From 1789 to 1799,  French revolutionaries overthrew the monarchy of the Ancien Régime, set up a republic, eliminated a lot of people, and drastically changed the course of human history.

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité

French Revolution

Versailles etiquette was as complicated and ornate as the furniture and artwork filling the great chambers&nbsp;of the French royal palace. The smallest details of life at court, including <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/french-revolution-hygiene/jim-rowley" target="_blank">personal hygiene</a>, were dictated, regulated, and policed. But&nbsp;more often than not, court etiquette at Versailles was more bizarre than it was dignified.

The palace of Versailles was meant to awe. In 1682, King Louis XIV officially moved his court to Versailles, which had previously been&nbsp;a royal hunting lodge used for entertaining. Louis transformed the structure into an opulent, palatial <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/ways-french-monarchy-incited-revolution/setareh-janda" target="_blank">symbol of French monarchy</a>. With its exceptional gardens, impressive hallways, and larger-than-life artwork, Louis and subsequent French kings used Versailles - which <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/hygiene-versailles/setareh-janda" target="_blank">wasn&#39;t quite as glamorous</a> as it may seem in retrospect&nbsp;to display their authority. From the Sun King to <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/surprising-facts-about-marie-antoinette/setareh-janda" target="_blank">Marie Antoinette</a>, Versailles was the center of the royal world -&nbsp;and remained so until the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/marie-antionette-unfair-reputation/cleo-egnal" target="_blank">French Revolution</a> changed everything.

Versailles was also a world unto itself, with a wild system of etiquette built on hierarchy and rank. The rules at Versailles were clear: every single courtier was there to lend their service to the king and become part of the elaborate court rituals that&nbsp;clearly defined the nobility&rsquo;s place.

While it is true that Versailles rules were rigidly enforced, 17th&nbsp;and 18th century French etiquette could also be ridiculous. Weird French court etiquette - and not just the king -&nbsp;apparently&nbsp;ruled at Versailles.

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Royal French Manners Were So Weird That You Could Pee Directly In Front Of The Queen

General

Setareh Janda

Kings & queens, princes & princesses. They're made of blood and bones like the rest of us, but they're told they can do whatever they damn well please. Sometimes, this causes problems.

Royal Pains

Lists of fascinating facts and lesser-known details about the lives of people whose names you learned in History class (or should have).

Down in History

Historical Facts

Charles XIV John of Sweden's reign was not much different than that of other kings. He sat on the throne&nbsp;during a time of relative domestic peace, prosperity, and stability. But his biography reveals a startling fact: he was not a man who was born to be a king. He was not from royal blood. He did not marry into a royal family. He wasn’t even Swedish.The man who would become Charles XIV John of Sweden was born Jean Bernadotte in France in 1763, and he had a memorable life even before he took the Swedish crown. Bernadotte was a soldier during the French Revolution and the wars waged in its aftermath. He served as a field marshal under <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/napoleon-bonaparte-facts/lisa-waugh">Napoleon&nbsp;Bonaparte</a> and saw action in some of the biggest <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/a-list-of-all-napoleonic-wars-battles/reference">battles in the Napoleonic Wars</a>. Bernadotte&nbsp;even obtained a royal title before the one he more famously possessed in Sweden.Who was Jean Bernadotte? And how did Jean Bernadotte become king of Sweden? The details reveal the truly surreal life of the man who would be king.

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Palace of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles is known for its opulent rooms, extravagant gardens, and the integral role it played in the French Revolution.&nbsp;Every year, more than&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/versailles/">three million visitors tour&nbsp;the Palace</a> that was built for the Sun King, Louis XIV, in 1623 CE. A few of the biggest draws at the Palace are the Hall of Mirrors, the Chappelle Royale, and the Salon de Venus. On the grounds are priceless works of art as well as period furniture and statues. And for outdoor lovers, there&nbsp;are numerous plants, flowers, fountains, and statues to view while perusing the lush gardens on the property. Like other opulent and historically significant structures (like the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-building-the-taj-mahal/theodoros-karasavvas">Taj Majal</a>, for example), Versailles&#39;s architectural history is filled with interesting anecdotes, like the time all of its mirror makers were killed for doing their job too well.

