París - History Lab

Frieze of the Castle of Vélez Blanco

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:12 +0000

The Nativity of Hercules is one of the ten friezes that decorated the Castle of Vélez Blanco. Carved in wood, six of them narrate the triumphs of Caesar and four the labours of Hercules. They connect the Fajardo lineage with Greco-Roman glory, which was also claimed by the kings of Spain. Together with the courtyard they were sold in 1904, ending up in the Museum of Decorative Arts, where they lay forgotten for decades, until they were recently identified.

The post Frieze of the Castle of Vélez Blanco first appeared on History Lab.

The storming of the Bastille

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:09 +0000

The Bastille was considered a symbol of the despotism of the French monarchy because it was a prison for many victims of monarchical arbitrariness. At the time of its fall, this medieval fortress barely housed any prisoners within its walls, yet it had great symbolic value for what it signified as a representation of absolute power. Its seizure by the Parisian people marked the beginning of the French Revolution and still stands today as a milestone in the history of revolutions.

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Execution of Louis XVI of France

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:30:09 +0000

Louis XVI (1754-1793) was king of France from May 1774 to October 1789. His accession to the throne was promising, with great reforms for the state expected of him, but his lack of character, court intrigues and clashes with the nobles prevented him from carrying out the necessary measures. In an atmosphere of great tension, at the Estates General in 1789, the Third Estate proclaimed itself the General Assembly, which considerably diminished its power. In the face of this, it adopted a dual attitude, expressing agreement with the Assembly, while conspiring against it to eliminate the revolutionaries. After an attempt to flee the city of Paris, he was arrested in Varennes, taken back to the French capital and suspended from his duties. After the storming of the Tuileries palace where he then resided, he was arrested, tried and finally guillotined on 21 January 1793.

The post Execution of Louis XVI of France first appeared on History Lab.

Assassin’s Creed: Rogue

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:27:29 +0000

The seventh video game in the main saga of the Assassin’s Creed series, bringing the Kengway saga to a close. In it, you control Shay Patrick Cormac, a former member of the fictional Assassin’s Order who joins a fictional Templar Order, an enemy of the first, during the Seven Years’ War. The gameplay retains the strong maritime component of the previous title, this time set in different parts of the North Atlantic, although other locations such as parts of New York, Paris and Lisbon appear. Despite the high degree of historical reinterpretation, it stands out for the richness of its setting and the interaction with the environment and the appearance of historical characters such as Lawrence Washington, George Monro and James Cook.

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Assassin’s Creed: Unity

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:27:29 +0000

Eighth video game in the main saga of the Assassin’s Creed series. It represents a major advance in mechanics and gameplay, as well as in setting, thanks to a new graphics engine, which allows you to recreate densely populated urban spaces and intense activity in the Paris of the French Revolution. In the game, you control Arno Dorian, a member of the fictional Order of Assassins, who plays an important role in the shadows during the major events of Revolutionary Paris, including the formation of the National Assembly, the execution of Louis XVI, the period of the Terror and the fall of Robespierre. More historically accurate than its immediate predecessors, it also features historical figures such as Maximilien Robespierre, the Marquis de Sade and Napoleon Bonaparte, among many others.

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The three musketeers

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:27:23 +0000

France, 17th century. Athos, Porthos and Aramis are three prodigious swordsmen who belong to the corps of Musketeers of King Louis XIII of France. A brave young Gascon, D’Artagnan, arrives in Paris to join the King’s guard to become a musketeer. The four of them will have to face a Machiavellian conspiracy hatched by Cardinal Richelieu to overthrow the king. It is an adaptation, with many licences, of the novel of the same name by Alexandre Dumas.

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