• Polish Succession (1733-1735)
• Austrian Succession (1741-1748)
• The Seven Years War (756-1763)

As a result of the king’s marriage at the age of 15 (1725) to Marie Leszcynska (daughter of the King of Poland), France took part in the War of the Polish Succession, and eventually obtained (1766) the duchy of Lorraine for its efforts. The Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years War.

There was general prosperity,demographic growth, and technical progress. Fashion became very popular as were elegance and luxurious living. It was so popular that this convivial atmosphere of refinement spread to the rest of Europe. Versailles set the tone, attaining a moment of perfection in the 1750s when Madame de Pompadour reigned at court as the arbiter of fashion. At the age of 24, Madame de Pompadour was presented at court. She became the mistress of Louis XV. She died in 1764 at the age of 43.

The domestic abuses of Louis XIV’s rule and the disastrous financial policy of the regency were partly liquidated by Fleury, but the extravagances of Louis XV’s court, the expense of warfare, and the defeat of attempts at reform left the monarchy weak by the time of the king’s death. Efforts to reform the inequitable tax system failed. The failure of the monarchy to solve its fiscal difficulties led directly to the French Revolution.