Louis XIV called himself the "Sun King", and during his reign, he not only pushed the monarchy to the extreme, but also built France into the first power in Europe at that time through the martial arts of civil rule. At the same time, he is also very tasteful and accomplished in art and fashion, and can be called the emperor of fashion. However, such a perfect emperor did not bathe all his life. So much so that the body stinks. Why?
(Stills of Louis XIV)
In fact, at that time, not only Did Louis XIV not bathe, but the atmosphere of not bathing was popular throughout Europe at that time. There are three reasons for this.
First, the plague is rampant.
At that time, various plagues were prevalent in Europe, the most serious of which was the Black Death.
The Black Death was transmitted by rats. In the 14th and 1950s, it spread throughout Europe in just 3 months. Because of its fierce momentum, rapid spread, and poor medical conditions at the time, Europe soon lost a third of its population.
Seeing that people continue to die every day, the helpless doctors have to attribute the root cause of the infection to the corrupt air. So they solemnly advised people: "Don't take a bath!" ”
The reason they gave was that when taking a bath, after the pores were opened, the corrupt air would take advantage of the void, which would give the Black Death virus a chance to invade.
People who lack medical knowledge take this belief. From the emperor down to the people, they all gave up the habit of bathing.
Louis XIV regarded bathing as a cure, so he bathed only 7 times in his life. And he consults a doctor before taking a bath, which means he only sees bathing as a cure.
(Plague rampant)
2. Religious beliefs.
After Louis XIV came to power, in order to achieve the monarchy and achieve a high degree of centralization of power in the "state", on the one hand, he vigorously suppressed the powerful nobles, on the other hand, he regarded Catholicism as the "state religion". Sects other than Catholicism, if they do not convert to Catholicism, will move abroad under his high pressure.
In Catholic doctrine, the dirtier the human body, the closer it is to God and to Hear God's will. Therefore, with the encouragement of the bishops, it was considered that not bathing was a manifestation of piety. Some followers, in pursuit of being a "saint," refuse to bathe all their lives. This dirty act is what they call the most holy practice. A monk named St. Jabog received the title of "saint" after his death because he did not wash his face, bathe, or wash his feet for 50 years.
Louis XIV and other members of the royal family also believed that bathing was a manifestation of depravity. Therefore, although they were richly dressed and noblely dressed, no one knew that under the gorgeous robe, there might be a few pampered lice hidden.
Those who do not bathe for religious reasons, like the birth mother of King Henry IV of France, have not bathed in their lives. After his death, he was finally crowned as a "holy woman".
Louis XIV loved ballet all his life, and he often participated in ballet performances himself. However, even if he was sweating profusely, he only wiped his body with a clean towel dipped in perfume and then changed into clean and elegant clothes. Thus his lover mentioned in his memoirs that he could smell the disgusting smell of Louis XIV from ten steps away.
(Medieval Catholicism).
Third, low productivity.
At that time, in the cities, on the one hand, there was no scientific sewer, and on the other hand, the cost of bathing was also very high.
Bathing requires a lot of hot water, which involves iron pots, but iron was a valuable commodity at that time, and it was impossible for ordinary families to have it. Even the wooden basin for bathing is not something that civilians can possess. Therefore, bathing became a right that only the nobility was entitled to. However, due to the high cost, they are also rare to wash several times a year.
Therefore, louis XIV's failure to bathe seemed normal at the time.
However, what Louis XIV did not expect was that it was precisely because he did not bathe that his body suffered from a serious skin disease and finally died.
It can be seen that not bathing and not paying attention to hygiene is the real thing that kills people.
(References: The Age of Louis XIV, Medieval History of Europe)