Louis XV 1710 -1774.

Philippe, duc d’Orléans, nephew of Louis XIV, became regent followed by Cardinal Fleury. After Fleury’s death in 1743 Louis ruled without a chief minister. He was such a weak King that during his reign, he reduced the prestige of French monarchy both at home and abroad. In 1723, he married the daughter of the King of Poland, Marie Leszczynska and France became involved in the War of the Polish Succession, gaining the duchy of Lorraine in 1766. He was famous for the number of his mistresses, who included Madame de Pompadour and Madame du Barry.