ABSTRACT
The Bastille, the symbol of the ancien régime’s authority, was taken by the Parisian crowd on 14 July 1789. This confirmed that the royal power of the Bourbons had already collapsed. In fact, a power vacuum had appeared before 1789 with clear signs that the government was economically, politically and militarily bankrupt. Things had not been the same since the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715), which is usually regarded as the highwater mark of the Bourbon dynasty. The Palace of Versailles was built to embody the authority of ‘the Sun King’ who could proclaim ‘L’état c’est moi’ (I am the state) with a brash confidence that was completely missing under his great-grandson, Louis XV (1715-74), and Louis XV’s own grandson, Louis XVI (1774-93). How had this decline come about?