There are many stories about the building of Versailles and the amount of money and work&nbsp;it took to create such an elaborate structure, which dates back to the 17th century and is located about 12 miles from Paris. You can imagine how much time and effort it took to create the massive Palace, which would become the envy of many foreign visitors from the 1600s up until today. In fact, the Palace became such a symbol of wealth and excess - though <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/hygiene-versailles/setareh-janda" target="_blank">hygiene left something to be desired</a> - that the people of France were disgusted by everything it represented, leading them to revolt. The excesses of Versailles, in part, drove the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/ways-french-monarchy-incited-revolution/setareh-janda">French Revolution</a>.

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15 Absolutely Insane Facts About The Palace of Versailles

15 Crazy Facts From The Building of Versailles

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Philippe II, Duke of Orléans

Louis XIV is one of the best known French kings, famous for his <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/louis-xiv-war-miniatures/cleo-egnal" target="_blank">battle-plan miniatures</a>, his palace at Versailles, and his absolutist rule. Also known as the Sun King, Louis XIV had a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/ways-french-monarchy-incited-revolution/setareh-janda" target="_blank">penchant for excess</a> and for getting his way, both&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-battles-of-louis-xiv-of-france/reference" target="_blank">on the battlefield</a> and in daily life.One of the best examples of the Sun King's selfishness&nbsp;was&nbsp;the treatment of his younger brother, Philippe I. Philippe I, the Duke of Orl&eacute;ans, was more or less raised as a girl to avoid any potential conflicts with or threats to his brother. The Sun King's brother dressed like a woman and demonstrated effeminate characteristics for his entire life. While he was married to women&nbsp;twice, it was also common for men to the serve as the&nbsp;Duke of Orl&eacute;ans's lovers.Philippe I was more than just his sexuality though. He&nbsp;fought for&nbsp;Louis XIV at&nbsp;numerous battles and extending the financial and cultural strength of the House of Orl&eacute;ans. Despite the&nbsp;strange upbringing&nbsp;Philippe was forced into at the hands of his brother, he cemented his own place in military and nobility history.

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Lists about times real people around the world and throughout history who have suited up, taken up arms, and fought to the end in the name of whomever's side they were on.

Military Engagements

World History

From 1336 to 1453, England and France fought in the Hundred Years’ War, as a series of disagreements and rivalries played themselves out on various battlefields.&nbsp;The War evokes images of warrior women like of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/badass-joan-of-arc-facts/tamar-altebarmakian">Joan of Arc</a>, ruthless weapons like English <a href="http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval-weapons/longbow.htm">longbows</a>, and even well-known wordsmiths like <a href="http://shakespeare.mit.edu/henryv/full.html">William Shakespeare</a>. &nbsp;Generally speaking, the English won the major battles of the Hundred Years’ War, including <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/worst-defeats-in-military-history/aaron-edwards">Agincourt</a>, but the French won the war. The Battle of Agincourt, fought on October 25, 1415, was the last major English victory. Why the English won was as much due to superior English weaponry and military expertise as it was to&nbsp;the French battlefield blunders, backwards thinking, and bad luck that characterized the day. Nonetheless, the Battle of Agincourt would be remembered as a colossal French embarassment.

Mon Dieu! Everything That Went Wrong For The French At The Battle Of Agincourt

Everything That Went Wrong For The French At The Battle Of Agincourt

Hundred Years' War

England and France have had strained relations over the years, but the Hundred Years&#39; War took those hostilities&nbsp;to another level. The 14th- and 15th-century war&nbsp;gave rise to countless heroes on both sides, including Henry V, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/joan-of-arc-facts/carly-silver" target="_blank">Joan of Arc</a>, and Charles VII. And it produced some of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-most-important-battles-in-us-history?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">most famous battles</a> ever recorded in history, such as&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-the-battle-of-agincourt/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">the Battle of Agincourt</a>. But it also exposed a complicated political system that led to infighting, political marriages, backstabbing, and large reversals of fortune that would engulf Western Europe for more than a century.

Myriad&nbsp;movies and theatrical productions have covered some of these stories, but no single work of art can&nbsp;truly capture&nbsp;what went on between the two great powers of England and France. What was the result&nbsp;of such an epic struggle? The&nbsp;true events of the Hundred Years&#39; War were quite complicated.

