From the King’s Hunt to the Ladies’ Cavalcade: Female Equestrian Culture at the Court of Louis XIV

Abstract

Focusing on the court of Louis XIV between 1680 and 1715, this article considers how the royal hunts gradually became a crucial site for the establishment of a thriving female horseback riding culture. At first gracious ornaments to the King’s retinue, courtly Amazons went on to develop independent habits by the turn of the eighteenth century. Embracing current approaches to sport history, this paper traces the evolution and changing significance of early modern athletic practices, acknowledging their ritualistic and antagonistic elements. Information from contemporary accounts, most importantly the Journal of the Marquis de Dangeau, is complemented by close reading of letters and memoirs that illuminate the diarist’s entries with glimpses into the physical sensations and emotional experiences of these pioneering sportswomen.