On October 21, 1680, the Comédie-Française was founded by order of King Louis XIV, the result of a merger between Molière's troupe and that of the Hôtel de Bourgogne. The sovereign's idea was simple: to put an end to the quarrels between the two rival troupes, while reaffirming royalty by promoting classical French theater, at a time when the Comédie-Italienne was very much in vogue.
