Prosocour: the Who's who of the ancien régime
The PROSOCOUR online database, launched on April 4th, 2024, compiles information on individuals who held official positions under the Ancien Régime, as well as on the positions themselves. Biographical details about these individuals enrich this database, making it a valuable resource for researchers and history enthusiasts alike. To date, PROSOCOUR contains entries on individuals who held positions within the royal household from the reign of Louis XIV to Louis XVI, as well as within Queen Marie Leszczynska's household. The database includes records of over 26,280individuals, nearly 2,420 positions, 8,960 interpersonal connections, and more than 1,200 locations.
Furthermore, PROSOCOUR's data aligns with the principles of open science, making it accessible and exportable by all.
PROSOCOUR operates with speed and simplicity: the database allows searches by name, for those looking for a specific individual and their roles at court, or by position, for users seeking the list of individuals who held particular functions under the Ancien Régime. Additionally, PROSOCOUR delves into the networks that animated court life, highlighting the relationship these figures maintained. All data has been meticulously extracted from historical documents preserved in archival collections.
In this way, PROSOCOUR facilitates understanding of the system of official positions under the Ancien Régime, the workings of the royal households, and the networks woven around the king and the queen.
Sponsorship to expand the database
Born from the ambition and efforts of the Research Center of the Palace of Versailles, PROSOCOUR benefits from the generous sponsorhip the K11 Craft & Guild Foundation. This support will allow for an expansion of the database to include information on artisans who worked for the Crown, made possible in part through the recruitment of a dedicated researcher. This will enable users to discover, for example, the cabinetmakers, clockmakers, embroiderers, and varnishers who served the king or queen and to gain into their socio-professional trajectories.
PROSOCOUR's development has been made possible by the expertise of MyScienceWork (MSW), which designed a tailored navigation and analysis platform. The funding from the K11 Craft & Guild Foundation will support enhancements to the platform, including improved data visualization, a more intuitive search interface, and an enriched user experience.
The Research center of the palace of versailles
The first research center affiliated with a museum, the Research Center of the Palace of Versailles focuses on research and training concerning the sites and expressions of power as represented in VErsailles and across Europe, primarly in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Reflecting its mission, the Research at the Center is intended to be diverse: fundamental and comparative, but also documentary to support its various productions, as well as applied to lead concrete outcomes.
In light of the dispersion of research, the scarcity of comparative studies, and the institutional, thematic, and geographical compartmentalization of specialists, the Research Center aims to be an international and multidisciplinary meeting place where researchers and practiotioners coexist. It seeks to converge the work related to its fields of study, to stimulate new research, and to ensure its widest possible dissemination.
chateauversailles-recherche.fr
k11 Craft & Guild foundation
Founded by Dr. Adrian Cheng in 2018, K11 Craft & Guild Foundation (KCG) is a registered charitable institution based in Hong Kong. KCG conserves and rejuvenates fast-disappearing Chinese craftsmanship, engaging in both domestic and international cultural projects. Our mission is to ensure Chinese culture and aesthetics are brought into contemporary relevance by fostering research, education, and cross-disciplinary collaboration of Chinese traditional crafts and culture.
Dr. Adrian Cheng, a cultural entrepreneur and founder of K11 Art Foundation and Culture for Tomorrow, established KCG to promote the continuation and dissemination of Chinese culture. By emphasising cultural creativity, social innovation, and sustainable practices, KCG aims to create shared value (CSV) for society, positively impacting local communities and nurturing the next generation of artisans and cultural custodians.
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