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Marie Antoinette's Ladies
When the Austrian Archduchess arrived at Versailles a new household emerged. From this point on the young Marie Antoinette would be surrounded by French ladies; some would serve for a short period...
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The Royal Households
The most distinguished members of the royal family were entitled to a personal household; these would count several hundred people with the king's being the largest. Here you will find the people who...
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Marie-Thérèse's Ladies
Louis XIV's consort, Marie-Thérèse, was queen of France from her marriage in 1660 until her death in 1683. During this period she - like her predecessors - was served by a group of ladies. Some...
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Marie Adélaide's Ladies
Marie Adelaide played an important role at court since she arrived in the 1690's. From the moment the married she occupied a place in the king's heart and soon found herself first-lady in France....
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Marly
As Versailles grew in size so did the number of inhabitants. The king sought a retreat where he could indulge in the small pleasures of gambling and hosting minor parties. The key was size; Marly was...
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The Anti-Pompadour Faction
Madame de Pompadour's rise to power angered a great deal of people at court. Some disliked her due to her bourgeoisie background while others had hoped that Louis XV would return his affections to...
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Madame de Pompadour & the Prince de Conti
The animosity between Jeanne-Antoinette de Poisson and Louis Francois de Bourbon began from the moment that Madame de Pompadour was introduced as royal mistress. The first real "sting" came about quite...
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The Beauty of La Montespan
Francoise-Athénaïs, Marquise de Montespan is even today renowned for her beauty. Already during the early years of her marriage when she served as a lady-in-waiting to the Duchesse d'Orléans she was...
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Madame & Monsieur
Prince & PrincesseMarie Thérèse Louise of Savoy, Princesse de LamballeÉlisabeth Thérèse de Lorraine, Princesse d'EpinoyLouis August II de Bourbon, Prince de DombesArmand de Bourbon-Condé, Prince de...
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Charles Louis Victor de Broglie, Prince de Broglie
Charles Louis Victor de Broglie was born on 22 September 1756 as the son of the Victor-Francois, Duc de Broglie and Louise Crozat. His father had had a successful career in the military where he had...
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The Greatcoat
The greatcoat was chosen by some men as a replacement for the cloak in the 18th century - more specifically around 1750. After this point it was considered too old-fashioned and cloaks were then...
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Ridiculous Fashions: Caricatures of Grand Wigs
The tall wigs towering high above the head and adorned with everything imaginable remains on of the things we associate the 18th century with. Today, we look at these hairstyles with a mixture of...
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Governesses of the Children of France
A high-ranking lady was entrusted with the care of the precious Children of France - that being the children of the monarch. Naturally, this was considered to be an important task. The woman chosen...
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The Redingote Gown
The term "redingote" really refers to both a male and female type of garment; this post will concern itself with the latter. The word itself is derived from the English "riding coat".Originally, the...
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The Affair of the Diamond Necklace
The Betrayal of a Queen By 1785 the formerly popular Marie Antoinette had become a favourite person to hate in France. Tales of her wild behaviour and even wilder spending were grossly exaggerated;...
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Flushing Toilets at Versailles
While Versailles was a palace of splendour it was also one of rather crude facilities. I have previously posted about this subject but thought I would elaborate a bit.During the reign of Louis XIV the...
View ArticleMarie Antoinette (2006)
The errors and facts underneath are more concerned with inaccuracies with the court than with inventions/time. Historical Inaccuracies:Marie Antoinette is introduced to the Comtesse de Provence...
View ArticleVersailles (2015-)
The new drama focusing on Louis XIV and his building of Versailles is the newest series in a line of shows concerning historical eras. Alas, "Versailles" follows the pattern of "the Tudors" and "the...
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Deadly Labours: Childbirth, Stillbirths & Miscarriages
"One is never closer to death than when giving life". Childbirth has been the death of thousands of women - if not millions - since the dawn of time. This was a risk which no woman could feel...
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Marie-Charlotte de Campet de Saujon, Comtesse de Boufflers
Marie-Charlotte Hippolyte de Campet de Saujon was born on 6 September 1725 to the Baron and Baronesse de la Rivère. Given that her parents held the lowest ranking title in the nobility her marriage was...
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