Questions tagged [france]

Officially the French Republic is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands

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19 votes
5 answers
18k views

What led to the creation of Belgium?

Why was Belgium created as opposed to grouping the Fracophone Walloons and the Dutch-Speaking Flemish with their respective linguistically similar neighbor countries; France and the Netherlands?
5 votes
1 answer
227 views

What are these objects around François Ravaillac's portrait?

What are the objects around the portrait of François Ravaillac, the assassin of king Henry IV of France? Especially the top corners, and the strange animal in the middle. Why would these be put around ...
18 votes
3 answers
3k views

What happened to all the French guillotines?

Quoting Wikipedia on Guillotine: The guillotine remained the official method of execution in France until the death penalty was abolished in 1981. The last guillotining in France was that of ...
6 votes
4 answers
5k views

What are specific parts of this 19th century dress called?

Src: Portrait of Nadezhda Polovtseva So this a the Portrait of Nadezhda Polovtseva in which she is wearing a white and green gown. I just need a really simple explaination of what the separate ...
1 vote
0 answers
200 views

Is there an English translation of Nicolas de la Mare's 1722 work "Traité de la Police"?

Most places on the Internet (or maybe just the sites with the best SEO) put the origins of Western policing with Scotland Yard. For example, this article says policing came to the U.S. via England, ...
4 votes
0 answers
427 views

Are there any sources on the Tempestarii?

The Tempestarii were weather mages in the Frankish Empire Recorded and were recorded on by Agobard of Lyons. I read the text he wrote on them but I cannot find other texts on them that go into more ...
5 votes
1 answer
361 views

Who was Professor Henri Andre and what did he publish?

Looking at the history of electrochemical batteries, I came across this article from NASA where it says: In the late 1920s, French Professor Henri André finally made the first practical silver-zinc ...
10 votes
5 answers
5k views

Why is Napoleon III seen as a bad leader?

I'm asking that because, with the exception of the defeats against Prussia and Mexico, he succeeded to raise France as a fully industrial nation, gave some rights to the workers (like the right of ...
9 votes
2 answers
4k views

Were the names in 'Les Miserables' ever common?

Victor Hugo used a variety of unusual names in 'Les Miserables'. Lets look at some of the major characters. Were the names in Les Miserables, other than Jean and Marius, common in France at the time ...
3 votes
2 answers
240 views

Can anyone tell me what military uniform this is?

This is my great grandfather and on the back of the picture it states "France 1913", I am restoring the picture, adding color, and need help identifying the uniform so I can make add the ...
2 votes
1 answer
98 views

How did the Palace of Poitiers change from its depiction in Tres Riches Heures to now?

They seem completely different so I'm really confused how they could be the same structure.Is there anything left of what was depicted in the manuscript? Tres Riches Heures Now (sorry couldn't find ...
16 votes
3 answers
3k views

Did the blanket pardon from 'The Three Musketeers' exist in real life?

In his novel The Three Musketeers, Dumas describes Richelieu giving the following paper to Milady de Winter: C'est par mon ordre et pour le bien de l'Etat que le porteur du present a fait ce qu'il a ...
1 vote
3 answers
624 views

Why were French maids apparently so common outside France?

Wikipedia article doesn't help at all. It's surprisingly thin and essentially doesn't explain anything. It's only vaguely implied that this was a thing outside of France. Why exactly did so many ...
3 votes
2 answers
259 views

What was the meaning of Auguste Delfosse's statement "La liberté française pour faire le tour du monde n'a pas besoin de passer en Belgique!"

Auguste Delfosse, a Belgian politician, is said to have given this statement in the Belgian House of Representatives on March 1, 1848: La liberté française pour faire le tour du monde n'a pas ...
4 votes
1 answer
519 views

Until when did Russia occupy Paris after 1814

Russia occupied Paris in 1814 after the battle of Paris. They supposedly stayed for a while, I heard the anecdote that the word 'bistro' derives from that time (not generally accepted in linguistics ...
3 votes
1 answer
673 views

Where can I find more information about destruction of a castle in Merlas, France?

On approximately the 21st of June 1944, some German troops burned a "castle" (not an historical one, built just before 1900) in the commune of Merlas (Isère), in the south-east of France. ...
0 votes
0 answers
108 views

Were any prominent people exiled from France during the Hundred years war? Especially between 1390-1397

Were any notable figures (such as noblemen, or mercenaries, politician [idk what they called them back then] etc. ) that were exiled from France during Hundred Years War between 1390 to 1397. Or any ...
13 votes
3 answers
1k views

What sort of Cardinals were Richelieu and Mazarin?