Going Medieval

Fascinating Facts From The Political Shamblefest That Was The Hundred Years' War

Fascinating Facts About The Hundred Years' War

Aaron Edwards

Most anyone with a perfunctory knowledge of world history knows about the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/french-revolution-bloodiest-moments/setareh-janda" target="_blank">French Revolution</a>. The ten-year upheaval in France started in 1789 and was inspired by&nbsp;the American Revolution. It&nbsp;heralded&nbsp;egalitarianism, liberty, and brotherhood for all. But the average person may not be familiar with&nbsp;Charlotte Corday&nbsp;and the role she played in the French Revolution.<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-people-named-charlotte/celebrity-lists?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Who is Charlotte</a> Corday? History has labeled her&nbsp;the &quot;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/historical-female-assassins/melissa-brinks" target="_blank">Angel&nbsp;of Assasination</a>&quot; and she is known to most casual students of history as the aristocrat&nbsp;who murdered French Revolution&nbsp;leader, Jean-Paul Marat, in his bathtub.&nbsp;Marat's death is most famously depicted in&nbsp;Jacques Louis David's painting&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Marat" target="_blank">&quot;The Death of Marat.&quot;</a>&nbsp;Casual historians would label Corday's&nbsp;act as a tragic setback for the revolutionary cause in France at the time.&nbsp;But diving deeper into the story of this educated, young noblewoman reveals&nbsp;a fascinating and complex character in what is usually seen as black and white historical event. Here's everything your history teacher skimmed over in class about the cunning revolution assassin, Charlotte Corday.

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Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte is well known today as one of the greatest conquerors&nbsp;of the past, but he may even be more well known for his rumored short height. His alleged stunted stature&nbsp;even spurred the &quot;Napoleon complex&quot;&nbsp;that is said to afflict those who also suffer from being shorter than the average and aren&#39;t too happy about it. But what if this <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/napoleon-bonaparte-facts/lisa-waugh" target="_blank">Napoleon fun fact</a>&nbsp;isn&#39;t actually true? In reality, a lot of interesting Napoleon facts we think we know have been altered,&nbsp;misremembered, or transformed by history. The truth may actually make him even more interesting!&nbsp;

Vote up the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/napoleon-bonaparte-facts/lisa-waugh?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">facts about Napoleon Bonaparte</a> people just learned that you&#39;re excited to know now.

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Facts We Just Learned About Napoleon Bonaparte That Made Us Say 'Really?'

Napoleon Bonaparte Facts We Just Learned That Made Us Say 'Really?'

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Walk a mile in the sandals, boots, high heels, and huaraches that regular people wore in different places around the world at fascinating points in history.

What Life Was Like

During its heyday from 1682 to 1789, Versailles wasn&rsquo;t just a palace - it was the center of France&rsquo;s royal world. French royals, nobles, and state officials lived together in the sprawling palace complex. But despite the regal setting, everyday life for courtiers at Versailles was often stressful, regimented, and surprisingly unsanitary.

<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weird-facts-about-versailles/nicky-benson?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">The palace of Versailles</a> was King Louis XIV&rsquo;s pet project. Before it was the center of French court and state life, Versailles was a simple - albeit regal - hunting lodge outside of Paris. As a young man, Louis transformed the site into a palace fit for a Sun King and moved his court and government offices there in 1682.

Life at Versailles wasn&rsquo;t always easy for nobles. Everyone who lived there had to participate in an elaborate system of weird etiquette rules aimed at establishing the king as an all-powerful monarch and his courtiers as obliging servants.

Versailles, its elaborate rituals, and its community of courtiers outlived Louis XIV. His successors - Louis XV followed by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette - continued to lord over the palace until the French Revolution dramatically ended the royal world in the late 1700s.

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What Was It Really Like To Live At Versailles?

What It Was Like to Live at Versailles

What Was Life Like In Versailles?

Perhaps nothing was more decadent about <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/ways-french-monarchy-incited-revolution/setareh-janda">aristocrats before the French Revolution</a> than their over-the-top meals; the things French aristocrats ate even make modern Americans looks like humble cuisine ascetics. Foods before the French Revolution were a dizzying array of savories and sweets. Aristocrats of the ancien regime - or &quot;old order,&quot; the elite French world before the revolution&nbsp;- tended to have elaborate meals, thanks to the fact that they could afford it; they&nbsp;could buy expensive ingredients and hire master chefs to create mouth-watering dishes.Indeed, if cuisine was a mark of social status, then food itself played a huge role in the French Revolution. In the years preceding revolution, grain prices and famine caused widespread resentment towards the seemingly decadent aristocracy. When market women marched on Versailles in October 1789, they did so because they were angry that they could not afford bread to feed their families.Though Marie Antoinette - the ill-fated French queen who would lose her head to the guillotine in 1793 - may not have ever said, &quot;Let them eat cake,&quot; her diet was nonetheless worlds apart from what ordinary French men and women ate. It was good to be the king or the queen, simply because they got to eat so very well.

