The Duke of Saint-Simon (1675-1755) was a self-obsessed courtier and chronicler of court life under Louis XIV. Drawing heavily on his memoirs, historian Ladurie

Louis XIV - the Sun King or Louis the Great, as he was also known - ruled France with an iron fist for over half a century, from 1651 to his death in 1715, outl

Throughout history rulers have used clothes as a form of legitimization and propaganda. While palaces, pictures, and jewels might reflect the choice of a monarc