France's Secret Versailles: Fontainebleau Palace | Building a Royal Palace | Real Royalty

i'm alice loxton and i present documentaries over on history hit tv if you're passionate about all things royal history sign up to history hit tv it's like netflix but just for history you've got hours of ad-free documentaries about all aspects of the past you can get a huge discount for history hit tv make sure you check out the details in the video description and use the code real royalty all one word when you sign up now on with the show [Music] along with versailles it is the most imposing castle in france located on the edge of an opaque forest of 20 000 hectares with more than 10 million visitors per year falten blue in the eel de france fontainebleau is a huge place with buildings that spread in all directions there are over 1500 rooms and the number of people who would occupy it under a particular monarch would be up to two thousand fontainebleau's builders achieved true architectural feats like francis the first gallery which was created in the 16th century 150 years before versailles hall of mirrors the francis the first gallery at fontainebleau is generally acknowledged to be one of the great masterpieces of the italian renaissance in northern europe the architects had to face severe challenges rarely had such a volume of stone been transported from so far away the stone carts that go down the wires and then at the sand are transported on boats to font envelope never before had such a vast canal been built a structure more than a kilometer long unprecedented in the 17th century it must have been almost a small army that had to actually dig this canal because it involved a lot of earth moving blue was the only home of all the dynasties of france it's been the home for 34 kings and two emperors and they've all left their marks on the bliss building from the 12th to the 19th centuries francis the first henry iv the sun king and even napoleon all of them have contributed to making fulton blow a sprawling complex construction destruction earthwork and underground work they were ready to do anything to express the greatness of the crown through the stone of fontainebleau it's a venture that nowadays seems quite incredible knowing that all that time they didn't have the sophisticated means that we have today lasting eight centuries this is the fantastic odyssey of the longest construction project in france during which the true residence of the kings was shaped [Music] foltemble 70 kilometers south of paris an extraordinary castle stands on the edge of a huge wooded massif an eclectic estate of 46 500 square meters 10 times larger than notre dame cathedral in paris it is embellished with 130 hectares of parks and gardens a superstructure composed of 1536 rooms four courtyards three huge galleries two chapels and a theater [Music] it was not the work of a single man but a multitude of kings who built for more than eight centuries [Music] it's a project that is continually taken up by all the rulers each sovereign will want to leave his mark here at fontainebleau whether in the castle or here in the gardens but how did this royal megastructure come into being what incredible techniques were deployed by its builders to radiate the power of the crown at the origin of the chateau de frantomble this gigantic forest on the outskirts of paris the epicenter of power and again the favorite game of all the kings of france hunting royal hunting within the forest of fontainebleau actually go back to the 12th century but i suspect that as long as there was a forest belonging to the kings of france then there was hunting for the kings of france hunting is really what sets them apart from the rest of the world it's also a way of practicing since in the end it prepares them for war it's a very physical activity an activity to express your skill and especially your power on a unique site in france privileged protected from noxious smells and plagues over the centuries it was considered that the fact that fontenblo was surrounded by the forest at a certain distance in paris the air quality was better than in the capital and it is true that in the middle ages when the great plague of the 14th century broke out the court took refuge in fontainebleau and it must be acknowledged that it survived without damage clean air that they thrived in and the presence of clean water also in abundance not very common at the time water that would be at the heart of everything is an extraordinary place which like all extraordinary places takes its name from a legend legend has it that a dog in the middle ages got lost during a royal hunt and he discovered a fountain the fountain gave name to the dog and the dog's name was bio so the fountain was called fonten bello beautiful water fountain fontenbio and so it became known as the chateau de fontainebleau the story of the lost dog might be legendary but the fountain is still present in fontainebleau [Music] in the middle ages the site therefore had some assets but it also had a formidable vice it is located in the middle of swamps it is impossible to imagine building a solid foundation [Music] against all odds in the 12th century when san luis the righteous and reformist king went to fontanblo there is already a building there surprising when you know the terrain and archaic means of the time but is still only