april 2013

1. Welcome !

2. French Castles
throughout history

3. Or, how we got ….
From
this !
Château de Gisors

4. To that !
Château de Versailles

5. In France, there are many different
styles of castles depending on
when and where they were built

7. The first castles (10th century)
looked like this
They were built on moats, mounded dirt and
wood palisades.
Farmyard
moat

8. By the 12th century, they discovered that
stone was much more efficient
These huge
buildings served
not only to defend
the country from
foreign invaders
but as the basic
tool in preserving
the king’s and the
nobles’ power over
the land.

9. And eventually by the end of the 13th century they
added layers of walls for better protection
The castle was
both a residence
for the lord and
his family, and a
fortification.

10. Château de Vitré (Britany)

11. A typical medieval castle : a fortification and a residence
dungeon
drawbridge
watchtower
walkway

12. Château de Tonquédec (Britany)

13. Château de Blandy

14. The purpose of a castle
For the lord
and his family
For the soldiers
and the knights
For the
servants
ACCOMODATIONPROTECTION STOCK ROOM
For food supply
and
Arms
Casteles were
built to keep out
ennemies
and
as a shelter to
the surrounding
inhabitants
The castle was both a fortification and a residence.

15. Let’s follow the knights and see what
is going on ….

16. Inside the castle wall was
the keep, a large, heavily-
built building that was the
most secure place in the
entire castle. This was
where the Great Hall was
located, and where the
private apartments of the
lord and his family
were, possibly with a
chapel.

17. The knights and their servants and
their mounts all had to eat, as did the
lord, his family, and his servants and
officials, and their families.
Many castles grew certain types of
food inside their walls, to add variety
to the diet of those inside the castle A
fair number of people could live for
weeks within the castle walls, if they
had brought adequate provisions in
with them.
La Basse cour – the farmyard

18. A less ordinary life
The wife of the lord often was
the one who actually ran the
domestic arrangements of the
castle, attending to her
husband, and supervising the
servants.. A noble lady was
also expected to be well-
learned in
etiquette, embroidery, and
sewing.

19. Servants woke up before the lady of the castle, preparing food, setting the large table
in the grand hallway. The kitchen of a castle was generally located outside of the
keep, but near the great hall. Good food took a long time to cook and the
lord, lady, and knights loved to eat a variety of it. When one meal was done, another
was being prepared. The kitchen centered around two fires, one for roasting large
livestock or game, and one for a large cauldron for soup and stew.

20. Certain religious holidays
were marked with feasts
at the castle.
These feasts lasted for
hours, constantly
requiring more food to be
brought into the great
hall.
Bears, jugglers, musicians
entertained the guests
during the feast.

21. Tournaments and jousts
Tournaments were public contests of skill between
knights. Anyone could enter a tournament if they
had armor, a horse, a sword, and a shield.

22. War times: the castle as fortification
When war threatened the local
population, mainly peasants, would
take refuge in the castle.
Beyond the drawbridge was a
portcullis, a grate made of iron or
wood in a vertical slot which could
be lowered quickly to stop intruders.

23. When an attack was
expected, the drawbridge
was raised, the gates and
portcullis were
closed, and archers were
stationed on the towers.
The walls were not only
high, in a well-planned
castle, but they were
arranged as much as
possible so that anyone
climbing the walls could
be shot at from two
directions.

24. Rolling wooden
towers, covered with thick
hides to stop arrows and
kept wet so they could not
be set on fire, were
brought up to the walls in
an attack.
Catapults threw heavy
stones or fire bombs at
the walls to make a
breach over the walls.

25. From the Middle Ages fortification to the
residence of the Renaissance
(15th century)
After gunpowder and cannons
became available, there was
less point to a castle as a
fortification.
Most of the chateaux forts
were remodeled especially
those along the Loire valley :
they were enlarged and re
developped : many pieces were
added to improve the castle as
a residence
Paris
The Loire Valley

26. Château de Chaumont sur Loire
This is an example of a typical
castle from the Renaissance
period : a fancy refined and
ornamented fortifcation
Renaissance castles are
caracterized by typical
architectural elements:
arches, ihigh
ceilings, symmetrical design
base, ornate moldings and
décor
These castles were built to
impress and to last.
A few samples of Renaissance castles

27. Château d’Amboise
Invited to stay in this
castle by the king
Francois 1er
, Leonardo da Vinci
died three years after
in 1519.

28. Château d’Ussé
Sleeping Beauty’s castle
This castle inspired
Charles Perrault
(1628-1703) the
author of Sleeping
Beauty

30. Chambord

31. The Chateau de Chambord of
Chambord, France, is considered the
most beautiful Renaissance castle of
the Loire Valley. The construction of
this 440-room castle took more than
25 years. The castle contains 84
staircases and 365 fireplaces.

32. Chenonceau
One of the oldest castles
in the Loire
valley, Chenonceau was
built entirely in the
river, with a drawbridge
linking it to the elegant
gardens on the
riverbanks. The castle
was designed entirely by
its female occupants and
demonstrates both the
elegance of Renaissance
design and the skill of the
era's engineers.

33. Cheverny : drifting to the 17th century
The Château de
Cheverny became
the model for Hergé
to design the castle
for Captain
Haddock.

