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…