1.
Jalil Lespert
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Jalil Lespert is a French actor, screenwriter and director. Born to a French father, actor Jean Lespert, and an Algerian mother, he studied law before turning to acting, to please his mother who is a jurist. Married former Miss France Sonia Rolland, with whom he has one child named Kahina, Lespert made his film debut in 1995, in Laurent Cantets film Jeux de plage, opposite his father. His first major role came in 1999, in Jacques Maillots film Nos vies heureuses, the following year, he appeared in another Laurent Cantet film Ressources humaines, which earned him a César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2001. He is currently appearing in a series on French television called Pigalle and he directed his first film in 2007,24 mesures, featuring Benoît Magimel and Sami Bouajila. His second feature as director, Des vents contraires, also featuring Magimel alongside Audrey Tautou and Isabelle Carré, came out in 2011
Jalil Lespert
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Lespert in Nominee Luncheon for the 2015 César Awards
Jalil Lespert
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Jalil Lespert at the
2000 César Awards ceremony
2.
George Blagden
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George Paul Blagden is an English stage and film actor. He is best known for his role as Athelstan in the television series Vikings and he also played Grantaire in the 2012 film adaptation of Les Misérables and is currently portraying Louis XIV in the French-produced television series drama Versailles. Blagden began singing at age 13, performing in various choirs, also while at Oundle, Blagden became a member of the National Youth Theatre and was selected as one of four students to participate in a masterclass with Sir Ian McKellen. Following his graduation, he studied Acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and he has a younger sister, Katie, who is a writer and filmmaker. In 2011, Blagden received his first acting role as Andy in the feature film After the Dark and he has since appeared in Wrath of the Titans, Les Misérables, and Vikings. Blagdens latest appearance on screen is in the drama series Versailles and he is a supporter of Diabetes UK, from 4-6 September 2015, he cycled from London to Paris in under 72 hours and raised nearly £5,000 for the charity. George Blagden at the Internet Movie Database George Blagden on Twitter George Blagden on Instagram Spotlight
George Blagden
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Blagden in 2014
3.
Alexander Vlahos
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Alexander Vlahos is a Welsh actor best known for playing Philippe, Duke of Orleans in the Canal+ television series Versailles and for playing Mordred in the BBC drama Merlin. Vlahos was born in Tumble, Carmarthenshire before moving to Llantrisant in Mid Glamorgan and he is the son of a Greek father and a Welsh mother and speaks Welsh and English. He trained in acting at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff, Vlahos became engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Swedish model Kajsa Mohammar, on 28 July 2016. He first appeared in the BBC Wales drama, Crash, in 2009 portraying Dylan, the following year, he appeared in the daytime medical soap opera Doctors in a week-long storyline entitled Master Of The Universe, in which he played the lead role of Lewis Cutler. The episodes were nominated for Best Single Episode and Spectacular Scene of the Year at the British Soap Awards in 2010. Also in 2010, he appeared in both Pen Talar and The Indian Doctor, and the film Bright Lights. In 2012 he earned the role of Private Keenan in Privates and he also played the part of Mordred in series five of Merlin, a role originally played by Asa Butterfield in the first two series. From 2012 to 2016 he played the role of Dorian Gray in Big Finish Productions audio series The Confessions Of Dorian Gray, from 6 December 2013 Vlahos appeared in Fortunes Fool at The Old Vic. Mike Poulton’s adaptation of Turgenev’s play is directed by Lucy Bailey, in a new production which stars Iain Glen and Richard McCabe. In July 2015 it was announced that he would be playing Bertie Potts in the mini audiobook series The Diary of River Song set in the Doctor Who universe, alongside Alex Kingston. Series 2 was filmed in early 2016 and explores the lighter side to Philippe, on 14 September 2016 producer Claude Chelli confirmed that Versailles has been renewed for a third season, which will begin filming in April 2017. In the 2016 docudrama Barbarians Rising, a global co-production for History channels and he also portrays the Romanian philosopher and mathematician Maurice Solovine in one episode of Genius, National Geographic Channels first scripted series, set to premiere in April 2017. From 11 February to 11 March 2017 Vlahos starred in Max Gills La Ronde, a cast of four played the ten characters randomly selected onstage every night by a roulette wheel. In the 2017 Big Finish Productions audio drama Hamlet Vlahos plays the title character, Alexander Vlahos at the Internet Movie Database Alexander Vlahos on Twitter
Alexander Vlahos
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Vlahos at the 2013 MCMComicCon
4.
