Tracy Borman: LOUIS XIV. THE SUN KING.
THE LONGEST-REIGNING MONARCH IN EUROPEAN HISTORY,
AND THE FRENCH KING WHO BUILT THIS FABULOUS PALACE
HERE AT VERSAILLES.
BUT WHAT ACTUALLY WENT ON INSIDE?
WHAT IS THE TRUTH ABOUT THE KING’S TANGLED LOVE LIFE,
HIS EXTRAVAGANT LIFESTYLE AND EXTRAORDINARY VANITY?
DID HE REALLY BATHE ONLY THREE TIMES DURING HIS LIFE?
AND WAS VERSAILLES ACTUALLY
A FILTHY, SMELLY DEN OF INIQUITY?
Man: IN HIS LIFETIME, LOUIS WAS AN IMMENSELY SUCCESSFUL KING.
HE WAS GRAND, HE WAS SERIOUS, HE WAS HARD,
AND HE HAD A HUGE VISION, AND HE WAS GONNA IMPLEMENT IT.
I AM THE STATE, HE SAID-- L’ETAT, C’EST MOI.
Woman: HE IS ONE OF THOSE KINGS THAT IS JUST A FORCE OF NATURE.
HIS INFLUENCE STRETCHED ACROSS EUROPE.
THE FASHIONS OF FRANCE DURING HIS PERIOD
THAT ALL CAME FROM THE, CAME FROM HIM, THE MONARCH.
Woman: THE LIFE THAT WAS LED AT VERSAILLES
WAS SO DECADENT AND SO OVER-THE-TOP AND SO LAVISH.
THE ENTERTAINMENTS THAT WENT ON, WENT ON FOR DAYS,
AND KIND OF LOOSE MORALITY THAT WAS LIKE NOTHING
THAT MOST ORDINARY PEOPLE COULD EVEN CONCEIVE OF.
Man: THIS IS EXCESS, LUXURY AND DICTATORSHIP TO AN EXTREME.
HE BELIEVED THAT THE WHOLE OF FRANCE REVOLVED AROUND HIM,
AND THAT WAS HIS ACHIEVEMENT.
Borman: IN THIS EPISODE,
WE EXAMINE THE FASHION OF LOUIS’S COURT,
EXPLORE THE REAL REASON THE KING LOVED PERFUME SO MUCH,
AND DISCOVER THE SUMPTUOUS MEALS HE ATE EVERY SINGLE DAY.
I’M TRACY BORMAN, AND I’M GOING TO TAKE YOU BEHIND THE SCENES
TO FIND OUT WHAT REALLY WENT ON HERE AT VERSAILLES
AND IN THE PRIVATE LIFE OF KING LOUIS XIV.
♪
LOUIS XIV CAME INTO THE WORLD
ON SEPTEMBER 5, 1638,
AT SAINT-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE.
HE THEN SPENT MUCH
OF HIS EARLY LIFE HERE,
AT THE PALAIS ROYALE, IN THE CENTER OF PARIS.
KING LOUIS XIII DIED IN 1643,
AND SO, AGED JUST FOUR, YOUNG LOUIS SUCCEEDED
TO THE THRONE OF FRANCE TO REIGN AS LOUIS XIV.
DURING HIS CHILDHOOD, HIS MOTHER, ANNE OF AUSTRIA,
SERVED AS REGENT WITH THE FORMIDABLE FIRST MINSTER,
CARDINAL MAZZARIN, AT HER SIDE.
BUT IN 1661, AT THE AGE OF 22,
LOUIS TOOK OVER.
FROM THEN ON, HE RULED ALONE.
Dominic Selwood: HIS AMBITION MEANT THAT WHEN HE
ACHIEVED HIS MAJORITY AND BECAME RULER,
HE DIDN’T WANT TO HAVE A CHIEF MINISTER,
HE WAS GOING TO DO IT ALL HIMSELF.
BUT IT WAS TOO MUCH FOR ONE MAN TO DO,
SO, IN THE PROCESS, HE BECAME AT TIMES VINDICTIVE,
HE BECAME OVERLY AUTHORITARIAN,
AND HE DIDN’T REALLY CARE ABOUT THE NOBLES OR THE FRENCH PEOPLE.
HIS IDEA WAS A GRANDEUR OF FRANCE.
Rebecca Rideal: HE HAD A REAL SENSE
OF THE DIVINE IMPORTANCE OF MONARCHY
AND HOW HE WAS GOD’S REPRESENTATIVE ON EARTH
AND HE WAS THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING,
AND THIS IS WHY HE TOOK THE SUN AS HIS EMBLEM.
HE WANTED TO BE THE SUN, THE CENTER OF FRANCE,
SO THAT EVERYTHING ELSE WOULD REVOLVE AROUND HIM,
AND HE REALLY BUILT ON THIS IDEA
OF HIM BEING THE DIVINELY APPOINTED KING OF FRANCE.
Tony McMahon: HE WAS CALLED DIEU DONNÉ, "GOD GIVEN,"
AND HIS FIRST ADVISOR, CARDINAL MAZZARIN,
SAID, YOU KNOW, "YOU RULE BY DIVINE, DIVINE RIGHT,
DIVINE INTERVENTION.
YOU RULE BECAUSE GOD WANTS YOU TO RULE,"
AND THEN HE CALLS HIMSELF THE SUN KING.
SO HE BELIEVES THAT HE IS THIS DIVINE ROYAL PERSONAGE.
I MEAN, IT’S COMPLETELY BONKERS,
BUT EVERYBODY OF COURSE BUYS INTO IT.
♪
Borman: DURING THE EARLY YEARS OF HIS REIGN,
THE ROYAL COURT CHANGE LOCATIONS
FROM HERE, IN PARIS,
TO THE PALACE OF VERSAILLES.
WHEN IT WAS INAUGURATED IN 1682,
THERE WAS ENOUGH ROOM TO HOUSE THE ENTIRE COURT OF THE KING.
LIFE THERE REVOLVED ENTIRELY AROUND LOUIS,
AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
WAS TO SOMEHOW GAIN THE KING’S FAVOR.
Matt Green: VERSAILLES WAS LIKE A GIANT GILDED BUBBLE.
IT LOOKED GREAT FROM THE OUTSIDE,
BUT AS SOON AS YOU OPEN THE DOOR,
IT WAS ALMOST THE OPPOSITE.
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A KIND OF DIFFICULT,
QUITE INORGANIC PLACE TO LIVE.
THIS WAS THE KIND OF THE CENTER OF THE SUN GOD’S REALM.
Selwood: HE WAS A VERY HARD MAN, AND HE WAS A VERY SERIOUS MAN.
TO DO WHAT HE WANTS TO DO,
WHICH IS BRING ALL THE NOBILITY INTO ONE PLACE AND CONTROL THEM,
HE HAD TO BE DESPOTIC IN HIS CHARACTER, AND HE WAS.
I DON’T THINK HE WAS A VERY LIKEABLE PERSON.
Hallie Rubenhold: HE COULD HAVE WHATEVER HE WANTED IN LIFE.
HE COULD HAVE ANY WOMAN HE WANTED,
HE COULD HAVE ALL OF THE MATERIAL WEALTH,
ALL OF THE CLOTHING, ALL OF THE FOOD,
HE COULD HAVE BEAUTIFUL PALACES AND CARRIAGES AND GARDENS.
AND HE WENT FOR IT.
♪
Borman: ONE OF THE WAYS TO GET NOTICED BY THE KING
WAS TO BE FASHIONABLE.
A WELL-DRESSED COURTIER STOOD A MUCH BETTER CHANCE
OF GAINING INFLUENCE,
BUT THEN, AS NOW, NONE OF IT CAME CHEAP,
AND THE STRICT VERSAILLES FASHION CODE
CERTAINLY HELPED EMPTY THE POCKETS
OF THE GREAT AND THE GOOD.
I’VE COME TO LEADING PARISIAN COSTUME HOUSE SOMMIER,
WHO HAVE AGREED TO DRESS ME TO IMPRESS, LOUIS STYLE.
