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The cultural policy of the Ancien Régime regularly organized festivities and entertainments aimed at the mass of commoners. The most dazzling displays made a lasting impact; the so-called Cour de Carousel (Cavalcade Ground) in front of the Tuileries Palace is a reminder of the memorable procession of June 1662 with scenes of Romans, Persians, Native Americans, and Turks. It was the finest spectacle offered to Parisians during the entire reign. Along with costumed cavalcades, fireworks lent enchantment to festivities held along the Seine.
Ancien Régime (Old Rule or Old Order in French), the term refers primarily to the social and political system established in France under the Valois and Bourbon dynasties (14th century to 18th century). The term was created by the French Revolutionaries to promote a new cause and discredit the existing order, and was not a neutral historical descriptor of the past.
Israël Silvestre's engraving, hand-coloured by Jacques Bailly, shows the king as a Roman emperor.
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