Well-heeled aristocrats, gilded halls, manicured gardens - the Court of Versailles is remembered for its opulence. But the reality of French court hygiene revealed that life at Versailles was likely dirtier and smellier than most people imagine. After all, thousands of people lived cheek by jowl in a 17th-century palace without the convenience of modern plumbing. King Louis XIV of France permanently moved his royal court to Versailles in 1682. Though Versailles had originally been a hunting lodge, Louis expanded and remodeled it so that it became a glittering palace worthy of his status as the "Sun King." French aristocrats were expected to live there as well. Etiquette and manners were highly regulated at the palace, a fact that underscored the theatricality of courtiers' lives.

свернуть