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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What was the difference between Hussars and Chasseurs à Cheval in the 19th Century French army?
As far as I can discover, in 19th Century France, Chasseurs à Cheval and Hussars were both light cavalry with little or no armour, prioritizing speed over protection, armed with sabres and carbines, ...
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Why is there so much prehistoric art found in Spain and France?
I was reading a book about prehistoric art, and a map with dots indicating locations of caves and deposits shown a lot of concentration around the norther area of Spain and also southern region of ...
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What are the intellectual roots of the "French Republican identity" pursuit?
The "French Republican identity" was born during French 3rd Republic (1870-1940), founded by political figures such as Jules Ferry and Léon Gambetta.
It is indeed the 3rd French republic ...
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Did anyone face consequences (charges / court-martial) for the 1914 Christmas truce in WWI?
A copy of the Daily Mail from Dec. 31, 1914 reports on the Christmas truce. Source: The Star
As a follow-up to this question about impromptu football / soccer games between troops from opposite ...
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What is the meaning of the word "vallaque" in the French Wikipedia page on Avignon's history?
The Wikipedia page Histoire d'Avignon, contains a passage refering to the Frankish king of Austrasia Sigebert I. He was seeking access to the sea, so that he forced the conquest of a piece of land ...
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What was the role (if any) of Jesuits at the Lycée Louis-Barthou when Guy Debord was a pupil there?
French Situationist Guy Debord (1931-94) was a pupil at the Lycée Louis-Barthou in Pau, southern France. The school was founded by Jesuits in 1640 after a grant of letters patent in 1620. (Source.)
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Why did the French SFIO abandon its anti-militaristic views after Jaures' death?
Before his murder on July 31st 1914, Jaures and the SFIO attempted to unite the workers of the different European countries to not take part in what became WWI. However, only two days after his death, ...
MCW♦
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Is this a French uniform, and what is the time period?
Sorting through French family pictures, papers and glass slides.
Trying to put names to faces.
The picture below is the same gentleman (on the right) with his brother, who he had just bumped in to on ...
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Why did Napoleon IV die fighting in the British Army? [closed]
In 1879 in a war against the Zulu, Napoleon IV, son of Napoleon III participating in the British army met his maker. The question is why wasn't he part of the French army?
After the 1870 war his ...
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What was the role of Scotland during the Hundred Years War?
Scotland was the enemy of England, as they had regained their independence. It made sense for them to join hands with the French forces. And I heard something like that in an Extra Credits video. But ...
MCW♦
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Why was France given such a lenient peace after Napoleon was defeated?
For two decades revolutionary France had attacked and conquered many nations in Europe. Millions were killed. But when the allies finally defeated France, the peace was very lenient. France didn't ...
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What is the context for these Napoleonic(?) sketches?
I'd be interested to know if anyone can put the pictures in this frame into a context. They were found in the eaves of my late father-in-law's house on Cornwall when the house was being cleared two ...
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What was the price of bread in France from 1789 - 1815?
I would really like to know the price of bread in France during the entire revolutionary and Napoleonic era. I am aware it was high in 1789, but couldn't find hard data for further years.
All my ...
MCW♦
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How Norse were the Normans when they invaded England in 1066? [closed]
More than 150 years passed between Rollo & his companions settling in Normandy and the Norman invasion of England. How much of their original Norse culture still remained in 1066? What influence ...
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Where did France build up its fleet in 1805-1814?
I was reading about The Battle of Trafalgar and found this interesting section about the consequences:
Napoleon instituted a large-scale shipbuilding programme that had produced a fleet of 80 ships ...
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How did Napoleon evade the British fleet and return to France?
After the defeat of the French fleet off the coast of Egypt in 1798, Napoleon's army was cut off in a far away and hostile country.
One year later, after eluding the British fleet, he made it safely ...
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Who is 'Chlodebaudo/Chlodebaud' in the Merovingian-era Clovis I genealogy & Charlemagne ancestry, supposedly mentioned in a Salic Law manuscript?
In Henry H. Howorth's The Ethnology of Germany.-Part VI. The Varini, Varangians, and Franks.-Section II (1884), p.228 he writes:
We must remember also that in a genealogical table attached to an old ...
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What do these terms in Caesar's Gallic Wars mean?
In his Comentarii de bello Gallico, Caesar writes this on first page:
The Belgae rises from the extreme frontier of Gaul, extend to the lower part of the river Rhine; and look toward the north ...
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Who placed first on entrance exam 1805 at École Polytechnique?
Wikipedia:Cauchy and Biography of Cauchy say that in 1805 Augustin Cauchy placed second of 293 applicants on the entrance exam at École Polytechnique. Who placed first?
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Did France send ships to the Indian Ocean in 1971 in support of Pakistan?
During the Bangladesh Liberation War and related Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 which lead to the independence of Bangladesh, the US executive branch is known to have sent Task Force 74 in the Bay of ...
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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?
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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, ...
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Why did the Schlieffen Plan prioritize invading France?
AFAIK, the consensus is that the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia, which led to Russia coming to Serbia's defense. The fact that this would lead ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Where and when did the legend that the Auld Alliance dates back to 809 AD begin?
The Auld Alliance
Apparently there is a legend that the treaty of 1295 named the Auld Alliance actually dates back to an agreement made between Achaius, a legendary king of Scots, and Charlemagne, ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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.
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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 ...
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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?
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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 ...
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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 ...
MCW♦
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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.
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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