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If you are wondering about a specific aspect about life at Versailles or a specific topic found on this blog, then feel free to submit your question at this page and I will get back to you as soon as possible
You must be as obsessed as I am with 18th Century as I am and much more organized to have put together such a fantastic blog. Very impressive! I will be back to read your posts often.
ReplyDeletethank you so much! I really love life at Versailles and I'm so glad that you like my blog :)
DeleteI've been looking at your blog some more and am amazed at how thorough and complete it is! I'd like to email a question to you, but don't see your email address on the blog….
ReplyDeleteI'll e-mail you over google :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteA fascinating and very thorough blog which must have taken ages to research and design. Very obviously a labour of love!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It has taken quite a while to put it all together but it is something I am happy to do
Deleteit shows !
DeleteThank You so much! I really do love all the photos and floorplans! Especially those of The Petit Trianon. Good job!
ReplyDeleteThank you, I'm so glad you like it! I am in the middle of updating the photos since I found a better way of displaying them :)
ReplyDeleteA fabulous blog!! I love it!
ReplyDeleteBeen browsing your blog. Love it!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely amazing blog.
ReplyDeleteHello, I love looking at floor plans of castles and palaces and am obsessed with them especially Versailles. I have had a question for many years about Versailles that you might be able to answer. Do you know how people would have got from the first floor to the hall of mirrors on the second floor? Which stair case they would have used and which rooms they would have walked through to get the the hall of mirrors? There doesn't seem to be anyway to get there without walking through the rooms of the king and queens apartments. Do you know anything about this topic? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi! I have an odd fondness for floor plans as well but that should not come as a surprise :) People would indeed walk through the King or Queen's apartment to get to the Hall of Mirrors. We sometime tend to imagine these apartments as private but the King and Queen's apartments were open to everyone - even their bedrooms. It was only their private rooms that was off-limits. I hope that answers your question, if not just ask again :)
ReplyDeleteHello! I really adore your blog, it has so much amazing information about Versailles! I have a question for you. I am currently writing a novel set in Versailles, and I can't seem to determine where exactly the courtiers who served the king slept. I know the Chateau de Versailles website mentions that the established courtiers were accommodated in the Grand Lodgings or the Stables. Do you know where this is within the premises of Versailles? What it would have been like, or the interior perhaps? Do you have any information about the daily lives of courtiers in Versailles, more specifically during the reign of Louis XVI? I visited Versailles many years ago, but I was fairly young and didn't remember much, so if you know anything, that would be really helpful. :) Thanks so much for an awesome blog! :)
ReplyDeleteAudrey
Hi and thank you so much ! The most prominent courtiers had their own apartments within the château where especially the north wing was dedicated to this purpose while the south wing was mainly reserved for princes. Other courtiers were lodged underneath the roof in tiny, cramped apartments while others rented houses in the village of Versailles or - more popularly - Paris.
DeleteRemember, that the courtiers only performed the duties that would involve direct contact with the King whereas the everyday tasks would be left to a smaller army of servants.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask :)
Louise
Thank you so much! Do you know where exactly in the North Wing they would have been accommodated? Thanks again, this is really interesting! :)
ReplyDeleteAudrey
Actually, the entire North Wing was used for this purpose since all the apartments of state were located near the King and Queen's apartments
DeleteHi i am incredibly amazed with your blog! Thank you very much. I was wondering if you could point me towards a better understanding of how the ranks inside the court were established and how this was represented in objects, for example i understand that depending on the rank each person had to sit in a type of chair, but i haven't found pictures of these chairs, or pictures of how the apartments differed from one noble to another depending on their rank. I hope you can enlighten me on this matter, for everything else your blog has been incredible to read :) thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous blog! So much to discover here.
ReplyDeletethanks <3
DeleteHow do I find the floor plans? Is there are title page or something that I can click onto specific areas? Looks a great blog 😊
ReplyDeletethey are under "Home of Kings" :)
DeleteCan you tell us who had rights of entry? Also Ive heard that some courtiers had only 1 door open for them while some had both doors open for them
ReplyDeleteHi Josh,
DeleteIs there a particular right of entry you are looking for? If so is it an exact list of courtiers you seek?
