A day in the life of Louis XIV at the Palace of Versailles

In 1682, Louis XIV moved his royal court from Paris to Versailles, even though the palace was not yet finished and some 14 workers and artisans were still busy planting the gardens, building new wings in the palace, and decorating its rooms. Louis XIV had a good reason to do this as quickly as possible. In Paris, the nobility had power bases where they could plot against the king, whereas in Versailles, a palace in the middle of a forest, they were cut off from their power base.

There in Versailles they were at the mercy of Louis XIV Since the lavish lifestyle in the palace required a lot of money, which the king distributed only to his loyalists, a special culture of flattery was created, which revolved around the adoration of Louis XIV from morning to night. This is what a typical day in his life would have looked like:

08:30 – Louis XIV wakes up

The king would get up at 08:30 and drink tea to wake up and begin the levée ceremony. Only a select group of people who were allowed to see the king in his pajamas could participate in the ceremony. This group included the king's doctors, the king's personal valet, and the man in charge of the "porte chaise d'affaires".

This chair wasn't some baroque piece of furniture, it was the man responsible for Louis XIV's portable toilet (if you want to see a Louis XIV toilet today, you'll have to go as far as לNew Delhi Toilet MuseumThe nobleman, who paid a considerable sum for this pleasure, would arrive every morning with a portable toilet that resembled a royal throne on which a king would sit. FranceWhile he was doing what the royal barber did, he put on his morning wig, which was slightly lower than his afternoon or evening wig.

When Louis XIV “finished his business,” the doctors would examine the produce and another nobleman would have the honor of wiping the royal buttocks with pieces of cotton (also for this honor they paid a considerable sum). When the ceremony was over and the king’s buttocks were clean and polished, the king could receive a select group of nobles, who had the honor of watching him get dressed.

Since there were about a hundred nobles all gathered in the king’s bedroom, the place was extremely crowded. As a result, the theft of watches, wallets, and jewelry was rampant. Ultimately, the cost of living in Versailles was insane, and impoverished nobles did not hesitate to “supplement income” in this way…

10:00 – Short prayer and work

At 10:00 a.m. Louis XIV went to the Royal Chapel at the Palace of Versailles to pray (not the great church of the palace, as this was only completed in 14). During the mass, Louis XIV heard music composed by the best composers of France such as Jean Baptiste Lully (1708-14) and Michel Richard Delalande (1632-1687). Here is a small sample of the music he would have heard:

After the prayer, the king would touch the sick people who were gathered in the corridor next to the chapel, because at that time it was still believed that a king could cure diseases through touch. Then, during the next two hours, Louis XIV would meet with all the people who, through bribery, flattery or sexual favors, had managed to gain an appointment with the king so that he could hear their requests. After about two hours of work, it was time for lunch.

13:00-14:00 – The King Eats

Louis XIV's lunch began at 14:13 p.m. and he dined alone at a table and chair facing the window so that he could enjoy the beauty of the gardens. The king did eat alone, but he was not alone in the room. With him was a huge crowd of courtiers, who also paid a considerable sum to see the king chew and swallow and hear him burp.

Indeed, it was a worthy spectacle, since the king had the ability to eat an enormous amount of food. Thus, for a light lunch, the king could finish off a whole pheasant, duck, slices of lamb, a ham hock, salads, pastries, and fruit for dessert. You must be asking yourself how the king could eat such a large amount of food (and remember that this was only lunch and that dinner was even richer). The answer to this was given in 1715 when, during a post-mortem examination, it was discovered that Louis XIV had intestines twice as long as those of an ordinary person.

14:00 PM-18:00 PM – It's time for some entertainment

After the “light” lunch, it was time for entertainment, which could include a stroll through the palace gardens with some of the most beautiful court ladies or a hunt in the forest surrounding the palace. This was one of the most important opportunities to get close to the king and gain royal favor (I heard that the royal butt-wiping servant is about to become vacant, literally…).

The king's attention could be won through particularly beautiful clothing (nobles at the royal court changed clothes numerous times a day) or through some witty remark about people the king did not particularly like. Another way was to simply be a beautiful woman at the right time and place. From there, the road to Louis XIV's bed, and all the benefits that came with it, was short. Although it was entertainment, there were very strict rules here that no courtier dared to violate.

For example, when the king rode in the forest, no one was allowed to stop or dismount unless the king did so. And Louis XIV had the deadly combination of a wicked sense of humor and an unusually large bladder. He could ride for hours without relieving himself, which most of his courtiers of course could not. As a result, there were quite a few cases of nobles, who did it in their trousers during a hunting trip with the king, in order not to break the rules of royal protocol.

18:00-23:00 – The King tours the palace rooms and eats dinner

Starting at six in the evening, Louis XIV would stroll through the palace rooms, stopping to talk to his courtiers while they were Card games Or billiards. Everyone had to have fun, of course, and one can imagine that the amount of bets jumped dramatically and the jokes became more witty as His Majesty approached. At ten o'clock at night, dinner was served.

It was a more mass event than lunch. During the meal, several hundred people watched Louis XIV and his family eat a meal consisting of about forty different dishes. Most people did so standing, while the duchesses were allowed to sit on stools. Although several hundred people were present at the meal, as mentioned, there was complete silence during the meal because Louis XIV liked to concentrate on eating and did not tolerate being disturbed.

The meal was served by dozens of servants, who made their way from the kitchen to the hall where the king ate. If you happened to pass by while the line of servants was carrying the royal dishes, you were required to bow to them as if it were the king himself passing by.

23:00 PM – Pee and sleep?

At eleven o’clock at night, the bed-going ceremony (couchée) would begin, which was similar to the morning ceremony, only in reverse. The king would sit on the toilet, take off his clothes, put on the royal pajamas and get into bed. But don’t think that the king stayed there for long. When the courtiers dispersed, the king would get out of bed and, through secret passages, would go out to visit one of his mistresses, who was already waiting for him in her bed, while under the bed lay her husband and whispered to her, “Don’t forget to talk to him about the royal butt-wiper”…

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