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Lists about some of the most extraordinary women who made history, forever changing the world and how we see it.

Well-Behaved Women

Feminism

Princess Isabella is one of many Braveheart characters that are&nbsp;based on historical figures. Like the character in the film, the historical Queen Isabella was the daughter-in-law of Edward I, the brutal English king who set his sights on Scotland. But the similarities stop there: Braveheart's Princess Isabella&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/historical-figure-inaccuracies-in-movies/isadora-teich" target="_blank">barely resembles</a>&nbsp;the historical Queen Isabella. Worse,&nbsp;Braveheart completely strips her of all her glorious complexity and power by reducing her to <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/true-story-of-william-wallace-execution/nicky-benson" target="_blank">William Wallace</a>’s love interest. The historical Isabella's&nbsp;wild life was a lot more interesting than Braveheart lets on.Who was the real Queen Isabella of France? Intelligent, beautiful, and strong, she was the leading lady of one of the most dramatic chapters in&nbsp;14th century English history. Born a French princess in the late 13th century, 12-year-old Isabella became Queen of England when she married 23-year-old King Edward II in 1308. But she never intended to be a royal consort&nbsp;that sat on the sidelines, especially as she saw her husband's popularity sink. She soon earned the nickname “the She Wolf” when she engineered a daring rebellion against Edward.The tale of Isabella of France the rebel queen has all the ingredients of a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-historically-inaccurate-movies/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">Hollywood epic</a>. Of all the terrible&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/historical-mistakes-errors-and-inaccuracies-in-braveheart/machk" target="_blank">inaccuracies in Braveheart</a>, the erasure of Queen Isabella’s story of romance, murder, and rebellion&nbsp;is the most unforgivable.

Isabella 'The She Wolf' Was A Force To Be Reckoned With, But 'Braveheart' Erased Her From History

Isabella 'The She Wolf' Was A Force To Be Reckoned With, But 'Braveheart' Erased Her From History

Queen Elizabeth II. Kim Kardashian. Marilyn Monroe. What do they have in common? All three have been memorialized in wax by Madame Tussauds.&nbsp;Today we know Madame Tussauds&nbsp;as a wax museum featuring celebrities and royalty, but most people don&#39;t realize the bloody history of Madame Tussaud herself, who nearly lost her head during the French Revolution.

How did Madame Tussauds&nbsp;start? Marie Tussaud was only in her twenties when revolutionaries thrust a severed head into her arms and made her to sculpt it in wax. For the next several years, Marie Tussaud was forced to watch her friends from Versailles visit the guillotine, and then sculpted their offed heads in wax mere moments later. And while the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/ways-french-monarchy-incited-revolution/setareh-janda" target="_blank">French monarchy might hold some blame</a> for the revolution, Marie Antoinette didn&#39;t deserve to be accused of some of the&nbsp;questionable charges against her yet <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/surprising-facts-about-marie-antoinette/setareh-janda" target="_blank">they still dispatched the&nbsp;queen</a>, and Madame Tussaud was left with her head.

Today, you can visit Madame Tussauds locations around the world, from the original museum in London, founded in 1835 by Marie Tussaud herself, to Hollywood and Tokyo. But to this day, there is no Madame Tussauds in Paris. Even two centuries later, the memories of making <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/plaster-death-masks/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">plaster death masks of severed heads</a>&nbsp;might be too strong.

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The Origin Of The Most Famous Wax Museum In History Started With Marie Antoinette's Severed Head

Genevieve Carlton

Though Marie Antoinette may not have actually said, “Let them eat cake,” the French monarchy and aristocracy displayed an almost laughable disconnection from common people in the decades leading up to the French Revolution. Though historians have been right to point to a variety of French Revolution causes -&nbsp;ranging from economic and&nbsp;social issues to questions of political representation -&nbsp;it is also true that French royal excess played no small role in driving a wedge between commoners and royals. Considering the decadence, cluelessness, and outrageous choices of the monarchy, it almost seems like the French were begging&nbsp;for revolution.From the ostentatious Palace of Versailles to out-of-touch political decisions, the extravagance of the Louis line ultimately led to the monarchy’s downfall. Royal decadence in an age of moderation and Enlightenment led the French to question the role of monarchy in an increasingly democratic age.They may not have been the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/weird-royals-in-history/danielle-ownbey">weirdest royals in history</a>, but Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and their predecessors were certainly among the most decadent. It comes as no surprise, then, that in an infamously <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/french-revolution-bloodiest-moments/setareh-janda">bloody revolution</a>, members of the French royal family would lose their heads as commoners attempted to reset the balance between the rulers and the ruled.

