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Dangeau’s Diary, August 1690
5th. — On the receipt of the news of the death of the Prince of Orange, bonfires were lighted, which the King much disapproved of, but the magistrates could not restrain the people. (The Parisians did not just light bonfires, they had one big street party, with wine, food and music. The police had great difficulties to calm them.) 10th.…
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Chronologie de la vie de Louis XIV, July 1664
1 July, his Majesty reviews his gardes françaises et suisses, mousquetaires, gendarmes, chevau-légers and gardes du corps. His Majesty has honoured Monsieur Le Brun today by declaring him Premier peintre du Roi. 3 July, his Majesty receives Cardinal Chigi, who has arrived incognito at Fontainebleau and is nephew of Pope Alexander VII. 9 July, their Majesties enjoy the summer at…
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Dangeau’s Diary, July 1690
4th. — Yesterday, after parade, as Monseigneur was taking his ride on the heights behind his camp, his horse became very restive and a serious accident was very near happening. Monsieur de Sainte-Maure took him round the waist and lifted him from his horse, and the Prince de Conti very dexterously turned his own on one side, otherwise Monseigneur’s leg…
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Dangeau’s Diary, June 1690
14th. – Monsieur de Savoy will fulfil nothing that he has promised: he kept Monsieur de Catinat in play till the 4th of this month and from that time, seeing that all hopes of accommodation had vanished, we commenced hostilities. No intelligence has been received from Monsieur de Bavière; all that is known is that he wrote to the King…
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Chronologie de la vie de Louis XIV, June 1664
1 June, their Majesties attend mass at the chapel. 6 June, their Majesties receive Cardinal de Retz, who has been allowed to visit Fontainebleau to pay his respects to his Majesty. Cardinal de Retz will depart for Paris, where he has not been since 1652, afterwards. 7 June, his Majesty receives the ambassador of Venice. 8 June, Trinité, the royal…
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Chronologie de la vie de Louis XIV, May 1664
1 May, his Majesty and her Majesty la Reine-Mère attend the baptism of the son, who is thus named Louis, of the Marquise de Vervins at the chapel of the Louvre. After which their Majesties and Monseigneur leave Paris to spend the following days at Saint-Cloud. 2 May, their Majesties, Monseigneur, Monsieur and Madame enjoy the gardens of Saint-Cloud. 4…
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Dangeau’s Diary, May 1690
2nd. — The King has given 10,000 livres to Monsieur de Luxembourg, for his equipage; he usually gives no more than 20,000 livres to the generals of his armies. 3rd.— The King returned here from Marly, hunting on the road; the great officers and ladies of the Dauphine, went to pay their respects to him in mourning cloaks and veils.…
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Chronologie de la vie de Louis XIV, April 1664
3 April, his Majesty receives Monsieur le Cardinal Maldachini. 4 April, his Majesty attends mass, celebrated in honour of Saint François de Paule, at the couvent des Minimes de la place Royale in company of the Prince de Condé. Afterwards, his Majesty receives the ambassadors of England and Mantoue. 5 April, dimanche des Rameaux, their Majesties and Monsieur watch the…
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Dangeau’s Diary, April 1690
8th — Monsieur de Louvois, having discovered that some of the clerks in his office had received money for commissions, has dismissed them in disgrace and has imprisoned a female, who was the agent in the business, hoping by her means to make greater discoveries. 10th — The King has ordered Monsieur Hervé, senior member of the parliament, to resign…
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Chronologie de la vie de Louis XIV, March 1664
Chateau-Neuf de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, by Auguste Alexandre Guillaumot1 March, his Majesty receives the ambassadors of Spain and Venice. 2 March, premier dimanche de carême/first Sunday of Lent, their Majesties attend a sermon at the chapelle du Louvre. 3 March, his Majesty grants an audience to the ambassador of Savoy, after which he receives Monsieur Blumenthal, envoy of the Elector of Brandenbourg,…
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Chronologie de la vie de Louis XIV, February 1664
2 February, Purification de la Bienheureuse Vierge Marie, their Majesties attend mass at the chapel of the Louvre, followed by a procession, and a sermon at the Feuillants in the afternoon. 7 February, her Majesty invited to a ball in the grand cabinet. 12 February, a treaty between France and the Holy See has been signed. His Majesty will return…
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Dangeau’s Diary, March 1690
3d — At midnight, the King and Monseigneur having already retired to rest, a fire broke out in the chateau in the apartment of the Princesse d’Harcourt, whose clothes and furniture have been all consumed. She herself had her hand much scorched. In two hours the fire was completely extinguished; and the King, who had risen in order to give…
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Chronologie de la vie de Louis XIV, January 1664
1 January, his Majesty names Monsieur Colbert surintendant des bâtiments. Said position was previously held by Monsieur de Ratabon. His Majesty, wearing the grand collier, then attends mass at the Feuillants in company of the fifty Chevaliers de l’ordre. 3 January, fête de Sainte Geneviève, their Majesties travel to the Abbaye-Sainte-Geneviève for mass in honour of the patron saint of…
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Dangeau’s Diary, February 1690
8th — The King caused circular letters to be written to all the bishops, commanding them to regulate the quantity of plate necessary for the churches throughout their dioceses, both in the towns and in the country, and to send what is superfluous to the nearest mint, or to the places where the King has appointed agents to receive it.…
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Dangeau’s Diary, January 1690
6th — The Marquis de Saint-Simon (Charles de Rouvroy), whose brother, the Duc (Claude de Rouvroy, the father of the writer Saint-Simon), had informed the King that the Marquis was dead, has recovered from a long state of insensibility, in which he exhibited no signs of life. The King had already given the lieutenancy, and the mayorship of Senlis, to…
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Chronologie de la vie de Louis XIV, December 1663
2 December, premier dimanche de l’avent, his Majesty attends a sermon by the évêque de Dax at the chapel of the Louvre. 7 December, his Majesty receives Monsieur Vincenzo Striggi-Gonzaga, the ambassador of the Duc de Mantoue. 8 December, conception de la Vierge Marie, their Majesties attend a sermon by the évêque de Dax at the chapel of the Louvre.…
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Chronologie de la vie de Louis XIV, November 1663
1 November, Toussaint, his Majesty rises early and rides to the Feuillants to receive communion from Cardinal Barberini, after which his Majesty attends mass said by the Cardinal and immediately after grand mass said by Bishop de Constance. His Majesty then travels to the Tuileries after mass, where 800 sick have gathered to be healed by his Majesty’s touch. Le…
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Dangeau’s Diary, December 1689
3rd. — It is the King’s pleasure, that throughout his Kingdom, all silver articles used for ornament or use, such as looking-glasses, girandoles, vases, etc. should be melted down and brought to the mint. And, to set the example, he has caused all his beautiful plate to be melted down, notwithstanding the beauty of the workmanship. Even his exquisite fillagree-worked…
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The death of Louis XIII
Louis XIII’s reign as King of France lasted exactly 33 years. His Kingship was not an easy one. He lost his father, Henri IV, early and was in constant disagreement with his mother, Marie de Médicis, about what was the best for France and she even went to a proper war with him at one point. Louis le Juste had…
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Chronologie de la vie de Louis XIV, October 1663
1 October, their Majesties receive Abbé Ciry, who is in service of the Duc de Parme, and has come to announce the marriage of the Duc and Isabelle d’Este. 2 October, their Majesties attend a play performed by the comédie espagnole. 3 October, les Noces de village, a ballet by Monsieur Lully and Monsieur Benserade, is performed at Vincennes. His…
