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| King Louis XIV dinning with Moliere |
King
Louis XIV was the ruler of France. An
egocentric King, he wanted to make his everyday life a show for every
aristocrat to watch in his beautiful and magnificent palace of Versailles. From
the time he wakes up in the morning, towards his every meal, and until the time
of his sleep in the night, all of daily activities were ritualized to become
small shows for the nobility. Even when it was time for his meals, all of it
was turned into a show. Aristocrats gather around the King, waiting a chance to
be notice and spoken to. Among of these ritualized meals was the Grand Couvert.
The
Grand Couvert is the time when the King took his dinner or supper. It begins in
10 p.m. in the evening. The King, tired from his duties, goes to his
antechamber and prepares for his meal. The King usually eats alone. But in
special occasions, he invites someone to join him over the table. Meanwhile,
his food comes from the kitchen of the palace. To protect King, the royal food
is guarded on the way to prevent being poisoned. The procession of the King’s
food starts with the meals placed in containers. The famous musketeers or royal
guards of the King guarded the containers heavily. The food of the King is
treated like it is the King itself. The passing of the food through the halls
of Versailles was accommodated with the shouting of “Les viands du Roi” or the
food of the king. As the food of the king passes, all those who were in its
presence must stop and show their respect by bowing. When the food finally
arrives, a taste checker would test the food for both taste or examine the food
for poison. Another servant is in charge of placing the table napkin to the
King. Another servant will oversee the service, and a gentleman-in-waiting will
be standing in the side of the king, ready to follow the commands of Louis XIV.
Around the king, while he is dinning, stand about 300 courtiers watching the
King to eat and, perhaps, waiting for the King to talk to them and give a sign of
favor. To entertain and for the King’s leisure, musicians play the best music
in the room. The whole room was filled with sounds of instruments, sometimes
songs, chatting, and sounds of utensils of the King.
The
Grand Couvert although appeared a simple daily activity, it is a display of the
sovereignty and the absolute power of the King over to his entire subjects. It
shows that the aristocrats had no power above the King and all them revolve
around the King. It also stands as the reminder of the grandeur of King Louis
XIV during his reign. His opulence and extravagance that led eventually to the
fall of the monarchy, decades after his death.
Bibliography:
Civitello,
L. Cuisine and Culture: A History of Food and People. New Jersey:
John Wiley and Sons, 2011.
Forester,
C. S. Louis XI: King of France and Navarre. London: Methuen
& Co. Ltd, 1928.
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