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La Maison de la Reine
Louis XIV’s court, and the French court in general, had a lot of court offices for male beings… and not so many for females. The Queen’s of France did not get their own Households until the 12th century and compared to how many people had offices in the Maison du Roi, the King’s Household, the Maison de la Reine was…
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La Bouche du Roi
The Bouche du Roi, or Service de Bouche, was a part of the Maison du Roi -the King’s Household- which consisted of the military, domestic and religious entourage of the King. The members of the Bouche du Roi oversaw and were responsible for the Sun King’s meals and their preparation. It was the largest department within the Maison du Roi and lead…
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The Art Of Addressing French Nobility
We all know the feeling… one is new at court and one suddenly stands in front of nobility, but has no idea how to address them. Is it “Highness”, or “Serene Highness”, “Royal Highness” even, or just a simple Madame or Monsieur? If the court happens to be that of Louis le Grand, the Sun King, addressing someone in the…
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Les Princes Étrangers, The Foreign Princes
A title does not always equal ones rank and the best example for it are the foreign princes, Princes étranger, who although carrying a title such as Chevalier outranked most other nobles. In medieval Europe, a nobleman bore the title of prince as an indication of sovereignty, either actual or potential, aside from those who were or claimed to be…
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Noblesse de Robe et Noblesse d’Èpée
In the time of Louis XIV and the Ancien Régime we have several categories to distinguish one noble from the other and these are based on how one gained one’s title, for example: The Noblesse de Chancellerie, the nobility of chancery, who hold certain high offices under the King. The Noblesse de Lettres, nobility of letters, ennobled by the King’s…
