Princes & Princesses of the Blood
Ranking immediately behind the royal family these were the most privileged courtiers at Versailles. The eldest were known by a simplified version of the rank: Monsieur le Prince, for example. But since...
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Henri III de Bourbon-Condé, Prince de Condé
Henri Jules de Bourbon-Condé was born in Paris on the 29 July 1643 to one of the most renowned generals France had ever produced: the Grand Condé. From the beginning of his life, Henri was at the very...
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Louise Marie Thérèse Bathilde d'Orléans & Louis Henri de Condé
Rather unconventionally, Louise Marie was the elder in the relationship. When the couple was wedded on 20 April 1770 she was twenty years old while Louis was just fourteen. Due to the bridegroom's...
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The Poor Hygiene of the Comtesse de Provence
When Marie Antoinette arrived at Versailles the court was pleasantly surprised by her lovely appearance; a few years later another foreign bride was set to arrive and hopes were that she, too, would be...
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The Princess Palatine's Antipathy Towards Doctors
Once Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate arrived in France she was confronted with a way of life quiet different than that she had left behind. The new Duchesse d'Orléans had grown up in the lush...
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A Fine Family of Twenty: The Prodigious Off-Spring of the Duc de Noailles
In an age with sky-high child mortality it was not uncommon for families to count large number of children - many of whom would never reach adulthood. The mortality rate often had the result that even...
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The Riding Accident of the Duc de Berry
Charles de Bourbon was the youngest son of the Grand Dauphin; like the majority of men in his family he enjoyed a good hunt. It was quite normal for foreign dignitaries and visitors to accompany the...
View ArticleQuotes: Reign of Louis XVI
Since correct quotations are always somewhat obscure feel free to comment if you have heard that a certain quote has been attributed to someone else."It really pains me to see that Monsieur d'Orléans,...
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Olympe Mancini vs. Louise de La Vallière
The dispute between Olympe Mancini, Comtesse de Soissons and Louise de La Vallière could be traced back to a plot on the former's behalf that happened to backfire. Olympe herself had been a mistress to...
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The "Horrible" Duc de Ventadour
The court of Versailles was obsessed with beauty and appearances; consequently, it could be very unforgiving towards those who had not been blessed by nature. One of these was Louis-Charles de Lévis,...
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The Chemise
The chemise was the basic underwear worn by women for centuries; it was basically a white knee-length dress. It is also known as a shift or a smock. Interestingly, the undershirt worn by men was...
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Auguste Marie Johanna of Baden-Baden, Duchesse d'Orléans
Born on 10 November 1704 to the Margrave of Baden-Baden and Sybille of Saxe-Lauenburg, Auguste was the only surviving daughter. Just three years after her birth Auguste lost her father and her mother...
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Courses, Terms, Flows: Menstruation in the 18th Century
To modern women the concept of a period can be irritating, painful and uncomfortable but we do have the advantage of modern sanitary pads or tampons. But what did the women of Versailles do; as a...
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An Unpleasant Mistress
Due to the infamous memoirs of the Duc de Saint-Simon we are left with an image of the Princesse d'Harcourt as an ugly and mean creature. As is usually the case with such memoirs they are biased by the...
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Louis II de Bourbon-Condé, Prince de Condé
The boy who would become known as the Grand Condé was born on 8 September 1621 into the elite of French society. Once he became old enough he was sent to Bourges where his education was entrusted to...
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The Princesse de Condé's Mental State
Claire-Clémence de Maillé-Brézé's lot in life had not been a fortunate one. Although she was born privileged she was married at the tender age of 13 to Louis II de Bourbon-Condé who despised her. He...
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A Match For Madame Seconde
Madame Henriette - also known as Madame Seconde - had partaken in her twin sister's wedding celebrations in 1739 and for a while it was expected that Henriette would follow her sister down the aisle....
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"Caca du Dauphin"
The 1770's and 1780's saw the emergence of ever more shades of colours and each had to have a fetching name. One of the more bizarre colours was "caca dauphin" - to put it politely, the shade took its...
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The Frailty of Madame de Pompadour
Although Madame de Pompadour cemented her position as the most influential of Louis XV's mistresses, her health was far from strong. Such frailty might have gone somewhat unnoticed if she had not been...
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House of d'Estrées
Originating from the region of Boulonnais at the very northern edge of France, the family first really made their advance at court with Gabrielle d'Estrées. The infamously beautiful Gabrielle caught...
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