FROM "JOYOUS" TO "ROYAL" ENTRY

"JOYOUS ENTRIES" BROUGHT SUBJECTS AROUND RULERS' CORONATIONS, WEDDINGS, VICTORIES OR VISITS 

-- Parisian entries described: Annales, 1986 (in French)

They were happy moments. Notice the fool:  

     The Entry of  Queen Isabeau of Bavaria  to Paris on August 22 1389,  "Froissart's Chronicles" / zoom  

Trumpets. Banners. Tapestries or sumptuous cloths hang from windows. Quarrels about precedence. Free-flowing wine. 

Halts for performances meant fun. Taking place at the same sites meant permanence:

"Performances for the Entry of Isabeau of Bavaria"

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Changes came with monarchy's growing strength:

• In the 16th century, mythology affirmed superiority:

The Entry of  Henri II, King of France, in Rouen, October 1 1550, 1557 / zoom

Notice the white horse.

• In the 17th, the name became royal entries. Parades began at Bastille or nearby and there were no halts or performances —  the king was the show.

• Moving the meeting-place farther into the countryside reflects the growing number of participants and so the growth of the economy, the underlying reason for stronger royal power (discussed in History from Fresh Perspectives).

• In 1610, participants of Louis XIII's entry met in front of the gate next to the Bastille fortress.

The Entry of Louis XIII in 1610 / zoom (please scroll down)

Louis XIII, age eight, wears adult dress as all children did.

• In 1628 the entry that celebrated Protestant defeat came together outside town (the heights in the background are those of Montmartre and Belleville). 

  Zoom

Notice the Roman dress (click and scroll down).

• In 1660 Louis XIV's entry drew so many people that it began far to the east, where place de la Nation is now (please click and scroll down).

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To grasp the import of changing the starting-point,

grasp the meaning of the original route.

*    *    *

Next,
The path that linked kings with their ancestors