King Louis XIV had the Palace of Versailles built in the 17th century as a lavish home for himself and the French royalty and government. It featured ornate halls, gardens, and fountains and served as a symbol of the absolute power of the French monarchy. Later, Marie Antoinette had a small village built on the grounds and the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I was signed in the famous Hall of Mirrors. The palace continues to undergo restoration and remains an important historical site.

1. By: Alex Hill
France’s Royal Jewel

2.  A home for himself
 A home for thousands of
 High Nobility
 Aristocrats
 Reception hall for political and
state affairs
 An work place for the members of
King Louis XIV’s government
 A symbol of French Absolutism
and the power of King Louis XIV

3. Hall of Mirrors Gardens
Fountains

4.  King Louis XIV had an
adoration of oranges
 He had his architect,
build an enclosed and
heated structure to grow
oranges during the
winter
 The Orangerie was 510
ft long and 69 ft long
 It held around 2,000
orange trees

5.  Turned his father’s
bedroom and
bathroom into a
private dining
room for 30 people
 Built an opera
house for 712
people

6.  Marie Antoinette’s little
town
 Built from 1783-1785
 Contained
 a farm
 cottages with gardens
 a mill
 a dovecote (bird house)
 a tower with an
extravagant view
 Actual peasants lived
and worked on the land

7.  The Palace of Versailles
remained empty during
the French Revolution
 In 1837, the Palace of
Versailles was converted
into a museum by King
Louis-Philippe
 Dedicated to all of the
glories of the country

8.  The Treaty of Versailles
was signed in the Hall of
Mirrors
 The Treaty of Versailles
was signed in the Palace of
Versailles because
 Paris is a famous place to sign
treaties
 Germany used the Palace of
Versailles in 1871 to declare it’s
empire

9.  The Palace of
Versailles went
under restoration
in 2003 and is
expected to end in
2020
 Repave the roads
 “Make it sparkle”

10.  Jackson J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization, Volume II: Since 1500, Seventh Edition (Thomson Higher Education,
2009), 455
 Linda Tagliaferro, Palace of Versilles, France’s Royal Jewel (Bearport Publishing Company, Inc. 2005), 22-25
 James Barter, The Palace of Versailles (Lucent Books, Inc 1999), 60
 “The Building,” Last Modified October 28, 1988, http://splendors-
versailles.org/TeachersGuide/Building/index.html
 “United States Holocaust Memorial Museum,” Last Modified April 1, 2010,
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005425