Amira Casar
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Amira Casar is an actress who grew up in England, Ireland, and France. She has appeared in more than 50 films since 1989, amira is the daughter of a Kurdish father and a Russian opera singer. She was born in England and subsequently raised in England, Ireland and she studied drama at the Conservatoire National dArt Dramatique de Paris. She is fluent in both English and French and has worked in German, Italian and Spanish, Casar has worked in films and in the theatre internationally and on both sides of the Channel, favouring strong independent projects. Some of her film and Television work includes, La Vérité si je mens 1 &2 in 1997 and 2000, in 2000 Comment Jai Tué Mon Père by Anne Fontaine. Carlos Sauras Bunuel y la Messa Del Rei Salomon in 2001, david Mores Forty for Channel 4 in 2002 and Filles Perdues Cheveux Gras. Sylvia by Christine Jeffs with Gwyneth Paltrow and Daniel Craig in 2003, catherine Breillats avant-garde international release Anatomy of Hell in 2004. In 2005, she appeared in The Larrieu Brotherss Peindre ou Faire lAmour alongside Daniel Auteuil, in 2007, Casar collaborated with the artist Sophie Calle for her Venice Biennale Installation Prenez soin de vous and with director Laetitia Masson for the film Coupable. In 2008, with the German New Wave Director Werner Schroeter on his last film Nuit de Chien and she played the lead role in Eleonore Fauchers film Gamines in 2009. For her portrayal of Dora Maar, the surrealist artist and Picassos muse in La Femme qui Pleure au Chapeau Rouge, in 2011 and 2012, she appeared in three films, Mikael Buchs indie film Let my People Go, the French blockbuster series La Vérité si je Mens. 3, and the Anglophone Playoff by Eran Riklis with Dany Huston, in 2013 she appeared in the adaptation of Kleists Mickael Kohlhaas by Arnaud Des Pallières with Mads Mikkelsen. In 2015 she appeared in The Forbidden Room by Canadian director Guy Maddin, Casar also appeared in the Bryan Adams music video for Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman. Directed by Anton Corbijn and co-starring Cecilie Thomsen. 3 by Thomas Gilou 2011, Playoff by Eran Riklis 2011, Let My People Go. by Stéphane Giusti 1999, Le Derrière by Valérie Lemercier 1997, Marie Baie des Anges by Manuel Pradal 1997, La Vérité si je mens
Amira Casar
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Amira Casar at the
2013 Cannes Film Festival
5.
