Charlie Fenton > Recent Status Updates

‘As early as 1568 Mary had pleaded to both Philip II and his wife – her childhood friend, Elisabeth of Valois – to be rescued so she could ‘re-establish the ancient and good faith throughout this whole island.’ In truth, Mary had never recognised the legitimacy of Elizabeth’s claim to the English crown and had always seen herself as the rightful queen of England.’

‘If there was one thing Jess Golden had learned at school, it was this: never trust a guy who can run faster than you.
Not even if they're nice to you. Not even if they buy you dinner and drinks and tell you that they love you.
And certainly not if you think they'll ever have reason to chase you.’

That’s actually a good life lesson.

‘On 22 November, Elizabeth made an announcement before Leicester, Walsingham, the French commissioners, and Francis too. ‘You may write to the king that the duke of Anjou shall be my husband.’ She then turned to Francis and kissed him on the lips, drawing a ring from her own hand and giving it to him as a pledge of her sincerity. He gave her one of his own rings in return.‘

‘As both women grew up motherless, they knew the importance of having a maternal figure in one’s life, and Catherine believed that she could fulfil that role for Elizabeth. While it was true that the alliance was also politically convenient, Catherine’s letters to Elizabeth also expressed a desire for a greater intimacy.’

‘Elizabeth replied that she was ‘more than happy to grant him a safe-conduct for his voyage to England.’ She also, however, reminded Catherine that despite Francis’s willingness to meet her in person, she could not ‘promise to accept him as a husband,’ even after seeing him. In other words, Catherine’s son might be rejected, even after making the effort to travel to England.‘

‘The very Catholic Catherine de Medici was now courting two Protestant queens – and promising both apparently unbreakable bonds. To Jeanne she offered her youngest daughter, the indomitable and enigmatic Marguerite of Valois. To Elizabeth she now offered her youngest son, the malleable Francis, Duke of Alençon, who would eventually become Duke of Anjou – a more prestigious title – in 1576.’

bonded that night as Elizabeth revealed the woman behind the queen: the woman who feared not being loved for who she was, giving La Mothe Fénélon the opportunity to reassure her. Behind her royal façade she was also a person, and had her own vulnerabilities. Perhaps this is why she valued her time with La Mothe Fénélon, and they remained close as the marriage negotiations between Henry and Elizabeth progressed

Marie-Antoinette satisfied her fancy for the picturesque by imagining the small Normandy village with Richard Mique; made up of a group of twelve houses - landscape ornaments - with purposely cracked walls, and thatched rooftops. Works were launched, in 1783, on a site extending the English Gardens. The Hamlet was designed to be a secluded area where one could enjoy the - factice - pleasures of a rustic country life

‘Marie-Antoinette could not settle these amounts on her own budget. As she had grown accustomed to, she would request the King's help; he, in turn, would order the amounts to be paid out of the State budget. On 22nd August 1775, 100000 pounds were entered on the Royal Treasury books "for the Queen's gardens". Such extravagant expenditures solely for the pleasure of a small set of people shocked’

‘Life as Marie-Antoinette perceived it at Petit Trianon was to be pleasant, simple and as private as possible. She shared the facilities - and her time-with a few friends chosen, not because of their aristocratic titles or the honou-rable ranks held at Court but because of their personalities and taste for the "gentle life" often associated with the 18th century.’

‘she could easily visit her children whenever she wished, take part in their education and enjoy sharing their games. By doing this she disregarded etiquette which stated that there should be a marked distance between the king, the Queen, and the Royal Children. Their father was similarly affectionate and concerned. Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI believed their role as parents had nothing to do with politics.’

‘The situation worsened, with Protestants and Catholics massacring each other in almost every town in France. In Sens, three Catholic monks were viciously attacked, and their throats cut. In Tours, two hundred Protestants were drowned. The violence engulfed the whole of France.‘

‘He knew now that he was in love. Hopelessly, exultantly in love, when he had never thought to be so again. It was a heady experience for a man nearing forty-nine. And, to his great joy, his love was reciprocated; he was sure of it. Kathryn seemed bedazzled by him. She told him she longed to be with him, to serve him - while her eyes promised more. She revelled inordinately in the rich gifts he gave her’

‘Whatever cure Dr Fernel had prescribed for the Dauphin and his wife, it clearly worked spectacularly, because over the following twelve years Catherine gave birth to a further nine children, six of whom survived childhood. In defiance of her enemies and her ten years of perilous sterility she now produced an almost annual offering to her husband and the nation.’

