Marie Antoinette was released into a cultural moment dominated by consumerism as empowerment, when ‘girl power’ was used to sell music and fashion to young women.
Articles on Versailles
Displaying all articles
US President Donald Trump spent much of 2025 doing up the White House with gold bling. He’s the latest in a long line of leaders to use buildings for power.
A queen with a reputation for scandal, Marie Antoinette enjoyed her private spaces with a small circle of friends. A mirrored room kept the judgments of the outside world at bay.
The first Duke of Montagu was a a Francophile through and through. After spending time with Louis XIV, he dreamed of a Versailles of his own.
The Versailles Conference set up the ill-fated League of Nations. We must not allow the United Nations to suffer the same fate.
America finds itself in uncharted territory under Donald Trump – not least when it comes to climate change and Israel policy.
When women are remembered as part of the Communist or any other political tradition it’s often as an afterthought, or as part of the support system of the revolution.
TV shows such as Versailles and Reign dwell on sex. But the French royals were preoccupied with life’s intimate moments, from bodily emissions to the crowds that gathered to watch the queen give birth.
Yellow-gold, swagged curtains have appeared in the Oval Office. But if Donald Trump wants to emulate the Sun King, he would be advised to look to contemporary artists and designers for inspiration.
Donald Trump has a Versailles-inspired apartment. There’s a popular TV series and now, a new exhibition of treasures from the palace. A glittering symbol of aristocratic frivolity, Versailles was, in fact, a place of awesome royal power.
The ‘French kiss’ didn’t come from France and nor did the ‘French pox’, so does the reputation of France as raunchy stand up to scrutiny?
From the halcyon days of Louis XIV, the French global seat of power was soon pulled down by corruption, elitism and arbitrary rule. Sound familiar?
Top contributors
-
Associate professor, Australian National University
-
Professor of History, University of St Andrews
-
Senior Lecturer in History, University of Dundee
-
Director, Gender and Women's History Research Centre, Australian Catholic University
-
Hansen Lecturer in History, The University of Melbourne
-
Senior researcher, Centre for Social Change, University of Johannesburg
-
Professor at the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, SOAS, University of London
-
Professor of Architecture and Urban Design, The University of Melbourne
-
Distinguished Professor of Design History, UTS, University of Technology Sydney
-
Emeritus professor, History, The University of Melbourne
-
Associate Professor of Film Studies, University of Exeter