Cardinals can belong to one of three orders: Cardinal-deacon Cardinal-bishop Cardinal-priest. What were the ranks of Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin?
13 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is there a primary source for Black Monday, April 13, 1360?

According to English Wikipedia ("Black Monday (1360)"), a severe hail happened on Monday, April 13, 1360 when the army of Edward III was camped in an open field near Chartre. The article ...
1 vote
0 answers
150 views

What did Robespierre think of Huguenots?

I've been reading up recently about the Huguenots ("French Protestants" could be synonym) and how they lived, and this question intrigues me- Did Maximilien Robespierre have anything to say ...
1 vote
1 answer
210 views

How to travel from Koblenz (Germany) to Paris (France) in May 1805?

I'm trying to fill in some blanks in my family history. In May 1805 an ancestor of mine traveled from Koblenz (Germany) to Paris (France). He left most likely on May 16 or 17, maybe a few days later. ...
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Did any "tanks in front" tactic exist during WW2?

I am searching for a tactic that would be in service in the British and/or French army during WW2. It would consist in placing the tank on forward position of other elements, especially in front of ...
4 votes
1 answer
279 views

How many Scots were present at the Battle of Bauge?

The Battle of Bauge According to Wikipedia the Battle of Bauge was a decisive battle in liberating France from England during the one hundred years war. Apparently the battle was won by a five ...
8 votes
7 answers
3k views

Was the Battle of Trafalgar strategically pointless?

On a tactical level, the Battle of Trafalgar is one of the most analysed naval battles in history and there are many books and papers covering the battle itself. Most of the strategic analysis covers ...
5 votes
1 answer
537 views

How much did it cost to maintain Gustavus Adolphus' army? How much of it was paid by Richelieu?

I know that Cardinal Richelieu subsidized a large portion of Gustavus Adolphus' Protestant forces during the 30 Year War - despite France, ironically, being a Catholic power (citation obviously ...
3 votes
3 answers
957 views

Was there risk of revolution in France at end of World War I?

After the end of the war in Germany communists attempted to overthrow the new government. A similar revolution in Russia succeeded one year earlier. Why didn't the same thing occur in France? As far ...
1 vote
2 answers
386 views

Was it viable to continue the battle of France in the French colonies in 1940?

Was continuing the battle of France in the French colonies a viable option in 1940? This option was advocated by de Gaulle, Churchill, and many leading political figures in France at the time. De ...
16 votes
3 answers
8k views

Why did the French insist on reclaiming Indo-China after WWII?

After WWII France was in rebuilding mode, and yet they insisted on trying to reclaim Indo-China. It would seem that in the new world order this did not make much sense for a country that was trying to ...
19 votes
4 answers
3k views

Do any historians consider superior German airpower as the most important factor in the Battle of France?

In the Battle of France, the Allies and Germans had roughly equal number of divisions and troops, and the Allies actually had more artillery and tanks. But the one area where the Germans had a clear ...
5 votes
3 answers
1k views

During WW2, why did the USA occupy Clipperton Island?

Clipperton Island is a little place southwest of Mexico. It is a very small island, owned by France, but I'm not sure if anyone inhabited it at the time of WW2. Wikipedia says the US occupied this ...
3 votes
1 answer
587 views

What is the historical explanation behind the name of the French village Ramatuelle?

A village in France is called Ramatuelle. Is that true that the name of the town comes from the Arabic word Rahmatu-Allah رحمة الله which means "the Mercy of God"? How does a village in ...
3 votes
3 answers
3k views

What did Winston Churchill mean by this quote?

What did Winston Churchill mean by the quote below? The Almighty in His infinite wisdom did not see fit to create Frenchmen in the image of Englishmen.
6 votes
1 answer
412 views

What's going on with this graph of wheat prices in "Civilization and Capitalism"?

I've been reading through Fernand Braudel's Civilization and Capitalism, 15th-18th Century Vol I: The Structures of Everyday Life. On page 135, there's a graph of the price of a quintal of wheat in ...
30 votes
2 answers
5k views

Was a passport needed to travel between UK and France in 1972?

