France

Robert Pearce asks why Louis-Philippe's 'July Monarchy' was overthrown.

Clovis I died in Paris on November 27th 511, aged 46.

Colin Jones and Emily Richardson reveal a little-known collection of obscene and irreverent 18th-century drawings targetting Madame de Pompadour, the favourite mistress of Louis XV of France.

Rachel Hammersley discusses how events in the 1640s and 1680s in England established a tradition that inspired French thinkers on the path to revolution a century later.

Lindsay Pollick reviews changing interpretations.

Operation 'Rutter' was launched on August 19th, 1942. Here, M.R.D. Foot reassesses views of the Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe.

The theft of the most famous painting in the world on August 21st, 1911, created a media sensation.

Mary Queen of Scots left Calais for Scotland on August 14th, 1561, aged 18 years old.

The Battle of the Somme began on July 1st, 1916. 21,000 men were killed on the first day. In this article, Trevor Wilson and Robin Prior reassess the campaign.

Louis XII came to the throne in 1498 and ruled France for sixteen years. According to Howell Lloyd, he was a 'ruler in transition': images of Louis XII elevated royal power to divine status, paving the way for the ideology of absolutism to flourish in the era of the Sun King.

Richard Cavendish provides an overview of the life of the French monarch who was nicknamed 'the Universal Spider'.

On May 30th 1431, Joan of Arc was burnt as a heretic in Rouen. In this article from our 2006 archive, Richard Vinen ponders the political significance of one of France’s most potent female icons and finds there is more to her than meets the eye.

Richard Cavendish describes the Battle of Albuera, on May 16th, 1811.