Category Archives: French History
Marie Antoinette and her Children: The shocking accusations at Marie Antoinette’s Trial
The most striking thing about reading the record of Marie Antoinette’s trial before the Revolutionary Tribunal in October 1793 is realising what an astonishing mess the whole thing really was. In most other accounts, revolutionary justice always seems so swift, so merciless, so ruthlessly efficient. Many of those who stood trial before the Tribunal had [...]
Also posted in 18th Century, Biography, History, Royal History Tagged Biography, french revolution, marie antoinette, marie antoinette and her children, trial Leave a comment
Marie Antoinette and her Children: The mystery and the history of Louis Charles in the tower. Part 1
On the morning of 11th August 1792, an exhausted and increasingly sweaty royal family sat in the reporters’ box of the National Assembly, a stone’s throw from the Seine in Paris. The night before, the Tuileries (the 16th-century royal palace near the Louvre which had been their residence since they were removed from Versailles in [...]
Also posted in 18th Century, Biography, History, Royal History Tagged French History, french revolution, louis charles, marie antoinette, marie antoinette and her children Leave a comment
Is Paris Burning: Did a German General save the City of Light?
In February 1943, there was nothing in Stalingrad but the ghost of a city. The scale of the battle that had raged for the past seven months was so unimaginable that it is nearly impossible to talk about it without resorting to empty cliché. There are the figures, of course – 850,000 Axis casualties, 1.1 [...]
Also posted in 20th Century, Historical Places, History, Paris Tagged 20th Century, Paris, world war 2 Leave a comment
A King of Beasts in Revolutionary Paris
I’ve just started reading the eclectic and lively Georgian London blog, and came across this piece about the menagerie at the Tower of London, which existed in various forms from 1252 until its closure in 1835, at which point its collection of animal inhabitants formed the basis for London Zoo.
The story of the menagerie (once [...]
Also posted in 18th Century, Animals, British History, History, London, Paris, Royal History Tagged 18th century, french revolution, History, London, Paris Leave a comment
Marie Antoinette and her Children: The mystery and the history of Louis Charles in the tower. Part 2