Analysis Of The Royal Court Of Cleves

The Royal Court as an Institution: The Perspective of The Princess of Cleves The creation of absolute monarchy in the seventeenth century attempted to consolidate all national power within one central figure, binding the aristocracy to the monarch through the institution of the court. The fusion of crown and aristocracy tested the relationship between the two as the monarch wished to trivialize regional independence while the aristocracy struggled to maintain internal organization and the legitimacy which defined the class as superior. The royal court of absolute monarchs such as Henri II and Louis XIV crafted a system of monarchical control over the aristocracy through manipulation of culture towards highly gendered affairs, as demonstrated …show more content…
Returning to the greek root of the word, the aristocracy was the ruling class of the best and most noble people; the original idea for early European aristocracy was based on the best warfare ability. However, the prominence of the new courtly values made martial ability subservient to the elegance and charming that now allows a noble to romantically seduce his way to success. The transition from old aristocratic values can be seen in Lafayette’s novel as the Princess of Cleves addresses Monsieur de Nemours for his “disposition for gallantry, and have all the qualities proper to give success; you have already had a great many amours, and you will have more” (Lafayette, 158). Here an aristocrat is not praised for his ability to rule or wield a short, but rather is measured by the amount of lovers he is able to acquire. While the aristocracy attempted to hold on to the honorable old “heritage of the sword” through dueling, the nobility class ceased to be the best by virtue of warfare as the royal court culture forcibly tamed the