M83 (band)
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M83 are a French electronic music band led by Anthony Gonzalez and currently based in Los Angeles. Formed in 2001 in Antibes, France, the band was initially a duo also featuring Nicolas Fromageau, the band has released seven albums and two soundtracks, including the Grammy Award-nominated Hurry Up, Were Dreaming. Gonzalez and Fromageau parted ways shortly after touring their second album Dead Cities, Gonzalez records primarily on his own, with other artists as guest musicians. The band are signed to Mute Records and found success in 2012 with the single Midnight City. Their most recent album Junk was released in 2016, Anthony Gerard Gonzalez grew up in Antibes, France together with his brother Yann. His family had a great interest in football and Gonzalez had trials with AS Cannes, at the age of 14 he got injured and turned to music instead after his parents bought him a guitar. Gonzalez developed his interest in further and American culture while at secondary school. Together with Fromageau he formed an outfit called My Violent Wish. At the age of 17, Gonzalez bought a synth to record a demo, when the Paris-based Gooom Records appeared interested, he recruited Fromageau to help me because I didnt feel like I had the shoulders to carry the project on my own. The band is named after the galaxy of the same name, in spring 2001, M83 released its self-titled debut album recorded on an 8-track while Gonzalez was still in college. The release did not attract attention outside Europe until September 2005. M83s second album Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts followed in spring 2003 to widespread critical acclaim, after worldwide touring for Dead Cities resumed, Nicolas Fromageau left the band and formed the band Team Ghost in 2009. Gonzalez returned to the studio to record the third studio album, Before the Dawn Heals Us. The same year, M83 provided a remix of The Pioneers by Bloc Party, M83 also remixed Placebos Protège-Moi, Goldfrapps Black Cherry, Depeche Modes Suffer Well, Van Shes Kelly, and The Bumblebeezs Vila Attack. Similarly, M83s songs have been remixed by Gooom labelmates Montag, the album was recorded primarily at his home studio with the assistance of Antoine Gaillet. The resulting project was called Digital Shades Vol.1, and was released in September 2007 with an illustrated by Laurent Fetis. It is intended to be part of a series of ambient works. Saturdays = Youth, M83s fifth studio album, was released in April 2008 and it was recorded with Ken Thomas, Ewan Pearson and Morgan Kibby
M83 (band)
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M83 performing at the Pully For Noise festival in 2008
6.
1080i
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1080i is an abbreviation referring to a combination of frame resolution and scan type, used in high-definition television and high-definition video. The number 1080 refers to the number of lines on the screen. The term assumes a widescreen ratio of 16,9, so the 1080 lines of vertical resolution implies 1920 columns of horizontal resolution. A1920 pixels ×1080 lines screen has a total of 2.1 megapixels and this format is used in the SMPTE 292M standard. The choice of 1080 lines originates with Charles Poynton, who in the early 1990s pushed for square pixels to be used in HD video formats, within the designation 1080i, the i stands for interlaced scan. A frame of 1080i video consists of two fields of 1920 horizontal and 540 vertical pixels. The first field consists of all odd-numbered TV lines and the second all even numbered lines, 1080i differs from 1080p, where the p stands for progressive scan, where all lines in a frame are captured at the same time. In native or pure 1080i, the two fields of a frame correspond to different instants, so motion portrayal is good and this is true for interlaced video in general and can be easily observed in still images taken of fast motion scenes. However, when 1080p material is captured at 25 or 30 frames/second, it is converted to 1080i at 50 or 60 fields/second, respectively, in this situation both fields in a frame do correspond to the same instant. The field-to-instant relation is more complex for the case of 1080p at 24 frames/second converted to 1080i at 60 fields/second. Both field rates can be carried by digital television broadcast formats such as ATSC, DVB. The frame rate can be implied by the context, while the rate is generally specified after the letter i. In this case 1080i60 refers to 60 fields per second, the European Broadcasting Union prefers to use the resolution and frame rate separated by a slash, as in 1080i/30 and 1080i/25, likewise 480i/30 and 576i/25. Resolutions of 1080i60 or 1080i50 often refers to 1080i/30 or 1080i/25 in EBU notation, 1080i is directly compatible with some CRT HDTVs on which it can be displayed natively in interlaced form, but for display on progressive-scan—e. g. Most new LCD and plasma TVs, it must be deinterlaced, depending on the televisions video processing capabilities, the resulting video quality may vary, but may not necessarily suffer. For example, film material at 25fps may be deinterlaced from 1080i50 to restore a full 1080p resolution at the frame rate without any loss. Preferably video material with 50 or 60 motion phases/second is to be converted to 50p or 60p before display, worldwide, most HD channels on satellite and cable broadcast in 1080i. This also allows local newscasts on these ABC affiliates to be produced in the resolution to match the picture quality of their 1080i competitors
1080i
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An example frame of poorly deinterlaced video. Despite the fact that most TV transmissions are interlaced, plasma and LCD display technologies are progressively scanned. Consequently, flat-panel TVs convert an interlaced source to progressive scan for display, which can have an adverse impact on motion portrayal on inexpensive models.
