Guest Post + GIVEAWAY!!!

I love to read everything and anything about Louis XIV.  And I absolutely Loved BEFORE VERSAILLES, by Karleen Koen (read my Review here).

Today, I am thrilled to present to you a Guest Post by Karleen Koen on my very favourite king, Louis XIV- and along with this a GIVEAWAY of the book!

 

Guest Post by Karleen Koen:

What makes Louis XIV stand out from other French kings?

Louis XIV was the star of his century--watched by all, feared by many, emulated by every king on every throne. There have been other strong French kings, but Louis was the first to create a true centralized monarchy based on a hard-working and loyal bureaucracy. (Cardinal Richelieu began the task of uniting France, but Louis finished it.)

 Louis created the first modern army, created academies of science and arts to further all disciplines. He created a strong economy. His court had been filled with powerful nobles, willing to go to war against the monarchy. He was able not only to tame them (beginning with his surprise arrest of a powerful minister), but by the time he was 30, he had created an atmosphere in which pleasing the king was foremost in a courtier's mind. His abilities were extraordinary. 

He was hard working, intelligent, determined, and he often delegated to men just as intelligent as he was. Jean Baptiste Colbert, one of his ministers,dug the ditches to create the strong structure of Louis's monarchy, but Louis was engine of it, the magnet around which it all revolved, and he was able to hold the center firmly. He made himself a star, and he made certain that people wanted to stand in the light he reflected--an amazing marketing ploy.  

Karleen Koen (www.karleenkoen.net) is the New York Times bestselling author of Through a Glass Darkly, Now Face to Face, and Dark Angels, an Indie Next List bestseller and a BookSense pick. She lives in Houston, Texas.  Before Versailles is available in bookstores and online.

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