a modest fortified hunting lodge to deter those who would try to attack the king [Music] the grounds of chateau de fontanblo then consisted of a 30 meter high keep intended to accommodate the sovereign in an oval courtyard protected by defensive buildings and surrounded by a moat it was a small castle at the time it was really a hunting lodge it is rather a modest place in fact but which is still important because there's a large keep that remains today from the medieval castle only the keep remains today a massive construction with a square base not just anyone was allowed to build a key and the sovereign had his room on the first floor and this king's room was installed there until the renaissance designed to protect the king from the most violent attacks the walls of this keep are more than three meters thick and have an internal circulation system stairs built within the walls ensure the passage of the guards who can walk around the building and move from floor to floor without ever having to cross the sovereign's living rooms an architectural achievement but a proven technique in these early middle ages when the ruler must constantly protect himself and by any means necessary nevertheless the first building in fontainebleau is still far very far away from the enormous palace it is about to become [Music] two centuries later from 1337 to 1457 the hundred years war raged between france and england abandoned the chateau de fontablo will fall into ruins the abandonment of fontainebleau in the 100 years war is in part a reflection of the fact that it wasn't a particularly defensive site in the middle of its immense forest the castle is therefore forgotten but a new king of france will soon change the course of its history deploying herculean energy to transform the modest building into a grandiose renaissance palace two courtyards a gigantic gallery imposing buildings never seen before in the kingdom of france on such unforgiving ground this monarch is francis the first crowned in france in 1515 he is the emblematic king of the french renaissance [Music] the great rival of the german emperor charles v and a determined builder one of the residences on which he will set his sights fontainebleau francis the first at one point fell in love with fontainebleau that's for sure the king will come for the pleasure of hunting red and black prey in other words wild boars deer row i like particularly the um quotation overheard from francis the first um in 1543 where he said even when i'm in my coffin i'm going to go hunting hunting always and forever and also with the proximity of the capital it being sufficiently far from paris for you to be able to escape the city but it's sufficiently close to be able to be in regular touch with the governing heart of the kingdom accustomed to the chateau d'amboise the king likes pomp and splendor and he also wants to assert his power so if he has to reside in fontainebleau the residence must be worthy of his rank but with the ruin he inherited on slippery terrain and unstable ground the task looks perilous fortunately francis the first will be helped by the forest its surface area offers an inexhaustible resource of wood for construction and the nature of its ground provides an abundance of stone sandstone so we have all around the fontainebleau basin where we are now quarries that have always been used to extract the stone which is very resistant the sandstone of fontainebleau is so exceptional that it was used for the paving stones of the chateau de versailles and the entire city of paris so francis the first plan used the resources at his disposal but how to build the palace he dreams of on the marshy ground of fontanblo his clever idea to keep the foundations of the medieval castle located around the oval courtyard they are the only ones that have stood the test of time so they are immutable the king simply had the walled enclosure and the towers knocked down to build new buildings he also restores the keep that will house his apartments the keep that is still the heart of the current castle passionate about this project francis the first visualizes everything decides everything helped only by his construction manager gilberton at the time he had no architect so then how did he achieve this feat his strength the deployment of a colossal workforce that will work day and night to satisfy his desires the first construction campaign that will allow the king his family and his entourage to settle in the castle of the oval courtyard it takes about two years but it's a very short period of time today we wouldn't do any better with the technical means we have our first construction period from 1528 to 1530 which climaxes with this 34 meter high entrance the golden door consisting of several superimposed and richly decorated arches inspired by his italian campaigns it is the castle's first renaissance structure the one that will open the way to everything else unique in its kind this entrance is designed to impress and francis the first is not going to stop there [Music] a few years before the king's return to fontenblo the emperor charles v humiliated francis the first by holding him captive in madrid for over a year and the french sovereign has never forgotten the captivity of francis was a catastrophe a disaster of the first proportion francis the first captivity in spain marked him forever