War and Diplomacy: The Pursuit of Gloire

Warfare dominated Louis XIV's reign, with only brief interludes of peace during his fifty-four years of personal rule. The king's pursuit of gloire—that complex concept combining glory, reputation, and honor—drove aggressive foreign policies that ultimately exhausted France despite initial successes. The evolution from victorious limited wars to catastrophic general conflicts illustrates both absolutism's military capabilities and strategic limitations.

The War of Devolution (1667-1668) demonstrated Louis's initial advantages. Claiming the Spanish Netherlands through his wife's inheritance, French armies led by Turenne and Condé easily overran weakly defended territories. The Triple Alliance's formation forced a negotiated settlement, but the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle granted significant gains. This limited war's success encouraged further aggression while alarming European powers about French ambitions.

The Dutch War (1672-1678) marked the transition to more difficult conflicts. Louis's attack on the Dutch Republic, motivated by commercial rivalry and personal hatred of republican liberty, initially achieved spectacular success. The French army's crossing of the Rhine became legendary. Yet Dutch resistance, including flooding their countryside, prevented total victory. The war's expansion to include Spain, Austria, and German princes demonstrated emerging coalition dynamics. The Treaties of Nijmegen brought territorial gains but at higher costs and increased international suspicion.

The War of the League of Augsburg (1688-1697) showed Europe united against French expansion. Louis's reunion policy—using legal pretexts to claim dependencies of previously ceded territories—provoked general alarm. The Glorious Revolution aligned England with Louis's enemies. Fighting on multiple fronts strained French resources despite individual victories. The Treaty of Ryswick required returning most conquests, marking the first clear check to Louis's ambitions.

The War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714) nearly destroyed Louis's achievements. His acceptance of the entire Spanish inheritance for his grandson provoked a grand alliance determined to prevent Bourbon hegemony. Initial French victories gave way to catastrophic defeats—Blenheim, Ramillies, Malplaquet—that brought enemy armies deep into France. Only allied disagreements and French defensive resilience prevented total defeat. The Treaties of Utrecht and Rastatt preserved Bourbon Spain but confirmed French exhaustion.