This was the name given to the 17th century in France, and more specifically to the reign of Louis XIV. It was a century, which saw the emergence of classicism in literature as well as in architecture. Louis XIV’s plan was to make Versailles a monument to royal grandeur, so he surrounded himself with a number of artists for whom he created the Royal Academy of Dance (1661), the Royal Academy of Music (1669) and the Comedie Française (1680).