Nec pluribus impar: Classics and the Sun King in Early Modern France
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Date
2024-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
This thesis examines how Louis XIV (1638-1715) constructed his public image as the "Sun King" by associating himself with famous figures from antiquity, both historical and mythological. Despite being concerned with modernity and establishing France as the new cultural center of Europe, Louis’ royal propaganda drew extensively on ancient heroes, emperors, and gods from a broader European canon, including Augustus, Alexander the Great, Perseus, Heracles, and above all, Apollo. By analyzing examples of literature, portraiture, and architecture that contributed to the king’s image, I will explore how Louis engaged with classical models as a means of legitimizing his authority to other European powers—and, eventually, asserting France’s superiority over them. Building off the example of Versailles, I will also evaluate the home of a king or emperor as a physical representation of power, and how the inclusion of Classics within such a space might contribute to its impact. Ultimately, the aim of this project is to identify how ancient ideas helped to shape the reign of one of the most influential monarchs in European history, how Louis XIV repurposed the past in order to uphold his absolutist rule, and how the presence of Ancient Greece and Rome was felt and interpreted in the Early Modern period—and beyond—as a result.
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Keywords
Classical reception studies, Louis XIV, Early Modern history, French history, Roman history, Greco-Roman mythology