Friday, 18 July 2014

The King's Household

Naturally, the King - being literally the centre of power - had the largest household. As Louis XIV settled at Versailles his household expanded over the years. To give you some exact numbers here is how large the King's household was into Louis XV's reign:

1663 - 831 people
1674 - 1139 people
1683 - 1868 people
1702 - 3309 people
1727 - 3644 people

To us it seems rather silly to have such a large household for one person but at the time it was vital for the new absolutism's foundation. The King was the embodiment of power in France and as such he was expected to be the master of the greatest household. Through these thousands of jobs the monarchy signalled it's strength and wealth. He alone employed 208 page boys and further 24 who ranked a bit over the common page boy.
The King's household was divided into three categories: domestic, religious and military. All of these categories had subsequent sub-categories to complicate matters further. Brace yourself for a long list of servants:

The Domestics
The Religious


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