Versailles: The History and Legacy of France's Most Famous Royal Palace
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Versailles: The History and Legacy of France's Most Famous Royal Palace
*Includes pictures *Includes contemporary descriptions of Versailles and its construction *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents
“Growing up in Versailles is like growing up in a museum, and the people living there are almost the security." – Thomas Mars
In every nation, in every era of history, there are inevitably one or two places that become the symbol of the times. Mention Valley Forge to an American and it will immediately conjure up visions of a hard won fight for freedom. Likewise, the word Dunkirk said to a Briton will elicit a sense of both pride and horror at the lives lost and saved at that desperate point in World War II. For the French, and those who study their history, Versailles is a symbol of, as Charles Dickens once put it, “the best of times…the worst of times." It was here that the Sun King, Louis XIV, built a palace worthy of a great nation during a time when peace was, at best, short-lived. It was at Versailles that Russian Tsar Peter the Great to study the palace's architecture and gardens so that he could recreate them in his home country. Indeed, the greatest minds and artistic geniuses of the later stages of the Renaissance came to Versailles to build and paint, and it was here that Madame de Pompedour and her successor, Madame du Barry, used their wit and beauty to charm a king into doing their bidding.
However, as history constantly demonstrates, nothing good lasts forever, and so it was with Versailles. From the royal palace, Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette frittered away the goodwill of their people, leading to the French Revolution and their executions. Here the mobs amassed to demand “freedom, equality and brotherhood," but mainly a piece or two of pilfered bric-a-brac. In the wake of the French Revolution, the palace was gutted and most of the beautiful reminders of its glory were sold away, along with the monarchy's birthright and the concept of the “divine right of kings."
While the palace was neglected for a time, its original workmen had done their jobs well enough that it managed to weather both time and the political storms that raged around it during the early 19th Century. In fact, it seems as though Versailles was destined to survive, if only so that such a thing of beauty wouldn't be lost forever. Even as he focused on the rest of Europe, Napoleon felt the need to save Versailles, and over time it was restored to its original glory, if not its original purpose; no monarch has lived in Versailles for a long time. Instead, there is a republic, and with it a sense that the palace, once available only for the wealthy few, is now a place for people across the world to come and enjoy the splendor of a bygone era that, while not exactly missed, can nonetheless still be appreciated.
Versailles: The History and Legacy of France's Most Famous Royal Palace chronicles the remarkable history of one of the world's most famous palaces and tourist spots. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about Versailles like never before.
