From VERSAILLES TO YOU
Have a seat.Sitting in a Chair at the Versailles
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In dreaming of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the Versailles, I’d like to discuss two events that I found most interesting and / or what I learned the most while studying French history and culture.
On a professional note, I was able to combine my French life with my professional life, as during the length of my research, I spent one month away from home on the island of Newfoundland. Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada, where there is much of the spoken French Language, was an education on the Vikings, Dutch, Irish, and French cultures. During that experience, I read from my collection: "The French lost several major battles and had to accept disadvantageous terms in the Peace of Utrecht of 1713–1714; France ceded possessions in North America (Newfoundland, the Hudson Bay area, and most of Nova Scotia) to Britain." (Hunt, 524). As I continue to study the French language & the arts, the history of King Louis XIV remains impactful. |
sitting in
a chair at
the versailles
Event One:
One event that I found most interesting in this course was absolutism and the reign of the French King Louis XIV, (1643–1715). In studying absolutism and the reign of Louis XIV, I got a glimpse into how Paris was ruled, such as in 1655, when Louis XIV reputedly told the Paris high court of justice, “L’état, c’est moi” (“I am the state”), emphasizing that state authority rested in him personally. (Hunt, 519). This one phrase signified how Louis XIV felt about his reign, and of how he wanted to rule France. Absolutism to the French king meant that he ruled with dominance that was partially contrived and manipulated through the use of strong taxation, and through psychological dominance of France. I found that absolutism was not really achieved, and even though many students and scholars vary in their understanding of the term "absolutism", and whether or not Louis XIV did in fact achieve it, history dictates that the fall of Louis XIV, his reign and principles, speak for themselves. (Chateau deVersailles).
Event Two:
One other event that I found most interesting in this course was the construction of the Palace Versailles, which is located twelve miles from the capital of Versailles in what is considered suburban Paris. (History Lines). The construction of the Versailles began in 1601, (originally a hunting lodge for Louis XIII), and further additions to the Palace Versailles continued by Louis XIV well into 1660. (Hunt, 520), where improvements of The Louve helped the King's wealth with massive public works projects.
While studying history as it relates to the fine arts, I was struck by reading about how the palace of Versailles was erected and how different people within Paris lived and worked at Versailles. The author Hunt mentions the apparent luxury and frivolity, and that overall life at Versailles was often cramped and cold. (Hunt, 521). One has to imagine what an event, such as housing in Paris, might have been like. Fifteen thousand people crowded themselves into the palace's apartments, and when the author states how various citizens of Paris occupied the Versailles, and if one has a passion for both history and art history, (and in this case accommodations in Paris in 1682), one gains a sense of past Parisian lifestyles. Since the author mentioned the highest of military officers, ministers of state, and households of the royal family, I got a further glimpse of past housing accommodations. Art history is not always beautiful, so when the author spoke of refuse and prostitutes that overran the grounds of the Versailles, I was equally taken back into the reality of French history.
Another part of art history: (Hunt, 519), would include the decor of the Palace Versailles, and through this class I was able to gain an insight as to how Louis XIV did more than just play a dominant role in government. Flemish painter Adam Frans van der Meulen depicted Louis XIV in dominant roles, and the artifacts such as gardens, pools, fountains, and statues erected and appreciated by King Louis XIV helped to give credence to much of what is now art history all throughout Paris.
References:
Lynn Hunt, Thomas R. Martin, Barbara H. Rosenwein, R. Po-chia Hsia and Bonnie G. Smith. The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, Volume II: Since 1500. 3rd ed., Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009.
Chateau de Versailles. The Palace. http://en.chateauversailles.<wbr />fr/the-palace-
History Lines. Versailles. www.historylines.net/history/<wbr />17th_cent/versailles.html
One event that I found most interesting in this course was absolutism and the reign of the French King Louis XIV, (1643–1715). In studying absolutism and the reign of Louis XIV, I got a glimpse into how Paris was ruled, such as in 1655, when Louis XIV reputedly told the Paris high court of justice, “L’état, c’est moi” (“I am the state”), emphasizing that state authority rested in him personally. (Hunt, 519). This one phrase signified how Louis XIV felt about his reign, and of how he wanted to rule France. Absolutism to the French king meant that he ruled with dominance that was partially contrived and manipulated through the use of strong taxation, and through psychological dominance of France. I found that absolutism was not really achieved, and even though many students and scholars vary in their understanding of the term "absolutism", and whether or not Louis XIV did in fact achieve it, history dictates that the fall of Louis XIV, his reign and principles, speak for themselves. (Chateau deVersailles).
Event Two:
One other event that I found most interesting in this course was the construction of the Palace Versailles, which is located twelve miles from the capital of Versailles in what is considered suburban Paris. (History Lines). The construction of the Versailles began in 1601, (originally a hunting lodge for Louis XIII), and further additions to the Palace Versailles continued by Louis XIV well into 1660. (Hunt, 520), where improvements of The Louve helped the King's wealth with massive public works projects.
While studying history as it relates to the fine arts, I was struck by reading about how the palace of Versailles was erected and how different people within Paris lived and worked at Versailles. The author Hunt mentions the apparent luxury and frivolity, and that overall life at Versailles was often cramped and cold. (Hunt, 521). One has to imagine what an event, such as housing in Paris, might have been like. Fifteen thousand people crowded themselves into the palace's apartments, and when the author states how various citizens of Paris occupied the Versailles, and if one has a passion for both history and art history, (and in this case accommodations in Paris in 1682), one gains a sense of past Parisian lifestyles. Since the author mentioned the highest of military officers, ministers of state, and households of the royal family, I got a further glimpse of past housing accommodations. Art history is not always beautiful, so when the author spoke of refuse and prostitutes that overran the grounds of the Versailles, I was equally taken back into the reality of French history.
Another part of art history: (Hunt, 519), would include the decor of the Palace Versailles, and through this class I was able to gain an insight as to how Louis XIV did more than just play a dominant role in government. Flemish painter Adam Frans van der Meulen depicted Louis XIV in dominant roles, and the artifacts such as gardens, pools, fountains, and statues erected and appreciated by King Louis XIV helped to give credence to much of what is now art history all throughout Paris.
References:
Lynn Hunt, Thomas R. Martin, Barbara H. Rosenwein, R. Po-chia Hsia and Bonnie G. Smith. The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, Volume II: Since 1500. 3rd ed., Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009.
Chateau de Versailles. The Palace. http://en.chateauversailles.<wbr />fr/the-palace-
History Lines. Versailles. www.historylines.net/history/<wbr />17th_cent/versailles.html
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