Louis XV, great-grandson of Louis XIV, came to the throne as a child under the Regency of Philippe d’Orléans. His long reign saw cultural brilliance, colonial and European wars, and a gradual crisis of royal finances and legitimacy.
Wars and diplomacy
War of the Austrian Succession, Seven Years’ War (loss of Canada and positions in India), shifting alliances.
Legacy
The Enlightenment flourished; political and fiscal tensions paved the way for the crisis under Louis XVI.