SO, BARBARA, YOU’RE GONNA BE DRESSING ME
FOR THE COURT OF LOUIS XIV.
I ALREADY HAVE THE UNDERLAYER ON.
CAN YOU TALK ME THROUGH IT?
Barbara Glas: YES. YOU HAVE YOUR SHORT BLOUSE
WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO WEAR UNDER YOUR DRESS.
Borman: OKAY.
Glas: NOT TO SHOW TOO MUCH OF YOUR SKIN.
THEN YOU HAVE WHITE STOCKINGS,
THAT YOU HAVE TO WEAR UNDER YOUR SHORT PANTS.
Borman: YES.
Glas: AND THESE NICE SHOES.
THIS IS JUST THE VERY BEGINNING.
THE FIRST THING YOU HAVE TO PUT ON IS YOUR BASQUETTE.
Borman: MY BASQUETTE. OKAY.
Glas: YOUR BASQUETTE. Borman: RIGHT.
Glas: I’M GOING TO CALL FOR STEFAN,
BECAUSE THERE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE TWO OR THREE LADIES
TO HELP YOU GETTING DRESSED.
Borman: OH, REALLY? NOT JUST ONE LADY’S MAID.
I’LL HOLD ON TO YOU WHILE I STEP IN.
OKAY. THERE’S ONE AND TWO. RIGHT.
Glas: THIS BASQUETTE WAS TO BE WORN UNDER YOUR DRESS.
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO MAKE YOUR HIP WIDER.
Borman: WHY DID THEY WANT WIDE HIPS?
Glas: BECAUSE THEY WANTED A VERY, VERY SLIGHT WAIST.
Borman: SO IT ACCENTUATES THE WAIST,
IT GIVES THAT NICE, SORT OF...
I WAS GONNA SAY HOURGLASS FIGURE,
IT’S A BIT MORE THAN THAT, ISN’T IT?
YEAH. OKAY. SO NOW WE HAVE THE DRESS.
Glas: SO YOU HAVE TO PUT YOUR DRESS ON.
THE DRESS IS VERY RICHLY DECORATED...
Borman: RIGHT.
Glas: AS YOU CAN SEE.
SO IF YOU JUST PUT IT FROM THE HEAD.
Borman: OKAY, RIGHT.
Glas: AND AS YOU WILL SEE, IT WAS QUITE HEAVY.
Borman: OH, YES, IT IS. IT WEIGHS A TON.
[LAUGHS]
AND THE MATERIAL MUST HAVE BEEN SO RICH.
Glas: IT WAS MADE OF, YES, IT WAS MADE OF VELVET, SILK.
Borman: OKAY.
Glas: THIS IS LACE. Borman: YEAH.
Glas: IT’S COMING MAYBE FROM THE REPUBLIC OF VENICE.
Borman: OH, SO IT’S AN INTERNATIONAL TRADE.
Glas: OH, YES.
Borman: WOW, OKAY.
IT’S LOOKING BEAUTIFUL.
Selwood: ONE OF THE PRIME FEATURES OF VERSAILLES
WAS ITS FOCUS ON FASHION AND THE WAY THE NOBLES LOOKED.
IN VERSAILLES, EACH NOBLE WAS BEING WATCHED
IN TERMS OF HOW THE KING WAS LOOKING AT THEM,
SO THE COMPETITION WAS FIERCE,
AND ONE WAY THEY TRIED TO OUTSHINE EACH OTHER
WAS IN CLOTHES AND IN OPULENCE AND IN WEALTH,
AND MANY OF THEM BANKRUPTED THEMSELVES IN THE PROCESS.
IT WAS VICIOUS COMPETITION.
Borman: SO THERE MUST HAVE BEEN LOTS OF OTHER LADIES
ALL COMPETING, ALL GETTING THE FINEST DRESSES AND...
Glas: ONE WANTS THE KING TO LOOK FOR YOU,
YOU KNOW, YOU ARE HIS FAVORITE, IT WAS DONE.
Borman: THAT WAS IT.
BUT IT’S VERY SEXUALLY CHARGED, ISN’T IT, THE COURT?
Glas: IT WAS VERY, VERY SEXUALLY CHARGED.
EVERYBODY WAS FLIRTING, YOU KNOW, THERE,
AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A FLIRTING PERIOD
WHERE EVERYBODY COULD SIT AT THE TABLE
AND TRY TO CATCH THE ATTENTION OF THE KING.
Borman: YES. AND WHAT IF YOU FAILED?
HAD YOU WASTED YOUR TIME IF YOU DIDN’T CATCH LOUIS’S ATTENTION,
YOU KNOW, WAS THERE ANYBODY ELSE?
Glas: WELL, IT WAS A BIG PROBLEM, BECAUSE YOU HAD TO BE,
NOT ONLY YOU HAD TO BE BEAUTIFUL,
BUT YOU HAD TO BE WITTY, TOO.
YOU HAD TO HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR,
YOU HAD TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION
AND BE ABLE TO DISTRACT HIM.
Borman: BUT PRESUMABLY, IF YOU ENDED UP
WITH SOME HIGH-RANKING NOBLEMAN INSTEAD OF LOUIS,
THEN THAT’S NOT TOO BAD, IS IT?
YOU HAVEN’T COME AWAY COMPLETELY EMPTY-HANDED.
Glas: NO.
Borman: OH, IT’S GETTING NICE AND TIGHT NOW.
Rubenhold: THE WOMEN OF COURT
KNEW THAT THEY COULD EXERT SOME POWER AND INFLUENCE
THROUGH THEIR SEXUALITY,
AND IF THEY COULD CAPTURE THE NOTICE OF THE KING
OR ANYBODY IN POWER, BUT THE KING WAS REALLY THE PEACH,
THAT’S WHO YOU WERE GOING FOR,
THEN AN ENORMOUS DOOR OPENED,
AND THERE WERE ALL SORTS OF POSSIBILITIES IN YOUR LIFE.
Glas: THE NEXT THING IS TO WEAR A WIG.
MEN AND WOMEN, BOTH OF THEM.
Borman: OKAY, I’LL JUST PUT MY HAIR BACK LIKE THIS FOR YOU.
Glas: WERE WEARING WIGS. Borman: YEAH.
Glas: SO I’M GOING TO ADJUST IT BECAUSE...
Borman: WHEN DID THEY BECOME SO HIGH LIKE THIS?
Glas: BECAUSE ONE OF THE MISTRESSES OF LOUIS...
Borman: YEAH.
Glas: HAD AN ACCIDENT WITH A HORSE,
AND HER HAIR GOT CAUGHT IN THE BRANCH OF A TREE.
Borman: OH, REALLY?
Glas: AND THEN SHE TIED HER HAIR UP, YOU KNOW,
AND THE KING LOVED IT AND...
Borman: SO IT WAS ACCIDENTAL FASHION.
Glas: YEAH, EVERYBODY COPIED IT, YOU KNOW, IN THE COURT,
WHEN SOMEBODY WAS DOING,
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT WAS A FAVORITE,
ALL THE OTHER LADIES WERE TRYING TO COPY HER.
Borman: WE’VE DONE OUR BEST, OKAY, I’M ALL DECKED OUT,
READY TO GO AND CATCH LOUIS’S ATTENTION.
NO MATTER HOW MUCH DISCOMFORT I MIGHT BE IN,
I HAVE TO APPEAR, YOU KNOW, DELIGHTED TO SEE LOUIS.
Glas: OH, ABSOLUTELY.
HE AS A, IT WAS THE KING SUN, LE ROI SOLEIL,
SO YOU HAVE TO BE TOTAL, IN TOTAL IMMERSION.
BUT SMILE A LOT.
Borman: OKAY. I’LL GIVE IT MY BEST SHOT.
THANK YOU, BARBARA.
Glas: GOOD LUCK.
♪
Borman: IT WAS NOT UNCOMMON, OF COURSE,
FOR KINGS TO HAVE PRETTY INTERESTING LOVE LIVES.
