2. THE PLAYERS WHO MAKE FRANCE DISTINCT

MENU: 2. Players who make France distinct

 

KINGS AND REBELS ARE THE HEAVYWEIGHTS...

Equestrian Portrait of Louis XIV (cropped) by René-Antoine Houasse  toward 1670 / zoom

Liberty Leading the People (cropped) by Eugène Delacroix, 1831 / zoom

PLUS WOMEN OF THE COURT, MEN OF THE CHURCH, 

THE PEASANTS WHO BOUGHT FARMS

 DURING THE REVOLUTION,

 FOREIGNERS, IMPERIALISTS AND IMMIGRANTS

At the Saint-Denis gate

An immigrant who could pose as Marianne* passes the arch built in homage to the Sun King and proceeds along the pilgrimage route that leads to the royal graves. 

*Symbol of the French republic

Here they are

• Kings, at the heart of French civilization

• Women who bequeathed their refinement

• The Church, inseparable from the monarchy

• Small farms: ferocious repressions and "art de vivre"

• Rebels and their demand for social justice

• Exiles and expats

• The French language, imperialists' explosive gift

• Immigrants, source of new energies

*     *     *

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Kings, at the heart of French civilization