Professor Shennan surveys the reign of Louis XIV in three broad, interrelated sections which consider the character and outlook of the King, his domestic and foreign policy, and the personality cult of the Sun King. He focuses particularly on the King's reactions to the problems of raising finance, and to religious issues, his creation of a state machine giving more power to central government than any dynastic ruler had exercised before, and concludes with a lucid analysis of Louis's foreign policy.