but many of the changes in him were good ones in the sense that he had a very clear sense of what he wanted to do with the rest of his life what would have broken lesser men gave him renewed strength and made him into the remarkable monarch we know fall time blow will be the scene of his revenge francis the first wanted to restore his reputation and demonstrate his power to his rival charles v it was therefore necessary for him to do new construction from 1531 the sovereign ordered the creation of a group of imposing buildings on the site of an old abbey bought by the crown [Music] four new wings arranged around a closed rectangular courtyard were built and tripled the surface area of fontanblo it then became the largest castle in france ahead of chambord the work of which francis the first will be most proud his renaissance gallery which now connects the new rectangular courtyard to the former oval courtyard never before had someone built such a structure in france it was the privilege of rome [Music] it's immense covered walkway 60 meters long had to surpass all that existed at the time it became the largest of all the kingdoms in europe the most sumptuous too the gallery has a double function practical so to get from one place to another or wander around and symbolic by demonstrating the richness or culture of the person who's built it [Music] a luxurious and colossal corridor created 1.5 centuries before versailles hall of mirrors francis the first kept the key around his neck and reserved it for his distinguished guests no one should ignore that it's his creation throughout he puts his initial f and his emblem the salamander on it [Music] the salamander expresses immortality it's an animal a reptile that is supposed to be able to withstand fire that is supposed to rise from the flames for the king it is to symbolize his durability his permanence his immortality to decorate his gallery in his castle francis the first stopped at nothing he brought the greatest artists of the time from italy patronage was his way of asserting his supremacy foltan blow was then likened to a new rome the king of france is the most powerful richest and generous sovereign with artists throughout europe the france of the time is new york in a way francis the first enjoyed such popularity among artists that leonardo da vinci himself bequeathed him his precious mona lisa the mona lisa which adorned the walls of the private apartments of the monarchs in fontainebleau until 1666 beyond the arts and stone francis the first is always thinking bigger he wants to reshape the land to control the hostile nature that surrounds him but just how to tame marshy wild lands crossed by a stream the sovereign is stubborn he finally found a solution by diverting and draining the stagnant water into a network of small tight canals he was able to create a large eight hectare renaissance garden and design an even set of twelve rectangular eyelets at the cost of methodical work francis the first workers succeeded in taming the water which was previously only a hostile force a piece of land that is at first sight poor satisfied with his achievements in 1539 francis the first considered that the time had come to invite his great rival to fontanblo charles v an opponent with whom he had been contending for too long the german emperor has to cross france to reach flanders where there is an insurrectional climate but he doesn't want to linger in fontainebleau the first thinks otherwise he wants to dazzle him impress him francis the first with perhaps a little strategy in his mind um he organized whole sequence of huge festivities a demonstration of power that charles v is forced to attend in turn he was at the mercy of his enemy francis the first gloats thanks to his renaissance castle which he will develop until his death in 1547 he is able to snuff out his rival and assert his omnipotence to the world his successors will never stop preserving his legacy when francis the first died henry ii his son was crowned king of france his wife is a terrible catherine de medicis their common ambition to re-appropriate the chateau de fontan blue henry ii grew up in these walls but at the end of the 16th century he feels that the building has aged catherine de medicis demands that the sandstone default blow be replaced by the most noble stone in france limestone [Music] gabriel gabriel louis the 15th architect said but it's not possible for the king to use a stone as ugly as sandstone but in fulton blow there is no limestone it's in the north of paris a hundred kilometers from there that the king's workers will find this most beautiful stone in the quarries of saint lula foreign the same stone that the sun king will use for versailles except that transporting it in the middle of the 16th century is a delicate business the stone carts that go down the wires and then up the seine are transported on boats to fontainebleau so the presence of the sand next to the castle is like a highway the limestone will have to conceal the sandstone the facade of france is the first gallery was covered by these stones these golden stones and here we can see in the doorway what remains of the sandstones from france is the first time sandstone is a relatively rough stone so they will use a softer limestone easier to cut easier to work with and from which they can more easily have impeccable joints