Eliza Knight's Blog, page 37

Video of the Week: Susan B. Anthony Paved the Way for Women's Rights

On this day in history, Susan B. Anthony was arrested for voting in the presidential election in 1872 and fined $100. Her actions as a prominent civil rights activist paved the way for women today. THANK YOU, Susan B. Anthony!

A short video...

A Brief History of the Winter Palace by Ally Broadfield

Welcome to History Undressed, guest blogger, Ally Broadfield! She's written a fabulous piece for us today on The Winter Palace. Enjoy!

A Brief History of the Winter Palace by Ally Broadfield The Winter Palace from the Neva River
Magnificently situated on the bank of the Neva River, the Baroque-style Winter Palace not only served as the main residence of the Russian Tsars, but it has also played a central role in the political and cultural history of St. Petersburg. Today the Winter Palace is known as the main building of the Hermitage Museum. The palace has 1,786 doors, 1,945 windows and 1,057 opulently decorated halls and rooms.
The first Imperial residence on the site of the Winter Palace was a Dutch-style wooden house build for Peter the Great in 1708. In 1711, a stone building replaced the wooden house. The remains of the stone building formed the foundations of the Hermitage Theatre, but parts of it have been restored and are now open to the public. In 1731, Empress Anna Ioannovna commissioned court architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli to create a new, larger palace on the same site. Completed in 1735, the third Winter Palace survived for only seventeen years before Empress Elizabeth asked Rastrelli to expand the building. After two years of planning, the empress and Rastrelli agreed to a new design that would completely rebuild the palace.
A closer view from a boat on the Neva River

When Catherine the Great took the throne in 1762, the Winter Palace was nearly complete. Though Catherine removed Rastrelli from the project, his designs for the exterior of the palace have remained almost completely unaltered to this day. The building forms a square with an interior courtyard accessed through three archways facing palace square. The lavishly decorated facades feature two levels of ionic columns, and the parapets of the building are decorated with statues and vases. Local regulations prevent any building in the city center from exceeding the palace’s approximately 72 foot height.
The statues and vases decorating the parapets.

Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, continual improvements were made to the interior of the palace. In December 1837, a fire destroyed nearly all of the palace’s interior. Nicholas I ordered that the reconstruction of the palace be completed within one year, a monumental task given the technology of the time.
Alexander II was the last of the Tsars to use the Winter Palace as his primary residence. After his assassination in 1881, it became apparent that the palace was too large to be properly secured to ensure the safety of its occupants.  The Winter Palace was still utilized for official ceremonies and receptions. A masked ball commemorating the reign of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich (the second Romanov Tsar) held in 1903 was the last major event hosted by the Imperial family at the Winter Palace.
Palace Square from inside the Winter Palace (including the General Staff Building and the Alexander Column commemorating victory over Napoleon).

In 1917, after Nicholas II’s abdication, the Winter Palace became the seat of the Provisional Government under Alexander Krenskiy, and it was against this authority (rather than the Imperial family) that the Bolsheviks stormed the palace.  The Winter Palace was declared part of the State Hermitage Museum on October 17, 1917. Though the Bolsheviks originally instituted a policy to remove all Imperial symbols from the palace, after the siege of Leningrad during World War II, an ongoing process of returning the palace to its Imperial splendor began. The state rooms of the Winter Palace now form one of the most popular sections of the Hermitage.
The interior of the state rooms of the Winter Palace.

For more information, much better pictures than I took, and even a virtual tour, visit the official website of the Hermitage Museum. There is a special section on the Winter Palace Through the Ages.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Norman, Geraldine. The Hermitage: The Biography of a Great Museum. New York: Fromm International, 1998.
Ally Broadfield lives in Texas and is convinced her house is shrinking, possibly because she shares it with three kids, five dogs, two cats, a rabbit, and several reptiles. Oh, and her husband. She likes to curse in Russian and spends most of her spare time letting dogs in and out of the house and shuttling kids around. She writes historical romance and middle grade/young adult fantasy. Her debut release, Just a Kiss, is coming from Entangled Publishing in December 2013.
You can find Ally on her website, Facebook, and Twitter(though she makes no claims of using any of them properly).

THE SAD STORY OF EDABELLA by Colin Falconer

Welcome back to History Undressed, guest author, Colin Falconer! He's written an awesome piece for us today on Isabella of France... I can't wait to read  his new release, Isabella: Braveheart of France. Enjoy!