‘register the Edict of Romorantin, which was designed to protect Protestants from the Inquisition. This apparent toleration of Protestantism, however, had to be handled carefully, as Catherine did not want to alienate her Catholic ally, Philip II of Spain – especially after he had helped her to undermine the Guises’ power at court.‘

‘In the space of just eighteen months, Catherine had lost both her husband and her eldest son, two much-missed kings. Charles, her second son, was next in line but at nine years old he was too young to rule alone. Catherine, mindful of the way the Guises had sought control of her departed son, knew that she had to move fast to become the one who would rule in his name.’

Continuing going through my childhood books, cold is at least nearly gone though!

‘fury, embarrassed and mortified. That his meek wife, a mere woman, should challenge his policy, and in public, was deeply insulting. It was as if a lamb had roared. She should have realised that queenly intercessions were invariably agreed upon beforehand, to enable a king to rescind an order without losing face. But now here she was, kneeling before him, looking up to him with those scared pale eyes.’

‘With around 400 stations, Paris's metro network holds hidden secrets. One of those is that at least 14 of them were either never used, abandoned or no longer in use.
The Porte des Lilas station is rented out as a film set.’

This is part of a book series I enjoyed as a kid and, because my mind is frazzled since Paris, I felt like going back and finally finishing it. I always wanted to know how it ended.

‘With its 440,000 square metres, the Père Lachaise cemetery feels like a city within the city. It is the most visited cemetery in the world with an impressive A-list of tomb owners.
One of its most famous grandiose tombstones is that of Oscar Wilde.
The tradition is to kiss it with red lipstick for good luck in love.’

‘The city of Paris offered a diamond necklace as an engagement present to Empress Eugénie, future bride of Napoleon III. She refused it and asked for its sale to fund a house for orphans, the building for which still exists today. The architect designed it in the form of a diamond necklace!
(Doesn't this true story beat the diamond story in the film Titanic?)’

‘24-29 August 1572 were among the deadliest nights of Paris' history, with several thousand Protestant leaders massacred by surprise after attending the wedding ceremony of Marguerite de Valois and the future
King Henry IV.’

Basis for the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones maybe?

‘this lighter crown bears a striking similarity to the crown depicted on Anne Boleyn's head in the contemporary sketch of her coronation banquet in 1533. As there is no indication in the records and accounts for Elizabeths coronation that a new crown had been fashioned for the occasion, it is possible that Elizabeth chose to wear the crown made especially for Anne on this, her most triumphant moment.’

‘Could the obviously more elaborate decoration in Anne's copy, in direct comparison to the current queen's (Catherine’s) copy, suggest that at this point Anne was already starting to see herself as the new rightful queen of England? If so, this strengthens our understanding that in 1527, when these books were being produced, Anne was certain of the new direction of her path.’

‘McCaffrey's research has demonstrated how Anne was likely infuenced by the keen interest that Claude took in the arts and exquisitely illuminated books. McCaffrey explored how the renaissance-style borders of Anne's 1527 Book of Hours were likely influenced by those found in Claude's own Book of Hours from 1520.’

‘He had expected Fisher to refuse. But More - More hat been his friend. He was known throughout Christendom for his integrity. Where he led, others might follow. It was a terrible betrayal, Nevertheless, Harry had to admit he had constrained him to it. He had promised to leave him alone and not press him on his Great Matter. But More's silence had been more than he could countenance.’

Bit behind with this but have to say I love how John keeps breaking the fourth wall.
“You over there, angrily tweeting ‘I think you’ll find his name isn’t Captain Jack Harkness yet!’ While we are at it, strictly speaking, mine isn’t John Hart either.”

‘She had been a passionately devoted, adoring wife. Always fearful of losing him, she and her ladies had worn mourning whenever he had gone off to war. During his martial expeditions, when not constantly writing asking for news of him, she had been at prayer making extravagant offerings, clasping her many amulets and charms to ensure his safe return.’

The movie based on the book covers maybe the last 20% of this. I really think they should have followed the whole book instead of adding some made up demon elsewhere (arguably it is all made up, depending on where your beliefs lie, but at least it would be based on something that has been documented then). David’s story leading up to Arnie’s ‘possession’ is far more interesting.