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Women throughout history
Women throughout history
Women throughout history
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In the article, “Madame de Pompadour and the Theaters of Power,” author Thomas E. Kaiser examines how Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson rose to become Madame de Pompadour, a very influential mistress to the King of France. Her rise was seen in both positive and negative lights, with her acquisition of power being questioned from those within the royal family and the public1. The life of a mistress was never an easy one, but Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson rose to the daunting task and succeeded where most had failed. Thomas E. Kaiser goes on to explain how Madame de Pompadour was viewed in court and society, how she influenced the King, King Louis XV, and how she was able to succeed in her own right, advancing further than most thought possible for a woman during that time.
The role of the Royal Mistress or maitresse entitre often extended further than that of just the bedroom, and she did have influence, but remaining in this position was no small feat2. The popularity of the mistress to the king is the primary force behind her maintaining her position, this can be inherently difficult for the best of women. Royal mistresses were subject to instant dismissal if they feel out of favor with the King, as was the case for the two previous mistresses that resided before Jeanne-Antoinette3. Along with the responsibility of entertaining the King, the royal favorite also had to contend with the royal family, the court, and the public.
There was often a danger posed from being the King's favorite, oppositions could lead to trouble for the Mistress, and Madame de Pompadour experienced her fair share of opposition and resentment. According to Thomas Kaiser one of the main oppositions that Pompadour encountered was that of the queen's party, or parti...
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...storing not undermining the monarchy 21. But Madame de Pompadour did provide a service to the King. Like her predecessors, at court Pompadour was a benefit to the monarchy, criticism from royal policy was directed at her instead of the King 22. But as Kaiser points out, it's hard to see how a woman of low birth, high ambition, was able to gain control of the monarchy 23. Madame de Pompadour played an important role in France's History and how it's society was influenced. She was a patron of the arts and used them in the effort to bring glory to her and Louis XV, and even though her artistic endeavors were used against her, Madame de Pompadour left her mark indelibly on French politics and society 24.
Works Cited
Kaiser, Thomas E. "French Historical Studies." “Madame de Pompadour and the Theaters of Power,” Vol. 19, No.4 (1996): 1025-044.
Naivety as well as the longing to fit into society with a loving man and stable, well-to-do peasant family deceived an honorable woman. Bertrande de Rols’ young marriage had difficulties from the start. With the guidance from family, the Catholic Church and Basque customs, Bertrande attempted to follow the sixteenth-century expectations for women, but was misled by her own fear, loneliness and catastrophic past.
that contributed to the rise and fall of the French Monarchy. The ideas of the
The Memoires de l’Estat de France quoted in R J Knecht Profiles in Power: Catherine de Medici, Essex, 1998
In Shakespeare’s “The Life of King Henry V,” set in England in the early fifteenth century, with the famous and heroic English King, Henry V, claiming his “rights” to the French throne. This claim caused complications and the declaration of war on both English and French soil. This political war, then turn into a route of complicated negotiations, after King Henry’s terrifying forces had successfully defeated French forces. As the result of the war, a peace treaty was made, and part of that agreement was the marriage between King Henry V and the daughter of the King of France, Katherine of Valois. An analysis of the both King Henry’s and Katherine’s relationship reveals that both had conflicting perspectives of one another, which resulted as a marriage in political unions of two powerful nations rather than a union of two lovers.
Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun was one of the most successful painters of her time. Over the course of her life, spanning from 1755-1842, she painted over 900 works. She enjoyed painting self portraits, completing almost 40 throughout her career, in the style of artists she admired such as Peter Paul Rubens (Montfort). However, the majority of her paintings were beautiful, colorful, idealized likenesses of the aristocrats of her time, the most well known of these being the Queen of France Marie Antoinette, whom she painted from 1779-1789. Not only was Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun the Queen’s portrait painter for ten years, but she also became her close, personal friend. She saw only the luxurious, carefree, colorful, and fabulous lifestyle the aristocracy lived in, rather than the poverty and suffrage much of the rest of the country was going through. Elisabeth kept the ideals of the aristocracy she saw through Marie Antoinette throughout her life, painting a picture of them that she believed to be practically perfect. Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun’s relationship with Marie Antoinette affected her social standing, politics, painting style, and career.