7.
Palace of Versailles
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The Palace of Versailles, Château de Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. Versailles is therefore not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime. First built by Louis XIII in 1623, as a lodge of brick and stone. The first phase of the expansion was designed and supervised by the architect Louis Le Vau and it culminated in the addition of three new wings of stone, which surrounded Louis XIIIs original building on the north, south, and west. After Le Vaus death in 1670, the work was taken over and completed by his assistant, charles Le Brun designed and supervised the elaborate interior decoration, and André Le Nôtre landscaped the extensive Gardens of Versailles. Le Brun and Le Nôtre collaborated on the fountains, and Le Brun supervised the design. During the second phase of expansion, two enormous wings north and south of the wings flanking the Cour Royale were added by the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart. He also replaced Le Vaus large terrace, facing the garden on the west, with became the most famous room of the palace. The Royal Chapel of Versailles, located at the end of the north wing, was begun by Mansart in 1688. One of the most baffling aspects to the study of Versailles is the cost – how much Louis XIV, owing to the nature of the construction of Versailles and the evolution of the role of the palace, construction costs were essentially a private matter. Initially, Versailles was planned to be a residence for Louis XIV and was referred to as the kings house. Once Louis XIV embarked on his campaigns, expenses for Versailles became more of a matter for public record. To counter the costs of Versailles during the years of Louis XIVs personal reign. Accordingly, all materials that went into the construction and decoration of Versailles were manufactured in France, even the mirrors used in the decoration of the Hall of Mirrors were made in France. While Venice in the 17th century had the monopoly on the manufacture of mirrors, to meet the demands for decorating and furnishing Versailles, Colbert nationalised the tapestry factory owned by the Gobelin family, to become the Manufacture royale des Gobelins. In 1667, the name of the enterprise was changed to the Manufacture royale des Meubles de la Couronne, the Comptes meticulously list the expenditures on the silver furniture – disbursements to artists, final payments, delivery – as well as descriptions and weight of items purchased. Entries for 1681 and 1682 concerning the silver used in the salon de Mercure serve as an example. 5 In anticipation, For the silver balustrade for the bedroom,90,000 livres II
Palace of Versailles
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Aerial view of the Palace from above the
Gardens of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
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Bust of Louis XIV by
Bernini in the
Diana Salon of the Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
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View of the Palace from the garden
Palace of Versailles
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Marble Court
8.
Louis XIV
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Louis XIV, known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, was a monarch of the House of Bourbon who ruled as King of France and Navarre from 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any monarch of a country in European history. In the age of absolutism in Europe, Louis XIVs France was a leader in the centralization of power. Louis began his rule of France in 1661, after the death of his chief minister. By these means he became one of the most powerful French monarchs, under his rule, the Edict of Nantes, which granted rights to Huguenots, was abolished. The revocation effectively forced Huguenots to emigrate or convert in a wave of dragonnades, which managed to virtually destroy the French Protestant minority. During Louis reign, France was the leading European power, and it fought three wars, the Franco-Dutch War, the War of the League of Augsburg. There were also two lesser conflicts, the War of Devolution and the War of the Reunions, warfare defined Louis XIVs foreign policies, and his personality shaped his approach. Impelled by a mix of commerce, revenge, and pique, in peacetime he concentrated on preparing for the next war. He taught his diplomats their job was to create tactical and strategic advantages for the French military, Louis XIV was born on 5 September 1638 in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, to Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. He was named Louis Dieudonné and bore the title of French heirs apparent. At the time of his birth, his parents had married for 23 years. His mother had experienced four stillbirths between 1619 and 1631, leading contemporaries thus regarded him as a divine gift and his birth a miracle of God. Sensing imminent death, Louis XIII decided to put his affairs in order in the spring of 1643, in defiance of custom, which would have made Queen Anne the sole Regent of France, the king decreed that a regency council would rule on his sons behalf. His lack of faith in Queen Annes political abilities was his primary rationale and he did, however, make the concession of appointing her head of the council. Louis relationship with his mother was uncommonly affectionate for the time, contemporaries and eyewitnesses claimed that the Queen would spend all her time with Louis. Both were greatly interested in food and theatre, and it is likely that Louis developed these interests through his close relationship with his mother. This long-lasting and loving relationship can be evidenced by excerpts in Louis journal entries, such as, but attachments formed later by shared qualities of the spirit are far more difficult to break than those formed merely by blood
Louis XIV
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Louis XIV by
Hyacinthe Rigaud (1701)
Louis XIV
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Louis-Dieudonné,
Dauphin of France, in 1643 by
Claude Deruet
Louis XIV
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Louis XIV as a child, unknown painter
Louis XIV
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1655 portrait of Louis, the Victor of the Fronde, portrayed as the god
Jupiter
9.
