K is for King Louis XIV – the Sun King
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K is for King Louis XIV – the Sun King

ByVincento

A contribution to the #AtoZchallenge 2024 “L’État, c’est moi!” Everyone knows something about King Louis XIV, his many mistresses and the grandiose palace of Versailles he built. Here are some details you may not have known. Why was he called the Sun King? As a child, Louis’s main hobbies were painting, dance, and ruling. When…

J is for Jean Giraud – Pedlar with a secret
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J is for Jean Giraud – Pedlar with a secret

ByVincento

A contribution to the #AtoZchallenge 2024 Who would have thought a humble pedlar from the tiny village of La Grave in the Oisans region of the French Hautes-Alpes would leave a mark on history? Travelling back and forth between his home and the cities of Lyon, Grenoble, Geneva, and Turin, Jean Giraud enjoyed the unique…

I is for Intendant – Royal civil servant
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I is for Intendant – Royal civil servant

ByVincento

A contribution to the #AtoZchallenge 2024 Origins and roles Intendants were royal civil servants in France, appointed during the Old Regime in an attempt at centralising the administration and raising taxes for the war efforts. They were sent to supervise and enforce the king’s will in the provinces and had jurisdiction over three areas: finances, policing and justice….

H is for Huguenots – Devout Protestants
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H is for Huguenots – Devout Protestants

ByVincento

A contribution to the #AtoZchallenge 2024 What made Huguenots special? The Huguenots were devout Protestants, who followed the teaching of the theologian, John Calvin. They emphasised salvation by faith in Jesus alone and the authority of Scripture. Their places of worship – referred to as temples rather than churches – were deliberately plain, lacking the…

G is for Galley slaves – Never to return
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G is for Galley slaves – Never to return

ByVincento

A contribution to the #AtoZchallenge 2024 After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by King Louis XIV in 1685, the Huguenot faith was banned in France. Everyone had to accept the Catholic faith and attend mass. Whereas women who refused to abjure their Protestant faith could be imprisoned, e.g. in the infamous Tour de…

F is for Françoise – The Unknown Queen
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F is for Françoise – The Unknown Queen

ByVincento

A contribution to the #AtoZchallenge 2024 More than one of the twenty or so women who frequented Louis XIV’s bedroom answered to the name of Françoise. In fact, his most celebrated maîtresse-en-titre was Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart. She had the title of Marquise de Montespan by marriage, but chose to be called Athénaïs. This post is,…

D is for Dragonnade – Persuasion by any means
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D is for Dragonnade – Persuasion by any means

ByVincento

A contribution to the #AtoZchallenge 2024 A Huguenot farmer experiences the full force of a dragonnade The year was 1681. King Louis XIV decided to put an end to ‘Calvin’s heresy’ by striking a great blow. On the advice of his entourage, regiments of dragoons were sent to the Poitou province to persuade the lost…

Tour de Constance
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C is for Constance – A dungeon for women

ByVincento

A contribution to the #AtoZchallenge 2024 Constance means perseverance. The Tour de Constance in Aigues-Mortes in the south of France demanded a great deal of perseverance from the Huguenot women imprisoned there. This unique tower was erected in 1242 by King Louis IX, on the site of a previous structure built by Charlemagne in about…

B is for Benoist – Historian of the Edict of Nantes
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B is for Benoist – Historian of the Edict of Nantes

ByVincento

A contribution to the #AtoZchallenge 2024 Imagine being thrown out of your own country as a rebel with fifteen days’ notice, and having to leave your daughters behind. This happened to Pastor Élie Benoist when, in 1685, King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes. Although from a humble background, Élie Benoist was a learned…