Indeed, certain courtiers - depending on their rank - was only entitled to having one door opened while others had both.
Great.
DeleteAmazing! Thank you so so much! I´m a fashion design student and this has helped me so much, and you will of course be credited. Keep up the good work! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I'm glad you have found some use of it :D
DeleteHello from Australia! We currently have a Versailles exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia and your blog has been fantastic to help me study for the exhibition. Many thanks. Marianela
ReplyDeleteI am definitely going to check out the link! So glad you like the blog :)
Deletehttp://nga.gov.au/versailles/
ReplyDeleteThis century fascinates me please add me 2 your email
ReplyDeleteHi Louise
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I found your blog. It's amazing. Really good work you've done. I have a question for you, I apologies if you've already given the answer, but I can't seem to find it.So, my question is if you know which rooms/apartment Madame Montespan lived in? Could you please mark it on the construction plan?
Kind regards
Hi and thank you!
DeleteI have made a new post about her apartment which you can find under "The Apartments"
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI am a writer with LiveScience.com, a web magazine based in the US. I am working on a piece about the history and architecture of Versailles and would like to ask you a few questions about it. I would, of course, link to your blog. Please let me know what you think and if you have any questions. You can email me at jessieszalay@gmail.com.
Thank you very much!
Sincerely,
Jessie Szalay
Can you tell me if there are pictures of the billiard cue/mace, used bij Marie Antoinette? Please help me, for I'm looking for that special picture.
ReplyDeleteHi and sorry for the late reply :) Unfortunately, I do not think her personal billiard cue survives to this day
DeleteMany thanks for all the time and energy you have invested in publishing this wonderful site! The quality and quantity of information here is quite astonishing.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I hope to write a book on the subject soon if possible :)
DeleteI've just discovered your blog! It is fantastic! Thank you for all this amazing information!
ReplyDeleteThank you <3
DeleteFantastic blog. As a versailles tour provider my hope is that all my guides can show the castle with the same clarity and passion as your comes through in your articles and even more so excellent photography.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a section on your blog which talks about the porcelain sets, jeweled objects and paintings from Versailles that ended up in the Wallace Collection in London and how they got there?
Best
Larry
Experience Paris
http://www.manstouch.com
Thank you very much for your kind comment. I do not have a specific section on that topic but I can do some research for you if you want? I am already working with one tour provider of Versailles and would be happy to help
DeleteHi Louise,
ReplyDeleteIt's just an interest. I really enjoy going to the Wallace Collection and last summer went to take a look at the chateau de Bagatelle. It's just an interesting London/Paris connection and the collection of French art and objects is stunning and I find odd because I woudl expect it to be in Paris and not London. Do you do tours yourself or do you stick to writing?
Best
Larry
A great deal of the courtiers fled to London and some never returned to France which account for why London is so rich in French objets d'art. I am based in Copenhagen so I cannot do tours myself - also my blog is a hobby rather than a business
DeleteOh wow. Hobbyist tend to be more knowledgeable than most so called experts. Next time you come to Paris perhaps we can get together for coffee in the 7th? If you would like to link to us from your blog I'd be happy as well (we are very good at what we do.)
ReplyDeleteI am going to Paris this April if you are available then? I plan on showing my sister the city since she has never been to France
DeleteYes I'll be here. Just send me an email when you know your itinerary. It's concierge@manstouch.com
ReplyDeleteI love this blog. There is so much information in this blog that I didn't know about. I have read many, many books and have seen several shows, but nothing compares to what I have learned here. Very interesting and accurate information! Keep up the good work! I am hoping to visit Versailles within a year for my first time. I live in the US. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteso glad you like it!
DeleteI've lived for Versailles and Louis XIV since around the time I was in the third grade! What interests me most at the moment are the specifics of his parties and those of the later Louis'. Do you know where I can find specific details, activities of those? Also do you know of a place I could look at pictures of baroque haute cuisine; I saw the photos from Vatel, the movie, and that dinner hosted there a couple years ago served as it would be to Louis XIV. Love the blog!
ReplyDeletePhilip
Hi Louise!
ReplyDeleteThanks for an absolutely fabulous site! I'm curious to know more about the hygien of the time. Like, how did the women at court deal with their periods? :O They didn't have any underwear!
