Louis XIV before Strasbourg

The wars of the 17th century had highlighted the strategic importance of the bridge over the Rhine at Strasbourg. Already suggested by Richelieu in 1629, the annexation of Alsace to France in the autumn of 1681 came as a consequence of Louis XIV’s personal interpretation of the ensuing Peace Treaties. Through the Act of Capitulation of 30 September 1681, Strasbourg, a free city of the Empire, recognized the King’s sovereignty. In this picture, Louis XIV on horseback is shown pointing at the town of Strasbourg with the spire of the cathedral in the distance. The equestrian figure of the King, standing out against a background of clouds, dwarfs the city he has but lately attached to his kingdom.