this transition from sandstone to limestone explains the differences in the tones of the facades characteristic of the chateau de fontano but this wasn't enough for henry ii and catherine de medici a masterpiece is missing from their castle a huge reception room for their distinguished guests the king orders its construction in one of the wings of the oval courtyard in an unexpected place where francis the first had planned to build a covered terrace we think that the initial project of this room was a simple logia with openings to the outside and large vaults whose profile we still have above the chimney [Music] originally pillars were designed to support one monumental vault to destroy them would be heresy henry ii decided to keep the impressive masonry instead of the vaults he had an extremely ingenious coffered ceiling built thousands of metal rods are suspended from the framework that rests on these pillars holding a huge wooden grid it is on the suspended structure that the decorative coffers will be glued [Music] the ceiling is very spectacular and seems very massive because the reliefs are very important this ceiling is only a decoration it's suspended by important metal structures from the frame which itself supports the roofing reception room limestone facades under the reign of henry ii chateau de fontable became more noble but it was under the ages of one of his successors that it became sprawling the king who would really make his mark on fontan blow was henry iv who became king of france in 1589. henry iv is known to this day as the good king henry so it's fair to say he was liked during his time and has come down to us as perhaps the most likable of all french monarchs the ruler who inherits a kingdom ravaged by religious wars for nearly 40 years will succeed in breaking the deadlock he recants his faith converts to catholicism and signs the edict of naunt which grants new rights to protestants whatnot did and proclaimed was a pacification a final pacification of the religious wars plaguing france for the previous generation he's famously known for having said paris is well worth a mass this is what one must do in order to keep our country from tearing itself apart peace found henry iv turns to the chateau de fontanblo it is his favorite residence he will stay there for 1200 days [Music] what we don't know is that he is a king builder he wanted to give its luster back to the monarchy and he used fontainebleau a lot to do this where he did a lot of work henry iv profoundly transformed the castle and even then it couldn't accommodate all the court um lots of people stayed outside and came into visit in less than 10 years henry iv transformed the face of the royal residence multiplying by four the surface area of the castle he ordered the construction of spacious buildings and an even larger gallery than that of his grandfather francis the first to improve the daily life of the court in his dining the ruler decided on three new buildings that would form a new enclosure it is la cor des offices which now equips its residents with large kitchens pantry and cupboards all the kings ate well but this was on another scale entirely it was really a political maneuver as much as an architectural one and when we see it today you can't imagine that such a large assemblage of buildings was given over merely to food henry iv had an obsession to transform the oval courtyard to allow better movement in his castle he leveled the eastern part of the courtyard and enlarged it but how to preserve all its harmony how to give the oval courtyard a straight-lined appearance the clever solution create screen facades which also make it possible to preserve a chapel from the time of francis the first we are here in a corridor between the original chapel from the time of francis the first the chapel of san satunan's facade and this screen facade which was installed by henry the fourth architect to unify the oval courtyard [Music] thanks to this monumental trump lorry the oval courtyard no longer has an oval only the name but for henry iv the biggest project remains at work that of water control and for the exteriors of fontanblo the king is ready for anything the people at that time lived with very little water at their disposal for the king to have gushing water in his domains he's actually showing his wealth his power his ability to tame the elements henry iv entrusted the construction of these structures to renowned italian hydraulic engineers the francini brothers they had the experience they had the know-how to rebuild hydraulic structures as well as to power and create ornamental waterworks since they were also innovators at the sovereign's request the francinis had to place fountains in all the courtyards of the castle a challenge for the period which will require the installation of a very complex underground network in total three aqueducts will supply the estate's water supply francis the first 1.5 kilometer long one has a flow rate of about 30 liters of water per second there are important underground constructions not only superstructures but also all the infrastructure that has been built over several centuries but the francinis realized that the two aqueducts at their disposal those of henry ii and francis the first would not be enough to supply all the works they need to build a third one it will be henry iv's