34. Vaux le Vicomte
Gradually it became clear that the purpose of a castle was to accomodate the king, his family and many
members of the nobility, the courtiers reason why the castles became much larger and much more
opulent and luxurious.

35. Château de Versailles

36. A bit of history
• During the reign of Louis XIII, there was very little
apart from an old brick and stone hunting lodge
on the site of what is now the Château de
Versailles. His son, Louis XIV, however, had grand
plans for its expansion and in 1661 work began to
transform and enlarge both the palace and the
gardens at Versailles. The court and government
of France was moved to Versailles in 1682 and
remained there until the French Revolution in
1789.
• The transformation of the palace was entrusted
to two architects, Louis Le Vau and then Jules
Hardouin-Mansart while the gardens were
designed by André Le Nôtre. Work continued
until the death of Louis XIV in 1715 and his
successors, Louis XV and Louis XVI continued to
add to the palace. In 1837, the palace officially
became a museum dedicated to "All the glories
of France".

37. The Hall of Mirrors – la Galerie des Glaces

38. The chateau is one of the largest palaces in the world. It has more
than 700 rooms, 2000 windows, 1250 fireplaces, 67 staircases and
more than 1800 acres of park.
The most famous feature of the Palace of Versailles is the Hall of
Mirrors. Spanning across a length of 240 feet the hall was once
used to be lit with 3,000 candles. On the either side of the
hallway are two salons namely the ‘de la guerre’ and the Hall of
Mirrors called ‘de la paix’.

39. The King's daily routine
The King's day was timed down to the last minute so that the officers in the service of the monarch could plan their work as
accurately as possible. From the rising ceremony to the retiring, he followed a strict schedule, as did all the members of the
Court, all regulated like clockwork.
The King's mornings
7.30-8 am "Sire, it is time", the first Valet de Chambre awakens the King. The First Levee begins. Doctors, familiars and a few
favourites who enjoyed the privilege of the Grand Entries followed in succession into the bedchamber of the King who was
washed, combed and shaved (every other day). The officers of the Chamber and the Wardrobe then entered for the Grand
Levee during which the King was dressed and breakfasted on a bowl of broth. Only the most important personalities in the
kingdom were admitted to observe this ritual. The number of attendants is estimated at around a hundred, all male.
10 am:As they left the King's apartment, a procession formed in the Hall of Mirrors. Followed by his courtiers, the King
crossed the whole breadth of the Grand Apartment. This was the moment when the crowd gathered along the passage of the
royal cortège was at last able to catch a glimpse of the monarch. Some were even able to speak to him briefly or pass him a
written request. The King sat in the tribune of the Royal Chapel to attend mass, for about thirty minutes. The choir of the
"Chapel Music", renowned throughout Europe, sang a new work each day, composed by Lully, Delalande and many others.
11 am: Back in his Apartment, the King held council in his cabinet. On Sundays and Wednesdays was the Council of
State, Tuesdays and Saturdays were devoted to the Royal Council of Finances, and finally, on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays
there might be an extra Council of State to replace a Dispatch Council (domestic affairs) or a Religious Council (religious
affairs). On these same days, the King might also decide to examine the progress of the building programmes. Five or six
ministers worked with the monarch who spoke little, listened much and then made his decision.
1 pm: In his bedchamber, the King dined alone, sitting at a table facing the windows. This meal was in principle a private one
but Louis XIV used to receive all the men of the Court, in general those present at the Levee.

40. His afternoons
2 pm: The King gave his orders announcing his intentions for the afternoon in the morning. If he wished for a
promenade, it was in the gardens, either on foot or in a carriage with the ladies. If he chose to hunt, the
favourite sport of all the Bourbons, it took place in the grounds when the King preferred to shoot, or in the
surrounding woodland when he rode to hounds.
6 pm: Often Louis XIV let his son preside over the indoor entertainments, like the evenings in the apartments.
Meanwhile, he would sign the many letters prepared by his secretary and then go to the apartments of
Madame de Maintenon where he would study an important dossier aided by one of his four secretaries of
State.
The evenings
10 pm: The crowd squeezed into the antechamber of the King's apartments to attend the Grand Public
Supper. The King would sit at the table, surrounded by members of the royal family. At the end of the
meal, the monarch walked through his bedroom and into the salon to salute the ladies of the court. Then he
withdrew to his cabinet to converse more freely with his family and a few close acquaintances.
11:30 pm: The retiring, a public ceremonial where the King withdrew to his bedroom, was a shortened
version of the Levee

41. The King’s chamber

42. The Queen’s chamber

43. Construction of the
palace, based on
existing records, cost
116,438,892 livres. This
is $2 billion in current
day dollars
The Hall of Mirrors contains 17 large chandeliers and
26 smaller ones each made of solid silver. The
chandeliers held 3 000 candles !
The Chapel in the palace took 28 years to
complete (from 1682 to 1710) because Louis
XIV demanded absolute perfection in
design, construction and materials
The entire complex was
completed with the ultimate in
opulence and luxury. Some
first time visitors thought they
had arrived at the
palace, when in fact they had
entered the royal stables . The
stables for the 2,000 horses
the King kept on site contained
fireplaces and appeared to be
a portion of the main palace.