Dossier: The Versailles of Louis XIII

The Origins of the Palace 

When Louis XIV decided to transform the estate he had inherited from his father into a much admired palatial home, he knew what he owed him. Without his predecessor’s desire to build a castle to receive guests, to hunt as he pleased and to have his own space, nothing would have been possible. Louis XII’s primary aim had been to own a place away from the other sites. Above all, the chosen site allowed him to escape from his mother’s control and the difficulties of exercising power. From a modest hunting lodge, the monarch then gave the decisive impetus to progressively build himself a property designed to dazzle first his entourage, and then the whole of Europe.

Contents:

Versailles and me

Cécile Berly
“Versailles is where magic happens” 

Cover Page 

Versailles at the time of Louis XIII 
Archives and Unpublished Material
In Molière’s wardrobe
Ancien Régime
The Coigneux, a dynasty between the Parisian Nobles of the Robe and the King’s armies
Portfolio
Recovered masterpieces
At the Palace
When Molière played at Versailles
Key Figures
La Motte-Picquet, a little-known sailor
Objects
Marie-Antoinette’s pedestal table
Visit
Apartments for visiting Heads of State at the Grand Trianon
Report
An archaeologist at Versailles
20th Century
When Versailles was on display in Paris

(David Chanteranne, Chief Editor at the Palace of Versailles. From the Ancien Régime to the current day)

Co-publishers: Palace of Versailles and Editions Soteca, 2022
Number of pages: 82 pages
Period: N°44 (April-May-June 2022)
Dimensions: 23 x 29.7 cm
Language: French