Super Channel (Canada)
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Super Channel is a Canadian English language Category A premium cable and satellite television channel that is owned by Allarco Entertainment 2008 Inc. Super Channels programming primarily includes theatrically released, first to television pictures and television series, along with documentaries. All programming is unedited and commercial free, the Allards were the original owners of what was last known as Movie Central, and later re-acquired rights to the Superchannel trademark. Prior to 2016, Super Channel was the first and only general-interest English-language pay television service authorized to operate nationally, Super Channel was granted as a must carry service by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, meaning all television service providers must carry the service on their systems. Its competing applicants were, BOOMTV, to be operated by the Archambault unit of Quebecor Media, Archambault was also the only applicant for a French-language service, but indicated that this licence would be worthless without an English counterpart. The Canadian Film Channel, proposed by Channel Zero Inc and it proposed to broadcast 100% Canadian content and be funded entirely by the operators of TMN/MC, in an amount equal to 12. 9% of these services gross revenues, to be required by condition of licence. Neither incumbent indicated approval for such a use of its revenues, the Allarco application was approved on May 18,2006, while the other three applicants were rejected. The Allard family were also the owners of Movie Central. The Movie Central name was adopted shortly after Corus Entertainment acquired the service, just before the new channels launch, the Allards re-acquired the rights to the Superchannel name under undisclosed terms. Super Channel was launched on November 2,2007 on Bell TV as a six-channel service, Super Channels parent company, Allarco Entertainment, entered into the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act on June 18,2009. On August 31,2010, its creditors unanimously approved a plan for the company under the act. The restructuring plan, which needed approval of the court, was later approved, on February 15,2017, it was announced that Ginx TV would launch a linear gaming channel in Canada as a replacement for one of Super Channels multiplex channels. The LFL will be used to launch the Super Channel SPORTS sub-brand that will be used for all sporting events, Super Channel 1 will debut LFL Football Night on April 22,2017. Super Channel HD is a high definition simulcast feed of Super Channel that broadcasts in the 1080i resolution format, in addition to its main channel, Super Channel also operates high definition simulcast feeds of all three multiplex channels. Initially, Allarco launched two high definition feeds upon the launch of the service in November 2007, Super Channel HD1, Super Channel HD1 simulcasted the standard definition feed of the same name, while Super Channel HD2 initially aired programming from the three remaining SD feeds. In February 2013, Allarco launched HD feeds for the two remaining channels, Super Channel 3 and Super Channel 4, with each HD channel now simulcasting their standard definition equivalent. Super Channel operates a subscription video-on-demand television service called Super Channel On Demand, content featured on the service includes movies, acquired foreign series and special features previously seen on the linear television network. Super Channel On Demands rotating program selection incorporates select new titles that are added daily to existing content, Super Channel On Demand launched in February 2008, on Cogeco Cable systems in Ontario
Super Channel (Canada)
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Super Channel logo
10.