aqueduct underground in nearly one kilometer long just like the other ones it will transport water by gravity thanks to a slope of only one percent [Music] which still requires precision from a topography implementation point of view which was incredible at the time the water from the aqueduct flows through the regulation and filtration basin [Music] in the hydraulic system we have on this side the henry iv aqueduct with its central gutter that flows into this central basin it acts as a filter we see the deposits at the bottom of the basin then it has a change of direction that takes place to divert the water to the gardens but the francini brothers work does not stop there they also need to tame the shonji river a small stream that crosses the king's property and floods his gardens and for that they will have a clever idea catalyze the stream the work is huge and problematic because the ground is sloping it is necessary to redevelop the entire environment dig on one side and backfilled on the other to create a flat surface over more than a kilometer exactly we do not know exactly how this work was carried out but it took lots of men and mechanical means to carry out the work took a lot of animals to transport the land obviously since it was being transferred from one point to another it must have been a small army that had to dig this canal because it involved a lot of earth-moving work it's a venture that nowadays seems quite incredible knowing that at the time they didn't have the sophisticated means that we have today iv himself is passionate about the building of the canal his entourage reports that he can stay up to five to six hours observing the site he oversaw the work for days on end he would sit watching the builders work in total it will take the francine workers three years to build the grand canal which will become a place of entertainment and splendor for the court in above all the longest in france the grand cadilla that henry iv had built was a novelty there had been other similar plondo water sites it wasn't until very much later that a similar canal was built at versailles the characters the characteristics of the grand canal are quite impressive it makes my head spin with a length of 1200 meters a width of 37 meters which makes a surface area of about 46 000 square meters and a water resource capacity of 140 000 meters cubed thanks to its fountains its aqueduct in its large canal henry iv thus succeeded in taming water like no king of france had done before [Music] mastering and expanding the environment were henry iv's ambitious wishes with more than 50 000 square meters of surface area almost as much as the palace of versailles 100 years later fulton blow was at that time the megastructure of the great century during that time a less expected king will contribute to the magnificence of the castle the sun king a monarch whose presence in fontainebleau is almost forgotten contrary to what is often said louis xiv was very present at fontainebleau it is a little surprising in fact because we know that the court at the request of the king settled in versailles and it simply isn't the case that versailles was his only residence according to the experts the sun king is even the king who spent the most time in fontainebleau it was there that he signed an historic act the revocation of the edict of nant in 1685 a decision that once again banned protestantism in the kingdom it was also there that he found refuge during the construction of versailles it becomes a residence that allows the whole court to get out of versailles in fontainebleau louis xiv found a residence worthy of his court the accommodation is grandiose the communal rooms functional and comfortable however the sun king lacks a large french-style garden [Music] in 1660 he entrusted landscape architect andre lunotra with the creation of the ground patea the king's gardener inherits a difficult task he was an experienced gardener who had already started to work to create the perspectives of versailles who created the perspectives of comp his goal will be to unify all these series of gardens that have been created by francis the first and henry iv and that was a new garden so how can you create a french formal garden from a closed space surrounded by walls the landscape gardener decided to open and redraw all the flower beds in line with the grand canal a brilliant idea that creates a spectacular perspective it's a perspective that goes as far as the sun it's really the backbone of the landscaping system wanted by andre lenot and he takes advantage of it to connect the french garden that he creates with the grand canal that had been built 50 years earlier under the reign of henry iv with tenacity andre lenot succeeded in turning an unreadable garden into a true work of art it takes all the notches talent to set up a series of false axes elements that go sideways a trapezoid that succeeds in making people believe that it's a square in other words all these elements are like illusions it's in this whole way of seeing reconfiguring redeveloping the landscape and reconnecting with the forest that is everywhere that we can find andre lenox genius the flowerbed once decorated with boxwood embroidery reaches unprecedented proportions its four compartments each cover 8 300 square meters this is a work that will come before the creation of the partes of