Julián Huertas
19 March 2015
Professor Musgrave
Garden Art in European History
Blog Post Five:
Without simply repeating the lecture
notes explain why Versailles Palace and Gardens were built, and the role they
played during the rule of King Louis XIV.
The
Versailles Palace and Gardens as we know today began in the 1660s when Louis
XIV ordered for the remodeling of the former hunting lodge of his father. The
construction occurred throughout the rest of the century to produce a
monumental, majestic display of power and greatness. In this blog post, I will
analyze the three primary reasons why the palace and gardens were built and the
role they played during the rule of King Louis, who was in rule from 1643 to
1715.
The
first reason for the design and construction of the Palace and Gardens of
Versailles was for Louis to display the divinity, power, and prestige of
himself. Louis believed in the divine right of kings. In short, he believed
that God crowned him as the King of France and that he himself was divine.
Thus, a massive palace and gardens unlike any other in history would display
his divinity to France and the rest of Europe. As European power was volatile
at the time, it was important for any monarch or king to assert his strength and
power. The palace and gardens were a physical and aesthetic way to do this. How
Louis related this to the political and social dynamic of France leads to the
second point.
The
second reason for the design and construction of the Palace and Gardens of
Versailles was for Louis to consolidate power away from the royals and nobility
of France. Ever since The Fronde, the
civil wars in France from 1648 to 1653, Louis XIV had been skeptical about the
royals and nobility in France. He did not trust them and feared they would
mutiny for power of France. Thus, Louis made Versaille the seat of government.
Not only was Versaille splendid and ornate, but it was also located outside of Paris.
By having all royals and noblemen live at the palace, Louis consolidated his
kingly power and wealth. He provided housing, food, and entertainment to the
noblemen to keep them happy and satisfied. As a result, Versaille was a palace
and gardens of control – a gilded cage.
Louis XIV could look over all noblemen and, thus, maintain his power.
The
third reason for the design and construction of the Palace and Gardens of
Versailles was to represent the power and greatness of France itself. As mentioned above, the palace and gardens
displayed the divinity, power, and prestige of Louis XIV but it was
additionally significant for the country as a whole. Everybody in France and
the rest of Europe would understand that France was a divine kingdom. Louis made his claim that France was the most
grand, ornate, and powerful country in Europe and the world. The size, scale,
and ornate features of the gardens were so influential that they impacted
garden design throughout Europe, such as in Spain, Portugal, England, Germany,
and Austria. This influence represents
the significant impact France had across Europe in regard to garden design.
Here is a link for a website with cool and quirky facts about
the Palace and Gardens of Versaille.
 |
| Louis XIV, the Sun King himself in all his glory. |
 |
| The Palace and Gardens of Versaille in 1623 when it was a hunting lodge. |
 |
| The Palace and Gardens of Versaille after its final design and construction. The palace and gardens combined are absolutely massive. It is 1.7 km long and 67,000 square meters total! |
No comments:
Post a Comment