In Hitchcock's 1972 film Frenzy (at about the time 00:54:55) a character says: We can get a day trip to France. You don't need a passport. (He is a commoner, no diplomatic status etc, in fact a ...
15 votes
1 answer
1k views

What mistake did abbot [Jacques?] Delille make when eating an egg at the Court of Louis XVI?

Stendhal's Scarlet and Black has a curious passage where the main character observes that even the eating of a boiled egg "reveals the progress one has made in the godly life" To support this it ...
6 votes
1 answer
252 views

How long were Old Frankish dialects spoken in modern France?

How long were the Germanic dialects commonly subsumed under the term "Frankish" spoken by Frankish people in Northern Gaul, and how long did it take until they were completely supplanted by ...
6 votes
1 answer
344 views

Under primogenture in 12th century France, if the eldest son predeceases his father, did the grandson or an younger son inherit?

Okay so I'm not sure how to word this eloquently, I'm sorry, but please bear with me. Let's say that a lord, eg. a Duke had two sons. The older one got married, had a male heir, and then died while ...
-1 votes
3 answers
325 views

Why didn't colonial empires exchange their colonies with others empire to make their territories whole?

The colonial age created some weird territories that separated one country’s territory into terrible shapes, such as Senegal (colonized by France) and Gambia (colonized by Britain). Why didn't France ...
0 votes
0 answers
159 views

How did private property work in medieval France?

Were you required to purchase a land deed to get permission from the ruler of the area, or could you build wherever you wanted? If the latter is how it worked throughout Europe for the most part, I ...
4 votes
1 answer
156 views

Who was the last/is the current count of Orsay?

Alfred d'Orsay (1801-1852), comte d'Orsay, had no children so I believed that the title passed to his sister Ida d'Orsay (who is mentioned to be countess of Orsay on various websites) and then to her ...
10 votes
0 answers
223 views

Was Voltaire actually present at the British Raid on Lorient in 1746, which was attended by David Hume?

Voltaire wrote a satirical account of the raid at which Hume himself was personally in attendance with General St Clair. However, it is difficult to find out if Voltaire was actually an eyewitness ...
9 votes
1 answer
3k views

Was Marshal Foch predicting WW2 20 years in advance just a coincidence?

The Allied Supreme Commander at the end of WW1, Ferdinand Foch, seemingly predicted at the signing of the Treaty of Versailles hostilities with Germany recurring in the future. His prediction for the ...
8 votes
1 answer
415 views

What regiment is this (~1826-1861) French cuirass cavalry uniform?

I would be grateful if you would take the time to look at the uniform in this photograph and suggest a regiment. I have included some background information and hope you might have some ideas for me ...
2 votes
0 answers
145 views

What was the ratio of people who were atheist prior to the French revolution or who adopted atheism as a result of the Cult of Reason?

I'm interested in the way the French people reacted to the religious policies during the French revolution, i. e. dechristianization and establishment of the Cult of Reason. Are there any estimates ...
7 votes
1 answer
312 views

What was the persecuted group that was formally banned from leaving France?

I remember reading a long time ago about a marginalized group on the southern coast of France who was persecuted by the French government. This group for quite understandable reasons wanted to leave ...
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

How did Napoleon I succeed in France despite his shortcomings in French?

TL;DR. My question: The following sources onfirm that despite Napoleon's industry and perseverance, he never refined his French to the level of a native fluent speaker. So how did he succeed in France,...
3 votes
1 answer
181 views

What alternatives to working was proposed in Paris during May, 1968? [closed]

What ideas for alternatives to work, or a society where people work to survive, did people have during May 1968 in Paris? How could that society function and how could people feed themselves? I've ...
19 votes
1 answer
1k views

Why did Guinea vote so differently in the 1958 French constitutional referendum?

In the 1958 French constitutional referendum, 79.3% of Metropolitan France and 82.3% of the territories voted in favor of the constitution. Out of the latter, votes in favor ranged from 64.40% in ...
21 votes
3 answers
6k views

What caused the 1979 Iranian revolution to become Islamic?

How did an initially anti-Shah revolution become an Islamic revolution? Was it because of Khomenei's return to Iran such that he seized the Iranian revolution?
38 votes
1 answer
5k views

In 19th century France, were police able to send people to jail without a trial, as presented in "Les Misérables"?

This is inspired by this question from Literature.se In the book, the police inspector Javert arrests a prostitute who has attacked an "upstanding citizen". Following this arrest he thinks ...

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