Marly

Tags

Archeology, Chateau, France, history, life, Louis XIV

I love to watch YouTube videos about historical places. There are quite a few made on French chateaux like Versailles and the numerous renovations it is going through, currently the roof of the Chapelle of the Palace is being rebuilt, it has never been done since the construction of the Palace as we know it today in 1668.

There was another Chateau called Marly, not very far by carriage or horse ride from Versailles. Louis XIV love going there, it was very small and simple if compared to Versailles. Marly was an hermitage or refuge for the King from the daily State Ceremonial of Versailles. Marly was abandoned or neglected after Louis XIV death in September 1715.  At the revolution it was sold to a merchant who dismantled it and sold off the stones and wood of the building. Today what remains is the beautiful gardens surrounding the footprint of Marly and the great water works.

Extensive archeological work has taken place on the foundation of Marly and what has been discovered gives an excellent idea of what life was like. Much details of the building exist thanks to archival material and extensive architectural drawings. Louis XIV came to Marly to relax and only 100 persons could come by INVITATION only. An even smaller number could stay overnight in the small pavilion built on either side of the palace. You can count 6 pavilion on either side. The closer the pavilion was to the main house where the King lived the closer that person was considered to be to the King.

To bring the water to Marly as shown above was a feat of engineering and a huge pumping machine had to be built so that each day the hydraulics would pump enough water to feed the pools and let the fountains play. The cost alone annually was by today’s standard in the millions of dollars.

To be invited to Marly was an honour anyone at Court was willing to fight viciously over. To suggest to the King that you wanted to be invited, if he looked at you or said a few words, you could exclaim; A Marly Sire! ( take me to Marly Sire) and maybe Louis would take the hint and then maybe not.

In the course of all the archeological investigation, even the latrines were examined. Medical pathologists were brought in to study the general health of people living at Marly at the time of Louis XIV. It turns out that it made no difference if you were the King, a great aristocrat or a minor one, or just a servant, everyone had worms. To such an extent that excrements were alive with them. Doctors of the period would examine feces and make detailed notes, even drawings of the various worms infecting a person. Some of the drawings are fanciful, like little dragons or creatures. It appears that people would live with the condition because it was a common situation in society in general, sanitation was not a concern.

Louis XIV lived to be 76 years old and died of diabetes and gangrene. Others Courtiers lived to be in their 80’s.

If Versailles with thousands of Courtiers living there had no toilets and no bathing facilities, you did your business under the great staircases or in a corner. Marly had latrines, the King used chamber pots, a special chair was designed for this purpose and he would perform this natural functions surrounded by Courtiers who were given special access to observe. The person of the King was viewed as State Property by all, so the King and Queen were on stage 24/7, what a life!

This being an age where messages from the most mundane to the very important had to be written and sent with your seal to the intended party you can imagine the message traffic. If today we have gmail and some of us get a lot of emails each day, imagine getting on average 50 letters per day or more. What to do with all those billets? Paper then was not like today and did not have the same stiffness or acidity we have in our paper. So it could be re-used and so it was as toilet paper. You only kept the most valuable or important letters or billet and the rest was put to good use. The remnants of letters were discovered by the archeologists in the latrines of Marly.

In old age Louis XIV suffered from numerous health problems, he had lost all his teeth, a common condition then for anyone over 35 years of age. His palate had been perforated by his doctors, a mishap while trying to cure something else. He had gout, he also had diabetes and the disease was so advanced that in July of 1715 his doctors suggested amputating his leg. His advisors rejected that idea, the King was brought back to Versailles, everyone knew he was condemned, he declined quickly and he died in September. Having lost all this children to various diseases, his great-grandson Louis XV became King. 

This photo shows a square area which is the footprint of the Chateau of Marly with the surrounding forest and gardens with statues. The last pair of statues were installed in the presence of the King only 2 months before his death.