11 Ways The Corrupt &amp; Elite Ruling Class Led To The French Revolution

11 Ways Corruption Created the French Revolution

11 Ways The Corrupt Ruling Class Led To The French Revolution

Today, we think of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/french-court-etiquette/setareh-janda" target="_blank">1700s-era France</a> as a period of unwashed and unparalleled&nbsp;squalor. While this is partially a misconception, it does contain&nbsp;some truth. During the 18th century, people&#39;s attitudes towards personal hygiene were laxer than they are today, for a variety of reasons.

In a world without the hundreds of modern conveniences we take for granted, personal hygiene was&nbsp;expensive and logistically difficult to maintain. Besides that, experts of the time believed that being too clean was unhealthy.&nbsp;Towards the end of the century, medical and scientific advances showed the benefits of cleanliness, and hygiene was gradually understood to be beneficial. Despite this, cleanliness was still a luxury reserved for the elite.

The French Revolution (1789-1799)&nbsp;was meant&nbsp;to secure more rights for all citizens, and&nbsp;it completely transformed the country&#39;s political landscape. However, it also changed the day-to-day aspects of French lives, including people&#39;s hygiene. For many living in the 21st century, bathing is little more than a mundane habit,&nbsp;but during the French Revolution, hygiene was very much a political issue.

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Just How Poor Was People’s Hygiene During The French Revolution?

What French Revolution Hygiene Was Like

French Revolution Hygiene: Just How Poor Was It?

Jim Rowley

The French Revolution is one of the most popular examples of a group of common citizens rising up against a government that no longer had their best interest at hearts – and right behind that it was most well-known for its mass beheadings. With the state of the world in some upheaval thanks to the novel coronavirus, and governments floundering to decide the best course of action, citizens are again wondering if their best interest is no longer being considered. These hilarious memes from around the internet might be just a little too relatable right now.

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20 Morbidly Funny Memes Only People Who Know About The French Revolution Will Understand

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French History

Excess, commerce, and innovation ruled Paris in the late 19th century. In the aftermath of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/french-revolution-bloodiest-moments/setareh-janda">French Revolution</a>, the country&nbsp;struggled for political stability before establishing the Third Republic in 1871. It was a time of&nbsp;radical Parisian politics, and&nbsp;the rise of a militant working class&nbsp;left in the 19th century is evidenced in tales of historical anarchists.During the 1870s, Paris was bustling with beauty,&nbsp;extravagance, and debauchery, as the elite&nbsp;celebrated progress while being&nbsp;increasingly disconnected from the struggles of the worker. France was&nbsp;divided among&nbsp;the aristocracy, immigrants, and&nbsp;newly rich, and&nbsp;Paris became the wealthiest and poorest city in the country. These conditions created a&nbsp;pressure cooker of&nbsp;political violence between wealthy and poor, which led to the establishment of the Paris Commune, and the formation of a&nbsp;revolutionary government in 1871. &nbsp;The Commune lasted two months, but the anarchist movement,&nbsp;and radical anarchists like Ravachol,&nbsp;were born out of its ashes.&nbsp;Fiery radicals with hard line political beliefs who were disilusoined when&nbsp;the commune fell apart as the French army advanced, anarchists were embittered and cynical.&nbsp;Convinced violence was the only measure of recourse in a seemingly totalitarian society, and inspired by examples set by Russian anarchists, young radicals became a spree of&nbsp;19th&nbsp;century anarchist bombings, which was ignited by a disaffected man turned radical left martyr, Ravachol.

The Story Of Ravachol And The Anarchist Bomb-Chuckers Of 19th Century Paris

Ravachol Anarchist Bombings And Violence In 19th Century Paris

French History lists at Ranker - the ultimate source for lists and rankings in all categories

French History lists on Ranker

French History lists at Ranker - the ultimate source for hundreds of French History lists and rankings.