There was a time when securing the legacy and thus the throne was vital. But how could you secure that the newborn was indeed from the royal family and was not substituted for another?
Well, it seems that French found a way to be 100% sure: French royal women used to give birth in front of an audience!
For hundreds of years, French royal women were giving birth in front of spectators. It was a big custom among the French royalty, designed to prove beyond doubt that the child was indeed… royal. As strange as it may sound to us today, people at the time were feared that a girl might be exchanged for a boy. (the article continues after the ad)
To get an idea of how big this was at the time, Marie Antoinette was almost killed as she was giving birth to Louis XVII as an enormous amount of people was poured into her bedchamber at Versailles to wittiness the royal newborn.
The custom was abandoned in the 1930s but still, people were standing outside the door of the birthing room, just to be sure.
If you like what you read, then you will definitely love this one: This Is How They Used To Refrigerate Stuff 5,000 Years Ago
Photo: futura-sciences.com/
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