Le quiz du Louis XIV

Equestrian statue of Louis XIV
Originally uploaded by angelalovestotravel

1. Louis XIV was the king who sparked the French Revolution of 1789. T / F
2. The Palace of Versailles is in Paris near the bank of the River Seine. T / F
3. The famous queen of King Louis XIV was Marie Antoinette. T / F
4. There is little doubt that Louis XIV was homosexual. T / F
5. How vast was Versailles? For instance, how many rooms?
a) 300 b) 700 c) 999.
6. Louis forced the independent-minded noblemen of France to change something about their lives. a) their residence. b) number of servants allowed. c) all forced to serve in the military.
7. Consider the magnificent chateau created by Nicholas Fouquet, the Finance Minster under Louis XIV. Called Vaux le Vicomte, when it was completed it was finer than anything owned by the King. What was the fate of the Minister of France once his chateau had been seen by the King?
8. Why did Louis XIV change his residence from the Palais du Louvre to the Chateau de Versailles?
9. To win the favor of Louis XIV at Versailles, a nobleman would be expected to take what sort of lessons?
10. Based on a role that he danced in a grand fete, what was the famous nickname of Louis XIV? And en Francais?

1. While he spent too much of France's money on wars and luxury, the revolution did not begin until the reign of Louis XVI, some 60 years after the reign of Louis XIV.
2. Versailles is about 11 miles south of Paris. Today it is a city and a suburb of Paris.
3. Marie Antoinette was a victim of the Revolution and the guillotine in 1793; her husband was Louis XVI, and went to his execution in 1792.
4. Louis XIV was married twice and fathered many children. He also had several mistresses. So we assume that, despite his feminine appearance in royal portraits, he was heterosexual.
5. Wikipedia lists the number of rooms as 700.
6. Louis commanded all the nobles to move into Versailles. There he was able to pit them against each other and bring autocratic unity to France.
7. Fouquet was imprisoned for embezzling the King's money. The designers and craftsmen who created Vaux le Vicomte were taken to Versailles to create an even grander residence.
8. Louis changed his residence when he realized that the royal family was not safe from the rabble in Paris.
9. Louis loved dance, particularly ballet. To be his friend was to take dance lessons.
10. The Sun King: Le Roi Soleil.