At every part of the day, musicians were on hand to entertain him, to soothe him or to trumpet his arrival. But don't be fooled by my name... My Turkish father may have won the naming battle but my mother, with 10 centuries of Frenchness behind her, won the education war. A day in the life of Louis XIV ... a private one but Louis XIV used to receive all the men of the Court, in general those present at the Levee. But the king had overreached: his wars eventually led to defeats, debt and famine, and citizens rebelled. He would grow up actually believing this. That said, I'm not quite sure what the "attending" part involved... At this point, countless helpers of every stripe would be helping the king change from his nightshirt into his day clothes. Louis is believed to have eaten alone, although some records say he would be joined by nobles, the same ones who watched him do his business earlier that morning. Not all historians agree and in some versions, only his brother Philippe would present during this smaller meal. Nobles had no choice: they couldn't choose to live in their own homes. It is said he was about 1m62, or 5'4". It was the last opportunity for the day of speaking to the King, and if anyone stepped forward the others withdrew at once and left him alone with the King. He was only four years old when his father, Louis XIII, died. Olivier Baumont - harpsichordist and expert on French Baroque music - guides Lucie through the palace of Versailles to illustrate some of the music the king may have heard. He bequeathed us every possible literary and artistic academy, and he bequeathed us Versailles. He saw France as a kingdom that revolved around him, just like planets revolved around the sun. As an Amazon Associate offbeat france earns from qualifying purchases. and a few final quick fAQs about louis XIV of france Where did Louis XIV live? By the way, attending the king during his "business" was a much-prized position for which nobles would vie. Finally, at 9:00, it was time for breakfast, usually herbal tea or vegetable bouillon. (This theory, called heliocentrism, was only a few decades old, by the way; before then, everyone was convinced the sun revolved around the earth...). 1 September 1715, a few days before his 77th birthday. Together, these two co-conspirators ruled France and brought up the young king as a young king should be. And of course, the court would have to fall into step. The deeply Catholic young man would forever believe he was the center of, well, the universe. Finally, sated, the king would rise, greet the ladies who were part of court life at Versailles, and take his leave. At 8:30, the royal physician and surgeon would give him a quick check-up. 2 pm: The King gave his orders announcing his intentions for the afternoon in … He supported the slave trade and forced slaves to be baptized. He was always "on" — talking to courtiers, dealing with crises, signing documents (few things escaped his eye). Click Here >> to know which 10 food etiquette mistakes to avoid! The room would be crowded, but thin out as bedtime neared. While Louis technically became king at the age of four, in 1643, he did so under the watchful eye of his mother and Cardinal Mazarin. © Copyright 2020 OffbeatFrance.com   |   All Rights Reserved. The little king was precious: It had taken his parents nearly two decades to give birth to a son, so they called him Louis-Dieudonné, meaning "Gift of God". And while it might seem at first sight that the king only worked two hours a day, that was not the case. The barber would also position the king's "casual" wig (he would change it later in the day to something heavier and more ceremonial — he did, after all, own about 1000 of them). When did Louis XIV rule? Powerful as he was, King Louis the Sun King might, by our contemporary measure, have had absolute power over the lives and deaths of his subjects. It's a rather long time to go without food (perhaps he grabbed an apple from a bowl on his way through the Hall of Mirrors) but lunch would only be served at 1pm. Like the rest of us common mortals, Louis XIV would start his day the same way: by waking up. But just because things happened at a preordained hour didn't mean they happened in exactly the same way all the time. It would take some time, but Louis XIV's descendants would eventually lighten the heavy ceremonial system, with public awakenings and beddings becoming increasingly rare. (The cardinal and the queen, by the way, did NOT have an affair, as is often suggested.). He would then, propped up in bed, attend a mini-mass. Read about our approach to external linking. This made baptism compulsory and forced some 200,000 Huguenots, as they were called, to flee the country and seek religious freedom elsewhere. Worse, we could have been born the King, every moment crowded with onlookers, and despite our name, the Sun King, or Le Roi Soleil, about as free as a caged leopard. Then, at 10am, the king would lead a procession along the extraordinary Hall of Mirrors, which separated his grand lodgings from the queen's. In 1682 he moved permanently to Versailles, along with the entire court — courtiers, their families, their servants, and all the trades needed to service what was in effect a 700-room home to thousands (on any given day, 3000-10,000 people made up the court at Versailles). And by the way, this wasn't all Louis's idea — this heavy etiquette began under François I, a century or so earlier, born of a need to codify even the smallest of the king's movements just to highlight his superiority to the rest of the population. By 5pm it was time for a snack, possibly some pâté and pastries, and a quick trip to the chapel. Up to a hundred or so (male) spectators might be watching all this, including notables, guards, wardrobe officials and close royal servants. The only difference with the morning ceremony was the appearance of a candle servant: it was dark, unlike morning, and electricity was still a couple of centuries in the future. He would often invite someone along, perhaps an architect, or a gardener. Every single day, the king would rise at the same time, eat at the same time, play or work at the same time, and rigorous rules of etiquette would be applied to every single one of his