versailles but the partes of versailles were never as big as the ones in fontainebleau spectacular it's spectacular it's never been created with these dimensions before they are forced gradually to abandon the use of boxwood and embroidery because it represents too much work and because ultimately the scale exceeds the human capacity to maintain them today with his 14 hectares of land andre lernot's work is still the largest in europe thanks to his french formal gardens his trademark louis xiv left a strong mark on fontainebleau even if he does not touch the buildings of what he considers to be a family house it's a house you inherit from your father or grandfather and when you inherit something of this nature a heritage property a family property you're committed to preserving it this is exactly the guiding principle of fontainebleau it is the family home of the kings of france you don't wipe out the memory of the family home of the kings of france each generation has written its history by reusing the legacy of past generations and this is what makes fontainebleau so powerful and so interesting the sun king makes great use of what his ancestors left him in particular the horseshoe staircase inherited from his father king louis xiii a monumental work in a totally new form that replaces an obsolete staircase the staircase which was built in the 1630s is much larger and more impressive than the first staircase i think there is a functional reason for this demolition it's that they wanted to allow vehicles that is to say carriages to be able to reach the foot of the stairs thanks to its height and new shape the carriages can now deposit the royals directly at the foot of the double flight of steps before turning around under the arches [Music] therefore a more ingenious staircase and in particular twice as big as the previous one an exceptional footprint 21 meters long and 21 meters wide it could almost have been housed inside the current staircase there is quite a significant difference in proportions between the two the horseshoe staircase will allow the sun king to stage his entries and exits from fontenblo in a theatrical way [Music] over the centuries thanks to the contributions of the bourbon the great residence of the kings has held up well at least until 1789 and the french revolution fontenblue then came close to demolition we even have plans for quite terrifying when we think about it today of the complete destruction of the royal residence since it is ultimately the symbol of the monarchy there's a risk that one day someone will want to take it back there are people who want to completely demolish these buildings that have become useless in the end the superstructure absolute symbol of the monarchy was spared only its furniture is looted a few years later an emperor will give it back all its power [Music] when napoleon the first seized power in 1804 he reinvested in the chateau de funtenblo with one clear goal in mind to simply place himself in the line of kings of the ancient regime without attracting the wrath of the people i think the reason that napoleon the first chose von temblo rather than versailles is because their side was simply too closely associated with the regime the before the revolution versailles was the enemy personified in bricks and mortar and marble but when he arrives in fontainebleau napoleon inherits an empty and pitiful castle he then relies on his official architects charles percier and pierre fontana also the architects of the root of rivoli in paris to revive the building napoleon is very important in the history of the castle because not only does he have it refurbished but it can be said to have saved it because if napoleon had not been interested in fontable if he had not decided to make it to residents of power again what would have become of the castle napoleon was all the more eager to restore fontenblo because he intended to invite pope pius vii to it on the occasion of his coronation in 1804. the refurnishing had to be done in an absolute frenzy with carts of furniture that arrived from paris which made it possible to refurnish the castle this tour de force a real miracle was achieved by reinstalling recreating apartments in this house taking furniture from the cabinet makers who ordered them and recreating sublime apartments in record time 19 days they say at the time to welcome the pope but napoleon did not stop there if fulton blow is to embody the empire it must be sealed with his seal in 1808 he ordered the creation of his throne room in place of the king's room under the empire napoleon didn't want to reuse the room of his predecessors he wanted to show that there was a definitive change which was the change the revolution brought so it was no longer a question of reusing the royal ceremonial the bed is removed but symbolically the throne is installed in its place which is to say the very symbol of his own power fontable is not a summer residence it is not a second residence it is a place where he will be able to exercise the fullness of power the presence of the throne room during his reign napoleon the first welcomed all the crowned heads of europe to this room today it is the only one in france preserved in its historical state and with its original furniture [Music] the emperor is also the last occupant of the castle to change its orientation for him who wants to