THE SAD STORY OF EDABELLA by Colin Falconer
They are the original glamour supercouple; everyone thinks they are just perfect for each other. He is lean, good-looking, powerful and famous; she is beautiful, elegant and young. These days we would give them one of those cutesy names like Brangella or Bennifer.
Edabella.
But here is the real situation: he has married her because it is expected of him. He needs a wife to shore up his public image and sons to take over the family business. And so he hides his true sexual orientation from her, at least initially.
Here is her situation: she has married him because he is appears a good match and his prospects appear excellent. There was, it is true, quite a bit of pressure from her father, who is accustomed to getting his own way with everyone.
After they are married she finds herself starved of affection, and thinks initially that it is her fault. The fact that her husband may not be straight has, as yet, not occurred to her. She has nothing to compare him to.
But she bears his children and over the years they become quite good friends. But something is missing from their marriage, as she becomes acutely aware.
Now am I describing a situation from which period in human history? If you said: ‘my friend just last week,’ you could be correct. I know one relationship counsellor who tells me that one in every three men that she counsels is ‘on the downlow;’ that is, they are married but don’t want to be - at least, not with a woman. Some are having an affair, or are actively promiscuous, with other men.
But what drew me to write about Isabella and Edward was not only the poignancy of their story - but its sheer timelessness.
What is here, behind the pageantry and the wars, played out in the palaces of Westminster, the lonely abbeys of Northumberland and the battlefields of Scotland, was a tragedy that still takes place every day in this 21st century, though it is rarely openly discussed.
The main difference is that when such a marriage of convenience comes to its sorry conclusion today, it does not bring down the King of England or result in private assassination.
Many historians seem to me to have weighed this tragic story through a prism, searching for a hero and a villain in it - calling Isabella a she-wolf, or labelling Edward a hopeless dandy. But what if there were no villains, except perhaps the same two ageless villains who still wreak havoc today - silence and shame.
It is what I love most about history the fiction that comes from it; it is not about stories that happened long ago with no relevance today. I love it because history has so much to tell us about the conflicts that dog our society, even centuries later.
Edabella were so much people of their time; yet they are so much of our time as well.

ISABELLA, Braveheart of France.
She was taught to obey. Now she has learned to rebel.12 year old Isabella, a French princess marries the King of England - only to discover he has a terrible secret. Ten long years later she is in utter despair - does she submit to a lifetime of solitude and a spiritual death - or seize her destiny and take the throne of England for herself?Isabella is just twelve years old when she marries Edward II of England. For the young princess it is love at first sight - but Edward has a terrible secret that threatens to tear their marriage - and England apart.Who is Piers Gaveston - and why is his presence in the king’s court about to plunge England into civil war?The young queen believes in the love songs of the troubadours and her own exalted destiny - but she finds reality very different. As she grows to a woman in the deadly maelstrom of Edward’s court, she must decide between her husband, her children, even her life - and one breath-taking gamble that will change the course of history.This is the story of Isabella, the only woman ever to invade England - and win.In the tradition of Philippa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick, ISABELLA is thoroughly researched and fast paced, the little known story of the one invasion the English never talk about.  READ IT! Amazon USAmazon UKKoboNookIBookstore
Trailer link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGBgmr...

Colin Falconer is the author of over twenty historical novels. See his blog page to see more posts about history and historical fiction.

Happy Halloween! (A short historical video)

We hope you all have a safe and entertaining Halloween!!

Want to know a bit of history on Halloween and how trick or treating came about? Enjoy this short video from National Geographic :)

Castle of the Week: Bran Castle in Transylvania

Welcome to another rousing addition of Castle of the Week! In honor of our week of spooky posts, I bring you Bran Castle in Romania--commonly referred to as Dracula's Castle...

The castle is located on the border of Transylvania and Wallachia. The first fortress dates back to 1211, built by the Teutonic Knights, but they were driven away by 1226. In 1377, Hungarian King Louis the Great (Louis I of Anjou), approved the construction of Bran Castle, and the building was completed by 1388. The castle was occupied by a lord whom the king appointed in order to protect the area and borders.

