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Why did Louis XIV never take a bath?

Louis XIV called himself the “Sun King“. When he was on the throne, he not only pushed the absolute monarchy to the extreme, but also built France into the first power in Europe at that time through civil and martial arts. At the same time, he is also very tasteful and accomplished in art and fashion, and can be called a fashion emperor. However, such a perfect emperor never took a bath all his life. So much so that it stinks. Why is this?

In fact, it was not only Louis XIV who did not take a bath at that time, but also the ethos of not taking a bath was popular throughout Europe at that time. There are three reasons for this situation.

1. The plague is rampant

Various plagues were prevalent in Europe at that time, the most serious being the Black Death.

The Black Death was spread by rats. In the 1440s and 1950s, it spread throughout Europe in only three months. Because of its ferocious momentum and rapid spread, coupled with the poor medical conditions at the time, it quickly lost a third of Europe’s population.

Seeing that people are dying every day, the helpless doctor has no choice but to attribute the root of the infection to the corrupt air. So they solemnly advised people: “Never take a bath!”

The reason they gave was that when the pores were opened during the bath, the corrupt air would take advantage of the emptiness, which would give the Black Death virus a chance to invade.

People who lack medical common sense take this as their creed. From the emperor down to the common people, all gave up the habit of bathing.

Louis XIV regarded bathing as a cure, so he only took baths seven times in his life. And he always consults a doctor before taking a bath, that is to say, he only sees bathing as a way to cure a disease.

2. Religious belief

After Louis XIV came to power, in order to realize the dictatorship of the monarchy and realize a high degree of centralization of “I am the country”, on the one hand, he vigorously suppressed the nobles who possessed power, and on the other hand, he regarded Catholicism as the “state religion”. Denominations other than Catholicism, if they do not convert to Catholicism, will emigrate abroad under his pressure.

In Catholicism, the dirtier a person’s body is, the closer he can get to God and listen to God’s will. Therefore, with the encouragement of the bishops, people believed that not bathing was a manifestation of piety. Some followers refuse to take a bath all their lives in pursuit of becoming a “saint”. This kind of dirty behavior is called the most holy practice by them. There is a monk named St. Bog, who received the title of “Saint” after his death because he did not wash his face, bath or feet for 50 years.

Louis XIV and other members of the royal family also believed that bathing was a sign of depravity. Therefore, although they are beautifully and elegantly dressed, no one knows that there may be a few pampered lice hidden under that gorgeous robe.

Those who did not take a bath for religious reasons, like the biological mother of King Henry IV of France, never took a bath in her life. After her death, she was finally named “Saint” as she wished.

Louis XIV loved ballet all his life, and he often participated in ballet performances in person. However, even if he was sweating profusely, he just wiped his body with a clean towel dipped in perfume, and then changed into clean and elegant clothes. So his lover mentioned in his memoirs that he could smell the disgusting smell of Louis XIV from ten paces away.

3. Low productivity

At that time, there were no scientific sewers in the cities of the past, and on the other hand, the cost of bathing was also very high.

Taking a bath requires a lot of hot water, which involves iron pots, but iron was expensive at the time, and it was impossible for ordinary families to own it. Even the tub for bathing is not something common people can own. Therefore, bathing became a right that only nobles were entitled to. However, due to the high cost, they are rarely washed several times a year.

Therefore, it seemed normal that Louis XIV did not take a bath at the time.

However, what Louis XIV never expected was that it was precisely because he did not take a bath that his body suffered from a serious skin disease and finally died.

It can be seen that not taking a bath and not paying attention to hygiene is the real thing that kills people.