In 1682, the Palace
of Versailles became the seat
of French royalty. Louis XIV transformed
the former hunting lodge into a symbol of
the monarchy, meant to show off the
glamorous life of a king by dazzling visitors with
awesome gardens, vast halls, and phenomenal artwork. But Versailles was also
a tightly and elaborately regulated world on its own. And like a piece of gaudy
artwork or overly ornate furniture, etiquette in
the Court of Versailles was often more bizarre
than dignified. Today, we're checking out the
strangest rules of etiquette in the Court of Versailles. But before we get started, make
sure to subscribe to the Weird History channel, and
remember to leave a comment to let us know what
other strange topics you want to hear about next. OK, let's get our hands dirty. Court life in Versailles
circa the 1600s was strict. Everything from dress
codes to a timely schedule affected everyday life. And everyone knew where
they stood in the hierarchy. But when it came to
bathroom affairs, some courtiers didn't
believe in privacy or even using a chamber pot. Today, urinating in public
or like in the hallway is something you might expect
from a rowdy talk show guest. But in Versailles,
one princess just did it wherever she pleased. According to the memoirs of
Louis de Rouvroy, the Duke of Saint-Simon,
Princess d'Harcourt just cut loose in the hallway
whenever nature called. Her reasons for this
are pretty strange too. Apparently, she believed
her blood was so pure that she could just relieve
herself wherever she walked and whenever she felt the urge. You know, like a horse. And the servants had
to clean up after her. Talk about a crap job. The duke paints a
pretty negative picture of the princess
throughout his memoirs. Not only did she have
questionable bathroom habits, but she apparently
inspired other courtiers to drop trou and
let her rip whenever and wherever the needle rose. That palace must have smelled
like a play place at a strip mall McDonald's. Centuries before the invention
of doorbells and Ring cameras, knocking was arguably the
number one way for visitors to announce their
presence or gain entry. You know, apart from diving
through the nearest open window or closed window. But knocking was
also considered rude in some parts of the world. For instance, in
France, knocking was treated as a faux pas. It was considered rude to
knock loudly on a door, and it was especially rude
to knock on the king's door. Don't interrupt
his private time. He's busy doing king stuff. To compensate for
this, courtiers grew their fingernails out. So instead of knocking,
they would lightly scratch at the door to
announce their desire to come in, like a rat's ghost. And we can all agree that's way
less intrusive and upsetting than knocking. Louis XV decreed that only
he and his immediate family could walk through an open
door without scratching first. Maybe he felt
people needed to be reminded who was king, in case
the big hat didn't give it away. Or maybe he was just an a-hole. Most kings throughout history
have been pretty fussy. It's an accepted
part of the gig. But French kings in particular
were especially big on ceremony during this time period. Not only was daily royal
life highly orchestrated, but it also had special
wake up calls and a bedtime known as the lever
and the coucher. During the coucher
part of the day, nobles and various courtiers
surrounded the king in his bed chambers as
he drifted off to sleep. Wait, did they read
him a story, or-- no. They just watch. Yeah, yeah. They just watch. That's cool. That's not weird at all. High ranking nobles
had the dubious honor of handing the king
his shirt, or chemise, during these ceremonies. Some lucky courtiers
got to see him naked, which apparently was a big deal. The king also had a ceremony
for waking up called a levee, and one just for
putting on his boots. Such rituals were the
norm during the reign of three King Louis-- XIV, XV, and XVI. It was such an
important practice that one courtier wrote in
1784, "most of the people who come to the court are persuaded
that, to make their way there, they must show
themselves everywhere, be absent as little as
possible at the King's lever, removal of the
boots, and coucher, show themselves
assiduously at the dinners of the royal family. In short, must ceaselessly work
at having themselves noticed." Basically, you
were expected to be a spectator at every single
moment of the king's day, no matter how trivial. Everyone likes to sit
down now and again. Although we take it
for granted today, it was an entirely
different story in the French court
of Versailles. Sitting down was a privilege
for certain people in the court. And who could sit where
was entirely based on rank. Kings and queens got
their own armchairs, which were presumably quite fancy. Princes and princesses, in
the royal bloodline of course, had to make do with
armless chairs. Duchesses were permitted
to sit on stools. It's unclear whether the
king and queen would then put their feet up
on them, but we feel it safe to say probably. Seating arrangements
became a hot issue as more and more
people scheme to sit on a stool in the
same room as the king. And in some cases, French
courtiers got a little crazy. In one famous incident, our
good friend Princess d'Harcourt removed another
duchess from her stool when she couldn't find a
seat she liked otherwise. Boy, you do not want
to cross that lady. Especially if you didn't
want to step in a puddle. For everyone else,
