Most of you have probably heard of or seen the the palace at Versailles.  This grand structure became one of the largest palaces in the world under the reign of Louis XIV and was a perfect symbol for the “Sun King”’s rule.

http://www.students.sbc.edu/gregg09/Versailles%20images/Versailles%203.jpg

Louis XIV was one of the strongest and longest-reigning monarchs in French history.  He held the throne for over 72 years, though during the early years of his rule he was essentially a puppet of his chief advisor, Cardinal Mazarin.

When Mazarin died in 1661, Louis took over the throne for real.  He worked to centralize and consolidate his powers.  One way he did this was by putting tight controls on his nobility and lessening their power, much to their chagrin.  To stop them from rebelling against him, Louis moved them all to his palace at Versailles to keep an eye on them.  He invented a very elaborate and highly structured code of etiquette that kept the nobles busy and competing against each other, while always placing himself at the center of attention.

and who wouldn’t want to attend to this?

http://lordbest.napoleonicmedals.org/louis14.jpg

Some of the best rules include:

1. People who wanted to speak to the king could not knock on his door. Instead, using the left pinkie finger, they had to gently scratch on the door, until they were granted permission to enter. As a result, many courtiers grew that fingernail longer than the others;
2. A lady never held hands or linked arms with a gentleman. Besides being in bad taste, this practice would have been impossible because a woman’s hooped skirts were so wide. Instead, she was to place her hand on top of the gentleman’s bent arm as they strolled through the gardens and chambers of Versailles;
3. When a gentleman sat down, he slid his left foot in front of the other, placed his hands on the sides of the chair and gently lowered himself into the chair. There was a very practical reason for this procedure. If a gentleman sat too fast, his tight pants might split;
4. Women and men were not allowed to cross their legs in public;
5. When a gentleman passed an acquaintance on the street, he was to raise his hat high off his head until the other person passed;
6. A gentleman was to do no work except writing letters, giving speeches, practicing fencing, or dancing. For pleasure he engaged in hawking, archery, indoor tennis, or hunting. A gentleman would also take part in battle and would sometimes serve as a public officer, paying the soldiers;
7. Ladies’ clothing did not allow them to do much besides sit and walk. However, they passed the time sewing, knitting, writing letters, painting, making their own lace, and creating their own cosmetics and perfumes.

(list from: http://splendors-versailles.org/StudentGuide/Customs/index.html)

Louis had his courtier fighting over who got to help him dress in the morning and who got to wipe the sweat from his face, as these were given to nobles who were in the king’s favor.  They were all so busy squabbling over these duties that they never united together against him.  Through these and other clever manipulations, Louis XIV ruled as one of the most powerful kings France has ever seen.