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Prince Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry

Versailles, 23 Jan 1778 – Paris, 14 Feb 1820

11 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

  • Born23 Jan 1778, Versaillesor 24 Jan 1778Records disagree1 source
  • TitlePair of Franceor Grand prior of France, 1789–1801not verified1 source
  • TitleGrand prior of France, 1789–1801or Pair of Francenot verified1 source
  • Died14 Feb 1820, Parisnot verified1 source
  • FatherCharles X of Francenot verified1 source
  • MotherPrincess Marie Thérèse, Countess of Artoisnot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 23 Jan 1778

    Born in Versailles

  2. 1789–1801

    Grand prior of France

  3. 1819–1820

    2 children are born

  4. 14 Feb 1820

    Dies in Paris, aged 42

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

Children · 2

During his lifetime

He lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Versailles.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1770s · Prince is born in Versailles

In the news1775

The Flour War of 1775

The Flour War of 1775 involved widespread riots across northern France after grain trade deregulation caused bread prices to rise by over 50 percent.

Getting around

Long travel times across France

To cross France from Brest to Strasbourg, it took 20 to 30 days on foot or by a slow-moving carriage. Travelers using horse-drawn carriages that changed horses at relay stations could cover the same distance in half that time, though this was an exhausting effort.

In Europe1772–1795

Poland is partitioned

Russia, Prussia and Austria divided Poland among themselves in three steps until, in 1795, it vanished from the map for 123 years.

Daily life

Limited rural schooling

In many rural areas, primary education was inconsistently provided by the local priest or his vicar, focusing only on basic reading, writing, and catechism.

What people wore

Common clothing colors

Common women’s clothing colors were mostly dark, with black, gray, and brown making up 45 percent of garments, while red accounted for 21 percent.

Music

Decorating for the Fête-Dieu festival

During the annual Fête-Dieu celebration in Paris, residents decorated the streets by hanging various types of tapestries from their houses, sometimes as high as the second floor.

At the table

Variations in Bread Quality

While the wealthy enjoyed wheat bread, the poorest families often relied on indigestible chestnut bread or porridge made from rye, oats, or maize.