At age 15, he escaped from college and volunteered in the army. He led Massénas vanguard in Italy and then left under Kellermanns orders. He is heroic in Italy during battles like Montenotte, Arcole or Rivoli. He was mortally wounded in a surprise attack by the Austro-Russians, where he had lost tim
She marries the Vicomte de Beauharnais, a revolutionary who will be guillotined. She bore him two children (Eugene and Hortense). She married General Bonaparte, whom she helped to get named in Italy. Having become Empress of the French, the Emperor repudiated her, for lack of an heir. Josephine ofte
Jeanne de France is the daughter of Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy. Anxious to marry her to the Orleans, Louis XI promised her to the future Louis XII (Jeanne being disabled, he hoped that Louis XII would not have children, and thus intended to reduce the line of the Orleans). A neglected wife, des
Coming from a modest family, named Darc (she was never a shepherdess), Jeanne heard around 1425 the voice de Saint-Michel, who ordered him to go to the aid of the King of France Charles VII. In Feb. 1429, she obtains from Robert de Baudricourt, that a small escort accompany her to Chinon, where the
Jeanne is the niece of François Ist with whom she was raised. At the age of 20, she married Antoine de Bourbon, the first blood prince and gave birth to the future Henri IV. Following the death of her father, she succeeded to the throne of Navarre where she governed with her husband. In 1560, follow
Jean de Valois, Duke of Alençon is the son of Jean le Sage, killed at Agincourt. He descends directly from Charles de Valois, father of Philippe VI. In 1428, after the disgrace of the constable Richemeont, his rank as the kings closest relative made him lieutenant-general commanding the royal army.
His half-brother Jean III, Duke of Brittany, had appointed his niece Jeanne de Penthièvre to succeed him, the spreading. However, when John III died, he was in Nantes and had himself proclaimed Duke of Brittany, seizing the ducal treasury. Charles de Blois appealed to the Court of Peers, which ruled
Jean is the son of Philippe le Bold, Duke of Burgundy. He took part in the crusade undertaken by Sigismund of Hungary against the Turks, fought valiantly and earned his famous nickname. Returned to France in 1398, he succeeded his father in 1404. The house of Burgundy, which had empty coffers, had t
Son of Louis X le Hutin and Clemence of Hungary, he lived only 5 days. The Count of Poitiers, then regent, was proclaimed King of France under the name of Philippe V. Various legends circulated about this royal child:it was claimed in particular that Philippe V had had him poisoned. Louis I of Hunga
John II is the son of Philip VI, and the second king of the direct Valois dynasty. In 1355, the war resumed against the English led by Edward, the Black Prince and, in 1356, John II was defeated at Poitiers. Taken prisoner, he is taken to London. Although at the end of the Treaty of Brétigny in 1360
Jean Calvin was born in Picardy, very quickly he embraced the Reformation and encouraged its expansion. He takes refuge in Switzerland when the Protestants are persecuted following the “Affaire des Placards”. He is among Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli and Martin Bucer, one of the main architects of t
Jean, Bastard of Orléans, is the natural son of Louis, Duke of Orléans. A bastard child, he was raised in the company of the future Charles VII, for about ten years. Chamberlain of the dauphin and regent, he was appointed lieutenant-general of Duke Charles of Orléans during his captivity, being the
Jacques de Molay is the last Grand Master of the Templars. He is more of a soldier than a politician, which will not be without consequences in the fall of the Order. Clumsily, the Templars will display their wealth, while they will be reproached for not having been able to keep the Holy Land, by in
Jacques dAlbon de Saint-André was a childhood companion of Henry II, he was quickly called to the Kings Council, and appointed First Gentleman of the Chamber, before being made Marshal of France. From 1552 to 1555, he took part in the wars against Charles V, following the acquisition of Trois-Évêché
French trader. His fortune, built on speculation in precious metals and trade with the Levant, enabled him to become Charles VIIs banker. Appointed kings treasurer (1440), invested with import diplomatic missions, he cleaned up the monetary situation, financed the reconquest of the kingdom, while in
Jacques Clément is a friar of the Dominican order. A Catholic fanatic, he took the side of the League during the wars of religion. He plans to assassinate King Henry III who was excommunicated by the Pope and who had the Duke of Guise assassinated. It is in Saint Cloud that he meets him, he pretends
In the name of Francis I, he sailed in 1534 with two ships westward in search of a passage to China. It travels north along the Canadian coast and then south around the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The following year, the king sent him back to explore the continent. Cartier then enters the St. Lawrence Riv
Isabelle of France is the daughter of the King of France Philippe IV le Bel and Queen Jeanne Ière of Navarre and nicknamed the Wolf of France for her particularly violent temper. In 1308 she married King Edward II of England. Four children are from the marriage although the king has a reputation as
Philip II the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, seeking alliances with Germany gave as wife his nephew Charles VI the daughter of the Duke of Bavaria, Isabeau. The kings madness, which broke out in 1392, made her the regent of the kingdom. She then found herself at the center of all the quarrels and intrigues
Lawyer thanks to the support of Marie-Antoinette, this aristocrat was appointed by Louis XVI Commissioner of the Court of Cassation of Paris . He sat in the Legislative Assembly and the Convention where he left the Girondins for the Montagnards. In 1792, he decreed The Fatherland in Danger. He wrote
Mandukhaï Khatun (Мандухай хатан), also known as Mandukhaï Sechen Khatun, Queen Mandukhaï the Wise (c. 1449 – 1510) was a queen of post-imperial Mongolia, best known for reuniting the Mongols with her husband. The conquest of power Daughter of Chorosbai, adviser to the Ongüt Mongols (Turkish-Mong
Daughter of Emperor Tang Gaozu, Princess Pingyang (平陽公主 / 598 – 623) helps her gain power by organizing and leading a ladys army herself into battle. The Sui Dynasty The second of the five children of Li Yuan, Duke of Tang, and his wife, Lady Dou, Princess Zhao of Pingyang was born in 598 in Chi
He was born in Edirne in Thrace. Son of Murad II, Ottoman sultan, he was sent at the age of twelve to Manisa with his guardians. It was in 1444 that his father abdicated in his favour, leaving him to face many crises. The King of Hungary then took advantage of his youth to launch a crusade against h
Tumād̩ir bint ʿAmr, nicknamed Al-Khansā’ (before 610 – between 634 and 644), was a 7th century woman of letters and the most famous Arab poetess in Arabic literature. Elegies Al-Khansā’ was born before 610 in Nejd, in pre-Islamic Arabia, into a wealthy family from the Banū Sulaym tribe. The adjec