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1[[quoteright:348:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/louis_xv_1748_quentin_de_la_tour_551.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:348:Louis XV in 1748, by Maurice Quentin de La Tour]]
3
4->''Après moi, le déluge''.[[note]]"After me, the Flood."[[/note]]
5-->--'''Louis XV''' to the Madame de Pompadour (or perhaps her to him. Or perhaps [[BeamMeUpScotty neither]], but whatever, it fits.)
6
7Great-grandson of UsefulNotes/LouisXIV and [[UsefulNotes/LetatCestMoi King]] of UsefulNotes/{{France}} for 58 years (1715-1774). He ascended to the throne at the age of 5 after the deaths of his older brother, father, grandfather (Le Grand Dauphin) and of Louis XIV himself, and the kingdom was ruled by the Regent Philippe d'Orléans until the latter's death in 1723 (Louis' coronation happened in 1722).
8
9If Louis XIV was "Le Grand", Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774) was "Le Bien-Aimé" (the Well-Beloved), at least at first. He started well enough after a war with England and Austria but it all went wrong when he ceded hard won territory back to the latter. He even went so far as to seek with an alliance with [[UsefulNotes/TheSoundOfMartialMusic Austria]], marrying his grandson UsefulNotes/{{Louis|XVI}} to UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette of Austria.
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11His popularity with the common man waned as well because of his promiscuity which led to all sorts of wild rumors, especially around his final favorite and mistress Jeanne du Barry. Things got worse later in his reign when France lost UsefulNotes/NorthAmerica and UsefulNotes/{{India}} to the British in the UsefulNotes/SevenYearsWar. This made him a morose and bitter man. He also had an attempt made on his life by Robert-Francois Damiens, a domestic servant who would receive so horrific an execution that even Louis XV himself thought it was excessive. In his old age, he abolished [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Parlements]] which his grandson and successor Louis XVI [[ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime re-established]]. This would have [[UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution some dire consequences]].
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13He died of smallpox at age 64.
14----
15!!Appears in the following works:
16[[foldercontrol]]
17
18[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
19* ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles'' is set during the last years of his reign and features his death and Louis XVI's ascent to the throne, as it's set during the life of Marie-Antoinette.
20* ''Anime/LeChevalierDEon''
21[[/folder]]
22
23[[folder:Comic Books]]
24* ''ComicBook/SensationComics'':''ComicBook/WonderWoman'': While he himself does not appear, one of Glamora Treat's flings dresses as Louis XV for a costume party at which she is dressed as Madame de Pompadour.
25[[/folder]]
26
27[[folder:Films]]
28* ''Film/{{Marie Antoinette|1938}}'' (1938) - Portrayed by Creator/JohnBarrymore.
29* ''Louis XV, le Soleil noir'' (''Louis XV - The Black Sun'', 2009) - Portrayed by Stanley Weber.
30* ''Film/FanfanLaTulipe'' (1952) - Portrayed by Marcel Herrand. He is a villain who tries to rape and then kidnaps the LoveInterest of the protagonist.
31** In the [[Film/FanfanLaTulipe2003 2003 remake]] (where he's portrayed by [[Creator/LesInconnus Didier Bourdon]]), he's a mix of [[ArmchairMilitary Armchair General]] and CluelessBoss, with none of the villainy from the 1952 film.
32* ''[[Film/Napoleon1955 Napoléon]]'' (1955) - Portrayed by Maurice Escande. Briefly seen taking the decision to buy UsefulNotes/{{Corsica}} (UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte's birthplace).
33* ''Film/LaTourPrendsGarde'' (1958) - Portrayed by Jean Lara.
34* ''Que la Fête Commence'' (''Let Joy Reign Supreme'', 1975) - He's [[TheGhost mentioned but never seen]] in this film, which focuses on the regency of Duke Philippe of Orléans when Louis was a minor.
35* ''Film/{{Beaumarchais}}'' (1996) - Portrayed by Michel Serrault. He hires the protagonist as a spy and he sends him on a mission in England.
36* ''Film/BrotherhoodOfTheWolf'' (2001) - He's [[TheFaceless seen from behind]]. Since the attacks from the Beast of Gévaudan occurred under his reign, he usually gets at least mentioned, or briefly seen, in the works related to these attacks such as this one.
37* ''Film/{{Marie Antoinette|2006}}'' (2006) - Portrayed by Creator/RipTorn.
38* ''WesternAnimation/BarbieAndTheThreeMusketeers'' (2008) - Voiced by Music/MarkHildreth. He's a young prince in this version, with his EvilUncle Philippe (Creator/TimCurry!) scheming to take the throne for himself.
39* ''Film/JeanneDuBarry'' (2023) - Portrayed by Creator/JohnnyDepp. The film is about Louis' most famous paramour. Of note, Depp spoke his lines in French. [[NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent With his American accent]].
40[[/folder]]
41
42[[folder:Live-Action Television]]
43* ''Series/DoctorWho'' (2006, "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E4TheGirlInTheFireplace The Girl in the Fireplace]]" – Portrayed by Ben Turner.
44* ''Series/{{Marie Antoinette|2022}}'' (2022-) - Portrayed by Creator/JamesPurefoy.
45[[/folder]]
46
47[[folder:Literature]]
48* Appears as a young child of two in the ''Literature/GirlsOfManyLands'' book ''Cécile: Gates of Gold'', nicknamed Anjou (from his dukedom). The story mostly focuses on Cécile but she bonds with him and his older brother Bretagne, as they enjoy seeing the dogs she cares for for the Madame. When a measles outbreak occurs, his nursemaid Madame de Ventadour along with Cécile and two other servants bar themselves from the doctors who [[WorstAid all have bloodletting done to them]] by the insistent court doctors and die. [[TruthInTelevision This is actually how Louis XV succeeded his great-grandfather]]--his grandfather, father and older brother ''all'' died before Louis XIV passed, and "Anjou"'s survival prevented a succession crisis.
49[[/folder]]
50
51[[folder:Video Games]]
52* ''VideoGame/CardShark'' - He is [[spoiler:touted as the main character's father, but averted when the truth outs.]]
53[[/folder]]

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