AFTER ALL, IT WAS ALMOST EXPECTED
THAT A MONARCH SHOULD KEEP MISTRESSES,
AND LOUIS WAS NO DIFFERENT.
HE HAD A VERY HEALTHY LIBIDO,
WHICH ENABLED HIM TO FATHER MORE THAN 12 ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN,
AND THAT WAS IN ADDITION TO THE SIX BORN TO HIM BY HIS WIFE,
MARIA THERESA OF AUSTRIA.
BUT THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME
THAT THE KING’S MARRIAGE
HAD FACED DIFFICULTIES.
RUMORS CIRCULATED AT COURT
THAT QUEEN MARIA THERESA
HAD GIVEN BIRTH TO A BLACK BABY,
AND THEN THERE WAS THE MYSTERIOUS BLACK NUN OF MORAY.
McMahon: LOUIS SAID THAT KINGS SHOULD ENJOY GIVING PLEASURE,
AND HE LIVED BY THAT MAXIM.
HE HAD ABOUT 20 MISTRESSES.
HE WAS NEVER FAITHFUL TO HIS WIFE, MARIA THERESA OF SPAIN,
AND HE’D OFTEN ARRIVE LATE BACK TO BED WITH HER,
WAY PAST MIDNIGHT AND SAY THAT
PAPERWORK HAD KEPT HIM BUSY,
BUT HE WAS CONSTANTLY IN BED
WITH HIS OTHER MISTRESSES,
I MEAN, ATHENAIS DE MONTESPAN,
HE’S SUPPOSED TO HAVE MADE LOVE TO HER
AT LEAST THREE TIMES A DAY.
SHE MEANWHILE SAW OFF HER RIVALS
BY SPREADING ALL SORTS OF CALUMNIES ABOUT THEM,
SUCH AS THEY HAVE SCABS ALL OVER THEIR BODY,
THAT WAS ONE OF HER FAVORITES.
SHE’D SAY THAT THEY HAD A BAD CASE OF THE CLAP,
THAT KIND OF THING.
THERE WAS A HUGE AMOUNT OF BACK-BITING AT COURT.
Green: IN VERSAILLES, WOMEN WERE CURRENCY.
IMAGINE YOU’VE GOT ALL THESE PEOPLE,
MANY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE,
ALL SWARMING, IT WAS LIKE A GIANT BEEHIVE.
THEY’RE ALL TRYING TO CATCH THE EYE OF THE SUN KING.
THINK OF HIM, IF YOU LIKE, AS THE QUEEN BEE.
AND THERE’S THREE WAYS THEY CAN DO THIS.
FIRSTLY, THROUGH THEIR NATURAL LOOKS, THROUGH THEIR CURVES,
THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THEIR NATURAL PROPORTIONS.
SECONDLY, THROUGH THE WAY THAT THEY’RE DRESSED,
AND THIRDLY, VIA THEIR SMELL.
Rideal: OBVIOUSLY THERE WERE MANY PROS
TO CATCHING THE EYE OF THE KING.
IF YOU BECAME THE KING’S MISTRESS,
IT WOULD COME WITH LOTS OF OTHER PERKS AS WELL.
YOU WOULD HAVE LOVELY NEW CLOTHES,
YOU WOULD GAIN A POSITION.
MANY OF THEM BORE HIM CHILDREN,
SOME EVEN MORE CHILDREN THAN HIS OWN WIFE,
AND HE LEGITIMIZED A LOT OF THESE CHILDREN AS WELL,
SO AGAIN THAT’S ANOTHER PERK.
THERE WERE MANY PROS TO CATCHING THE EYE OF LOUIS XIV.
Borman: LIFE IN VERSAILLES WAS RUN WITH MILITARY PRECISION,
WITH EVERYTHING REVOLVING AROUND THE KING.
COURTIERS WERE EXPECTED TO PLAN THEIR DAYS AROUND HIS SCHEDULE.
AT 7:30 A.M., HE ROSE.
AT 10:00 HE ATTENDED MASS.
AT 11:00 HE HAD COUNSEL MEETINGS
FOLLOWED BY A PRIVATE LUNCH ALONE.
AT 2:00 P.M. HE WENT ON A HUNT OR HAD A WALK,
THEN AT 6:00 P.M. HE READ STATE PAPERS AND DOCUMENTS
BEFORE EATING A MUCH LARGER MEAL IN PUBLIC AROUND 10:00 P.M.
AND THEN RETIRING AT AROUND 11:30 P.M.
ON TOP OF ALL THAT,
THE KING CAME UP WITH ANOTHER RATHER INGENIOUS WAY
TO USE HIS ROUTINE TO PART NOBLES FROM THEIR MONEY.
THEY COULD PAY TO WATCH HIM EAT OR BATHE OR EVEN SLEEP.
Rubenhold: LOUIS’S LIFE WAS COMPLETELY PUBLIC,
AND HE WANTED IT TO BE PUBLIC
BECAUSE IT WAS A PUBLIC DISPLAY OF HIS POWER,
AND HE WAS AT THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING,
AND PEOPLE WOULD COME TO WATCH THE KING
DO THE MOST MUNDANE THINGS
BECAUSE HE WAS THIS FORCE TO BEHOLD.
IN FACT, WHAT IS SO INTERESTING
IS THAT IF YOU LOOK AT THE ARCHITECTURE OF VERSAILLES
AND HIS BEDROOM IN PARTICULAR,
IT HAS A SORT OF SCREEN AROUND THE BED,
WHICH LOOKS LIKE A THEATER, IT’S ON A RAISED DAIS.
THE BED IS PART OF A THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE.
Green: PEOPLE THOUGHT OF HIM AS SOMETHING OF A GOD,
AND, YOU KNOW, WHY NOT PAY
TO GO AND SEE A GOD WAKE UP OR GO TO BED?
IT WAS ALL A KIND OF NOT SO SUBTLE WAY
OF HIM ASSERTING AND PROJECTING HIS POWER,
AND IT JUST KIND OF,
IT’S TESTAMENT TO THE GODLIKE STATUS OF THE KING
AND ALSO THE WHOLE CULT THAT LOUIS MANAGED TO ENGINEER
THAT WAS SO SUCCESSFUL
THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANTED TO WATCH HIM,
YOU KNOW, WAKE UP BLEARY-EYED IN THE MORNING AND GET DRESSED.
IT MAKES THE MIND BOGGLE TODAY,
BUT IT WAS A BIG PART OF THE CULTURE OF VERSAILLES BACK THEN.
Selwood: LOUIS’S DAY REVOLVED
AROUND HIM BEING THE CENTER OF ATTENTION.
HIS ENTIRE LIFE WAS ONE TRUMAN BURBANK PUBLIC SHOW.
AT VERSAILLES, EVEN THE ARCHITECTURE DEMONSTRATES THIS,
THE CENTRALITY OF HIS BEDROOM IN THE BUILDING.
THIS WAS THE LOUIS SHOW.
Borman: BUT OF ALL THE ACTIVITIES
THAT WERE SURROUNDED BY POMP AND CEREMONY AT VERSAILLES,
NOTHING MATCHED MEAL TIMES.
WHILE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH WERE PRIVATE MEALS,
THE TEN O’CLOCK DINNER WAS A GRAND AFFAIR
THAT WAS OPEN TO THE WHOLE COURT.
TO GIVE SOME IDEA OF ITS GRANDEUR,
IT TOOK 500 PEOPLE TO PREPARE AND SERVE THE MEAL,
WHICH WAS ACCOMPANIED BY MUSICIANS.
CONVERSATION WAS FORBIDDEN, LEST IT DISTRACT THE KING.
TWO OTHER THINGS:
LOUIS PREFERRED TO EAT WITH HIS FINGERS,
EVEN THOUGH FORKS WERE IN COMMON USE BY THIS TIME,
AND POINTED KNIVES WERE BANNED FROM THE TABLE.
♪
Borman: SUSAN LOOMIS IS AN AMERICAN CHEF
WHO IS AN EXPERT ON THE FOOD AND DINING EXPERIENCES
OF LOUIS XIV’S COURT.
