7
In the opening lines of Laurence Sterne’s Sentimental Journey, the narrator explains the perverse whim that led him to leave his home shores behind.
Picture: By James Bretherton (?1730-1806), after William Henry Bunbury (1750-1811), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted September 10 2023
8
Louis XIV picked up the reins of power in France vowing to to drive the national economy in the common interest, not his own.
Picture: Attributed to Charles Le Brun (1619–1690). Source.
Posted August 7 2022
9
When Saint-Mars arrived to take over as warden of the Bastille in 1698, staff at Paris’s most famous prison had eyes only for his prisoner.
Picture: © mags, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted July 3 2022
10
When Richard I heard that the town of Verneuil in Normandy was under threat, he made a vow that few could be expected to take so literally.
Picture: © Joecoolandcharlie, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted May 20 2021
11
Richard the Lionheart told Philip, the martial Bishop of Dreux, to decide whether he was a bishop or a knight.
Picture: © Markoz, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.
Posted May 20 2021
12
Victor Hugo berates the general public for crediting everything they do themselves to their supposedly wonderful Government.
Picture: © Mikey, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted April 15 2021