You may already have seen the fleur-de-lis on a château or on an old object. This golden shape, often on a blue background, is one of the best-known symbols of the kings of France.
For centuries, the kings of France used it to show their power. You see it on their clothes, on their objects, and on the official drawings of the king.
But why did a flower become a symbol of the kings of France?
A flower that may not be a lily
Despite its name, the fleur-de-lis is not necessarily a real lily.
We do not know its origin well. Over the centuries, people have told several stories. Some of them are legends.
The most famous story is about Clovis, a king of the Franks. According to a legend written long after his death, Clovis received fleurs-de-lis from God.
This story is a legend, not a fact. Fleurs-de-lis appear with the kings of France several centuries after Clovis.
The symbol of the kings of France
In the Middle Ages, the fleur-de-lis became an important symbol of the kings of France. In the thirteenth century, it was already the symbol of the kings.
The official drawings of the king show golden fleurs-de-lis on a blue background. For part of the Middle Ages, the number of flowers was not fixed. The blue background could be full of fleurs-de-lis.
At the end of the fourteenth century, these drawings became simpler: three golden fleurs-de-lis on a blue field.
The three flowers became an easy image to recognize: people think at once of the king and his power.
Why three fleurs-de-lis?
People have given several meanings to the three fleurs-de-lis.
In Christian France in the Middle Ages, the number three can recall God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The fleur-de-lis is also linked to Mary, the mother of Jesus. It can therefore have a religious meaning.
But that is not the same thing as the origin of the symbol. Historians do not have one single explanation. We do not know exactly why the kings of France chose the fleur-de-lis.
At Versailles
The fleur-de-lis is easy to see in the places of the kings.
At the Palace of Versailles, you find it in the decoration, on objects, and on portraits of the kings. In the famous portrait of Louis XIV painted by Hyacinthe Rigaud, the king wears a large blue cloak covered with golden fleurs-de-lis.
The fleur-de-lis appears with other signs of the king, such as the crown and the king's staff.
So it is not only decoration. For a person who lives under the king, it shows the king's power at once.
What happens to the fleur-de-lis after the Revolution?
The French Revolution changes the meaning of the fleur-de-lis.
After the fall of the king, the revolutionaries want to remove the signs of the old power. At the Palace of Versailles, people take down or destroy the fleurs-de-lis, the crowns, and other signs of the kings.
When the king's family comes back to power in 1814, the fleur-de-lis comes back with them. Louis XVIII and Charles X still use it in the official signs of the king.
In the nineteenth century, France no longer has a king. The fleur-de-lis is no longer a symbol of the French state.
Where can you see it today?
The fleur-de-lis is not an official symbol of France today. The country's symbols are mainly the blue, white, and red flag and La Marseillaise.
You still see the fleur-de-lis a lot on châteaux, churches, monuments, paintings, and old objects.
It also appears on the official drawings of some towns. That does not always mean the town likes kings. Today the symbol has a wider history.
Before you go
The fleur-de-lis helps you see a link with the history of the kings of France. If you see it in a château, on a royal portrait, or in old official drawings, it can show the king's power and the period of the decoration.
Its history also shows that a symbol can remain after the end of the kings. France no longer has a king, but you still see the fleur-de-lis in many old places and old objects.