SHE AGREED TO PREPARE AN ACTUAL FULL MEAL
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SERVED AT VERSAILLES.
Susan Loomis: ONE OF HIS FAVORITE DISHES
WAS ORANGES WITH CARAMEL.
I PUT VANILLA SUGAR IN HERE,
SO THE CARAMEL, WHEN IT CARAMELIZES,
IT’LL TAKE A FEW MINUTES,
BUT IT’LL HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A VANILLA FLAVOR.
Borman: OKAY. AND WOULD HE HAVE HAD VANILLA IN HIS COURT?
Loomis: HE WOULD. HE WOULD,
BECAUSE OF THE SPICE ROUTE,
WHICH WAS THE MIDDLE AGES.
THEY HAD ANY SPICE THEY WANTED,
BUT THEY DIDN’T REALLY WANT MANY, BUT THEY DID USE VANILLA.
OKAY, SO WE’VE GOT THE SUGAR. IT’S ALL CARAMELIZED.
Borman: OKAY. IT’S LOOKING GOOD.
Loomis: I’M TAKING IT OVER HERE TO THE ORANGES,
ALRIGHT, FROM UP HERE.
[SIZZLING] Borman: OOH.
THAT MAKES THE MOST SATISFYING SIZZLING SOUND.
WOW, LOOK AT THAT.
NOW THAT IS A DISH FOR A SWEET TOOTH, ISN’T IT?
Loomis: WELL, IT IS, AND, YEAH, IT’S EXPLOSIVE,
BECAUSE YOU BITE INTO THE ORANGES AND THEY’RE JUICY.
SO IT’S CRACKLY AND IT’S...
Borman: IT’S KIND OF LIKE A TOFFEE APPLE,
BUT THE ORANGE VERSION. IT’S AMAZING.
Loomis: IT’S LIKE A TOFFEE ORANGE, EXACTLY.
Borman: YEAH. YEAH.
Loomis: THEY WOULD JUST WAIT FOR THE CARAMEL TO TURN HARD,
AND THEN WE’VE GOT ANOTHER AMAZING THING FOR THIS DISH.
Borman: WOW. COULD IT GET MORE AMAZING?
Loomis: WHICH IS...
WELL, REMEMBER THIS IS ONE OF LOUIS’S FAVORITES.
Borman: HMM.
Loomis: ORANGES, CARAMEL.
THE OTHER THING HE LOVED, HOWEVER, WAS GOLD.
Borman: OF COURSE HE DID.
Loomis: SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS EDIBLE GOLD.
Borman: EDIBLE GOLD. Loomis: YEP.
Borman: LOOK AT THIS. YOU CAN SEE WHY LOUIS LOVED IT.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BLING, ISN’T IT?
Loomis: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BLING,
AND HOW GOOD HE COULD FEEL ABOUT BEING SUCH A WEALTHY KING
AND REALLY APPOINTED BY GOD.
Borman: AND IT’S JUST DECADENCE,
’CAUSE THIS DOESN’T TASTE OF ANYTHING.
IT’S REALLY JUST FOR SHOW.
Loomis: NO, NO, NO.
NO, IT’S JUST TO MAKE HIM FEEL GOOD IN HIS WEALTH.
McMahon: SO, VERSAILLES PARTIES WOULD GO ON FOR DAYS,
AND THERE WOULD BE A CROWD THAT WOULD BE TAKEN ALONG
TO HAVE A FEAST FIRST OF ALL,
AND THERE’D BE GOLD-SPRINKLED MEALS,
SOUPS WITH GOLD LEAF AND TRUFFLES,
AND THEN THEY’D GO AND WATCH A PLAY BY MOLIERE
OR ONE OF HIS PET PLAYWRIGHTS,
AND THEN THEY’D GO AND THEY’D WATCH
THIS MASSIVE FIREWORKS DISPLAY BEHIND THE PALACE
ILLUMINATING ALL THE STATUES AND THE FOUNTAINS,
AND SO THEY’RE LUXURIOUS,
THERE WAS NO EXPENSE SPARED BY LOUIS FOR THESE KIND OF PARTIES.
Loomis: TRACY, WE’VE GOT SOME FOIE GRAS HERE.
I’M GONNA SLICE IT UP INTO PORTIONS, OKAY,
THESE ARE CALLED ESCALOPE,
AND THIS JUST MAKES IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO COOK.
Borman: OKAY. Loomis: ALRIGHT.
SO IT’S A VERY QUICK PROCESS.
IT GOES IN THE PAN.
Borman: VERY, VERY HOT PAN.
Loomis: IT’S GOT TO BE A HOT PAN.
GOT TO BE A HOT PAN.
Borman: MM-HMM.
Loomis: ALRIGHT. Borman: OKAY.
Loomis: SO WHAT YOU’RE GONNA DO IS TURN THE PIECES
AND SHAKE THE PAN SIMULTANEOUSLY.
Borman: OH. RIGHT. OKAY.
Loomis: MULTITASKING. MULTITASKING.
Borman: LIKE THAT? OKAY. YOU SHOW ME.
RIGHT. LET ME HAVE A GO.
Loomis: ALRIGHT. Borman: OKAY.
Loomis: OKAY.
Borman: OKAY. Loomis: GOOD. GOOD.
Borman: WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR? WHEN DO WE KNOW IT’S DONE?
Loomis: SO YOU SEE THE COLOR OF IT, MOSTLY,
AND YOU DON’T WANT TO LEAVE IT TOO LONG,
’CAUSE YOU CAN SEE IT’S MELTING.
Borman: YEAH. IT’S DARKENING QUITE A LOT.
Loomis: I WANT YOU TO TURN OVER HERE TO THIS PLATE.
Borman: OKAY.
Loomis: AND PUT THE PIECES ON THE PLATE.
Borman: OKAY. Loomis: YOU’RE DONE.
Borman: LOVELY.
Loomis: LESS... IT’S ABOUT A MINUTE ALL TOLD.
Borman: AND THIS WOULD BE SERVED STRAIGHTAWAY PIPING HOT.
Loomis: STRAIGHTAWAY, AND YOU CAN POUR THE FAT OVER IT
AND THEN PUT THE PAN BACK ON THE STOVE.
Borman: MMM. Loomis: PERFECT.
Borman: WONDERFUL. OKAY.
Loomis: ALRIGHT.
THERE WE GO. THAT’S READY TO GO.
Borman: BEAUTIFUL.
Loomis: ALRIGHT? Borman: OKAY.
Borman: LOUIS’S EXTRAVAGANT MEALS
WERE NOT JUST RESERVED FOR PARTIES.
HE ATE LIKE THIS EVERY SINGLE DAY.
THE KING WOULD BE SERVED EVERYTHING
FROM ASPARAGUS A LA CRÈME TO JUS DE BOEUF,
LAPIN EN SAUCE, AND FOIE GRAS.
IT ALL SOUNDS RATHER DECADENT AND EXCESSIVE,
BUT HAVING GONE TO ALL THE TROUBLE
OF PREPARING SUCH A MEAL,
I HAVE TO TRY IT.
Loomis: I WANT YOU TO TRY THE BEEF CHEEKS.
Borman: MMM.
Loomis: WHICH WAS ONE OF THE DISHES
THAT LOUIS WOULD HAVE STARTED HIS MEAL WITH.
Borman: MMM.
Loomis: SO THERE’S THAT.
Borman: THANK YOU.
NOW I KNOW LOUIS WOULD EAT WITH HIS HANDS OFTEN, WOULDN’T HE?
BUT I’M GONNA BE MORE POLITE.
Loomis: HE WOULD. Borman: I’M GONNA TRY THIS.
Loomis: AND HE ALWAYS ATE OFF OF A SILVER PLATE.
Borman: THAT IS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.
Loomis: GOOD. Borman: MMM. OKAY.
WHAT SHALL WE GO FOR NEXT, DO YOU THINK?
Loomis: SO NEXT I THINK YOU NEED TO TRY THE FOIE GRAS.