stand out from the bourbon the main entrance must face the city the people he had a wing of the court of honor which was created 300 years earlier destroyed and replaced with a majestic gate which he fashioned in his glory on the napoleon effectively assimilating jupiter's power but the glory and power displayed at the entrance of the palace will not be enough to protect the emperor from his setbacks during the campaigns of russia and central europe is the last refuge of napoleon in a france completely besieged and invaded by foreign troops forced to abdicate he was at fault and blow that napoleon bid farewell to france before leaving for the island of elba on april 20th 1814 the troops are in line waiting for the emperor the emperor arrives with his hat in his hand puts on his hat kisses the flag and addresses his old guard in extremely moving terms goodbye my children i would like to press you all to my heart that i at least kiss your flag napoleon will have definitely left his mark in fontainebleau even if he only spent a short time there less than six months too busy on the battlefield but a few decades later napoleon iii who was crowned emperor in 1852 after his coup d'etat would continue his uncle's work he resides mainly in paris at the palais de tuilerie however he could not abandon fontanblo the castle is part of his heritage i think in his mind it was important to strengthen the dynastic associations that he had with his uncle because napoleon poimiere the first was closely associated with the chateau of fontainebleau and napoleon iii wanted that association to be preeminent in the public mind from 1857 onwards napoleon iii and empress eugenie spent their summers in fontainebleau the castle is prestigious enough to receive the parisian court but not only like all the rulers napoleon iii used the castle of fontainebleau as a tool of his diplomacy he received in this residence many crowned heads from all over the world a problem fontainebleau lacks a theater however for the emperor who will order the construction of opera garnier it is not a luxury but a strategic piece of his diplomacy in 1854 napoleon iii entrusted this task to hector le fuel one of the louvres architects the theatre of napoleon iii and ujani in fontainebleau was created in the euphoria of the beginning of napoleon the third's reign at the time when the empire was being established when a court society was being rebuilt after the episode of the 1848 revolution but where to create a 400-seat theater in fulton blowing quickly because the emperor is in a hurry the architect will have to take up the challenge the emperor's trusted man has a surprising idea instead of building a new building he wants to use a wing of the main courtyard in which to insert his work from the moment the building existed it was easier to free yourself from the foundation questions and all of these things the architect designed several theater projects which were rather difficult to design given the short distance between the facades theaters in the 19th century were generally relatively large finally in a building only 14 meters wide the architect succeeded in not only creating the stage but also an oval room large enough to accommodate the court and its guests he managed to insert a circle into a square so the insertion into the wing was complicated first because of the relatively narrow structure and then because of the different levels that had to be installed obviously respecting the ground level and the roof the wing was completely emptied and the roof removed and from that moment on they were able to rebuild the theater inside these two facades he managed to shoehorn a really very small theater into a wing of the chateau without changing the envelope the outside you'd never know there's a theater in there until you open the door and go in the result a richly decorated hall 42 meters long by 14 meters wide with a capacity of 430 spectators [Music] what is extraordinary is that this room was created by hector le fuel in record time we're talking about a year and a half people work day and night inaugurated in 1857 for the arrival of the grand duke constantine of russia they will say of this room that it was one of the most elegant that one can dream of a real jewel over time the small hunting lodge in fontainebleau has been transformed into a sprawling palace with gigantic galleries four courtyards an impressive canal the largest parked here in europe and a private theater the castle housed all the crowned heads of france from san luis to the bonaparte's it has established itself as an instrument of royal and imperial power napoleon the first renamed it the true residence of the kings the house of the centuries [Music] you

Channel: Real Royalty

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Keywords: real royalty, real royalty channel, british royalty, royalty around the world, royal history, france (country), palace of versailles, france historical places, versailles palace, fontainebleau (city/town/village), louis xiv of france (monarch), europe travel guide, napoleon, napoleon bonaparte, fontainebleau palace, ile de france, francis 1, francis 1 of france, versailles france, french royalty, royal documentary 2021, francis 1st gallery, fontainebleau

Id: nw6UXLnCei8

Length: 48min 34sec (2914 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 28 2021