The Fronde and Louis XIV

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1650—the Kingdom of France. Louis XIV is 12 years old and too young to rule. France is placed under the regency of his mother, Anne of Austria, and Cardinal Mazarin. Poor harvests and the fiscal policy imposed by Mazarin spark unrest in Paris. Parliamentarians, nobles, and bourgeois rise in rebellion against royal authority. This marks the beginning of the Fronde, which forces Louis XIV to leave Paris. When the young king re-conquers the capital, a second rebellion breaks out. Louis XIV and his mother are made prisoners in the Palais Royal. This event marks the young man for life. Once he reaches an age to rule, Louis quashes the Frondeurs with violence and is crowned King of France in 1654. He will never forget the chaotic beginning of his reign: his fear of the nobility and of Paris will drive him to build Versailles, where he will exercise a rule of absolute power for 72 years, turning France into the foremost world and cultural power of the period.