The Weirdest Rules of Royal French Etiquette

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

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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.