COURTS AND MONARCHS: DYNASTIC COURTS IN EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Courts can be defined as ruling dynasties, their households and palaces. Until 1918 they were keys to creativity, and to the growth of countries, capitals and armies. Dynastic marriages helped create Spain out of Castile and Aragon, Britain out of England and Scotland. In the nineteenth century the Prussian monarchy and army united Germany, as the Piedmontese united Italy. In Courts and Monarchs you will focus on the dynamic role played by courts in Europe and the Middle East, particularly in the 18th and 19th century.

CLOTHES AND POWER: FROM LOUIS XIV TO WILHELM I
Whether they wore embroidered silk like Louis XIV, or shabby military uniforms like Frederick the Great, monarchs used dress as a message to convey power and prestige. Dress was also a weapon, to bind subjects to their rulers, and encourage national industries. Dressing for court was compared to a military campaign, as it took so much time and cost so much money.

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