YOU KNOW, FOIE GRAS IS A SIGNATURE OF FRENCH FOOD,
AND IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN.
Borman: MMM.
Loomis: THIS IS SOMETHING THAT LOUIS WOULD HAVE PROBABLY SERVED
ATOP A CHICKEN BREAST OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT,
BUT WE’RE TRYING IT JUST LIKE THIS TODAY.
Borman: JUST SAUTÉED.
DO THE FRENCH STILL EAT IT LIKE THIS TODAY?
Loomis: OH, ABSOLUTELY THEY DO. ARE YOU KIDDING?
AND THIS IS LOCALLY GROWN
THE WAY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DURING LOUIS’S TIME.
Borman: MMM. MMM. THAT IS DELICIOUS.
Rubenhold: WE READ ABOUT THESE EXCESSES,
AND WE THINK THIS IS REALLY EXTRAORDINARY,
BUT IT’S NOT AS SHOCKING TO US
AS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TO THE PEOPLE OF THE ERA,
THE ORDINARY COMMON PEOPLE OF THE ERA
FOR WHOM IT WAS A STRUGGLE JUST TO GET BREAD,
AND HERE IS A MAN WHO’S BASICALLY EATING HIS WAY
THROUGH A FLOCK OF SWANS AND, YOU KNOW, 20 OTHER COURSES,
AND, YOU KNOW, SITTING ON GILDED CHAIRS
AND WASHING HIS HANDS IN WINE AND DOING THESE TYPES OF THINGS,
AND IT JUST WOULD HAVE BEEN INCONCEIVABLE
TO THE ORDINARY PERSON.
Loomis: NOW THE OTHER THING LOUIS LOVED TO DO,
I WANT YOU TO TRY A LITTLE ORANGE, CARAMEL AND GOLD LEAF.
Borman: IT’S GONNA BE QUITE A HEALTHY DESSERT
APART FROM THE HUGE AMOUNT OF SUGAR POURED OVER IT.
Loomis: YES, BUT YOU’VE ONLY GOT A LITTLE SUGAR ON THAT,
AND WHAT LOUIS WOULD HAVE DONE
IS HE WOULD HAVE TAKEN A WHOLE ORANGE
AND POPPED IT IN HIS MOUTH.
Borman: MMM. AND IT’S STILL CRUNCHY, THE CARAMEL.
Loomis: ISN’T THAT GREAT?
AND, YOU KNOW, WHILE HE’S EATING, HE’S EATING BY HIMSELF,
BUT STREAMS OF PEOPLE ARE BEING LED BY HIM
SO THEY CAN LOOK AT THE TABLE, THEY CAN LOOK AT HIM EATING,
THAT IS A HUGE COURT PRIVILEGE.
Borman: I’M NOT SURE HOW I’D FEEL
ABOUT HAVING AN AUDIENCE WHILE I EAT,
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, IT’S WORTH IT,
BECAUSE THIS IS A FEAST FIT FOR A KING.
Loomis: WELL, I’M GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT, LOUIS.
Borman: AND THERE’S ONLY ONE OTHER THING FOR IT
BUT TO SAY SALUT.
Loomis: MERCI.
♪
Borman: NOW, WE’VE HEARD A LOT
ABOUT THE OPULENCE OF VERSAILLES,
WITH ALL ITS SPLENDID POMP AND CEREMONY,
BUT IT DID HAVE A LESS GRAND SIDE.
LET’S NOT FORGET THAT ON OCCASION
MANY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE COULD BE CROWDED INTO THE PALACE,
AND THERE WERE HARDLY ANY TOILETS,
SO WHEN NATURE CALLED,
PEOPLE SIMPLY RELIEVED THEMSELVES
IN THE CORRIDORS AND COURTYARDS.
THE VERY MANY DOGS THAT ROAMED AROUND DID THE SAME.
THE SMELL WAS REVOLTING.
IN FACT, VERSAILLES BECAME KNOWN
AS THE FILTHIEST PALACE IN THE WORLD.
Rubenhold: VERSAILLES IS JUST AS GLORIOUS AS IT EVER WAS,
YOU KNOW, SPRAWLING, PALATIAL ROOMS,
INCREDIBLE DECOR, INCREDIBLE FURNITURE,
EVERYBODY DRESSED BEAUTIFULLY,
BUT IT SMELLED TERRIBLY.
IT SMELLED LIKE DRAINS.
Green: WHAT YOU USED TO HAVE
WERE THESE LITTLE, SORT OF LIKE WAITERS,
BUT THEY’D BE CARRYING PISS POTS,
AND YOU WOULD SORT OF HAIL ONE OF THEM,
AND A LITTLE BOY WOULD COME SCUTTLING OVER.
BUT SOMETIMES YOU COULDN’T WAIT,
YOU WOULD JUST DO IT THERE IN FRONT OF YOU
OR BEHIND THE CURTAIN AND WITH EXCREMENT AS WELL.
SO THIS WAS ALL DONE OUT IN THE OPEN.
THEY DIDN’T HAVE THE SAME IDEAS AS PRIVACY AS WE HAVE TODAY.
SO THIS KIND OF HEADY BREW
OF SWEAT AND HUMAN EXCREMENT AND URINE,
THIS WOULD HAVE FOLLOWED YOU AROUND
LIKE A KIND OF HELLISH, MIASMIC CONCOCTION,
AND IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN YOU A LONG TIME TO GET USED TO THAT.
McMahon: VERSAILLES STANK TO HIGH HEAVEN.
YOU KNOW, THIS WAS A HELL HOLE
AS FAR AS MOST ARISTOCRATS WERE CONCERNED.
THEY WERE DYING TO GET BACK TO THEIR COUNTRY ESTATES.
INSTEAD THEY WERE STUCK IN WHAT
FRANKLY WAS A GILT-EDGED PRISON.
Selwood: THE PLACE WAS SMEARED IN FILTH,
AND THESE NOBLES HAD TO BE THERE.
IF THEY WEREN’T SEEN AT COURT, THEY WERE NO ONE,
SO EVEN IF THEIR ESTATES WERE FALLING APART
BACK WHERE THEY CAME FROM,
EVEN IF THEY COULDN’T AFFORD THE CLOTHES
TO BE THERE FOR THE MORNING WAKING OF THE KING, THEY HAD TO.
IT WAS VERMIN-INFESTED,
IT WAS UNHYGIENIC, IT WAS FOUL, IT WAS SMELLY.
IT’S NOT REMOTELY THE PLACE WE SEE IT AS BEING,
BUT THAT WAS THE COURT THAT LOUIS BUILT.
Borman: THERE WAS ANOTHER ASPECT OF LOUIS’S LIFE
THAT HAS CAUSED A FAIR AMOUNT OF DEBATE,
AND THAT WAS HIS PERSONAL HYGIENE.
IT’S SAID THAT HE ONLY BATHED THREE TIMES DURING HIS LIFE,
WHICH SEEMS UNLIKELY,
ALTHOUGH WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT AT THAT TIME
BATHING WAS CONSIDERED A HEALTH HAZARD,
BECAUSE IT WAS THOUGHT THAT IT OPENED UP THE BODY’S PORES
TO DISEASES LIKE THE PLAGUE.
McMahon: SO YOU HAVE TO IMAGINE AT THE HEIGHT OF SUMMER
OR, YOU KNOW, A WARM PARISIAN EVENING,
THAT THE SMELL IN THE PALACE
MUST HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE.
I MEAN, IT STARTS WITH THE KING HIMSELF,
HE’S SAID TO HAVE ONLY HAD THREE BATHS IN HIS LIFE.
HE WAS PETRIFIED OF WATERBORNE ILLNESSES.
THE ONLY WAY HE KEPT CLEAN
WAS TO KEEP CHANGING HIS UNDERGARMENTS.
THIS IS WHAT MOST OF THE ARISTOCRACY DID.
SO THEY CHANGED THEIR UNDERGARMENTS
TWO, THREE TIMES A DAY,
BUT OTHERWISE THEY WEREN’T WASHING.
