Turns out that selfies aren’t really a new phenomenon, and as cameras emerged as a new technology in the 19th century, there was a nearly perfect subject who made the form her own. Meet Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione, spy, diplomat, model, courtesan, art director, and one-time mistress of Emperor Napoleon III. It’s quite a…
Tag: France
81. As The Tudors Turn | Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon
After his father shipped his sister Margaret off to be the Queen of Scotland, it fell to Henry VIII to manage his baby sister Mary’s love life. A genuine beauty, France’s King Louis XII, then 52, was undoubtedly happy to walk down the aisle with the 18-year-old English princess. The bliss would not last, as…
70. Meet the Bonapartes: Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples, Spain, and New Jersey
To round out our Meet the Bonapartes series, we turn to Napoleon’s eldest – and apparently coolest – brother, Joseph. Affable, charming, and comfortable in his own skin, he was a contrast to most of his siblings, including Napoleon. His easygoing nature made him popular even with political opponents, and Joseph was an important player…
69. Meet the Bonapartes: Elisa Bonaparte, Grand Duchess of Tuscany
Napoleon’s eldest sister shared many of his more imperious personal qualities, but would prove to be surprisingly gifted at governance after her brother named her Princess of the Italian principalities of Piombino and Lucca. More territories would be added to the holdings she governed, eventually including the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, with Florence as its…
67. Meet the Bonapartes: Louis Bonaparte and Hortense de Beauharnais
/ Napoleon’s meddling in his siblings’ lives was the source of considerable angst for several of them. Napoleon had high expectations for his younger brother Louis, but Louis chafed at his brother’s authority. Still, he ultimately agreed to marry Napoleon’s step-daughter with Josephine, Hortense de Beauharnais, a marriage that would become notable most for the…
66. Meet the Bonapartes: Caroline Bonaparte Murat, Queen of Naples
If Pauline was Napoleon’s most loyal sister, Caroline was undoubtedly his most scheming. As a child, she took orders from her big brother, but as he rose from celebrated military commander to Emperor, she made sure he never forgot to improve her fortunes, as well. After she married one of Napoleon’s military advisors – a…
65. Meet the Bonapartes: Pauline Bonaparte
It’s probably no surprise that in a family with as much internal intrigue as the Bonapartes had, Napoleon had a favorite among his three sisters. Pauline Bonaparte was eleven years younger than her brother, but was similarly ambitious and was generally happy to take part in his plans for himself and her. A natural beauty…
64. Meet the Bonapartes: Jerome Bonaparte and Betsy Patterson Bonaparte
Napoleon’s youngest brother Jerome was an endless headache for him. Lacking ambition but loving luxury, he fled a stint in the French navy (after nearly sparking a war with England) for America to wait out his brother’s wrath. It was in Baltimore that he met the woman who would become his first wife, socialite Elizabeth…
62. Meet The Bonapartes: Napoleon and Josephine
Part of the joy of history is how resonant it often is. Imagine an ambitious if dysfunctional family with some minor claim to nobility in some far off backwater rising to power – to the highest office in the land – on the strength of a charismatic son known as much for his professional acumen…
37. Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of France
History is not without examples of powerful women, to be sure, but even in that pantheon, Eleanor of Aquitaine is a special case. In this first part of her story, Alicia takes us through her early life in the French province of Aquitaine, where her father was the ruling Duke, and her first, disastrous marriage…