He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Cardinal Fleury was chief minister from until his death in , at which time the king took sole control of the kingdom. His reign of almost 59 years from to was the second longest in the history of France, exceeded only by his predecessor, Louis XIV, who had ruled for 72 years from to Historians generally criticize his reign, citing how reports of his corruption embarrassed the monarchy, while his wars drained the treasury and produced little gain.
However, a minority of scholars argue that he was popular during his lifetime, but that his reputation was later blackened by revolutionary propaganda. His grandson and successor Louis XVI inherited a large kingdom in need of financial and political reform which would ultimately lead to the French Revolution of He was born in the Palace of Versailles on 15 February and was immediately styled the Duke of Anjou.
At this time, the possibility of the Duke of Anjou becoming the next king seemed rather remote as Louis XIV's eldest son and heir, Louis's paternal grandfather Louis Le Grand Dauphin , was expected to assume the throne upon the old king's death. With the death of both the Grand and Petit dauphins, Louis's elder brother immediately became Dauphin of France , but just over two weeks further still, on 7 March, it was found that both the elder Louis and the younger Louis had also contracted measles.
The two brothers were treated in the traditional way, with bloodletting. On the night of 8—9 March, the new Dauphin, age five, died from the combination of the disease and the treatment. The governess of Louis, Madame de Ventadour , forbade the doctors to bleed the two year old Duke of Anjou by hiding him in a palace closet where she cared for him alone; where he survived despite being very ill. According to Charles V's royal ordinance of the Kingdom of France must be governed by a regent until a given king had reached the age of However Louis XIV had distrusted Philippe, who was a renowned soldier but was regarded by the late King as an atheist and libertine.
The King referred privately to Philippe as a Fanfaron des crimes "braggart of crimes". In August , shortly before his own death, the King rewrote his will to restrict the powers of the regent; it stipulated that the nation was to be governed by a Regency Council made up of fourteen members until the new king reached the age of majority. Philippe, nephew of Louis XIV, was named president of this Council, but other members included the Duke of Maine and at least seven of his well-known allies.
