The Best of France - Versailles

It took just under 60 years to turn the Chateau de Versailles from Louis XIII's modest hunting lodge into the spectacular palace of the Court of France. In that time, from 1624-1683, and until 1789, the estate became the epitome of opulence throughout Europe. Much of it was imitated but never matched. On May 6, 1682, the Château de Versailles became the official residence, replacing the palace at the Louvre. Born out of the will of a "Sun King," Versailles, a wealthy suburb 17 kms. from Paris, has a rational and symmetrical grid of streets. For the standards of the 18th century, it was a very modern European city, and was used as a model for the building of Washington DC by Pierre Charles L'Enfant.

Seat of the political power, Versailles naturally became the cradle of the French Revolution. The Estates-General met in Versailles on May 5, 1789. Eventually, a throng from Paris invaded the castle and forced Louis XVI and his royal family to move back to Paris.

The Palace drew visitors right from the days of Louis XIV. The museum now receives three million visitors per year, while the grounds attract an estimated six million. The great and famous have always been among such visitors: Peter the Great of Russia (1717), Benjamin Franklin (1766 and 1778), Gustav III of Sweden (1783), Queen Victoria (1842), etc.

A whole day's tour took me only to the Grand Apartment and its seven salons named after the planets, the Hall of Mirrors (the most famous of the Chateau's rooms, where the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 was signed), the Queen's Suite, the King's Suite, the Chapel Royal, and the gardens. The king's 'Grand Apartment' was used only for state purposes, but the Queens lived in the Queen's Suite, which looks exactly as Marie Antoinette left it. As early as 1683, Louis XIV abandoned his Grand Apartment, henceforth open to all, in order to live in his own suite, known simply as the Appartement du Roi. The King's Bedchamber, occupied the exact center of the chateau from 1701 onward. It was a key setting for events in the Sun King's day and was arranged to reflect this ceremonial function, after all he is "Etat, c'est moi". At age fifteen, Louis XV the Well-loved married Maria Leszczinska, daughter of the king of Poland. By the time he was 27, he had fathered ten children, seven of whom survived the Dauphin (father of Louis XVI). At the death of Louis XV (who predicted "Apres moi, le deluge") in 1774, the new king, Louis XVI, was not only young, he was unprepared to govern, since all efforts had focused on his elder brother, who died prematurely. The new monarch's natural qualities (piety, loyalty, and sense of duty) were not the ones required of a king, which proved fatal for the monarchy. Plus the cost of running Versailles which accounted for about 25% of government expenditures. The drain on the economy undisputedly propelled the French Revolution. He and his queen were guillotined in 1793 in Paris.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• France
• Paris
• Versailles
• Louis
• XIV

[veganvamp]

It was Louis XIV who said: 'Apres moi le deluge'!!

[emeritamanansala]

@veganvamp all sources attribute this phrase to Louis XV. Check Merriam-Webster.

[ChibiNaju]

Louis XIV the "Well-Beloved" ? I thought it was Louis XV... Are you sure ?

[emeritamanansala]

Please read the video notes or annotation where I mentioned in detail "At age fifteen, Louis XV the Well-loved married Maria Leszczinska, daughter of the king of Poland..At the death of Louis XV (who predicted "Apres moi, le deluge")"...

However, at the beginning of the video, I was not sure if the statue in front of the palace was Louis XIV, the Sun King, or or Louis XV the Beloved King.Then later in the film, I was able to confirm that it was the statue of the Sun King.

[MissHoov]

Merci from USA. Use this in my history class to teach my students about Versailles!

[emeritamanansala]

That's great. I am a retired archivist in the Philippines, and once taught history too. I do a lot of travelling now. Many of my videos uploaded here have historical perspectives. You have inspired me to do more!

[TheYobean]

what is the name of the song? Thanks for the great video!

[OperaMystery80]

Thank you for sharing Versailles on Youtube. I was there last month in February. It was raining and very cold. Some statues in the gardens were covered up. Spring and summer is the best time to see Versailles (late April through August) It was glorious but I didn't have time to visit Marie Antoinette's Domain with the Trianon and little farm. There wasn't enough time! It's so huge!

[shimmyhinnah]

Fabulous video, thank you so much!

I just got back this past Sat. What a fabulous day we had at Versailles. The gardens are just starting to break dormancy, the fountains being cleaned, it will be breathtaking come spring!

[hardtoresist100]

Wonderful and informative video

[MegaPypkin]

get find to - Expedition "Island Tajmyr 2008" part of 4/6 Igarka

Off-road expedition in east Siberia

[duplapofa]

justice for hungary

[franzisca90]

fantastico !!! sono sicura che in una vita precedente vivevo qui !

[RockyMissouri]

Thank you!