Marie Antoinette

Imagine, if you can, the excitement when King Louis XIV appointed the great and genius financial mind of Jean Baptiste Colbert as his finance minister in 1665. Allow me to bring you back to how it all began. Born in the great city of Reims, France in 1619, Jean Baptiste Colbert began his life as a member of the bourgeoisie, or middle class. His family was considerably poor and as a result struggled to afford his education. In fact, his family was dependant on his potential success from the…

In the play “Marie Antoinette,” written by David Adjmi and directed by Le’Mil Eiland, Alexis Primus takes on the role of Marie, the pompous, spoiled, and ignorant queen of France. I wasn’t originally going to discuss the lead character, however as I analyze Alexis’s character with greater thought, the more impressed I became. This play encourages people to view Marie from a new perspective, not only exposing Marie’s superfluous and greedy nature but also the misunderstanding and internal…

A Series of Unfortunate Events – The Trial and Execution of Louis XVI Why was Louis XVI overthrown in August 1792? What were the issues which divided republicans over his fate? A series of unfortunate events led to the deposition and ultimate execution of Louis XVI in January 1793. Louis’ plight, from the flight to Varennes in June 1791 to the guillotine on 21 January 1793, was one of constant blunders and calamitous decisions. Along with this, Louis was unable to rely on his closest…

The Time of Misery The Reign of Terror was a crucial time during the French Revolution that negatively affected the lives of many. This horrifying period during the French Revolution all began in the year 1792 when former King Louis XVI was executed for treason. The following year, Maximilien Robespierre took control of France through the Committee of Public Safety. From that point on, the country of France went into a time of mourning and brought great suffering among millions. Was the Reign…

A revolution is when citizens of a country rebel against their government seeking major change. This occurred in France shortly after the Declaration Of Independence was signed which pronounced the American Colonies free from the British’s taxes and unfair treatment as well as marked the end of the American Revolution. Unlike the Americans, the French were fighting amongst social classes or estates in their own government. It started with the rebellion of the Third Estate, which consisted of…

The French Revolution had started for many reasons, such as; The French had Social Issues, Economical Issues and also Political Issues. The French had periodic periods were that they had times where they had fallen and also risen. For which, their troubling incidents are what led them to their fall. In this short essay, I will be describing what the incidents were and why they started and also describe how this revolution could not have been prevented based upon their circumstances. One issue…

As Charles Dickens once said, “Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death; - the last, much the easiest to bestow, O Guillotine!” The French Revolution has been seen as a war that caused death, pain, and prosperity. Many primary documents, like Simon Schama Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution, have mentioned that the amount of human lives lost during the French Revolution was unnecessary. The amount of deaths in the revolution explains the outcome of how much violence took place. Was the…

In the 18th century, the Golden Age of Piracy took the world by storm. An unstable government and fewer jobs for sailors and privateers lead many to the life of piracy. This became a time of terrorization among the waters and coasts of the world. Although there were many pirates in the world making a name for themselves, two pirates in particular stood out the most: Blackbeard and Calico Jack. Blackbeard’s career started in 1716 and ended in 1718. With the end of Blackbeard came the start of…

A hundred year of the war, with no rest and peace. That was what King Charles VII was facing while trying to keep his country, France together. In all that misery, a customary girl saw the mistreatment the nation was facing and she was ready to fight for justice. King Charles VII saw no lighter and gave her what she was asking for, armor, horse and a group of soldiers. That girl was Joan of Arc, an eighteen-year-old girl that had a dream of peace and justice. With her passion, she defeated the…

XIII and Anne of Austria, a Habsburg. His father died while Louis and his brother Philippe were young. At age 4, he inherited the throne and his mother Anne was the regent until Louis XIV took over at the age of 23. The year before, Louis married Marie-Therese and had 6 children; however, he had many mistresses and illegitimate children during his reign. Louis had a tumultuous childhood filled with revolts and violence against his family and negligence from his mother (History.com). Before…