Category: French Revolution

Posted on

Marianne, Les Misérables, and Other French Symbols

I have to admit, I have not seen the movie or the play or read the book. Les Misérables, as most of you know, was written by Victor Hugo and published in 1862. I’m sure many of you have seen the play or movie. However, I have seen Marianne in person.

Here’s what most of you don’t know: Les Misérables has nothing to do with the French Revolution. The book covers the time between Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo (1815) and the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris. The underlying principles and consequences of the French Revolution certainly provided the foundation for the events depicted in Les Misérables but the actual events of the Revolution had been over since 1794 (most historians will probably quibble with that date).

The Revolution of 1830 and the Rebellion of 1832 were struggles between the Republicans, Royalists, and Bonapartists. It was all about how France was to be governed. Hugo was a staunch supporter of the French Revolution and the Republicans. The 1830 Revolution saw the abdication of Charles X (the last king in the Bourbon dynasty). That appealed to the Republicans and the Bonapartists. The leadership gap was filled by Louis-Philippe (son of the guillotined Duke of Orléans or as he was commonly known: Philippe Égalité). Louis-Philippe was crowned king and now everyone was upset for one reason or another. He survived the 1832 Rebellion—until 1848, when he abdicated and fled to England and the French Second Republic was born. Read More Marianne, Les Misérables, and Other French Symbols

Posted on

Blood in a Gourd

History Buffs Welcome!

If you’re a history nut like I am you’ll likely be interested in crazy stuff like this. You all know that we’re about ready to publish the first two books on the French Revolution (Where Did They Put the Guillotine?—A Walking Tour of Revolutionary Paris). As part of the journey in writing this book, I’ve come away with some interesting stories.

Louis XVI in Saint-Denis Cathedral. Photo by Dan Owen

One of the stories is about the little Dauphin who was murdered at the age of ten while a prisoner in The Temple. Interesting story but the part I want to highlight is about the doctor who performed the autopsy. He cut the heart out of the child (this was common practice back then—the heart would be buried separately from the body) and managed to keep it in his possession for many years. The liquids preserving the heart dried up and as a consequence, the heart shriveled. It was also lost for many years before it resurfaced.

 Rumor Has It…

Subsequent to the end of the Revolution, many stories floated around that the Dauphin had escaped by being substituted for another young boy. The royalists clung to this theory for decades. Although not formally crowned, the Dauphin became known as Louis XVII (upon the formal restoration, his uncle became Louis XVIII). When the heart ultimately resurfaced, the question became, was this the heart of the Dauphin? If so, would this prove he died in prison? DNA testing was performed on the heart and confirmed to be his. It put to rest the conspiracy theories and the vial containing the little heart can be viewed at St. Denis, the royal necropolis outside Paris. Read More Blood in a Gourd