Ovation (U.S. TV channel)
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Ovation is a television network whose stated mission is to connect the world to all forms of art and artistic expression. Ovation premiered on April 21,1996 and was re-launched on June 20,2007 to an audience with carriage on DirecTV. Since then, the network has added carriage on AT&T U-verse, Verizon FiOS, Comcast/Xfinity, RCN, Time Warner Cable, the channel currently reaches approximately 50 million subscribers. Ovation launched an HD service in 2010 and is available on VOD. Ovation is a privately held, independent cable network, ovation’s investors include Hubbard Media Group, Corporate Partners II, Arcadia Investment Partners, Perry Capital, and The Weinstein Company. As of February 2015, approximately 54 million households receive Ovation, the channel was launched in 1997 and relaunched in June 2007, coinciding with its addition by DirecTV, which gave the channel full national coverage. In 2008, Ovation also became available on Dish Network, with the relaunch, Ovation TV claimed an energetic new look and a new primetime schedule revolving around genre nights dedicated to performance, people, art, music and film. On March 1,2010, the dropped the TV from its name in a rebranding effort. On December 18,2012, Time Warner Cable announced plans to remove Ovation from its own systems as well as operated by Bright House Networks. Time Warner Cable and Bright House dropped Ovation at midnight Eastern Time on December 31,2012, the two providers later reached an agreement to resume carriage of Ovation on October 16,2013, reinstating the channel on TWC and Bright House systems on January 1,2014. On April 6,2015, Dish Network removed it from the lineup, Ovation HD is a high definition simulcast feed of Ovation, which broadcasts in the 1080i resolution format, it was launched in July 2010. Ovation HD is currently available on DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS, Ovation programming is a mix of original and selectively curated television series, films, documentaries and specials, targeting a multi-generational audience. In 2013, the network also premiered The Art Of which returns with season 4 in 2015, Ovation has expanded its line-up with the docu-series, Big Ballet, featuring former Royal Ballet dancer Wayne Sleep as he assembles a troupe of plus-size dancers to perform Swan Lake. In 2015, Ovation premiered the new reality show Art Breakers, Art Breakers steps inside the high-stakes world of art collecting. Powerhouse dealers Miller Gaffney and Carol Lee Brosseau deploy their vast knowledge to curate the most enviable collections for demanding patrons, weekday mornings on Ovation are anchored by Morning Canvas, a daily offering of artistic inspiration with host Nikki Boyer. Ovation will debut the U. S. premiere of international drama series Versailles on October 1,2016 and these partnerships provide Ovations distribution partners with unique opportunities for local involvement and an increased community profile. In turn, cultural institutions gain previously out-of-reach access to local and national marketing opportunities, over $16 million in direct support and donated media has been provided over the last six years, an amount unprecedented for an independent television network. Ovation is committed to promoting the arts and arts education across the country, Ovation has also partnered with AFTA, and the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities in launching the InnOVATION STEAM Grant Awards
Ovation (U.S. TV channel)
Ovation (U.S. TV channel)
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Ovation logo, used from 2010 to 2013.
11.
