France
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The White Ship Disaster
On November 25, 1120 the newly refitted vessel the White Ship captained by Thomas FitzStephen White Ship sank in the English Channel near the Normandy coast off Barfleur. Only one of those aboard survived. William Adelin, the only legitimate son and heir of King Henry I of England, his half-sister Matilda, and his half-brother Richard would be one of many to drown. Adelin’s death would lead to a succession crisis and a period of civil war in England known as the Anarchy. FitzStephen offered his ship to Henry I of England to use to return to England from Barfleur in Normandy. Henry had already made other arrangements, but allowed many…
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Three Flags Day
The Louisiana Purchase was a big deal. (Read more about the ins and outs of it in this post: http://www.historynaked.com/the-louisiana-purchase/) It was a great deal for the United States, but it was somewhat of an administrative nightmare. The territory being turned over was huge. Also, it technically belonged to the French as part of a secret treaty with the Spanish in 1769. However, since the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso was secret, Spain still administered the territory to keep up appearances. Confused yet? So were a lot of other people. Many of the Spanish officials didn’t know they were working for the French until it came time to turn things…
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Tarrare – The man with the insatiable appetite
****WARNING- this post may contain some unpleasant descriptions for some.**** We all know that one person who seems to have a hollow leg. In this case, Tarrare really could eat anything and usually did. Tarrare was born around 1772 in France, and as a child was noted for being able to eat vast quantities of food. Despite this he was always hungry. His family was not rich and could not afford to feed him, so they kicked him out of the house when he was a teenager. Homeless, Tarrare traveled the French countryside and fell in with a band of thieves and prostitutes. Later he became the warm-up act for…
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Napoleon’s Strangest Battle
Napoleon was arguably one of the greatest military minds of the his age. However, he was outwitted by a strange opponent. No, not Wellington at Waterloo (learn more about that here: http://www.historynaked.com/battle-waterloo-2nd-abdication-napoleon-bonaparte/ ) nor a beautiful and dedicated queen (read more about Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz here: http://www.historynaked.com/louise-mecklenburg-strelitz-queen-prussia/ ). He was attacked and almost vanquished by common rabbits. It was 1807 and Napoleon had just signed the Treaty of Tilsit between France and Russia. To celebrate this achievement, he wanted to relax and have some fun. Like most upper class gentlemen of that time, hunting was a popular past time. According to the memoirs of Paul Thiébault, a general in Napoleon’s…
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Animal Trials
Yes, I know that sounds crazy but this actually happened and it occurred enough to find several instances of animals being put on trial. These Animal Trials are recorded as having taken place in Europe from the thirteenth century until the eighteenth. They ranged from horses kicking their owners all the way to insects damaging crops. The earliest record of an animal trial is the execution of a pig in 1266 at Fontenay-aux-Roses. Such trials remained part of several legal systems until the 18th century. Animal defendants appeared before both church and secular courts, and the offenses alleged against them ranged from murder to criminal damage. Human witnesses were often…