Why is it named Dracula's castle? Because Vlad the Impaler (aka Prince Vlad III of Wallachia), son of Vlad II Dracul) was allies with the princes of Transylvania and they requested that he handle the resistance at the border. He inhabited the castle from roughly 1448 to 1476. But... Vlad would later attacked the city's suburbs and murdered hundreds. He gained the nickname by impaling his enemies on pikes. He was assassintaded shortyly into his third reign, 1477. See the video of the week for a bit more on Vlad...

The castle was leased to the Princes of Transylvania (Saxons of Brasov) from King Vladislav II Jagello, for a couple hundred years, and then was sold in 1651. By 1920, the castle became the royal residence for within the Kingdom of Romania. Today the castle is owned by its legal heirs.

The book, Dracula, by Bram Stoker, was published in 1892, and based off of myths and folklore, and in particular vampires and Transylvania. It was not the first vampire book published, but certainly the most popular. The name Dracula stems from Vlad the Impaler's father's name, Darcul, which he took after being inducted into the Order of the Dragon. Dracul, meant The Dragon, but more specifically today, it means The Devil.

I would LOVE to visit this castle one day! Here are some pics...

Bran Castle
Looking up at Bran Castle A cross in the gardens. A view from the inside of the castle looking down onto the village.

A secret passageway in the castle.

**Photos courtesy of Wikipedia.

Video of the Week: Vlad the Impaler

Since this is the week of All Hallow's Eve (aka Halloween), I wanted to continue with spooky videos. Having just watched the season premiere of the new show Dracula on NBC, I thought it fitting to give you the "real" Dracula. Here is part 1 of 5 videos for the documentary, Vlad the Impaler. Enjoy!

The Tower of London by Mary Gillgannon

Please join me in welcoming today's guest blogger, Mary Gillgannon. She's written a fabulous piece on The Tower of London. Enjoy!

The Tower of Londonby Mary GillgannonMost people are familiar with the Tower of London as a prison, where people who were alleged to have committed some crime against the king or queen were detained. But when the first structure was built on the site by William the Conqueror in late 1066, its main purpose was as a fortress. Having just taken over England, William wanted to be sure he could defend Londonfrom the Saxons, who were seeking to oust him from their country. It was originally a motte and bailey castle, which is a defensive tower or keep built on a large earthen mound, the motte, and surrounded by a bailey, a flat raised area where buildings to maintain the troops were constructed. The whole complex was surrounded by defensive walls and a ditch. The first keep William built on the site was of wood. He later replaced it with a stone keep in 1078, which was called the White Tower, which ultimately gave the entire castle its name.I mention William’s plans for the fortress in my book The Conqueror, when my hero and heroine visit London. The hero, Jobert de Brevrienne, is a knight in William’s army, while my heroine, Edeva, is the daughter of the Saxon eorle whose lands have been given to Jobert by William. The struggle between the Norman French invaders and Saxon natives forms the background for the book.Over the years, William’s royal descendants continued to make improvements to the Tower of London. Some of the most elaborate additions were made by Henry III in the early 13thcentury. From 1216 to 1227 he spent nearly £10,000 on the Tower. Henry’s goal was to make the Tower a luxurious residence for the royal family. But his expensive construction plans angered the English nobility and led to a revolt of the barons. They eventually forced Henry to formally confirm most of the articles of the Magna Carta, which limited the monarchy’s power and became the basis of English government. When I was researching the era of Henry III for my book The Leopard, I discovered that the Tower had another use that is seldom mentioned in history. Frederick III, the Holy Roman Emperor, gave Henry three leopards, in honor of the three beasts displayed on the royal banner, and these animals were kept at the Tower.  Henry later added a white bear, presumably a polar bear, which was occasionally allowed to fish in the Thames (What a sight that must have been!) and an elephant, for which a separate building was constructed.The menagerie did not end with Henry’s reign. Animals were housed at the Tower for the next 600 years. Some of the species included in the menagerie were monkeys, ostriches, lions, tigers, wolves, a boa constrictor, grizzly bear, zebras and baboons.In many cases, the caretakers of these animals had no idea what to feed them or how to maintain them and many of the poor creatures did not survive very long. The conditions they lived in would appall us today, and they undoubtedly distressed compassionate individuals even back then. Indeed, in The Leopard, my hero, acclaimed knight Richard Reivers (known as the Black Leopard), takes the heroine, Astra, to visit the menagerie, and tender-hearted Astra is very distressed by the cramped, unpleasant living conditions the leopards must endure. Her reaction to the animals’ distress makes Richard realize how different she is from all the other women he has known, and he begins to fall in love with tender-hearted, idealistic Astra. Starting in the late middle ages until the 1800’s, the Tower housed some of the most famous prisoners in English history, including Anne Boleyn, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Elizabeth I, who was held in the Tower for eight weeks by her sister Mary during Mary’s brief reign. (She died before she could execute Elizabeth, or English history might be very different.) Today the Tower is a popular tourist site, and the Crown Jewels are still on display there, as they have been since 1669. In another note on the Tower’s connection to animals, even today six ravens are kept at the Tower at all times, due to the legend that if they are absent, the kingdom will fall.


