Medieval France

Paris, 1396. Scribe Christine de Pizan is shocked when the duke of Orleans' fools find a baby, wrapped in rags and covered in sores, abandoned in the palace gardens. Was there really a wicked plan to substitute the child for the queen's own baby daughter and blame the duchess of Orleans, Valentina Visconti? Who would commit such an evil act, and why?

In France in the year 1096, everyone in the Jewish community is terrified of the Crusaders, who have been known to burn Jewish houses in the name of religion. One cold Sabbath afternoon, while 12-year-old Elvina is alone in the house, three soldiers pound on her door. One of them is wounded. Elvina has only a moment to make a difficult choice that could put her family and the entire community at risk. Can her guardian angel guide her now?

Fans of the Lord of the Rings franchise instantly fell in love with the brooding but majestic Minas Tirith, the mesmerizing entity boasting looming stone towers on every level. As with most brilliant works of art, a muse or source of inspiration was responsible. In this case, it is said that the magical city and circular fortress had been inspired by one very real island -- the legendary Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France.

Somewhat ironically, the one aspect of the Middle Ages that has been romanticized is medieval warfare. What is generally forgotten is that medieval warfare was constantly adapting to the times as leaders adopted new techniques and technology, and common infantry became increasingly important throughout the period. The changes became most evident at the beginning of the 14th century, when the French army fought rebellious forces from Flanders in the Battle of the Golden Spurs on July 11, 1302.

De Paris, avec saint Denis, à Arras, avec saint Vaast, en passant par Le Puy, Marseille, Bordeaux, Angers ou Chartres, Yves-Marie Adeline nous emmène dans sa ronde poétique des saints évêques fondateurs de la France. Dans son magnifique recueil, l'auteur s'adresse successivement à une vingtaine d'entre eux, prélats connus ou inconnus, avec qui il évoque le récit de leur vie et dont il appelle l'intercession. Ces évêques rassemblés constituent un manteau d'étoiles protecteur dont la voix d'Yves-Marie Adeline dévoile toute la magie.

Cérémonieux ou simples, graves ou enjoués, ces 25 textes, dont les vers tendres traversent les coeurs et les siècles, illustrent l'inoubliable moment d'une union, en réactivent l'intime frisson d'émotion ou tout simplement le plaisir d'une parole d'amour. Les textes sont illustrés avec les musiques de Albinoni, Bach, Chopin, Corelli, Debussy, Donizetti, Grieg, Haydnl, Pergolèse, Rimsky-Korsakov, Saint-Saëns, Telemann et Vivaldi. Avec les voix de Chloé Berthier, Marie-Martine Bisson, Marc Brunet, François Creton, Lise Roy et Jean-Louis Thiar.

Cet audio est constitué de 10 histoires.

While the Moors have always been associated with Spain due to their lengthy stay on the Iberian Peninsula, the most famous battle they were involved in was actually fought in modern France. While the Franks were consolidating a kingdom there, Muslim forces were pushing out of North Africa and into the Iberian Peninsula in the early eighth century, and by the dawn of the 730s, the Umayyad dynasty had expanded its territory from the Atlantic to the Pyrenees, a series of seasonally snow-capped mountains in Europe that forms a border between the nations of Spain and France.

It was with horror and sadness that the people of the world opened their social media or switched on their televisions on April 15th, 2019, only to see terrifying pictures of smoke and flames roaring around one of the most iconic outlines in France: That of Notre-Dame de Paris. There is more to Notre-Dame, however than just a tragic fire. Almost nine centuries of history lie behind its weathered towers, and its history is closely interlinked with that of France and its people. Its story has rung out through the ages as one of hope and survival.