Also, Did they have makeup on their eyes, like some kind of mascara and/or on their eyelids?
Hugs from Sweden!
Marie
Hi Marie
DeleteMange tak! I will upload a post on periods since you got me thinking of it and I think it could be interesting. I will upload it under "Hygiene and facilities" as soon as possible.
Thanks k you for creating this blog. It makes me very happy to read this darling blog .I am very passionate about Versailles and wish to visit someday
ReplyDeleteLove all the info! Where abouts now is the bath/pool that Montespan and Louis IV used together?
ReplyDeleteHi Jane, it is still located at Versailles in the Orangerie
DeleteHi! I love your blog and I've learned so much! Thanks for all the time and effort you put into it! I have a question. I've been researching the children of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan and I came upon Madame de Pompadour. Is there a reason Louis XV never had any children with Madame de Pompadour or Marie Anne de Mailly, Duchesse de Châteauroux?
ReplyDeleteHi!
DeleteThank you, I am really glad to hear that! Well, Madame de Pompadour suffered at least three miscarriages by the king; the last one in 1749 which was also the year when they allegedly stopped sharing a bed. As for Madame de Châteauroux that is a bit trickier. It may simply be that they just never conceived. Louis XV's fertility was well demonstrated in his many children by the queen but Madame de Châteauroux never had any children by either the king or her husband - perhaps she couldn't.
Thanks so much! I never knew that, that's so interesting! On a completely unrelated note, is there a reason some royal couples continued to have children and others didn't? I.e. Louis Ferdinand and Maria Joseph had 13, right up until his death, while Louis XIV and Maria Theresa and Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette stopped after only a few children.
DeleteDo you think that if all of Louis XIV's and Marie Therese's children had lived to adulthood he would have legitimized and treated his illegitimate children with as much as favor? (I.e. titles, advancing marriages, important offices)
ReplyDeleteI am looking at the seating arrangements from the wedding dinner for Marie Antoinette and Louis. On one of the most favoured places, are written one word, Madame. As far as I know, there were no Madame at Versailles in 1770, the nearest would have been Adelaide, but she is there on the other side of the table.
ReplyDeleteWho is this Madame? I reckon it can not be Madame de Barry..? Would that be allowed, even for a king?
I believe it is the wife of the Duc d'Orléans. He had married his mistress, Madame de Montesson, but Louis XV refused to grant her the title of Duchesse d'Orléans.
DeleteHi Louise!
ReplyDeleteI have a question you might not be able to answer, but I'll give it a try:
If a newborn child died, that was not of nobility, where would he/she be buried if the parents was workers at the Versailles castle? (in the late 18th century)
Hi Marie! I believe it would have been buried in the local churchyard; the nobility tended to have their own crypts or mausoleums but the church at the village of Versailles was used by the commoners
DeleteGood afternoon, Louise! My name is Tatiana, I'm from Ukraine. I am delighted with your blog, there is so much information here! I am fond of the period of Louis XIV and in instagram I have a blog dedicated to him - @leroilouisXIV. But there are more illustrations, and you have a lot of interesting information. Tell me, do you know which courtiers had the right to live in Versailles? What positions should they hold? And is there somewhere on the Internet a table of ranks of the 17th century? I would like to know about the positions and responsibilities at the court of the king and queen.
ReplyDeleteThank you again for your blog!
Hi Tatiana! Those who were entitled to an apartment were employed in the households of someone in the royal family - primarily the king and queen. Others could be granted one out of favour. There is a table of ranks under "Ranks: Key to the Court" and I have some of the positions under "the Households"
DeleteWere the King's meals watched publicly like dinner with the Grand Couvert? What was the difference between this meal and breakfast and lunch?
ReplyDeleteHi Louise!
ReplyDeleteDo you know if Marie Therese Charlotte ever got to see Versailles again after she was released from the temple?
Did Philippe I, Duke of Orléans dress as a woman at his wedding party to Palatine?
ReplyDeleteWere children allowed to live in Versailles during the reign of king Luis XIV??
