etiquettes and skills. He was tutored by Abbé André-Hercule de Fleury, Bishop of Fréjus, who later became Cardinal de Fleury. Louis had a keen interest in science.

In 1721, a marriage was settled between Louis and Infanta Maria Anna Victoria, the young daughter of Louis’s uncle, King Philip V of Spain. But later the Regent felt that she was too young to bear children soon, so she was sent back.

Coronation of Louis XV took place in the Cathedral of Reims on October 25, 1722. The Regency was officially ended and king’s majority was announced on February 15, 1723. The Regent died that same year and on Fleury’s advice Louis Henri, Duke of Bourbon, was made the Prime Minister.

On September 5, 1725, the 15 year old King Louis XV was married to 21 year old Marie Leszczyńska, daughter of the dethroned King Stanislaw I of Poland, at Château de Fontainebleau. The intention of this marriage was to obtain a heir to secure the survival of the dynasty. The queen gave birth to 8 daughters and 2 sons between 1727 and1737, but only 7 children lived till adulthood. One son, Dauphin Louis, survived to continue the lineage. The queen spent most of her time with her courtiers and pursued music and reading.

At the beginning of his reign, there were strains over religious differences. Earlier, the religious figures were exempted from tax, but new tax levied on clergy raised discontent. Also, the repressive acts caused religious discontent which continued through his reign.

The King relied more on Fleury than Duke of Bourbon. This created tensions between the two and King removed the Duke. Louis was not strong at decision-making, thus Fleury ruled all the state affairs from 1726 to his death in 1743.

Though it was a peaceful period of the King’s reign, there was growing discontent amidst the nobles of Parlement. Under Fleury’s administration, a number of improvements were made such as extensive and systematic national road network, better transportation and shipping, improved trade within the country and also with other countries.