06-23-2004, 08:46 PM
06-23-2004, 11:16 PM
I would be delighted if I could find more resources in English which discuss those traditions.
The unfortunate thing about the French Royal Family, of course, is that it no longer exists and hasn't for over 150 years. Who can say what the Court at Versailles would be like today if the Bourbons had remained on the throne, but I expect it would be very much like the Court at Buckingham Palace today, only with less stuffiness and more panache.
On any given day you can walk into Barnes and Noble and find a plethora of books about the British monarchy and wonderfully illustrated books about the royal palaces, the offices of the Crown, the Royal Family, & so on. Not so with the French monarchy. Most of what you find is just more of what you've already heard.
When it comes to history texts and treatises on French government during the ancient regime, a great wealth of titles can be found. But most of what you find with regard to the traditions of the French Court is anecdotal in biographies of Louis XIV (The Sun King by Nancy Mitford is an excellent source for court ritual) and in architectural books about the Palace of Versailles.
Nevertheless one does find things if one searches hard enough and the internet--if one has the patience to wade through endless searches--yields a great deal of valuable information.
One of my favorite traditions was the lever, or "rising ceremony" of the King. Louis XIV, "The Sun King" rose from his "state" bed each morning in splendour surrounded by his grandees, each of whom was assigned an article of his clothing with which to dress him. It's deliciously self-aggrandizing and most would find it utterly bizarre, but such was the cult which had grown about the monarchy and, more particularly, around the person of Louis XIV.
The British monarch imitated this (all monarchs imitated Louis) to a degree. It was the task of the Lord Great Chamberlain to hand the king his stockings and gloves. The King then dressed himself (aided by his valets, of course). Not to continue to veer off-topic but I recently read of a rather bizarre English tradition, again involving the Lord Chamberlain.
It was once the case that the British monarchs spent the night at Westminster on the eve of their coronations. By way of recompense to the Lord High Chamberlain--who was custos of Westminster--the monarch was then required by law to give to the Lord Chamberlain all of the clothes which he or she had worn at his or her coronation, right down to the undies. Queen Anne refused and paid him 300 Pounds instead in the interests of "saving (her) bottom drawer". Monarchs in more recent times have simply refused to stay overnight at Westminster.
Another interesting tradition at Versailles--which will seem utterly unlikely to those of us who have grown-up in an age in which heads of state are surrounded by the most impregnable security--was that the King's meals were open to public viewing. Tourists at the Palace would line up and pass through Versailles, admiring it's splendours and taking in its wonders. The tour would pass right through the Royal dining room where Louis, himself, was at table with the Royal Family enjoying the meal. Oddly enough, the only requirement for entry was that men carry a sword.
The unfortunate thing about the French Royal Family, of course, is that it no longer exists and hasn't for over 150 years. Who can say what the Court at Versailles would be like today if the Bourbons had remained on the throne, but I expect it would be very much like the Court at Buckingham Palace today, only with less stuffiness and more panache.
On any given day you can walk into Barnes and Noble and find a plethora of books about the British monarchy and wonderfully illustrated books about the royal palaces, the offices of the Crown, the Royal Family, & so on. Not so with the French monarchy. Most of what you find is just more of what you've already heard.
When it comes to history texts and treatises on French government during the ancient regime, a great wealth of titles can be found. But most of what you find with regard to the traditions of the French Court is anecdotal in biographies of Louis XIV (The Sun King by Nancy Mitford is an excellent source for court ritual) and in architectural books about the Palace of Versailles.
Nevertheless one does find things if one searches hard enough and the internet--if one has the patience to wade through endless searches--yields a great deal of valuable information.
One of my favorite traditions was the lever, or "rising ceremony" of the King. Louis XIV, "The Sun King" rose from his "state" bed each morning in splendour surrounded by his grandees, each of whom was assigned an article of his clothing with which to dress him. It's deliciously self-aggrandizing and most would find it utterly bizarre, but such was the cult which had grown about the monarchy and, more particularly, around the person of Louis XIV.
The British monarch imitated this (all monarchs imitated Louis) to a degree. It was the task of the Lord Great Chamberlain to hand the king his stockings and gloves. The King then dressed himself (aided by his valets, of course). Not to continue to veer off-topic but I recently read of a rather bizarre English tradition, again involving the Lord Chamberlain.
It was once the case that the British monarchs spent the night at Westminster on the eve of their coronations. By way of recompense to the Lord High Chamberlain--who was custos of Westminster--the monarch was then required by law to give to the Lord Chamberlain all of the clothes which he or she had worn at his or her coronation, right down to the undies. Queen Anne refused and paid him 300 Pounds instead in the interests of "saving (her) bottom drawer". Monarchs in more recent times have simply refused to stay overnight at Westminster.
Another interesting tradition at Versailles--which will seem utterly unlikely to those of us who have grown-up in an age in which heads of state are surrounded by the most impregnable security--was that the King's meals were open to public viewing. Tourists at the Palace would line up and pass through Versailles, admiring it's splendours and taking in its wonders. The tour would pass right through the Royal dining room where Louis, himself, was at table with the Royal Family enjoying the meal. Oddly enough, the only requirement for entry was that men carry a sword.