Versailles shared your story

If Marie Antoinette had Instagram, would she still be hated or would she simply be an aspirational influencer? We are heading to yet another recession and most of us are too poor to take it seriously. We don’t have enough to lose. Nonetheless, we are angry.

We are having problems not so far removed at their core from the eighteenth century lower and middle class Parisian. Corporations and millionaires are gathering wealth with support of the governments. And we, people, feel like they are not serving us at all. And after every election, we are becoming more and more frustrated.

Revolution? In this economy?

The mention of social media above was intentional. There is a growing number of voices calling for and listing reasons for revolution – sometimes in more serious than humorous way – and it is resonating with a lot of people, gathering comments and likes of support, the posts are spreading, yet it seems that the revolution to which these voices refer to is less feasible than ever before. Simply because there is a lack of singular point against which the outrage could be unleashed. Fragmentation of responsibility proved a helpful measure with which to cover the ongoing and never changing accumulation of wealth. Quite the opposite measure to what was working for royals for ages, especially in France.

The Palace of Versailles is a symbol of ultimate indulgence, one of the reasons for believing in “let them eat cake”, a theatrical display of money, power, and a ridiculous love for luxury. Its interiors and gardens can be used as a picture of redundancy; however, from a certain political angle, it was anything but. Versailles was an absolute necessity for French monarchs and it helped three Bourbon Kings stand longer than they could ever do without it. A lavish display of infamous wealth was a clever tool to limit the plotting and outrage in the most influential layers of society, starting with its builder Louis XIV and ending with the Revolution and Louis XVI, while they took their courts in the Palace to the impressive level of entrapment.

Golden swamp cage

It was a supreme golden cage for all its inhabitants. Built on a swamp, it was always a project of people who did not comprehend hearing “no” as an answer to any of their demands. The King who refuses to be limited by nature might also take this approach when it comes to defending his own country or attacking neighbors, and it is a great look. At some point, the invitation to Versailles was simply an offer nobody could reject without falling from Your Grace’s grace, and once you went through the gate, you rarely left – nowhere was closer to the Sun.

The fate of the site was decided in 1682 when Louis XIV moved not only the court but the government there, which made it the factual capital city of France – the most important place in a country is where the power resides. His successors followed suit, making lavish improvements to the family nest until 1789, when the revolution swept its rooms and neighborhood, although not as mercilessly as one might imagine. Starting as a simple hunting lodge, it grew to the most impressive seats on the continent. Louis XIV was seeking a shelter from Fronde-ridden Paris when he decided, rather nostalgically, to put gold over common sense and made his court ignore being devoured by swarms of mosquitoes.

One may say that the King was in Versailles and France was in Paris. This dichotomy and distance were working well; few commoners would see the king’s lifestyle every single day, and even if the information spread, His Majesty was not “just around the corner” to be humbled. He was comfortably away, encircled by those who benefited from the status quo. Ultimately, this refusal to see or even be near the struggles of everyday people made them come and see the king instead. These visits did not end well. Heads that had been so far above the clouds were falling to the ground.

From the perspective of political significance, the Palace of Versailles was everything: a display of the king’s power over adversities, showing off wealth and art pieces beyond beauty, hosting important state and international events – concentrated royalty, if you will. The place saw the reception of grand ambassadors from Genoa, Siam, and Persia, as well as the signings of multiple treaties, the will of the Spanish king being fulfilled, and the first cry of Louis XVI. In a country burdened by debts and internal unrest, the unmovable golden estate was smoke and The Hall of Mirrors, but it is only easy to see from the perspective of hundreds of years.

Concentrated royalty

Bringing nobles close and then over to the king’s seat diminished the significance of their private estates, encapsulating their time in the strict order of the day and their attention in the elaborate etiquette and rituals. If everybody is busy watching the king dress up and eat dinner, when would anybody plot against him?

However, the ultimate danger was not the plotting from the inside but the fact that the eight hundred hectares of buildings, parks, and gardens changed from impressive and inspirational to enraging and embarrassing. The European landscape was evolving while the one at Jardins du Château de Versailles was not, until it was forced to do so.

Versailles’ changing role through a couple of centuries is a great marker for transformations taking place in the political, social, and economic layers of the country. What was an extravagant project for its builder became a necessity for his successor, a symbol of fall for its last inhabitants, and a priceless museum for generations to come.

There are still lessons to be learned from the fate of this place. We are no longer trying to throw off the shackles of absolute monarchy, yet we would probably agree with eighteenth century Parisians that the ones governing the world are out of touch with it, that the distribution of wealth is extremely unjust, and that the power lies in numbers – either with those related to the state of the royal treasury or those representing discontented people on the streets marching for what is theirs or sharing and liking revolutionary posts.

Those who rule will keep the influential and rich close to their chest. Always. That might be the most important lesson of them all. Do with it whatever you want.

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