seating was typically only available at mass,
comedies, or card tables, and it offered little relief
as they spent their entire day working on their feet. Kind of sounds like
work in retail. 17th century Paris was
something of a fashion center for all of Europe. Although heeled shoes
originated as horse riding gear, they originally became
fashionable among royals. During the 17th century, heeled
cavalier boots caught on, and people began wearing
heeled shoes more often. Not wanting to be outdone
by the lower classes-- could you imagine-- nobles
made their heels much higher to demonstrate their
status and privilege. It took a little while
for King Louis XIV to draw inspiration from
his brother, Charles II, to start wearing
opulent heels himself. He even had his favorite
designer, Jean Berain, include high heels in
the special outfits he created for the Paris opera. Louis loved heels,
and both men and women began wearing these shoes
as a fashion statement. Heels in Louis XIV's time were
between two and five inches high, decorated with
buckles, ribbons, and whatever opulent
ornamentation the nobles desired. A coveted symbol of
nobility, high heels became extremely popular
among the Court at Versailles. Specifically, red heels
became the clear favorite. Probably because red
dye was expensive. Red heels looked good and
were considered luxurious, making them a winner
in the king's eyes. So naturally, he decreed only
certain nobles could wear shoes like his. The ceremony for admission
of privileges to the court was pretty complicated. Not only did nobles have to
prove their degree of lineage, but they also faced strict
rules for full court dress. Men had to have a unique elegant
suit for days one and three. They had completely different
outfits for hunting on day two. But women had much more
challenging requirements. They were required to wear a
cumbersome three piece outfit. The skirts were heavy,
long, and broader than three ells, or
approximately 3.6 meters. Roughly the length of
an adult Sasquatch. Women visiting the
court were also required to wear uncomfortable
and sometimes painful whalebone corsets. They were tight with a wide
oval neckline and short sleeves and a long train that
had to be carried along. You know, just in case anyone
dared to try and relax. The outfits were so
unwieldy that women had to practice wearing them. But the ceremony itself
was a bit of a nightmare. Women had to curtsy
multiple times as they approached the
royals, then somehow back out of the room without turning
their backs on them. Sounds like someone should
have invented the moonwalk. If the pressure and skill of
participating in the ceremony weren't enough, it was
quite a financial burden to keep up with the
nobles at Versailles. Elaborate ceremonies requiring
equally elaborate outfits were just another
way for the king to regulate the
performance of the nobles and assert his influence
over their lives. As you could
probably tell by now, holding a high
rank in Versailles came with special privileges. One of those privileges
was the ability to receive guests from the
comfort of your own bed. When parade beds became
popular towards the end of the 17th century,
nobles were more likely to receive visitors
straight from their bed chambers. Nowadays, you just have to
be unemployed to do that. Covered with intricate
carvings, silk drapes, and some of the most ornate
furnishings one could imagine, these beds were a
sight to behold. They reeked of wealth and
privilege, and probably a few other things too. Versailles sounds like
it was a smelly place. But they served another vital
purpose as a symbol of power. A parade bed was a
significant status symbol, as it signified its owner was of
extreme wealth and importance. And it's not hard to argue with
the flex of not even getting out of bed to receive visitors. Royals did everything
in front of courtiers. And if you've been paying
attention to this video, you know we mean everything. And that includes eating. Food was a big deal in 17th
and 18th century France. Nobles had master chefs
working in their homes and crafting special
cookbooks just for them. Gourmet meals reached a
peak during Louis XV's time. And although the king
usually ate his meals alone, that didn't prevent the court
from holding multiple dinner ceremonies at Versailles. These opulent
ceremonies could involve over 300 people, which sounds
more like a tent at Oktoberfest than a dinner at the palace. Other times, the king
dined with his family during a tradition called the
grand couvert, during which nobles had to sit on stools and
watch the royals eat sardines, salmon, and other
delicacies fit for a king. Visitors to the palace
also had an opportunity to view the gastronomical
proceedings. And there were some pretty
famous visitors too. The court once
invited a young Mozart to stand beside the royal
table, and even Voltaire dined at Versailles. Hopefully they gave
those guys chairs. But they probably didn't. The self-indulgent excess
of life at Versailles continued right up to
1789, when Louis XVI moved the seat of French
power back to Paris during a little conflict known
as the French Revolution. Versailles sat abandoned for
the next several decades, and Louis XVI's former subjects
stuck them in the guillotine. And this time he didn't have
to force anyone to watch. So what do you think? Would you have been able to fit
in at the Court of Versailles? Let us in the comments below. And while you're at it, check
out some of these other videos from our Weird History.