AND, IN FACT, IT’S EVEN SAID THAT ONE OF LOUIS’S MISTRESSES
COULDN’T ABIDE THE SMELL OF THE KING.
I MEAN, SHE PRETTY MUCH HAD TO PINCH HER NOSE
WHILE SHE WAS IN THE ACT.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, YOU HAD ALL THE DOGS,
YOU HAD ALL THE PEOPLE LEAVING ALL THEIR STUFF
ALL OVER THE FLOORS IF THEY COULDN’T GET TO A PISS BUCKET,
SO THE WHOLE EFFECT IS PRETTY HORRIBLE.
IT’S THIS WEIRD MÉLANGE OF PERFUME AND EXCREMENT
HANGING ALL OVER THE PALACE.
♪
Borman: YOU AND I WITH OUR VERY MODERN SENSE OF SMELL
WOULD PROBABLY NOT HAVE ENJOYED
BEING IN LOUIS’S COMPANY,
BECAUSE APART FROM
THE UNPLEASANT BODY ODORS,
HE’S ALSO SUPPOSED TO HAVE HAD TERRIBLE HALITOSIS.
IT WAS APPARENTLY SO BAD IT CAUSED ROWS BETWEEN LOUIS
AND AT LEAST ONE OF HIS MISTRESSES.
BUT ACTUALLY THE SUN KING
WASN’T QUITE THE REEKING MONARCH OF LEGEND.
HE WAS A HUGE FAN OF PARFUMIERS,
WHOSE SOLE JOB WAS TO KEEP THE ROYAL PERSON FRAGRANT,
JUST LIKE THIS SHOP HERE.
♪
EMMANUEL IS A MASTER PARFUMIER
AT CANDORA PERFUMES IN PARIS,
WHO HAS AGREED TO EXPLAIN
THE LENGTHS THAT PEOPLE WOULD HAVE GONE TO
TO PLEASE LOUIS AT THE TIME,
AND THE IMPORTANT JOB THEY HAD
TO SWEETEN THE AIR AROUND THE MONARCH.
♪
SO, EMMANUEL, THE REASON I’VE COME HERE TODAY
IS NOT JUST TO TALK ABOUT HOW BAD IT SMELT,
BUT WHAT PEOPLE DID ABOUT IT.
Emmanuel Frossard: WELL, PERFUME MAKING
WAS AMAZING AT THAT TIME,
AND THERE’S A COMPLETE SWITCH ON THIS CENTURY
BETWEEN SOME SCENTS THAT WERE USED FOR MEDICAL PURPOSE
TO SCENTS THAT WOULD BE TO REALLY SMELL GOOD,
AND REALLY THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE, VERY CRAFTED PEOPLE
WHO STARTED KNOWING COMPLETELY
HOW TO TAKE GOOD SMELLS FROM NATURE,
AND MARTIAL WAS THE PERFUME MAKER FOR THE KING,
HE WAS THE VALET OF THE KING’S BROTHER,
AND MARTIAL WAS VERY GOOD AT MAKING PERFUMES.
Borman: AND WAS THERE ONE SCENT
THAT WAS PARTICULARLY FAVORED BY LOUIS?
Frossard: YES. ORANGE BLOSSOM.
IN FACT, LOUIS LOVED ORANGE TREES.
HE HAD SOME BROUGHT TO VERSAILLES,
AND THEY WERE VERY, VERY KEEN ON THE SMELL OF ORANGE BLOSSOM,
SO EXTRACTING THE SMELL OF ORANGE BLOSSOM IS VERY COSTLY.
YOU NEED SOMETHING LIKE ONE TON OF PETALS
TO MAKE ONE KILO OF EXTRACT,
THEN YOU USE THE EXTRACT INTO YOUR FORMULA.
THIS IS ONE SCENT THAT, FOR EXAMPLE,
HE LOVED UNTIL THE VERY END OF HIS REIGN
WHEN HE COULDN’T STAND ALL THE PERFUMES AT THE END.
HE SAID THAT ORANGE BLOSSOM WAS STILL POSSIBLE TO WEAR.
Rideal: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MEN AND WOMEN DID
TO COVER UP THIS TERRIBLE SMELL WAS TO USE PERFUME,
AND NOW THIS WAS, THIS WAS THE HEYDAY OF THE PERFUMER.
THIS WAS WHEN PERFUME WAS REALLY COMING INTO ITS OWN,
SO PEOPLE WOULD APPLY IT TO THEIR SKIN,
THEY’D SPRAY PERFUME INTO THEIR POWDERED WIGS
IF THEY WERE WEARING THEM.
THEY WOULD HAVE...
THEY WOULD CARRY PERFUME AROUND IN POUCHES WITH THEM
AROUND THE PALACE,
AND THIS IS HOW THEY TRIED TO NEGATE THE STENCH
FROM THE USUAL HUMAN MESS AND ANIMAL MESS
THAT WAS AROUND THE PALACE.
Frossard: WELL, TRACY, NOW I’D LIKE TO SHOW YOU
HOW A PERFUME WAS MADE FOR LOUIS XIV.
Borman: SO ONE OF THE ORIGINAL PERFUMES
THAT HE WOULD HAVE WORN.
Frossard: YES. ONE OF THE PERFUMES THAT WOULD BE MADE.
FIRST THEY WOULD NEED SOME
RAW MATERIALS TO BE TAKEN,
AND IT COULD BE ROSEMARY LIKE THIS,
OR IT COULD BE, FOR HIM, WITH ORANGE BLOSSOM PETALS.
THEY WOULD FILL IT INTO THIS PART OF THE ALEMBIC
AND THEN HAVE SOME WATER BOILED UNDER IT
TO GET WHAT THEY CALLED THE ESSENCE,
AND WHAT WE WOULD NOWADAYS CALL ESSENTIAL OIL.
THEN THOSE WOULD BE BLENDED,
AND THERE COULD BE A LITTLE BLEND
THAT WOULD BE MADE THEN WITH SOME ORANGE BLOSSOM,
SOME ROSE AND A LITTLE BIT OF MUSK,
BECAUSE THEY WERE VERY FOND
OF THOSE ANIMAL, VERY, VERY STRONG ANIMAL SCENTS.
AND THIS IS REALLY THE IDEA OF THE DISCUSSION
THEY WOULD HAVE THEN WITH MARTIAL,
BETWEEN MARTIAL AND LOUIS.
THEY WOULD NOT USE SCENTS STRIPS,
BUT PROBABLY A PIECE OF CLOTH,
AND THERE WOULD BE THEN THE REACTION.
Borman: MMM. THAT’S LOVELY. IT’S QUITE SPICY.
Frossard: IT’S SPICY, IT’S VERY STRONG,
BECAUSE OF THE MUSK THAT WE ARE USING,
AND THEN YOU HAVE THE BALANCE WITH THE ORANGE BLOSSOM
THAT IS BEHIND IT.
Green: IT WASN’T AS THOUGH THE WHOLE NOBILITY
WORE CHANEL NUMBER 5 OR SOME OTHER BRAND.
THEY ALL HAVE THEIR OWN DISTINCTIVE SCENT,
AND THAT WAS MEANT TO BE A PROJECTION OF YOUR PERSONALITY.
THESE WERE VERY COMPLICATED, TEXTURED PERFUMES.
AND THEY DIDN’T JUST KIND OF SPRAY A BIT ON YOUR NECK
AND A BIT ON YOUR WRISTS,
THEY WOULD DOUSE THEMSELVES IN IT,
LITERALLY ENTIRE BOTTLES WOULD BE POURED OVER THEIR HEADS.
THE STENCH WOULD HAVE BEEN UTTERLY OVERWHELMING,
NAUSEATING, A SORT OF OLFACTORY NIGHTMARE, ONE MIGHT SAY.
AND THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN
ONE OF THE KIND OF DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
OF WALKING INTO VERSAILLES.
♪
Borman: FOR ALL HIS POWER, LOUIS WAS NOT EXACTLY A SECURE MAN.
