France Memoir

Understand a crucial part of the history of French monarchy with this collection of portraits of some of the most spectacular rulers of France: Louis XI, Louis XII, Louis XIII, Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI, Louis XVII, Louis XVIII, Louis-Philippe, and Henry IV, also known as the "Good King Henry". The history of the kingdom of France is crucial to understanding the shape of politics in Europe, and this detailed dive into the lives and reigns of these most famous rulers will familiarize you with the human and strategic stakes of this period.

History celebrates George Washington as the leader of the American Revolution and the father of his country. But what has gone previously unexamined is Washington's life as a 22-year-old lieutenant colonel who led 400 American militiamen against a bigger, more experienced French army and paid a high price. Not only did Washington lose over a third of his men but the Battle of Great Meadows was also the spark that ignited the French and Indian War.

Louis XVI is one of the most famous kings of France, but for reasons he would have much rather avoided. Coming of age in the wake of the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV, and his father, Louis XV, Louis XVI initially intended to be one of France's most enlightened kings. Instead, he was destined to be the only French king ever executed. Indeed, it is his death and his role in fomenting the French Revolution (along with his infamous queen, Marie Antoinette) that continue to play the central role in Louis XVI's legacy.

The Enlightenment is looked upon fondly, and it serves to reinforce the notion that the present is superior to the past, but things did not change as rapidly or as completely as many believe. In fact, some recent historians have challenged the belief that the Enlightenment was responsible for the French Revolution, which is a vital issue when it comes to Voltaire. After all, Voltaire, as his contemporaries and as most of his modern listeners know him, is widely regarded as the pinnacle of Enlightenment thought.

Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793) gave the French Revolution a voice. One of the most memorable and notorious revolutionaries, Marat became one of the Revolution's best-known figures through his speeches, writings, and scathing attacks on everyone he perceived as, "[E]nemies of the revolution". No revolutionary was more passionate, determined, and willing to die for the cause.

After his surrender to the Royal Navy, Napoleon became the object of massive English public interest. He would live out his last years on the island of St. Helena without ever admitting to being a prisoner. This close study of Napoleon in captivity attempts to reconstruct an authentic portrait of the fallen emperor by examining contemporary documents and records of public opinion.

Joan of Arc is one of the most famous women in history: a French folk legend, a Catholic saint, and a military heroine. Yet almost nothing is truly known about the Maid of Orleans besides her ultimate fate - being burned at the stake when she was still a teenager. Claiming God instructed her to save France from England, she convinced the uncrowned Charles to send her to the siege of Orleans, and she subsequently led the French army to a string of important victories that made it possible for Charles VII to be coronated as the king of France.

In an age where it was difficult to steer clear of a king's wrath and keep one's head for their entire life, Armand Jean du Plessis managed to become the power behind a king. The royal courts of 17th and 18th century France were famed for powerful and versatile Ministers like Talleyrand and the Comte de Vergennes, yet none have held as much sway like the man best known to the world today as Cardinal Richelieu.

One of the towering figures of the age was Jean Jacques Rousseau, whose works were essential to the ideological developments of the 18th century. The prestige of French literature in the 18th century resides especially in its revolutionary character; while the writers of the previous century used to support the social order through their works and showed sympathy and even attempted to explain the political order of the time.

François Ier (1494-1547), est sacré roi de France le 25 janvier 1515 dans la cathédrale de Reims. Il règne jusqu'à sa mort en 1547. Fils de Charles d'Angoulême et de Louise de Savoie, il appartient à la branche de Valois-Angoulême de la dynastie capétienne. François Ier est considéré comme le monarque emblématique de la période de la Renaissance française.

Les Mérovingiens sont la dynastie qui régna sur une très grande partie de la France et de la Belgique actuelles, ainsi que sur une partie de l'Allemagne et de la Suisse, du Ve siècle jusqu'au milieu du VIIIe siècle. Cette lignée est issue des peuples de Francs saliens qui étaient établis au Ve siècle dans les régions de Cambrai et de Tournai, en Belgique (Childéric Ier).

Henri IV (1553-1610) fut roi de Navarre (Henri III de Navarre, 1572-1610) puis roi de France (1589-1610), premier souverain de la branche dite de Bourbon de la dynastie capétienne. Il était le fils de Jeanne d'Albret, reine de Navarre, et d'Antoine de Bourbon, chef de la maison de Bourbon, descendant du roi Louis IX et premier prince du sang.

Louis XVI (1754 -1793) est le dernier roi de la monarchie absolue française. Son tempérament, éloigné des vertus de leader et de réformateur, peine à engager la France vers la voie de modernité et conduit le royaume vers une crise politique, économique et sociale qui participe à la naissance de la Révolution française.

Louis XIV dit Louis le Grand ou le Roi-Soleil (1638-1715), est un roi de France et de Navarre. Né Louis-Dieudonné, il monte sur le trône de France au décès de son père Louis XIII, le 14 mai 1643, quelques mois avant son cinquième anniversaire. Il est le 64e roi de France, le 44e roi de Navarre et le troisième roi de France issu de la dynastie des Bourbons.

Louis XI, dit le Prudent, né en 1423 à Bourges, mort en 1483 au château du Plessis-lez-Tours, fut roi de France de 1461 à 1483. Son intense activité diplomatique, perçue par ses adversaires comme sournoise, lui valut de la part de ses détracteurs le surnom d'"universelle aragne".

“Nada está perdido para a França.” (De Gaulle) Foi assim, por uma transmissão radiofônica de Londres, após ver seu país invadido pelos alemães, que Charles de Gaulle convocou os franceses a lutarem pela Resistência. Ele liderou o país nos momentos mais difíceis e tornou-se herói nacional. Nos diversos conflitos dos quais participou, De Gaulle lutou, foi ferido, acabou preso e, depois, fugitivo.

In the wake of a bizarre, shocking accident in Paris, Jayne finds herself back in the city in a strange limbo. Ignoring the past, she tries to move forward. There is theatre. Love. New friendships. A new neighborhood. But the accident haunts her, forcing her to confront herself and the experience in ways she could never have predicted. A tale of survival and the untold joys of life's curveballs, My Sweet Guillotine captures love and trauma with profound insight. Confronting, funny, strange and real, this is a book about life, death and reinvention, rendered in exquisite prose.

In 1949 Noor Inayat Khan was awarded the George Cross posthumously. How did this young lady from a noble upbringing with a pacifist belief have the desire, dedication, and willingness to risk everything to become one of the bravest and courageous agents during World War II? Starting her career with the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, Noor soon wanted to make more of an impact on the war effort. This, combined with her incredible willpower and determination were soon noticed and she was recruited as a Special Operations Executive.

Qu'on se le dise, qu'on se l'enchante, par les temps qui courent en accéléré-à-reculons, s'adonner au merveilleux constitue un acte politique. Une escouade de résistants poétiques se sont mis à l'œuvre dans le plus grand secret. Réunis plus ou moins télépathiquement pour une mission de la plus haute importance amusante : s'émerveiller suffisamment fort pour que le bleu de la flamme de leurs souvenirs d'enfance puisse éclairer vos nuits.

In Cassoulet Confessions, Sylvie travels across the Atlantic from her home in New York to the origin of cassoulet—the Occitanie region of Southern France. There she immerses herself in all things cassoulet: the quintessential historic meat and bean stew. From her first spoonful, she is transported back to her dramatic childhood in Geneva, Switzerland, and finds herself journeying through an unexpected rabbit hole of memories.