ReplyDeleteHi. I’m writing a novel and I am trying to find one map or image that shows me Louis the 16 and Marie Antoinettes private apartment and the queens staircase plus the staircase leading to the Dauphin’s apartment do that I can recreate what happened October 6 1798 when Versailles was attacked. I think the king and queens chambers were upstairs and their sons chambers were downstairs but I’d like to see a map of it all to know that’s exactly where everyone was. I’ve read that there is the queens stairway that communicates to a guard room that communicates to her bedroom and that when she fled she somehow got to the kings chamber through a room which I think was a buffet room or maybe BOUEF room I’m not sure what the French call it.
ReplyDeleteBreathtakingly Beautiful! This blog, no not a blog, but much more than just a blog, but a labour of passion and and love. I don’t have a fraction of the interest, passion, and dedication to Versailles and French History that you have, but I find this site absolutely enthralling. Thank you so much for your time, dedication, and attention to detail that you have shown and put into this. I may not be a historian, or an educated individual on such topics, but I can appreciate a work of art, beauty and dedication that something of this caliber shows. Hats off, (or should I say a deep curtsy?) to you 😊
ReplyDeleteOh my, thank you so much for your very kind words!
DeleteI have been looking around on your blog and really like what you have written and all the information you have provided.
ReplyDeleteEither you don't have tags or the mobile version of blogspot doesn't show them (I can't find pages, either. I am always redirected to this page). I am wondering if you have written anything about Turenne?
How odd! I am working on some posts on the greatest military officers during Louis XIV, so I will definitely be covering Turenne
DeleteI encountered the same when I visited the site on my phone. Once I had transferred the website address and opened it on my tablet, I was able to truly enjoy and experience the different menu tabs. It’s possible that phones are not able to provide the necessary versatility required for the blog? 🤷🏻♀️
DeleteHello Louise, I have been a fan of your blog for a long time. Such great work and accurate information. I was wondering if you do tours of the Palace? If not, can you tell me how to get tours of the interior rooms of Versailles? I was supposed to go in 2020, but wasn't able due to the pandemic. I probably won't be able to go until fall or spring of 2023! Hope you can help me. Keep up this wonderful blog!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention in my previous post that I am most interested in the private apartments of Marie Antoinette. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteOoh! My tablet is going to let me comment! My phone won't. I would just like to say that I really appreciate all the hard work and dedication that has gone into making this website such a pleasure. It's one of my favourites. Bravo, Louise!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much! I apologise for the very long delay but Blogger has not permitted me to reply to anyone for months
DeleteHello Louise!
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic blog and I love the information and pictures published here.
However, there are many pictures that are no longer showing on many of the earlier posts. Is this because you linked to a picture that is no longer available or the service you were using has closed?
I have been to Versailles twice myself, initially for a brief visit in 2013. We came back to France in 2016 though and stayed in an apartment in Versailles. We took advantage of the museum pass and visited multiple times to see the palace, gardens, and the other buildings in the park.
Visiting this website brings back many pleasant memories of our time spent there.
Thanks!
Hello David! Unfortunately, the photos have a tendency to disappear ... I am glad that you enjoy the blog, despite the lack of pictures
DeleteHi. Can you write about the beds in Versailles? Looking at Madame du Pompadour's bed- and to a lesser extent, Madame du Barry's- they seem quite small to sleep in, especially if there would be more than one. Is this because the ladies often slept sitting up?
ReplyDeleteHi, can you write about apartments in aile du midi from 1789? I would like the apartments of the Count and Countess of Artois, the apartments of the Count and Countess of Provence, the apartments of Madame Polignac, the apartments of Madame Elisabeth, the apartments of the Duke of Orleans and the apartments of the children of France.And it would also be good if you added a description of the apartments and possibly photos of the preserved furniture.Thank you in advance
ReplyDeleteI've expressed my absolute amazement and appreciation for your blog a couple times before. It doesn't look as if you've posted recently. I hope that means you've set off on the career you deserve - as a historian. I've done a half dozen excellent private tours at Versailles over the years and am confident you would be at least as interesting and informed as the tour guides have been. You should apply!
ReplyDeleteThank you! As it happens, I am - unfortunately - not qualified to do private tours, as my profession is in law, not history
Deleteits cool
ReplyDelete