Why world leaders still choose Versailles for historic moments

US President Donald Trump signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to end the war with Iran during a high-profile dinner at the 17th-century Palace of Versailles, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The Palace of Versailles traces its origins to Louis XIII’s modest hunting lodge, established in 1623, which was later transformed into an extravagant seat of power under Louis XIV and further expanded by Louis XVI on the eve of the French Revolution of 1789, which ultimately ended its role as a royal residence.

Trump’s visit and dinner with Macron at this historic palace have not only reinforced its status as a seat of royal power but also brought back memories of Germany’s signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War 1 in 1919.

An adulterous affair and a palace built

When Louis XIII succeeded to the French throne in 1610, Versailles was a prosperous hamlet nestled in an upland valley that had only been partially cleared for cultivation.

“The name of the place, formed on the Latin word vertere, meaning to turn the soil, immortalizes the hard grind of the medieval farmers who first won a way of life here from primal woodland,” author Tony Spawforth writes in Versailles: A Biography of a Palace.

When Louis XIV relocated the seat of the monarchy to the Palace of Versailles in 1682, the Paris–Versailles road became one of the busiest in Europe. He had first been brought to Versailles at the age of three, but over the following two decades, he began transforming the modest royal residence.

Louis XIV of France (Wikipedia)

According to Spawforth, “This sudden change of attitude toward Versailles is often linked with his amorous needs. At the time he embarked on an adulterous affair with Louise de La Vallière, a young noblewoman of the court.”

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By 1668, the once-modest country house became one of the most celebrated gardens in France. The king welcomed members of the nobility, wealthy Parisians, provincial dignitaries, ambassadors, and other distinguished foreign guests. “But—and this is true of Louis XIV and Versailles in general—he always had politics in view,” notes Spawforth.

In staging a series of lavish festivities at Versailles, Louis XIV aspired to enhance his prestige both at home and abroad.

Reception of the Grand Condé by Louis XIV (Wikipedia)

A year later, in 1669, he resolved to transform Versailles into a centre of government and envisioned his ministers working alongside him there. Yet until 1689, he remained only an occasional resident of the palace.

It was after 1689, at the outset of the Nine Years’ War, when British forces joined a European coalition opposing French expansion, that Louis made Versailles his principal residence. Spawforth writes, “As the new seat of power, Versailles was no longer the pleasure house of the king’s youth.”

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A last-minute French victory ultimately pulled the kingdom back from the brink. Peace followed, and Louis gave thanks in the new palace chapel at Versailles, which was finally completed in 1710.

The dawn of enlightenment

In the 18th century, the ideas of the Enlightenment encouraged many French people to question the regal style of Louis XIV. Yet, as Spawforth notes, military success remained the king’s foremost priority. At the same time, like many rulers of his age, Louis believed deeply in the power of architecture.

Since the Renaissance, princes had sought prestige through artistic patronage, and Louis was no exception. He had a passion for music, painting, dance, gardens, theatre, and objets d’art, all of which found expression in the halls and galleries of Versailles.

The Hall of Mirrors at the palace (Wikipedia)

Louis and his ministers intended Versailles to showcase French taste and luxury industries—“a forerunner of the national pavilions at the international trade fairs of more recent times,” Spawforth explains. Magnificence was the palace’s defining theme. Spawforth notes,“The palace aspired to be a new benchmark of artistic excellence, as ancient Rome had been since the Renaissance.”

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In 1838, the English visitor William Talmadge, as quoted by Spawforth, said, “The place is vast beyond all English imagination: one can hardly conceive it according to its purpose as a place of residence.”

An era of opulence ends

After the royal family departed for Paris on October 6, 1789, the Royal Buildings Office kept Versailles prepared in the hope that the political situation might improve. That hope vanished in August 1792, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries and imprisoned the royal family in the medieval fortress of the Temple. Following the proclamation of a republic, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were tried and executed.

On August 10, 1792, the municipal authorities of Versailles sealed the palace to prevent unauthorised entry and safeguard its remaining contents. In 1793, the republican government decided to maintain the former royal palaces at state expense.

German humiliation

In 1870, the Second Empire of Napoleon III declared war on Prussia. The miscalculation cost Napoleon’s nephew his throne and led to a Prussian invasion of France later that year. As the Prussian army besieged Paris, the Prussian king and his chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, established their headquarters at Versailles.

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The signing of the Treaty of Versailles (Wikimedia Commons)

As Spawforth observes, “The enduring taste of this bitter pill helps to explain why, in 1919, the French government proposed to their victorious allies that the defeated Germans should be brought back to the Hall of Mirrors [ in the Palace ] to sign the peace that closed the First World War.”

There, at a Louis XV desk in the centre of the gallery, German delegates signed the treaty that humiliated their nation and paved the way for the Second World War two decades later.

‘A marketing tool’

The gardens of Versailles have served as the backdrop for fashion shoots, while its interiors have hosted lavish private events, including the wedding celebrations of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal in 2004.

“An enduring image of opulence explains the attraction of Versailles as a marketing tool,” writes Spawforth.

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“The palace where Louis XIV once sought to dazzle the envoys of Asia is now available for hire as an international luxury brand.”

Interestingly, nowhere is the appeal of Versailles stronger than in the United States. “It may seem contradictory that the Land of the Free should feel close ties with Versailles, the former seat of an absolute monarchy,” writes Spawforth.

He argues that this connection stems from France’s support for the American colonies during the War of Independence. “French warships helped to win the decisive victory at Yorktown,” he explains.

Between 1923 and 1932, John D Rockefeller Jr donated millions of dollars to France, helping restore three major landmarks, among them Versailles. Decades of neglect and the effects of the First World War had left the site in need of urgent repairs.

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The contribution was so significant, Spawforth remarks, that it is fair to say “American money saved Versailles.”