activities. Curious about French manners? The king would glide away to the royal chapel for mass. So when Mazarin died in 1661, Louis disappointed everyone: he was now 22, and he decided he was an adult. the password to the Captain of the Guard. In his opinion, his faith was the only faith. And so would the Grand Lever, or principal awakening, begin. , as he is known in France, was an unlikely king. en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/key-dates/day-life-louis-xiv With his belly full and the country now under control, the king would turn to play in the afternoons. This meal was relatively private. What he did not have, however, was power over choosing when to go to the toilet. He also supported iconic playwrights like Molière and Racine. And then, at 11:30pm, his morning routine would start again, but in reverse. He far preferred the hunting lodge at nearby Versailles, where he had played as a boy, and quickly began to transform it into what would become the grandest and most opulent of palaces. And why was Louis XIV called the Sun King? Whisper in his ear? Saint-Simon, one of Louis’ courtiers, the Duc de Saint-Simon, describes a typical day at Versailles. So they stayed put, bound by the strictest protocol, in a suffocating atmosphere in which their lives were led at the whim of a dictatorial (though not unkind) monarch. Born in Paris and brought up in Spain and Canada, I now live in the bucolic Alpine foothills of Eastern France, near the Swiss border. He refused to appoint a replacement and much to his mother's distress, he simply took over, ushering in an era of absolutism, or absolute power, which is one of traits we remember most about this Louis. Yet his legacy was not as solid as one might have thought. Once the Petit Lever (or Little Awakening) was over, the king would rise, put on his slippers and bathrobe, and prepare to be made presentable. All of Louis's male heirs (you had to be male to wear the crown) died before he did, with one exception: the great-grandson who would become Louis XV. While we may occasionally feel envious about the lives of the rich and famous, this snapshot of a day in the life of Louis XIV should help us feel very grateful for what we have. If they were away, Louis would notice and their chances for advancement (or even sometimes survival) would evaporate. This meal was in principle a private one but Louis XIV used to receive all the men of the Court, in general those present at the Lever. The king, active and athletic, was well known for his mistresses, several of whom achieved supreme status, had his children and eventually saw them legitimized. What normally was the kings last official engagement of the morning? At 8:15, the king's valet would awaken him, though we don't know how. When Louis XIV was a child, things in France were messy. Louis discriminated. This was all laid out in his infamous Code Noir, which outlined the conditions of slavery in France's overseas possessions. Louis Quatorze, as he is known in France, was an unlikely king. Louis was a lover of the arts, especially dance (he is reputed to have been quite light on his feet). Lucie Skeaping recreates a possible day in the life of King Louis XIV, exploring the palace of Versailles and listening to some of the music the king may have heard. Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King. |   Privacy Policy & Disclaimer   |   Contact Me. Yes, he was raised to believe he was supreme in pretty much every way, including spiritually. The two hours before lunch were merely his "office hours". On a more practical level, managing a bureaucracy of thousands in the days before email or Whatsapp did require complete predictability and perfect organization. �C?�Sf *ܸ���O�P�F�"��sp�ֆ�S� 64��]�W�V�. His immediately family would sit with him but many would have had to remain standing. Given the choice, I'd have to turn it down, but that doesn't mean I can't be just a little curious. Reading Review: 1. He founded a number of academies — of Science, of Painting and Sculpture, of Music, of Danse, of Opera, the Naval Academy, Royal Academy... in other words, he was seriously into arts and learning. A civil war called La Fronde made it impossible for him to stay in Paris, and later in life he never really took to the capital. The king would then sit on his "business chair" (yes, the toilet) and do his business while his barber combed his beard. It might have only been a walk down the hall but under this Louis, Versailles was very much a place of work. Louis was fascinated by the Far East and received dignitaries (they were called "embassies") from China and Thailand during his reign. He died much as he had lived: in control of his emotions and surroundings, an absolute monarch until the end. ��b#*mAnʍ :����А���I]����y� Fl)�\3�Fy�5�$�WES���v��(�m��+�l�Y���צ�����#���a��G I���?���\'�w��o��\���+���A������4�e�X ���`Dlj�ߝ�D�7U��\֥�$j�xN�^�L �5)���' Lucie Skeaping recreates a possible day in the life of King Louis XIV. Louis XIV was unique in history, and that is probably a good thing. 2. Our purpose today isn't to talk about history or the accomplishments of Louis XIV but for context, it's worth knowing that during his life, the arts flourished and he brought many things to France, from fashion to international diplomacy. The king spent most of his life at Versailles but before it was "rebuilt", the royal residence was the Palais-Royal, in the heart of Paris, which he hated because of riots that terrified him when he was a child. His mother took over and became regent while his godfather, Cardinal Mazarin, became chief minister. Shake the royal person by the shoulder? Tasters stood by to sample every dish and drink, the king always in fear of being poisoned. Well-wishers would be lining the gallery, hoping for a glimpse of the king or, even better, an exchanged word or a slipped note. Only at Mazarin's death in 1661 did Louis actually step in and personally rule. At 11, having sat through mass, the king looked forward to two hours of work with his council of ministers (Monday and Wednesday), his gardeners and architects (Thursday), his ministers of finance (Tuesday and Saturday) and on Sunday, he dealt with the state of the nation.

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