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Hello My Friends and a very happy New Year to you all! I for one am very glad to be starting a fresh chapter with the beginning of a fresh year. I have had a beautiful and leisurely day today (for which I am extremely grateful as these days are more than rare for me)! My wonderful husband, Keithen, let me sleep in this morning and not only tended to the baby but cleaned and did laundry as well! I now know what the Queen must have felt like! So, long story short I have been on an online adventure and I have a ton of juicy stuff to post this week! I have decided to focus on Versailles this week and my favorite frivolous Queen Marie~Antoinette the next (I found some great stuff to share)! I am very excited! I'll save the exciting stuff for the week today just an amuse bouche for your taste buds!
~French Court Etiquette and life at court in Versailles~
Life at the court was narrowly regulated by court etiquette. Étiquette was the means of social advancement for the court. Louis XIV’s elaborate rules of etiquette included the following:
*People who wanted to speak to the king could not knock on his door. Instead, using the left little 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!
*A lady never held hands or linked arms with a gentleman. It was in very bad taste and nearly impossible because a woman’s skirts were so wide. She was to place her hand on top of the gentleman’s bent arm as they strolled through the gardens and chambers of Versailles. Ladies were only allowed to touch their fingertips with the men. Imagine that! Funny with all of the scandal that went on!
*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. The practical reason for this procedure was that if he sat too quickly, his tight trousers might split.
*Women and men were not allowed to cross their legs in public.
*When a gentleman passed an acquaintance on the street, he was to raise his hat high off his head until the other person passed.
*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. My Goodness!
*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. Beauty before practicality! I love it!
*Etiquette ordained the order of prominence at court, limited or extended access based on rank or favor. For example...
The Honours can be divided depending on the rank of each Individual:
~King of France (head of state, patriarch, The man in charge!)
~Enfants & Petit Enfants de France (children & grandchildren of king)
~Princes of the Blood (from great-grandchildren on, stemming from a king)
~Ducs-et-Pairs (Peers of the realm w/the Honours of the Louvre)
~Non-titled Nobles (Maqs., Count, Baron, but considered non-titled because not a peer.)
**Let's not get started on the issue of legitimate & illegitimate children, there is a whole other set of rules there!**
Confused yet? Hold on...! There were also different Honours:
~The Honours of the Louvre~ the most comprehensive and belong from Dukes and up (more below).
~The Honours of the Court = the right to ride Kings carriages and be invited to court balls.
~The Honours of Versailles = the right to be presented at court, from gentlemen and up.
A little bit more on the Honours of the Louvre~
*The right to have a Throne room with a velvet dais in your own palace, and display your own arms in the back curtain.
*The right to gold-leaf your carriage all over.
*The right to have a red velvet "imperiale" or covering as the roof to your carriage.
*The right to crown the carriage lanterns with "golden ducal crowns (of 8 strawberry leaves)."
*The right to enter with a carriage pulled by 4 horses to the innermost courtyards of royal palaces.
*The right to ride (never in the presence of the king or his palaces) in a carriage pulled by 6 horses.
*The right for women to sit on a tabouret in the presence of the King and Royal Family.
These are fine examples of a Tabouret these are in Versailles and they are quite abundant. My favorites being the ones in Marie~Antoinette's bed chamber*The right for women then slowly also the men to have a square cushion on which to kneel during mass in the presence of the king.
*The right to have a prie-dieu at church when the king is not present.
*The right to display a ducal mantle (in France, blue) and a ducal coronet (8 strawberry leaves) on one's arms.
*The right (for women) to wear a court mantle with a train borne by a page.
So, these apply to you if you are a Duchess, Prince of the blood, the King or Queen. If you didn't qualify you were not allowed any of these luxuries! And I so wanted to erect a dais :(
Just in case you were wondering this is a prie~Dieu*The king and queen always had a fauteuil (armchair) to sit on. In their presence, no one else was allowed an armchair, unless you were also a monarch.
*A chair with a back but no arms was allowed for those closest in rank to the king, such as his brother or children.
*The tabouret, a padded stool was awarded to those holding the rank of duchess. Lesser ranking nobility would be expected to stand.
* Only ushers were allowed to open doors. If you desired to leave the room, you had to wait for the usher to open the door.
* Only ushers were allowed to open doors. If you desired to leave the room, you had to wait for the usher to open the door.
*A distinctive gliding walk was used by ladies at Versailles in which they never lifted the foot so as not to step on the train of the woman in front of them. Marie-Antoinette mastered this, and all her ladies were required to learn to walk without raising their feet from the ground. It was know as the Versailles glide.
*People of different rank were to enter a room in order, princes, then officers of the Court, and finally courtiers. The page opened both halves of the tall double door for a prince, but for lower ranked dignitaries, only one side swung open.
*Wall hangings at Versailles were changed twice a year for winter and summer. Between All Saint’s Day and Easter, the château’s tall windows were sealed with strips of tape to keep out cold air. To this day they still change with the seasons.
*The royal Family was not allowed to pour a glass of water or reach for food themselves. Meals, refreshments, and items of clothing had to be handed or served to them, sometimes on silver trays, according to tradition. Mme. Campan famously tells a story of Marie~Antoinette shivering while waiting to be dressed as her petticoat is passed from one lady to another of higher rank. This scene was also portrayed in the movie.
*The Grand~Couvert was a daily public ritual, where the King and Queen would eat their dinner in public. Anybody could attend (anybody of any rank) provided they were dressed properly, for men, this meant wearing a sword. You could rent one at the gates! Marie~Antoinette famously hated this ritual (meant to signify that the Sovereigns were at the disposal of the people) and was frequently criticized for not even removing her gloves. She often picked at her food and had a second meal served in her private chambers with her friends.
There is so much more to tell! The rules of etiquette in Versailles are long and complicated but this is a pretty good start!
Bisou Mon Amis!