IN FACT, HE WAS DOWNRIGHT PARANOID.
SUSPICIOUS COURTIERS WHO FELL UNDER THE ROYAL GAZE
WERE SPIED UPON,
AND IT WAS RUMORED THAT THE KING HIMSELF
WOULD RIFLE THROUGH CLOSETS
CONTAINING THE UNDERWEAR OF HIS WOMEN
IF HE THOUGHT SOMETHING WASN’T RIGHT.
Rubenhold: LOUIS, LIKE ALL GREAT MONARCHS AND LEADERS,
WAS ABSOLUTELY PARANOID.
HE WAS PARANOID THAT SOMEBODY WOULD BE PLOTTING AGAINST HIM.
THAT’S WHY HE BROUGHT ALL OF THE NOBLES TOGETHER IN VERSAILLES
SO HE COULD KEEP AN EYE ON ALL OF THEM
AND KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
HE EVEN OPENED A LOT OF THE COURTIERS’ LETTERS AS WELL,
SO HE COULD READ ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE GETTING UP TO.
HE NEVER OVERCAME THIS PARANOIA
THAT SOMEBODY WAS PLOTTING AGAINST HIM.
AND IT’S ENTIRELY LIKELY
THAT HAD HE NOT UNIFIED THE COURT AT VERSAILLES,
THAT SOMEBODY WOULD HAVE BEEN PLOTTING AGAINST HIM.
McMahon: WHEN LOUIS WAS YOUNG
THERE’D BEEN A MAJOR REBELLION IN THE ARISTOCRACY
THAT COMPLETELY FREAKED HIM OUT, AND HE NEVER FORGOT THAT,
SO HE NEVER TRUSTED THE ARISTOCRATS,
AND THAT’S WHY HE PUT THEM ALL IN ONE PLACE,
AND HE GOT PEOPLE TO SPY ON THEM.
ALL THEIR MAIL WAS OPENED.
I MEAN, THEY COULD ASSUME THAT ANY LETTER THEY GOT
HAD BEEN SEEN BY THE KING’S SPIES,
AND HE EVEN WENT TO THE LENGTHS
OF GOING THROUGH THEIR TOP DRAWER, BASICALLY,
THROUGH THE KNICKERS, THROUGH THE STOCKINGS,
AND HAVING A LOOK TO SEE IF THERE IS ANYTHING THERE
THAT WAS INCRIMINATING.
HE WANTED TO KNOW EVERYTHING THAT HIS COURTIERS WERE UP TO.
Selwood: HE LIVED UNTIL HIS LAST HOURS
TERRIFIED THAT THE NOBLES MAY RISE AGAINST HIM.
HIS WHOLE LIFE WAS ONE EFFORT TO CONTROL THEM.
AT THE HEART OF LOUIS’S IDEA OF WHO HE WAS
AND HOW HE HAD TO CONTROL THE NOBILITY
WAS THE IDEA THAT HE WAS EVERYTHING.
HE WOULD BE ONE KING.
THERE WOULD BE ONE LAW.
THERE WOULD BE ONE FAITH,
AND HE WOULD BE AT THE CENTER OF ALL OF THEM.
♪
Borman: KING LOUIS XIV RULED AT A TIME
WHEN FRANCE WAS AT THE VERY HEIGHT
OF HER INTERNATIONAL POWERS.
SO YOU’D IMAGINE BEING THE MONARCH
WAS PRETTY MUCH A FULL-TIME ROLE.
BUT THE TIME PRESSURES OF THE JOB
CERTAINLY DIDN’T STAND IN THE WAY
OF FEEDING THE KING’S VERY WELL-DEVELOPED PERSONAL VANITY.
LOUIS COMMISSIONED NO FEWER THAN 300 PORTRAITS OF HIMSELF
DURING HIS REIGN,
WHICH WORKS OUT AT ROUGHLY ONE EVERY THREE MONTHS.
PARIS-BASED ART HISTORIAN CHRISTINE BALTAY
IS AN EXPERT ON LOUIS’S LOVE OF ART.
SO, CHRISTINE, YOU HAVE SOME PORTRAITS TO SHOW ME OF LOUIS,
AND I THINK WE’RE GONNA START WITH THE MOST FAMOUS ONE,
AREN’T WE?
Christine Baltay: INDEED.
IT IS HIS MOST FAMOUS PORTRAIT.
IT IS THE ULTIMATE IMAGE OF THE ABSOLUTE MONARCH.
NOW, WHAT MAKES IT THE ABSOLUTE MONARCH?
WELL, MANY THINGS.
THE CORONATION ROBES, THE ORDER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,
WHICH IS THE FRENCH EQUIVALENT OF THE ORDER OF THE GARTER,
THE SWORD, THE SCEPTER, THE CROWN,
THE RED-HEELED SHOES, WHICH WERE ONLY GIVEN TO THOSE
WHO WERE ADMITTED TO COURT AT VERSAILLES.
Borman: AND ALL OF THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN UNDERSTOOD
BY THE PEOPLE AT THE TIME.
Baltay: ABSOLUTELY UNDERSTOOD,
BUT THE MOST IMPRESSIVE
IS WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO CALL THE BODY LANGUAGE.
THIS IS THE POWERFUL POSE,
AND I SUGGEST TO EVERYBODY THAT TRY STANDING THAT WAY,
YOU WILL BE MORE IMPORTANT
THAN YOU EVER WERE BEFORE IN YOUR LIFE.
Green: LOUIS HAD HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF PORTRAITS
COMMISSIONED, AND THESE WERE SENT, YOU KNOW,
THEY DIDN’T JUST CIRCULATE WITHIN VERSAILLES AND PARIS,
THEY WENT ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
AND WE MIGHT THINK, AT FIRST GLANCE,
THAT THIS WAS JUST APPEALING TO THE MAN’S VANITY,
BUT IT ACTUALLY WENT MUCH DEEPER THAN THAT.
IT WAS ALL PART OF A WELL-CALCULATED,
PRE-ORDAINED POLITICAL STRATEGY.
IT WAS ALL PART OF EXTENDING HIS AUTHORITY,
AND IT WORKED AT THE TIME.
PEOPLE DID BEGIN TO REVERE HIM,
PEOPLE BEGAN TO THINK OF HIM
AS THIS KIND OF BEING THAT WAS ABOVE THEM,
SOMEONE WHO HAD A LEGITIMATE RIGHT TO RULE.
Baltay: NEXT IS AN IMAGE OF OUR SUN KING AS A TEENAGER.
Borman: THIS LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT.
I MEAN, IT DOESN’T EVEN LOOK LIKE LOUIS.
Baltay: NO, IT DOESN’T.
HE’S 17 AT THE TIME.
HE HAS ALL HIS HAIR, ’CAUSE HE DID LOSE HIS HAIR.
HE IS SHOWN AS JUPITER,
AND THE POINT OF THIS PICTURE REALLY WAS
THAT THERE WAS AN ATTEMPT TO OVERTHROW THE CROWN
WHEN LOUIS WAS A YOUNG BOY.
HE AND HIS MOTHER FLED FROM PARIS, THEY LIVED AWAY
THIS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT PERIOD,
AND THIS IS, IN A SENSE, REAFFIRMATION
OF "I AM THE KING,"
I’M NOT ONLY JUPITER, BUT I’M THE KING, TOO,
AND HE’S SHOWN IN AN IMPERIAL ROMAN FASHION.
Borman: THIS IS REALLY, THEN, A STATEMENT OF POWER.
HE’S TRYING TO SAFEGUARD HIS POSITION.
Baltay: ABSOLUTELY.
IT IS A REAFFIRMATION
OF ACTUALLY HIS RIGHT TO BE THE KING.
McMahon: LOUIS XIV BELIEVES THAT HE IS THE SUN KING,
THAT HE IS A GODLIKE FIGURE.
AND SO THESE PORTRAITS THAT HE HAD DONE OF HIMSELF,
THEY WERE ALMOST LIKE RELIGIOUS ICONS.
