To understand the history of The Order of the Troubadours, one must begin many years prior to Richard Coeur de Lion's first appearance on the stage of Isenberg Hall in Lafayette, Louisiana on the campus of Cathedral High School in 1953. The journey began in 1947 when the Quota Club, an organization of local businesswomen, began to present lavish Mardi Gras pageants under the direction of Mrs. Gloria Hayes Patton Knox. When the Quota Club disbanded in 1952, Mrs. Knox approached the members of the Lafayette Town House Club with the notion of continuing the Mardi Gras celebrations under their auspices. Our happy troubadours and their beloved monarch Richard have since traveled a long and winding road. The Krewe has enjoyed over a half a century of uninterrupted revelry since that St. Valentine's Day evening in 1953 to the delight and approval of more than one hundred thousand spectators. Gloria Knox passed away in 2008 at the age of 102.

Today, Gloria Knox's vision of "Make Believe" continues to flourish under her capable direction. The cast has grown through the years; the costumes have become increasingly lavish; and the pageant has time-traveled to every conceivable corner of the earth as Richard's Royal Knights continue to search for adventure. Through it all, the concept of family oriented entertainment has continued unchanged. Many members of the yearly pageant are grandchildren and great-grandchildren of original Krewe members. This commitment to tradition plus the labor of hundreds of volunteers working year round produces three hours of unparalleled entertainment each year. It is because of this effort and the uncompromising leadership of Mrs. Knox that The Order of the Troubadours remains one of the finest examples of costume balls in the South.

Highlights

• The name "Order of the Troubadours" was suggested by Edith Garland Dupre, and English teacher at Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute, now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
• Mrs. Frances Parkinson Keyes, renowned novelist, suggested the name Richard Plantagenet, Coeur de Lion as ruler of the Troubadours.
• Mr. O.C. Theriot designed the first crest for the Troubadours.
• 1954 - "The Song of the Troubadours" written by Mrs. Annette Bingham is introduced. Royal Dukes enter goose-stepping for the first time.
• 1955 - Berengaria of Navarre is introduced as Queen to the court of Richard. Vaughan Burdin was the first Berengaria.
• 1955 - Martha Tolley Davis served as the first Lady Edith Plantagenet of Aquitaine.
• 1957 - Royal Horsemen debut. The pageant is presented to the Louisiana State Society Ball in Washington, D.C.
• 1958 - The Parade of Floats debuts.
• 1959 - London jewelers execute, by special permission of Her Royal Majesty, Elizabeth II, replicas of the Imperial State Crowns of Britain. Richard's crown is a replica of the crown first worn at the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838. Berengaria's crown is a replica of the one worn by Elizabeth II in 1952.
• 1960 - The ball moves to Municipal Auditorium.
• 1966 - The Troubadours program is printed in color for the first time.
• 1967 - Call-Out dances are initiated at the ball.
• 1971 - Brightly colored aluminum doubloons are introduced.
• 2002 - Troubadours celebrates its fiftieth anniversary.
• 2006 - Troubadours enters the Internet age with the launch of its web site.
• 2008 - Troubadours members young and old mourn the death of Gloria Knox at the age of 102.
• Cast members number 125
• Committee members number 148