I understand that Louis XIV had the nobility of France live at Versailles so he could keep an eye on them. With all these people living there, it almost sounds like a college dorm. I'm interested in learning what life at the court would have been like for them.
It is difficult to tell what life was for all those present at Versailles since they had different reasons, offices and business to attend to.
First, I would like to clarify something. I am not sure if you know it but it is worth mentioning. Not all nobles lived at Versailles, far from it. Only a minority of them actually. Then, nobles who were often at Versailles did not necessarily lived in the castle but had hotels ( private or rented ) in town. Only those who had an office ( such as the ministers or valets,...Etc ) were provided for in Versailles ( and this applies to everyone, nobles, domestics, and so on ). Others had to pay for it. I cannot tell how much it was or if it happened but living an entire year at Versailles without having a particular job to do there would be quite expansive. So they rented an apartment for X time.
Versailles had a routine which resolved around the King. If one came to court without holding a particular office it was generally to be introduced or with the purpose of telling the King or the royal family something. As such, the King's routine was followed by everyone. At 7:30 a.m. Louis XIV was awaken by his first valet of the bedchamber ( Alexandre Bontemps and later his son Louis-Alexandre. Alexandre received the letter parent granting him nobility in 1650. ). During the petit lever, around 20 / 30 people were present in the bedchamber. The immediate family, the first barber, the first surgeon, the great chamberlain,...Etc It was the moment to have a quick chat with Louis XIV but generally nothing important. After was the grand lever when the King was dressed and ate. There were a lot of people here to watch him. Those who were not needed paid for watching the grand lever or had been asked personally by the monarch to attend.
10 a.m. is the hour many waited or when the King finally left his private apartments ( not very private though ) to cross the hall of mirrors. There all those who could not attend the petit or grand levers gathered around his path to take a look at him, try to have a quick talk or give him a written note that he would later read. From there the King went to the royal chapel for some 30 minutes. Those who did not attend the mass waited outside the chapel. When he came out in order to return to his apartments the same circus happened. From 11 to 12 it was time for planning the rest of the day and receiving the ministers. So that is where the most important people in France were at that time. 5 or 6 people including the monarch.
At 1 p.m. the King ate in theory alone but it was very rare. He had with him different people with whom he needed to talk. The afternoon were spent, if possible, accompanying the King to the activity he decided for the day : walking or hunting. I do not know who could walk with beside the people he decided to have with him but I suspect there was a little crowd following. Hunting on the other hand was more private. Still, a lot of people came with him but those were chosen. Beside the usual men needed to handle the dogs, horses, ...Etc, the Grand Huntsman could draw a list of guests to hunt or watch. Thanks to a bribe or a success worth rewarding, a lot of people went to hunt with the Bourbons ( they hunted a lot ). Though it was during the reign of Louis XVI, in his memoirs Chateaubriand describes the afternoon he spent hunting with the King. At 6 the King was generally absent with his ministers or in his office to write. As such, most of the nobles who had no obligations spent time " in society ". That is in small private receptions or with the Grand Dauphin ( Louis XIV's son ) who had the job to entertain them. This is where all the private conversations the duke of Saint-Simon and the Princess Palatine loved to hear and tell everyone about it. Some days though there were special evenings with festivities and spectacles.
At 10 the King ate with his family and guests. Then the ladies would go together and spend the rest of the evening talking. The King would salute them and wish them a good night before retiring to a private room with his closest companions ( family and friends ) until 11:30 where the went to bed, still in view of some people.
This was the purpose of Versailles. The entire system gravitating around the Sun. The typical day of a noble was following the King, talking or doing his job if he had a particular office. As such a day also depended on whom we are talking about. In Versailles, the most important people were not always those with the most prestigious name. The typical day of Alexandre Bontemps, the valet, was very much different than that of a minister, of the priest of Versailles or of one of the Queen's lady.
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