...ked “the court, the church, the aristocracy, the academies, the salons, and the monarchy itself” through the lens of sexual sensationalism (Hunt, pg. 91). Sex in society was recognized as a political satire; however views that sex was to be shared privately between man and woman still lingered, for the actions of Marie Antoinette were scandalous for she was breaking the common view of proper sexual conduct.
Joan impacted France and the world by creating a national consciousness that never existed before and became a personality cult that embraced all who looked up to her. She made a absolute stunning moral impact to everyone, no matter if they were against the fact she has a special gift, by all her military victories and the patriotism and devotion she gave, which also helped all her soldiers believe in themselves. Joan hauled all the wrecked mess from these people in France and brought back a hopeful future and renewal embrace. Not only the battles Joan won for France and bringing alive a great King, but she will be remembered for her excellent leadership, even when she was shot down, and fighting and dying for what she stood for.
Joan lived during a turbulent time in French history. The French and English states had been at war since 1337 over disputed territories in France and who could inherit the French throne. The English claimed that their king could inherit the French throne through shared royal bloodlines and also inherit vast territories in present-day southwestern France. By the time of Joan’s birth, the English had secured almost all of France and were poised to capture the French crown. The French heir to the throne, the Dauphin, was forced into hiding and Paris was under English control. It was under these dire circumstances that Joan emerged.
The accomplishments Joan achieved affected life in the Renaissance and even life today. Her success and dedication brought new hope to war-weary people, and drove the English out of France (Pegues par 1). Because of Joan, Charles VII reached his rightful place at throne and stayed there even 30 years after Joan’s Death (Gascoigne par 2). During her lifetime many people thought she used sorcery to convince people, but when she died people realized that indeed, she was divinely led (Gale Free Resources par 18). Joan’s legend of dedication and belief will always be in the world’s heart.
The more positive things Louis XIV could do for a person, the more that person liked him (or at least pretended to like him), such as Madame de Motteville’s and Jean-Baptiste Colbert. On the contrary, if Louis XIV had more of a negative effect on a person’s life, the less that person liked him, such as the peasants and Esprit Fléchier.
I was gratified to see that this critic agreed with my interpretation of the Duchess’s demise, viz., the Duke had her murdered. The theory advanced by my brilliant and magnificent Professor had been that the Duke gave her so many orders and restrictions that she pined away. I had been looking at his famous line “And I choose/never to stoop.” He married her for her beauty but would never lower himself to tell her when she angered him.
... move, defunding any revolts they might plan, and preoccupying their time with petty social matters instead of matters of the state. If Louis’ reign was not supported by the enabling qualities of the Palace of Versailles, his reign would certainly not be as absolute as it was.
When looking at the women in Voltaire’s “Candide”, a reader will see that this lines up exactly to the characters actions and traits. Trying to define the females of “Candide” is important because we can begin to understand the motives and reasoning behind each decision and thought that is made. These women understand that they have no real voice or power to change the world. The only way they can make an impact on the world is through the body of a man. These women may not have had the most successful or happy life, but they made the best life they could despite the hardships they had to
When Louis XV died in 1774 Louis Augusta became king and Marie became queen. She was fast, vivacious, bold and a person who loved to party, gamble, spend late nights and indulge in extravagant fashion. When she would return from her late night partying the king would be fast asleep and when she would get up at noon the king would be at work. Due to this reason their marriage w...
Moliere, Jean-Baptise Poquelin. 'Tartuffe.' The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Maynard Mack. New York: W.W. Norton " Company, 1995. 307 -356.