Photo of symbol of Louis XIV on the railing of the Louvre courtesy 123rf.com
Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King of France (reigned from 1643-1715), in theory dined alone. However, it took about 100 people to get him ready for the day after he woke in the morning, and these people were in attendance when he had his beef broth for breakfast. At 1:00 P.M. he would lunch, again alone in his chamber, but he would simultaneously receive men of the court. At dinner, again he would dine alone if not entertaining, but it would take about 300 people to arrange, prepare, and serve this meal, so he was never really alone for any meal of his life. For more information click here and click here. What did you learn today?
Very Cool! Have you ever read the book Before Versailles by Karleen Koen - it is an interesting history of Louis XIV told through the viewpoint of his mistress.
ReplyDeleteNo, I haven't read it, thanks for the tip! I'll check for it on my KindleFire. I ran across a tidbit (which led me to the above info) in a book I'm reading about French culture, "Au Revoir To All That" by Michael Steinberger.
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