Part I: The God-Given (I)

When Louis XIII died on 14 May 1643, 4-year-old Louis became more than the King of France. To his mother and Cardinal Mazarin, he became a political tool. To his little 2-year-old brother Philippe (Duc d'Anjou), he became Petit Papa. As he grew up, he learned there was more to being a king than getting everything--it was about sacrificing everything to become the most powerful monarch in Europe.

From child-king to the Sun King, Louis would spend 70 years becoming the infamous symbol of imperial power to become the longest-reigning ruler in history.