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Who is who at Versailles
Keep Louis XIII, Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette apart, then meet the king who turned the palace into a museum.
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Louis XIII · The hunting residence
King of France from 1610 to 1643 and father of Louis XIV. He commissioned the hunting lodge in 1623 and later a larger château. Start with the brick-and-stone buildings around the Marble Courtyard to understand the earlier residence.
Louis XIV · Court and government
King from 1643 to 1715, known as the Sun King. He was Louis XIII’s son. He enlarged Versailles and established his court and government here in 1682. The State Apartments, Hall of Mirrors, formal gardens and Grand Trianon belong to his building programme.
Louis XV · Smaller rooms and the Petit Trianon
King from 1715 to 1774 and great-grandson of Louis XIV. The court returned to Versailles in 1722 during his childhood. He developed private apartments behind the ceremonial rooms and commissioned the Petit Trianon, completed in 1768.
Louis XVI · The last king to live here
King from 1774 to 1792 and grandson of Louis XV. He married Marie-Antoinette in 1770 and gave her the Petit Trianon after becoming king. He summoned the Estates General in 1789. The royal family left Versailles that October. He was executed in Paris in 1793.
Marie-Antoinette · Queen and the Trianon estate
An Austrian archduchess who married the future Louis XVI. She became Queen of France in 1774. She adapted the Petit Trianon and commissioned the Queen’s Hamlet. Her rooms also formed part of the ceremonial life of the main palace. She left Versailles with her family in 1789 and was executed in Paris in 1793.
Louis-Philippe · The history museum
King of the French from 1830 to 1848, from the Orléans branch of the royal family. His museum of French history opened at Versailles in 1837. Look for his work in the Gallery of Great Battles, where paintings replaced the earlier arrangement of apartments.
Image credits
- Azurfrog · Grand Trianon Salon des malachites.JPG · CC BY-SA 3.0 · WebP / AVIF
- G.Garitan · Grand Cabinet madame victoire 1505549.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Pedemann · Grand Trianon Billard.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Jen Wen Luoh · Petit Trianon - Antichambre 01.jpg · CC BY 2.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Jorge Láscar from Melbourne, Australia · Le grand escalier - Petit Trianon (24276910376).jpg · CC BY 2.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons · Cabinet dore Marie-Antoinette Versailles.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Hyperios · Bosquet du théâtre d eau Les Belles Danses.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Léa Le Floc'h · Chateau de Versailles et son reflet.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Coyau / Wikimedia Commons · Hameau de la Reine, maison de la Reine depuis les Cascatelles 01.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0 · WebP / AVIF