King Louis XV of France Tells about Life as a Monarch During the Seven Year's War

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I am Louis XV, King of France, and I reigned from the tender age of five until my passing in 1774. My life and rule, spanning over half a century, were marked by both triumphs and tragedies. You might know me as “Louis the Beloved,” though by the end of my reign, that affection had greatly diminished. Allow me to take you through my story, including one of the most significant conflicts of my time—La Guerre de Sept Ans, or the Seven Years' War, known in your lands as the French and Indian War.

Born in 1710, I came into power at the age of five, following the deaths of my father, grandfather, and the illustrious Louis XIV, my great-grandfather, in quick succession. My uncle, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, ruled as regent until I came of age. In my early years, France was vast and powerful, yet financially strained after decades of war and royal extravagance. My minister, Cardinal Fleury, helped guide the kingdom through a period of stability and reform. But after his passing, France once again found itself embroiled in conflict.

Among the greatest of these was the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), an all-encompassing conflict that spanned multiple continents. The war in North America—the French and Indian War—played a crucial role in this broader struggle. At the heart of this conflict was the desire to dominate trade and control valuable colonial territories. France and Great Britain were at odds over control of the vast lands of the Americas. For me, it was a matter of expanding French influence, securing fur trade routes, and protecting our settlers. Our territory, New France, stretched from Canada down the Mississippi River Valley, competing with British claims.

In North America, our forces fought alongside the indigenous nations who were our allies. The French and Indian War became brutal as both sides sought control of the Ohio River Valley and beyond. Early on, my forces experienced success, with victories such as the Battle of Fort Duquesne in 1755. Our commanders, like Louis Coulon de Villiers, who avenged his brother's death at the hands of a young George Washington, achieved significant victories.

However, the tide turned. The British, under the leadership of William Pitt the Elder, poured vast resources into the conflict. They built stronger alliances with local tribes, reinforced their military efforts, and launched a successful campaign to seize key French strongholds. The fall of Quebec in 1759, under the command of British General James Wolfe, was a devastating blow. This loss led to the eventual fall of Montreal and the collapse of French power in North America.

By the end of the war, France had lost nearly all of its North American territories. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 formally ended the war, and I had to cede vast lands to the British, including all of Canada and territories east of the Mississippi River. Our once-mighty empire in the New World was reduced to a few small Caribbean islands. The war’s defeat was humiliating and deeply damaging, both to my reign and to the French economy. Our influence in the Americas was severely weakened, and this failure in the New World contributed to the growing unrest back in France.

Despite these losses, my reign oversaw a flourishing of culture and intellectual growth. France remained the cultural center of Europe, with the Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Rousseau flourishing under my rule. Yet, these thinkers also planted the seeds of revolution, for they criticized not only the monarchy but the entire social and political order.

In the final years of my reign, I watched as my country was financially and socially strained by wars and scandals. I may have been called "Louis the Beloved" in my early years, but by the time of my death in 1774, France was on the brink of financial collapse, and my grandson, Louis XVI, would inherit a kingdom ready to boil over into revolution.

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