King Louis However, as Louis was only five years old at the time, he did not rule much. The Thirty Years' War ended with the loss of France's military reputation. Louis grew up with a hatred of nobles due to the insurrection that occurred at the beginning of his reign. For this reason, Louis XIV would never trust the nobles and would spend his reign slowly taking away their power. Louis XIV ruled for seventy-two years, from May 14, 1643 to September 1, 1715. During his time as King of France, Louis implemented many changes throughout France; some for better and others for worse. Louis XVI was born on 5 September 1638 into a Bourbon family. At the time the ruling family in France was the Bourbon family. The birth of Louis XIV was seen as a miracle, as his mother, Anne of Austria, was unable to have children for 12 years. Louis took the throne when his father, Louis XIII, died on May 14, 1643. When Louis XIV took power he was only four years old, so all decisions were made by the prime minister, Cardinal Mazarin (Schunk). Louis XIV truly ascended the throne upon the death of Cardinal Mazarin on March 9, 1661. Louis XIV then vowed to assume complete control of the government. Louis began calling himself the "Sun King" as a symbol of his absolute power (Ellis 511). Louis XIV greatly centralized power in France through many changes in government, including appointing intendants, nobles loyal to Louis The Palace of Versailles became the home of Louis XIV and the nobles (Ellis 512). There…half of the card…and it was a sign of his apparent superabundance of wealth (Ellis 512). Although King Louis XIV's time in control of the French throne did not have a huge impact on Europe as a whole, it did have a major impact on France and the French people. His reign began well, with military victories that expanded French territory. However, starting with the limitation of the power of the nobles, things began to take a turn for the worse. Louis XIV built the Palace of Versailles in the city of Versailles, twenty kilometers from Paris. This led to growing resentment towards the king, as he had distanced himself from his citizens. The Palace of Versailles, combined with costly territorial wars, left France in huge debt. To settle the debt, high taxes were imposed on the French people, causing a further decrease in King Louis XIV's popularity with the people..