The Daily Schedule of King Louis XIV

Before reading about Louis XIV’s schedule, write your own daily schedule. Be as specific as possible! Start with
what time you wake up, your morning routine, and continue with what you do during and after school until you go
to bed. When you are finished writing your schedule, read through Louis’ and answer the analysis questions.

My Daily Schedule
Morning Afternoon Evening
I wake up at 7:00 am then I Get ready for
All day I make my book and see my phone I take a shower and eat dinner and I go to
school and at 7:45 I enter to class and at 2:15
spend time with my family sleep at 9:00 of clock
my classes nish I eat and do my homework

Analysis Questions
1. What were the Officers of the Chamber and Wardrobe responsible for?

Wash , combing and shave king every day

2. How long each day would Louis XIV hold council and review acts of government?

2 hours

3. How do you feel this compares to how many hours our president spends each day governing?

I think the king take he doesn’t care about that and the president is
more important

4. What were some of the recreational activities the king enjoyed?

Eat and go to the garden

5. How does your day compare to Louis? Is it as full of different events? Is it as rigid? Does you class schedule
resemble any part of his day?

Nothing to do with my life the

same thing I do is to go to the
church

6. Would you like to be king if you had to follow Louis’ schedule? Explain why or why not.
 No because I think she is wired and I don’t like to wake out so
early , and alt of people seen me

The Daily Schedule of King Louis XIV

While he was King of France, Louis XIV’s day was timed down to the last minute so that his many officers and nobles
could plan their work around his. From the ceremonial rising in the morning to
his retiring at night, he followed a strict schedule, as did all the members of the
Court. The daily routine of the Sun King was supposed to continue under the
reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI, but neither of them could bear this oppressive
ceremonial. As the years passed, the ceremonies were observed less frequently
and courtiers complained that they never saw the King anymore - something
that would prove very problematic for Louis XVI.

The King’s Mornings

7.30 am “Sire, it is time,” the first Valet de Chambre would awaken the King
and the First Levée (rising) began. Doctors, familiars and a few
favorites follow into the bedchamber of the King. The King was
washed, combed and shaved (every other day) by these servants in a
formal ceremony. The officers of the Chamber and the Wardrobe
then entered for the Grand Levée during which the King was dressed
and breakfasted on a bowl of broth. Only the most important people
in France were admitted to observe this ritual. The number of
attendants is estimated at around 100, all male.
10 am As they left the King’s apartment, a procession formed in the Hall of
Mirrors. Followed by his courtiers, a crowd gathered to catch a
glimpse of the monarch. Some were even able to speak to him briefly
or pass him a written request. The King sat in the Royal Chapel to attend mass for about 30 minutes. A choir
renowned throughout Europe sang a new work each day, written by the most celebrated composers of
France.
11am Back in his apartment, the King held council. On Sundays and Wednesdays was the Council of State,
Tuesdays and Saturdays were devoted to the Royal Council of Finances, and finally, on Mondays, Thursdays
and Fridays there might be an extra Council of State or a Religious Council. On these same days, the King
might also decide to examine the progress of the building programs. Five or six ministers worked with the
monarch who spoke little, listened much, and then made his decision.

The King’s Afternoons

1 pm In his bedchamber, the King dined alone, sitting at a table facing the windows. This meal was in principle a
private one, but Louis XIV would often receive men of the Court, in general those present at the Levée.
2 pm The King gave his orders announcing his intentions for the afternoon in the morning. If he wished for a
promenade, it was in the gardens, either on foot or in a carriage with the ladies. If he chose to hunt, the
favorite sport of all the Bourbons, it took place in the grounds when the King preferred to shoot, or in the
surrounding woodland with his hounds.
6 pm Often Louis XIV let his son preside over the indoor entertainments, like the evenings in the apartments.
Meanwhile, he would sign the many letters prepared by his secretary and then go to the apartments of
Madame de Maintenon where he would study an important dossier aided by one of his four secretaries of
State.

The King’s Evenings

9 pm A crowd squeezed into the King's apartment to attend the Grand Public Supper. The King would sit at the
table, surrounded by members of the royal family. At the end of the meal, the monarch walked through his
bedroom and into the salon to salute the ladies of the court. Then he withdrew to his cabinet to converse
more freely with his family and a few close acquaintances.
11:30 pm A public ceremonial where the King withdrew to his bedroom was a shortened version of the Levée.