Was the Sun King really unclean, and why was there a stench in the palace?

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

On the Internet, myths about the particular uncleanliness of Louis XIV, the Sun King, are very popular. Allegedly, the French monarch did not wash and therefore stank, and in Versailles there was no breath of toilet smells, since there were no toilets in the palace itself - so the nobles had to shit anywhere. About the stench of both the king and Versailles - the pure truth, only the reasons they had slightly different.

To begin with, the king took a shower - that is, his counterpart

You have to understand that it was impossible to take a shower twice a day for five minutes, and then quickly dry your hair with a hairdryer in the time of Louis XIV. Nevertheless, stinking then was the lot of peasants and artisans - if only because the smell of sweat inspired thoughts and physical labor, which was not comme il faut for a nobleman. Therefore, the nobility, including the king, resorted to hygienic procedures, refining themselves in conditions without running water and electricity.

First of all, a lot of attention was paid to underwear. It was made of thin flax that absorbs sweat well - and it was changed often. To put on one shirt for two days in a row was not just unthinkable - on summer days, a shirt could be changed two, three, four times a day. Sweat did not stay long on or near the human body, and this prevented the increase in odor associated with the multiplication of bacteria.

But, in addition, in the morning, in the evening and during the change of shirts, the king and nobles always wiped themselves with a damp sheet, paying special attention to those places that sweat the most. Exactly the same method was used in the Soviet Union in communal apartments, where there was a queue or none at all - and rubbing with a damp towel was promoted on the radio as a daily routine.

In the evening, the king also necessarily washed his feet - and various agents were added to the water to reduce sweating of the feet or relieve irritation from being in closed shoes all day.

To better kill the smell (or, more precisely, the bacteria that cause it), the king wiped himself with a sheet dipped not just in water, but mixed with wine alcohol - and generally preferred to use a large amount of diluted alcohol for hygiene. If you recall the epidemiological situation, then you will not be surprised at the desire to disinfect everything that is possible (including water for washing).

Water procedures were also

Every summer, both the king and the entire court went to bathe in the river - many times over the summer. Louis swam excellently from an early age (which, in fact, would have been difficult without constant splashing in the river) and now and then just for fun he swam to the opposite bank. That is, in his youth he was not in the worst shape.

In addition, there were baths in all royal palaces. On the Internet, it is believed that this is solely in order to indulge in debauchery with the ladies - but looking at the list of the king's illegitimate children, you understand that even if this is true, he washed because of his depravity, it seems, often. And yet - apparently also because of depravity - the king was very interested in domestic soap making and introduced certain norms for him.

Every morning, Louis also washed and shaved in the presence of a large number of people. It all started with washing his hands with wine alcohol, then, in addition to shaving, Louis always washed his mouth with alcohol (if it seems to you that after the morning procedures he was slightly tipsy, then you don’t think) and wiped his face with the same alcohol diluted with water.

The restroom question

According to legend, the king did not even think about the need for toilets in the palace, and therefore everyone (except for the king, behind whom they carried a special chair) had to relieve themselves outside the doors and curtains - or at least in the garden in the bushes.

It must be understood, however, that in the time of Louis XIV, a separate toilet in the courtyard was a necessity only in the houses of commoners, and the outhouse over the castle moat for the nobility was just a sign of antiquity. Night vases, both built into a chair for convenience, and simply standing under beds, in bathrooms (and there were baths in palaces), or brought by servants, came into vogue. In addition, on purpose for the ladies with their puffy skirts, they thought up the vessels, the watermelon, similar to the gravy boat - which could simply be launched under these skirts.

Thus, when designing Versailles, it was assumed that both the servants and the courtiers would use pots and a wine glass, for which no special separate premises are needed. Moreover, if the day in the palace was especially lively, the servants carried pots along the corridors in case some nobleman wanted to go with him behind the curtain (the palace was full of secluded niches, hung with curtains, for this reason - and a little for where to kiss).

But on the busiest days there were not enough pots, the courtiers were constantly a little, or even a lot, drunk, and some were simply lazy to wait - and in the end, indeed, behind the curtain, quite a few men relieved themselves without any pots (women always went with maids with a drink). The same thing happened in the palace garden. With the total number of people constantly huddled at Versailles, it is not surprising that both the palace and the garden began to mingle. Moreover, the servants, without obedience, poured the contents of the pots into it.

What did Louis stink with?

In his youth, strictly speaking, Louis did not smell anything special. He began to exude odors over time, when teeth began to decay. No, the smell of teeth in itself was not stunning - when significant caries was detected, doctors immediately removed his aching tooth, believing that otherwise the infection would spread from him throughout his body. But they removed the teeth so poorly that at some point, part of the upper jaw was torn out to Louis, and a hole formed between his nose and mouth.

To prevent the tissue from rotting in this hole, it was cauterized several times with a hot iron (without anesthesia - judge for yourself about the willpower and general strength of Louis' health). But this hole broke the tightness of the oral cavity - it became difficult for the king to chew and swallow, food was constantly jammed into the nasopharynx and there, shall we say, stale. Of course, in the same way, regularly - but not after every meal - this food was washed out of there (which was also a very unpleasant procedure).

Due to the inability to chew normally and the tendency to gluttony in general, Louis swallowed a large number of different foods at dinner in pieces. His stomach quickly ceased to cope, and stomach odors were added to the smells from the nasopharynx. Then the intestines began to fail, and the stench became frightening. At some point, the king even stopped leaving the bedroom, worried about this stench.

Finally, the king died of gangrene of the leg - and with gangrene, he still continued to fulfill his diplomatic duties, receiving ambassadors and nobles, including standing. The smell was probably appropriate. But it should not be ascribed to Louis' uncleanliness.

The father of Louis XIV, Louis XIII, the one under whom the king's musketeers appeared, was also very sick. Why the royal musketeers went without muskets, and how d'Artagnan changed this service.