2 June

Tags

Canada., Elizabeth II, Italy, June, Louis XIV, Republic, Rome

Today is June 2, in Italy it is the Anniversary of the Italian Republic 2 June 1946 when by referendum the monarchy was replaced by a Republican system. Festa della Repubblica Italiana.

The giant pine cone from the Villa of Emperor Hadrian at Tivoli, seen here in the courtyard of the Vatican Museum.

Our old neighbourhood in Rome with its beautiful gardens

June 2, 1953 is also the day Elizabeth II became Queen. She is now the longest serving monarch in British History, longer than Victoria. Elizabeth II celebrates in 2017 her Sapphire Jubilee. In Canada the only other monarch to have reigned longer is King Louis XIV a total of 72 years.

Photo of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II taken on her Coronation day 2 June 1953.

Diplomatic Immunity, the myth!

Tags

Clement XI, diplomacy, diplomatic conventions, Farnese, France, Italy, Louis XIV, Papacy, Rome

This is a much misunderstood topic, everyone thinks that diplomats can get away with murder because they have Diplomatic Immunity. Not so.

Diplomatic immunity or immunity simply put as always existed in every society throughout history on all continents. It is a concept that is necessary when two groups of people wish to settle a dispute or simply speak on a common topic of interest. One party will send to the other party a message, the messenger must be granted safe passage to travel, present the message and return home without being molested. That was or is the original concept, of course we can think of example in history where one ruler not happy with the message he was receiving killed the messenger or as a reply to the other ruler sent the head of the messenger. Poor messenger! We know that Julius Caesar received embassies from the various people Rome was at war with at some point. The emissaries and their persons were respected and went unmolested.

In other cases, passing through a foreign land an envoy would seek safe passage, this was necessary when the ruler of that Country was not neutral in a dispute and might decide to kill the envoy for political gain.

Immunity is given by a receiving State to an envoy who comes in Embassy and in return the Sovereign expects the same for his envoy, in other words you have reciprocity. It is seen like a Sacred agreement and has taken on with time an Aura of Civilized behaviour amongst parties.

Map of the Papal States surrounded by other Kingdoms and Principalities.

Louis XIV sent an ambassador to the Holy See, which in the 18th century was a State covering much of what is today Central Italy, to resolve a dispute with the Pope over the appointments of Bishops and the naming of Cardinals in France and the activities of the Jesuits. Always a sore point with all kings and emperors. The Pope would appoint people the King did not like and he would have none of it. His Ambassador’s was given a clear mandate to negotiate with the Pope and would press the point with the Papacy in Rome by enlisting the help of the Roman population and other Nobles favourable to the French cause. Most Romans and people living in the Papal States tried numerous times to overthrow the Theocratic rule of Popes.

San Luigi dei Francesi in central Rome next to Palazzo Madama (Italian Senate). The church has 2 Caravaggio and many other great paintings.

The concept of diplomatic immunity changed with time and customs and was refined. At the time of Pope Innocent XI the immunity given to the Ambassadors in Rome was defined by the Vatican. Rome was ruled like a Theocratic State and the Romans lived in terror of the Papal Police. The French knowing they could pressure the Pope on some point would deliberately go out of their way to challenge the authority of the Pontiff. The French Ambassador declared that his King did not recognize the limits put on the French Embassy on drinking and revelry around the area of the Palazzo Farnese site of the French Embassy. The Ambassador went so far as to declare that his immunity extended as far as his eye could see. Usually diplomatic immunity extends only to the building and residence occupied by the Ambassador and staff and his person. There is no such provisions under as far as the Ambassador’s eye can see. This was pure fantasy and invention. However you have to appreciate the point, from the Office window of the Ambassador, you look out straight into Piazza Farnese and down the Via dei Baullari into the Mercato Campo de Fiori and then all the way down the street into Piazza San Pantaleo passing in front of the Holy See Supreme Tribunal of the Signatura. Meaning that anyone living in this very large area was covered by the immunity of the Ambassador and the Papal Police could not intervene. So the French wooed the population of Rome with parties, music, food and wine poring from the large basins in front of Palazzo Farnese. The Pope was livid that his authority would be challenged in this manner. But the French Ambassador had his orders and he was doing what he was told to do by his Sovereign.

