As Voltaire explains in the preface, it is not only to describe the personal work of Louis XIV but "paint to posterity the minds of men in the most enlightened age that ever was," the "Grand Century". And indeed, what does one extraordinary gallery of portraits in this book! For example, major generals, Luxembourg, Catinat, Marlborough, great artists, great ministers. And what events are described, including major military operations, the construction of Versailles!
The style is unmistakable in its clarity, its liveliness, its punchy. Unlike other modern historians, Voltaire lived during the reign of Louis XIV and even had access to witnesses and privileged documents. More than a book, it is a fascinating monument to what was one of the greatest centuries of the history of France.
