Who was 'Le Roi Soleil'?

'Le Roi Soleil' was the nickname given to the french king, Louis XIV. He was the son of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria and King of France from 1643 to 1715, an extremely long reign. Louis XIII died when Louis XIV was only 5 years old so his mother was a regent and was assisted by Louis XIII's chief minister, Mazarin. The 'Fronde', a few rebellions conducted by the nobility whilst the king was still young, marked Louis' personality for life. Because of them, he ensured he had absolute rule and had little trust in people, always suspecting them to wanting to steal his power.
After the war with Spain, he was married to Maria Theresa, daughter of Philip IV of Spain. However, the king had a passion for women, and had many mistresses, the most famous one being the Marquise of Maupassant.
Louis XVI became 'Le Roi Soleil' in 1661, when Mazarin died and the young King, then aged 23, decided to rule the country alone. His reign was to be characterised by a lot of warfare and fear of France by other countries. He chose the symbol of the Sun as it is what gives life to everything and refers to Apollo, the God of Peace and the Arts. There are in fact many allusions to Greek mythology in Versailles.
 People were first and foremost struck by the King's elegance and non-fearing attitude. Louis' reign  is marked by the image of an absolute monarch, which Louis XVI lay the foundations for.