Figurine Louis Xiv Sur Son ChevalThe best known French monarch, Louis XIV (1638 1715), known as "the Great" or "the Sun King", reigned over France and Navarre from 1643 to 1715. This was one of the longest reigns in European history. After Mazarin's death, he personally took over the government of the kingdom and exercised an "absolute monarchy" with an iron fist. A great lover of art and architecture, the Palace of Versailles with its gardens, where one can admire the equestrian