Mary Gillgannon writes romance novels set in the dark ages, medieval and English Regency time periods and fantasy and historical novels with Celtic influences. Her books have been published in Russia, China, the Netherlands and Germany. Raised in the Midwest, she now lives in Wyoming and works at public library. She is married and has two grown children. When not working or writing she enjoys gardening, traveling and reading, of course!
Website: http://marygillgannon.comBlog: http://marygillgannon.blogspot.comFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/mary.gillgannonTwitter:  https://twitter.com/MaryGillgannon

Musical Notes by Pamela Sherwood

Welcome to History Undressed, Pamela Sherwood! She's written a fascinating pieces for us today on Victorian music. Enjoy!

Musical Notesby Pamela SherwoodI’ve always loved stories in which music--whether classical, traditional, or contemporary--plays a major role.  So when the time came to write my second historical romance, A Song at Twilight, I had no hesitation about making my heroine--established as musically talented in my first book--a professional singer, and having her love story play out against the glamorous backdrop of the Victorian music world.
The SavoyWhile researching my setting, I was amazed to learn how prevalent music was as entertainment in Victorian society. For the upper classes, the opera---usually a Verdi or Wagner production--remained a popular place to see and be seen, while the wildly popular Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, staged at the Savoy Theatre, appealed to all strata of society. For the working and lower classes, there were music halls, burlesques, and even performances at the local pubs.
Almost every social occasion, from the simplest to the grandest, was marked by music. Bands and orchestras were routinely hired to play at balls and dances. Society hostesses engaged professional singers or talented amateurs to perform at their soirees. And learning how to play an instrument--most often the piano--was considered a necessary part of a young middle- or upper-class lady’s education, and schoolchildren of all classes were taught to sing. Choirs and oratorio societies flourished, as did the sheet music trade, and most towns could boast at least one brass band.
Nellie MelbaMore fascinating discoveries came to light when, while trying to plot a believable career arc for my heroine, I looked into the lives of two famous singers of the time, Jenny Lind (1820-1887) and Nellie Melba (1861-1931).  I knew only bits and pieces about Lind: that she’d been nicknamed the “Swedish Nightingale,” that Hans Christian Andersen had nursed an unrequited passion for her, and that she’d toured America as an act promoted heavily by P. T. Barnum (whose advance publicity made Lind a star even before she arrived in America, creating a phenomenon known as “Lind mania”). What I didn’t know was that Lind’s career had almost ended before it had begun when she suffered vocal damage at 18 as a young opera singer and had to be carefully retrained by the famed singer Manuel Garcia, who taught her a much sounder technique. Nor did I know that she’d had close relationships--possibly love affairs--with Felix Mendelssohn and Frédéric Chopin. Or that, after two successful years on the London operatic stage, she announced her early retirement from opera at 29, for reasons that remain a mystery to this day.
Jenny LindLind still continued to sing at concert halls in Europe and, later, America. She negotiated a high price for the concerts she gave while touring with Barnum in 1850, donating most of the proceeds to her favorite charities, which included the endowment of free schools in her native Sweden. In 1852, she married the German composer and pianist Otto Goldschmidt. The couple settled in England and had three children. Lind continued to give concerts, though she retired as a performer in 1883.  Appointed professor of singing at the Royal College of Music (founded in 1882), she instructed her pupils not only in vocal studies but diction, deportment, piano, and at least one foreign language.
Melba’s life was no less colorful. Australian by birth, she studied music in Melbourne and achieved some modest success at amateur concerts. After a brief unsuccessful marriage to an abusive husband, she moved to Europe with the intent of pursuing a singing career. Failing to catch on in London, she went to Paris, where she found a dedicated teacher and advocate in Mathilde Marchesi and ultimately professional success. In 1889, after a triumphant performance in Romeo et Juliette, Melba was acknowledged as a star in London as well. During the 1890s, she established herself as the foremost lyric soprano at Covent Garden.
Melba toastInternational success also proved within Melba’s grasp when she sang at the Metropolitan Opera in New York during the 1893-1894 season. Despite New Yorkers’ snobbery against professional singers, Melba’s talent and determination eventually earned her the same phenomenal success in America that she enjoyed in London and Paris. So celebrated was Melba that Auguste Escoffier, the great French chief created no less than four dishes in her honor: Peach Melba, a concoction of peaches, vanilla ice cream, and raspberry sauce; Melba sauce, made from pureed raspberries and currants; Melba Toast, thinly sliced dry toast, often topped with cheese or paté; and Melba Garniture, tomatoes stuffed with chicken, truffles, and mushrooms in a velouté sauce.
In later years, Melba embarked on a series of highly profitable tours of her native Australia and taught at the Melbourne Conservatorium, passing on many of her techniques to promising young singers. During the First World War she devoted herself to fund-raising for various war charities, and was created a Dame of the British Empire for her efforts. She officially retired from Covent Garden in 1926, but continued to perform until her death in 1931.
Whew! Compared to Lind and Melba, my heroine’s life--despite a doomed early romance--is quite tame! However, Sophie’s career trajectory is not dissimilar: like both of her historical counterparts, she benefits from supportive teachers who help her voice to develop properly. And who guide her steps as she makes the transition from gifted amateur to seasoned professional, first touring concert halls, then accepting a role that suits her (in this case, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro) for her operatic debut.  And like Lind and Melba, Sophie commits wholeheartedly to her music, understanding the dedication that a singer’s work requires, even as love comes knocking at her door, in hopes of a second chance . . .
Thank you for hosting me today at History Undressed!