The Pope decided he had enough of the Sun King’s ways and his arrogant Ambassador. So one morning the French Ambassador arriving for Mass at St-Louis des Français or in Italian as the church is known in Rome, San Luigi dei Francesi, found the doors closed.

The parish priests informed the Ambassador that the Pope had excommunicated him over night without the customary courtesy of informing the Ambassador of His Most Catholic Majesty, in other words the immunity enjoyed by the Ambassador was lifted. The Ambassador who represented at the time the most powerful Monarch in Europe was most upset. He immediately dispatched a messenger to Paris to inform his boss Louis XIV, the story has it that the message reached the King in 3 days. An incredible feat for the time and many horses died of exhaustion completing this trip. The Sun King lost no time in reacting, he imprisoned the Papal Envoy and declared war on the Pope, moving his army into Papal territory and threatening to come to Rome to settle scores. The Pope was alarmed and immediately dispatched a special envoy trying to repair the damage done by his actions. Louis would have none of it, he demanded that 3 senior Cardinals come in person to Paris to apologized on their knees for the grave insults made to his August person. The Pope obliged meekly restoring the immunity of the French Ambassador and lifted the order of excommunication.

Thus confirming the principle for all other Sovereigns to see that the person of an Ambassador is Sacrosanct and inviolable. An Ambassador is the personal representative of his Sovereign and his government. Even in the case of war between States, Ambassadors are allowed to return home safely. For this reason the principle of protecting an Ambassador and his Embassy is the responsibility of the receiving State and is a guarantee of good intentions in having diplomatic relations with the other nation, a point of Honour in other words between Heads of State.

Immunity today is defined by the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations 1961 and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963. It covers Ambassadors and the diplomatic staff of his Embassy, the Chancery building, the Residence and Official cars. But immunity is given by the receiving State and is not automatic. A diplomat accredited to a country must always behave as a guest would in someone’s house and be very respectful of all the Laws and Regulations of the receiving State. Must never give offence and never do anything that would bring shame or embarrassment to his Ambassador or Government. Pay all his parking tickets and always be polite and courteous with any Official he meets and avoid saying anything which could be seen as a criticism or negative remark on the country where he is. Never engage in disparaging remarks about the Head of State or government of the Host Country. Consular staff are protected under a different Convention 1963 and it is not as extensive as the Diplomatic Convention of 1961.

The stories of people misbehaving and claiming they can because they have immunity, is pure nonsense and should not be taken seriously. Immunity is a serious matter and you have to live up to it.  As a diplomat you do not want to be associated with colleagues who misbehave or present when they misbehave so as not to be tainted with their mischief. You can be sent home by your Ambassador for any failings to live up to your commitment to respect and behave according to your status as a Diplomat, no one wants to be sent home with the negative consequences for your career that it implies. It is also important to explain to your kids and spouse that they do not have any immunity at all, they are dependents not diplomats. So they have to walk the straight and narrow. In my career I have seen colleagues sent home because their children misbehaved, meaning doing something which came to the attention of the Police and the Chief of Protocol. Employee-Parent gets called in to the Ambassador’s Office and told you have 48 hours to pack and leave. I do not know of any Ambassador or Government who will tolerate being embarrassed by employees or their family. Relations and briefs between States are too important to be jeopardized by a person who does not understand their role and status. The world of diplomacy is a rarefied one, you are not an ordinary person nor a tourist, you are an agent of your government and must behave as such at all time 24-7. You may meet with business people or ex-patriates or group of citizens of your country but you have to be mindful that they may do as they please but you live under very different rules.