WHEN THEY WERE IN THE ROOM, THE KING WAS IN THE ROOM,
AND OFTEN WHEN HE WENT AWAY
A PORTRAIT WOULD BE PUT UP ON THE WALL,
AND THAT WAS THE KING IN THE ROOM,
SO THEY WEREN’T JUST ORDINARY PAINTINGS,
THEY HAD A KIND OF POWER
THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO REMIND EVERYBODY AT VERSAILLES
WHO THE KING WAS EVEN IF HE WASN’T THERE.
Baltay: NOW I THINK WE HAVE TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE PICTURE
OF OUR RULER IN A MORE BELLICOSE FASHION.
WHAT IS INTERESTING IS HE IS SHOWN IN HIS SUIT OF ARMOR
WITH THE FLEUR DE LYS ON IT.
HE’S GOT THE BLUE SASH,
WHICH IS, AGAIN, THE ORDER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
HE HOLDS THIS VERY FANCY-LOOKING TUBE IN HIS HAND,
AND THIS WAS WHAT WAS USED TO COMMAND YOUR TROOPS.
IT IS A BATON OF COMMANDMENT.
HE IS BEING CROWNED HERE BY THE LAURELS OF VICTORY,
BUT WHAT IS ALSO INTERESTING IS NOT ONLY IS HE ON THE HORSE,
BUT THE TWO FRONT HOOVES ARE UP IN THE AIR.
THIS WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT POSITION
OF ANY EQUESTRIAN MANEUVER.
IT COULD BE MAINTAINED FOR A MATTER OF SECONDS ONLY,
AND THE FACT THAT HE, LOUIS, CAN ACTUALLY CONTROL THE HORSE
TO THIS DEGREE IS A SIGN HE CAN CONTROL THE COUNTRY.
Rubenhold: THE KING USED PORTRAITS IN THE SAME WAY
THAT DICTATORS IN THE 20th CENTURY
USE IMAGES OF THEMSELVES.
IT’S TO REMIND EVERYBODY WHO IS THERE, WHO IS BEHIND THE POWER.
SO EVEN IF LOUIS WASN’T PRESENT,
HIS PORTRAIT WOULD BE TROTTED OUT,
AND YOU HAD TO SHOW THE SAME AMOUNT OF DEFERENCE AND RESPECT
TO THE PORTRAIT AS YOU WOULD TO THE MAN HIMSELF.
YOU COULDN’T TURN YOUR BACK ON THE PORTRAIT, FOR EXAMPLE.
YOU HAD TO BEHAVE IN THE SAME COURTLY MANNER,
YOU HAD TO OBSERVE ETIQUETTE
AS IF THE MAN HIMSELF WERE PRESENT IN THE ROOM.
AND IT WAS THIS SENSE OF ALL-POWERFUL,
ALMOST BIG BROTHER WATCHING THEM.
Borman: SO, CHRISTINE, THIS HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING,
BECAUSE I’VE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT LOUIS WAS A GREAT LOVER
AND PATRON OF THE ARTS,
BUT ACTUALLY WHAT YOU’VE CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED
IS THERE WAS SO MUCH MORE BEHIND IT,
IT WAS POLITICAL PROPAGANDA.
IT WASN’T JUST ART FOR ART’S SAKE, WAS IT?
Baltay: NO. NO. NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT.
THERE WAS NO NOTHING FOR ANYTHING’S SAKE
AS FAR AS LOUIS WAS CONCERNED.
ALL THINGS HAD A PURPOSE OR COULD BE DIRECTED
TOWARDS THE END THAT HE WISHED TO ACHIEVE.
♪
[COUGHING]
Borman: IN THE SUMMER OF 1715,
LOUIS, NOW 76 YEARS OLD,
BEGAN TO COMPLAIN OF PAINS IN HIS LEG.
THE PAINS WORSENED.
THE LEG TURNED GANGRENOUS, AND BY LATE AUGUST OF THAT YEAR,
IT WAS OBVIOUS THE KING WAS DYING.
SUFFERING IN THE CONFINES OF HIS BED CHAMBER AT VERSAILLES,
FOUR DAYS BEFORE HIS 77th BIRTHDAY,
LOUIS XIV DIED ON THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER.
HE HAD BEEN KING FOR 72 YEARS,
THE LONGEST REIGN IN THE HISTORY OF FRANCE.
[COUGHING]
♪
Selwood: EVEN IN DEATH, LOUIS WAS STILL A PUBLIC SHOW.
SINCE THE TIME OF KING PHILIP THE FAIR IN THE 1300s,
FRENCH KINGS HAD HAD THEMSELVES CUT INTO THREE PIECES,
DISMEMBERED THREE WAYS.
LOUIS HAD THIS DONE TO HIMSELF
BUT IN PUBLIC, IN HIS ROOMS, IN VERSAILLES.
HE WAS TOO GREAT A CHARACTER TO ONLY BE BURIED IN ONE PLACE.
HE WAS GONNA BE BURIED IN THREE.
SO THIS WAS DONE AS A PUBLIC SPECTACLE.
McMahon: IT’S ALMOST AS IF LOUIS XIV HYPNOTIZED FRANCE,
YOU KNOW, THEY LOST ALL SENSE OF REALITY.
HE CREATED THIS WONDERLAND, THIS DISNEYWORLD,
THIS ROYAL DISNEYWORLD IN VERSAILLES.
THE MOMENT HE DIES, THOUGH,
THE DREAM STARTS TO FALL APART UNDER HIS SUCCESSORS.
AND, I MEAN, 80 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH,
HIS OWN BONES ARE DUG UP
AND THEY’RE JUST TOSSED ASIDE DURING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION,
AND I THINK YOU HAVE TO SEE THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
AS PAYBACK FOR WHAT LOUIS HAD DONE.
HE’D CREATED THIS ABSOLUTIST MONARCHY
THAT FRANKLY THE FRENCH PEOPLE
WHO FELT COMPLETELY EXCLUDED FROM THE PARTY
HATED AND RESENTED
AND EVENTUALLY, OF COURSE, IT ENDS
WITH ONE OF HIS SUCCESSORS GETTING HIS HEAD CHOPPED OFF.
Green: LOUIS XIV WAS SORT OF WILDLY EXTRAVAGANT,
AND I THINK THE FRENCH PEOPLE DID IDENTIFY WITH THAT,
AND THEY WERE ACTUALLY GRATEFUL FOR IT AT THE TIME.
BUT IT SOWED THE SEEDS FOR THE DOWNFALL OF THE MONARCHY,
BECAUSE WHEN TIMES GOT TOUGH, WHEN THE MONARCHY WENT BANKRUPT,
BY THE REIGN OF LOUIS XVI,
ALL OF A SUDDEN THIS IDEA THAT YOU’RE PAYING PEOPLE
TO WATCH YOU SORT OF GET UP AND GET DRESSED
AND THESE ELABORATE FEASTS,
THAT JUST MADE THE WHOLE MONARCHY LOOK
COMPLETELY OUT OF TOUCH,
AND IT INCENTIVIZED THE PUBLIC TO RISE UP
AND CHOP OFF ALL OF THEIR HEADS.
♪
Borman: AND SO HE WAS GONE.
THE SUN KING WAS NO MORE.
THERE AREN’T MANY KINGS
THAT ENCAPSULATE AN ERA
AS WELL AS A REIGN,
BUT LOUIS XIV WAS CERTAINLY ONE.
HE’D LEFT HIS MARK
ON HIS COUNTRY’S HISTORY AND ON ITS CULTURE,
NOT TO MENTION PUTTING AN INDELIBLE STAMP
ON THE NATIONAL IDENTITY.
HE WASN’T ALWAYS POPULAR,
AND THERE WERE THOSE GLAD
TO SEE THE BACK OF HIM.
BUT IF YOU’RE LOOKING
FOR A ROYAL PRIVATE LIFE
WITH GLAMOUR, SCANDALS,
LOVE AFFAIRS, AND ALL THE REST,
WELL, THE SUN KING
IS NOT A BAD PLACE TO START.
I’LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.