Leave a comment for your chance to win one print copy of  A Song at Twilight!  (US or Canada only).
BLURB
Late in England’s Victorian age, the world is changing–new freedoms, new ideas, and perhaps a chance for an old love to be new again…
A love too strong to let go …
Aspiring singer Sophie Tresilian had the world at her feet–fame, fortune, and true love–until the man of her dreams broke her heart. Now she’s the toast of Europe, desired by countless men but unwilling to commit to any of them. Then Robin Pendarvis walks back into her life …
Four years ago, Robin had hoped to make Sophie his bride, but secrets from his past forced him to let her go. Seeing her again revives all the old pain–and all the old passion. It might be against every rule, but somehow, some way, he will bring them together again…

AUTHOR BIO AND LINKS
Pamela Sherwood grew up in a family of teachers and taught college-level literature and writing courses for several years before turning to writing full time. She holds a doctorate in English literature, specializing in the Romantic and Victorian periods, eras that continue to fascinate her and provide her with countless opportunities for virtual time travel. She lives in Southern California where she continues to write the kind of books she loves to read.
Website: www.pamelasherwood.comBlog: www.pamelasherwood.com/postFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamelaSherwoodAuthorTwitter: twitter.com/#!/pamela_sherwoodGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5763255.Pamela_Sherwood

The Louvre: France's Greatest Castle by McKenna Darby

Welcome back to History Undressed, McKenna Darby! Today she's written a great article on one of my favorite places in Paris, France -- The Louvre. Enjoy!


