Society under Louis XIV / The Court       The Court Under the reign of Louis XIV the Court undergoes considerable changes. At the death of Mazarin, the young king and his mother each have their own Court. That of Anne of Austria is a Court of conservative practice, rather religious and unbending, with a restricted retinue of close companions who each play set roles. On the other hand, the Court of the young Louis XIV is in his image, extravagant, frivolous and far from religious. It is a period when the Court like the King does not yet have a fixed residence. With the creation of Versailles, the Court will experience a profound transformation and lose all this light-heartedness. Although reticent at the beginning, the gentilhommes that Louis XIV skilfully attracts to Versailles soon come there in great number. The Court then expands enormously and becomes an institution tightly controlled by the King, who has created a golden prison. This Court first includes the members of the royal family, then the princes of the blood who are entitled to a residence at the palace. On the same level rank the princes of the Church, bishops and archbishops. Below, are the high dignitaries of State such as the Secretaries of State, the general controller of Finances, the marshals and admirals. Finally come the anonymous crowd, the household officers, the musicians and the artists who work at the palace. The subtle surveillance of Louis XIV depends on insignificant details that are the unofficial rules, that compel the courtiers to remain at Versailles without it being expressly imposed on them. Thus, as the first and most imperious obligation of a courtier is to be noticed by the Monarch, he must be constantly present in order not to miss this precious opportunity. Although the courtier may be bored, he does not abandon his station and his days are governed by the rhythm of the King's pleasures. Besides, he adulates as much as he fears the King and gambles his destiny as soon as he is in a position to address him. The verbal jousts that Louis XIV maintains with his courtiers have become famous and are not only the reflection of an extremely sophisticated power game, but also of the profound dependency of the King. La Fontaine is an astute observer of this society which he depicts in The Funerals of the Lioness in these terms : I define the Court as a country where people, Sad, cheerful, ready for anything, indifferent to all, Are what pleases the prince, or, if they cannot be, Try at least to pretend : Chameleonic people, people aping the master ; It seems that one mind enlivens one thousand bodies : Thus people appear to be mere springs. But the Court is a constraint as much as a reward and is governed with an art touched by genius. It is with false indifference that Louis XIV says : He is a man whom I never see, thus complaining about the imperfect attendance of a gentleman who is therefore condemned, without hope of reprieve. Through the exercise of power and festivities, the Court inevitably becomes the cultural centre of the nation and especially sparkles from 1672 to 1685. The Court creates fashion, defines trends, determines good taste and mediates literary and artistic disputes. At the pinnacle, the monarch is the supreme referee.