Menus-Plaisirs du Roi

The Menus-Plaisirs du Roi represented the office responsible for organizing the various materials, decorations, and performances employed in the royal court's ceremonies. Established during the reign of Louis XIV, this office held significant cultural and political influence. It was located in the Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs, a building situated in the Faubourg Poissonnière district of Paris.

The Menus-Plaisirs played a vital role in the grandeur associated with the Bourbon monarchy. The office administered a wide spectrum of tasks ranging from theatrical productions to the detailed planning of court events and festivities. This elaborate preparation and execution of courtly entertainment underscored the monarchy’s wealth and power, thus reinforcing the social hierarchy of the Ancien Régime.

In the context of the French Revolution, the Menus-Plaisirs du Roi also held notable political significance. On 5 May 1789, the Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs served as the venue for the opening session of the Estates-General in Versailles. This event marked the last convening of the Estates-General before the Revolution, forming the backdrop to the significant political struggle between the nobility, clergy, and the commoners (known as the Third Estate). The improper accommodations and preferential treatment given to the upper estates versus the Third Estate at this assembly further fueled revolutionary sentiments among the commoners.

During the Revolution, numerous monarchical institutions faced abolition or restructuring, and the Menus-Plaisirs du Roi was not immune. The socio-political upheavals led to the termination of the organization. Its assets, including the Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs, were repurposed to serve the revolutionary government's needs. The role of the office in organizing grandiose displays became obsolete as the values of the Revolution demanded simplicity and a departure from royal extravagance.

The legacy of Menus-Plaisirs du Roi persisted even as the monarchy vanished. The meticulous records and surviving artifacts from this office provide a rich historical resource. These documents offer insights into the cultural and ceremonious practices of the time, serving as a window into the daily life and political atmosphere of the late 18th-century French court.

• The Menus-Plaisirs du Roi (literally translated as 'Pleasures of the King') was an organization established in 1664, responsible for the royal court's entertainment and festivities, reflecting the lavish lifestyle of the French monarchy.
• At its peak during the reign of King Louis XVI, the Menus-Plaisirs managed vast sums of money (reportedly around 1.6 million livres in 1789) primarily for extravagant feasts, elaborate balls, and grand events, demonstrating the excesses of the ancien régime.
• The office played a crucial role in arranging the infamous banquet at Versailles on 1 October 1789, which attempted to quell revolutionary fervor but ultimately exacerbated anger among the populace, leading to greater unrest.
• Despite its glamorous image, the Menus-Plaisirs became a target of revolutionaries, who viewed its extravagance as a symbol of the detachment and opulence of the monarchy, ultimately leading to its dissolution in 1792.
• The last official record of the Menus-Plaisirs dates to 4 September 1792; within weeks, the establishment was completely dismantled alongside many other royal institutions during the tides of the Revolution.