THE LOUVRE: FRANCE’S GREATEST CASTLE\by McKenna Darby
We all know the Louvre as one of the world’s greatest art museums, but the building that houses the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa began, in every sense of the word, as a castle.
The Louvre was built in 1190 as a watchtower and fortress. Its location — on the right bank of the Seine, at the city’s western edge — was strategically chosen by Philip Augustus, last king of the Franks. His goal was to protect Paris from my ancestors, the English, whose territory included parts of what is now western France, just 60 kilometers from Paris.
The Louvre protected the city’s western flank, deterring an attack by land, and guarding traffic on the Seine, the city’s main commercial water route. A defensive wall starting at the Louvre was built around the city’s entire right bank. A second wall, built later, secured the city’s left bank. (Although largely demolished centuries ago, portions of this wall are still visible at spots in modern Paris.)
Philip Augustus’ cylindrical watch tower (known as the Grosse Tour and originally surrounded by a dry moat), was soon expanded with the addition of a courtyard surrounded by a square wall fitted with turrets. A water-filled moat was dug around the wall. The original tower became home to the city’s archives and the kingdom’s treasure. The fortress held the city’s arsenal.
In the centuries that followed, the Louvre grew and expanded, becoming the home of French rulers from Charles V in the 14thcentury until Louis XIV moved the French court to Versailles in 1682. After the Revolution, Napoleon again used the Louvre as a home, sharing the space with the art museum begun when Louis XIV left the city.
Louvre from inside Pei's pyramidAt the start of the Renaissance, Philip Augustus’ Louvre was demolished, lost to history. Or so we thought until 1983, when excavations for a new underground visitor’s center beneath a glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei uncovered the foundations of the original castle. Today, visitors to the Louvre can walk around those remarkably preserved foundations, treading where the wet moat once protected the keep, and see the pediments that supported the drawbridge. Of all the Louvre’s wonders, this basement display is one of my favorites, almost like stepping into a time teleportation device.  Ancient MoatAnother favorite spot is the Cour Carrée, the last externally visible remnant of Francois I’s Louvre . For 100 years after the death of Charles VI, the Louvre was largely abandoned. That changed in 1527, when Francois decided to leave behind the Loire Valley and reside in Paris. He demolished Philip Augustus’ fortress and began an entirely new Louvre, which became the foundation for expansion and renovation by every ruler that followed.  Court CarreeMost of the Louvre’s facades are relatively modern, dating to the 1800s. But this one courtyard is exactly as Francois, the country’s first Renaissance king, planned it in the early 1500s. It was completed after the king’s death by his son, Henri II, who was married to Catherine de Medici. Catherine was devoted to her husband, whom she adored, but Henri was devoted to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. Whenever I visit this courtyard, I imagine an echo of Catherine pacing, seething over some new defeat at the hands of her rival.
The other place I picture Catherine is in the Chambre de Parade du Roi, the room where the royal rising ceremony was held in the 16thcentury during the reigns of Catherine’s sons, Charles IX and Henri III. The ornately carved wood paneling in this room, commissioned by Catherine’s husband Henri II and carved by Scibec de Carpi, is considered the finest Renaissance paneling that survives in Paris. In that room, I can almost hear the arguments between Catherine, a Catholic who fought most of her life for religious tolerance of the growing Protestant movement (although she is also widely blamed for sparking the largest massacre of Protestants in French history), and the Duc de Guise, Henri’s uncle and an avowed Protestant-hater. Pity the king caught between that irresistible force and immovable object.  Henri II woodworkIronically, it was not one of Catherine’s sons but her nephew, the Bourbon Protestant king Henri IV, who built the Grand Galerie (Grand Gallery) to link the Louvre with Catherine’s pet construction project, the Tuileries Palace. Henri IV was assassinated before he could finish the project; it was completed by Louis XIV. The Tuileries burned down in 1871, torched by an angry political mob, but the Louvre was saved. The Grand Gallery, home to most of the museum’s Leonardo da Vinci collection, features prominently in Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code, as the site of the murder that launches the story.
Another beautiful Louvre spot is the Salle des Caryatids, named for the four female figures sculpted by Jean Goujon in 1550 to support the musician’s gallery above. 
Salle des Caryatids
When visiting the Louvre, it’s difficult to tear your attention away from the magnificent paintings on the walls and the sculptures lining the halls, but don’t forget to look up. The Louvre’s breathtaking ceilings tell much of its history as a castle.
The Denon Room, named for the Louvre’s first director under Napoleon I, features a ceiling created for Napoleon III’s legislative assemblies. It was painted by Charles-Louis Müller to glorify state patronage in France. Flooded with light from the third story windows that circle it, the ceiling is one of the castle’s most impressive works of art.
Denon Ceiling
Perhaps the most fitting piece of art in a castle that has seen so much change and strife is in the former study of Louis XIV. Beginning in 1722, it was used as a meeting room for the Académie Royal, protectors of French culture. The ceiling painting in this room is by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse. Created in 1821, ostensibly to celebrate discovery of the Venus de Milo, the painting has a title that roughly translates: Time Lays Low All Things of Man.
Time Lays Low


McKenna Darby writes romantic historical novels set during the French Renaissance and the American Civil War. Visit her at http://mckennadarby.com

Video of the Week: Horrible Histories Scary Special Part 2

Last week's video was Horrible Histories Scary Special Part 1, and this week it is Part 2! I just can't get enough of these videos :)

Enjoy!