Metacritic
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Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of media products, music albums, games, movies, TV shows, DVDs, and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged, Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc Doyle, and Julie Doyle Roberts. The site provides an excerpt from each review and hyperlinks to its source, a color of Green, Yellow or Red summarizes the critics recommendations and therefore the general appeal of the product to reviewers and, to a lesser extent, the public. It is regarded as the game industrys foremost review aggregator. Metacritics scoring converts each review into a percentage, either mathematically from the mark given, before being averaged, the scores are weighted according to the critics fame, stature, and volume of reviews. Metacritic was launched in July 1999 by Marc Doyle, his sister Julie Doyle Roberts, rotten Tomatoes was already compiling movie reviews, but Doyle, Roberts, and Dietz saw an opportunity to cover a broader range of media. They sold Metacritic to CNET in 2005, CNET and Metacritic are now owned by the CBS Corporation. Nick Wingfield of The Wall Street Journal wrote in September 2004, Mr. Doyle,36, is now a product manager at CNET. Speaking of video games, Doyle said, A site like ours helps people cut through. unobjective promotional language and he added that the review process was not taken as seriously when unconnected magazines and websites provided reviews in isolation. In August 2010, the appearance was revamped, reaction from users was overwhelmingly negative. Certain publications are given more significance because of their stature, games Editor Marc Doyle was interviewed by Keith Stuart of The Guardian to get a look behind the metascoring process. Stuart wrote, the phenomenon, namely Metacritic and GameRankings, have become an enormously important element of online games journalism over the past few years. The ranging of metascores is, Metacritic is regarded as the foremost online review site for the video game industry. Nick Wingfield of The Wall Street Journal has written that Metacritic influence the sales of games and he explains its influence as coming from the higher cost of buying video games than music or movie tickets. Many executives say that low scores can hurt the sales potential. He claimed that a number of businesses and financial analysts use Metacritic as an early indicator of a games potential sales and, by extension. In 2004, Jason Hall of Warner Bros. began including quality metrics in contracts with partners licensing its movies for games, if a product does not at least achieve a specific score, some deals require the publisher to pay higher royalties. In 2008, Microsoft began using Metacritic averages to de-list underperforming Xbox Live Arcade games and these are the top 10 individual games with the highest scores on the site as of 2 April 2017
Metacritic
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Metacritic
12.
Rotten Tomatoes
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Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by Senh Duong and since January 2010 has been owned by Flixster, in February 2016, Rotten Tomatoes and its parent site Flixster were sold to Comcasts Fandango. Warner Bros. retained a minority stake in the merged entities, since 2007, the websites editor-in-chief has been Matt Atchity. The name, Rotten Tomatoes, derives from the practice of audiences throwing rotten tomatoes when disapproving of a stage performance. From early 2008 to September 2010, Current Television aired the weekly The Rotten Tomatoes Show, featuring hosts, a shorter segment was incorporated into the weekly show, InfoMania, which ended in 2011. In September 2013, the website introduced TV Zone, a section for reviewing scripted TV shows, Rotten Tomatoes was launched on August 12,1998, as a spare-time project by Senh Duong. His goal in creating Rotten Tomatoes was to create a site where people can get access to reviews from a variety of critics in the U. S. As a fan of Jackie Chans, Duong was inspired to create the website after collecting all the reviews of Chans movies as they were being published in the United States, the first movie whose reviews were featured on Rotten Tomatoes was Your Friends & Neighbors. The website was an success, receiving mentions by Netscape, Yahoo. and USA Today within the first week of its launch. They officially launched it on April 1,2000, in June 2004, IGN Entertainment acquired rottentomatoes. com for an undisclosed sum. In September 2005, IGN was bought by News Corps Fox Interactive Media, in January 2010, IGN sold the website to Flixster. The combined reach of both companies is 30 million unique visitors a month across all different platforms, according to the companies, in May 2011, Flixster was acquired by Warner Bros. In early 2009, Current Television launched the version of the web review site. It was hosted by Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox and written by Mark Ganek, the show aired every Thursday at 10,30 EST on the Current TV network. The last episode aired on September 16,2010 and it returned as a much shorter segment of InfoMania, a satirical news show that ended in 2011. By late 2009, the website was designed to enable Rotten Tomatoes users to create, one group, The Golden Oyster Awards, accepted votes of members for different awards, as if in parallel to the better-known Oscars or Golden Globes. When Flixster bought the company, they disbanded the groups, announcing, in the meantime, please use the Forums to continue your conversations about your favorite movie topics. As of February 2011, new community features have been added, for example, users can no longer sort films by fresh ratings from rotten ratings, and vice versa
Rotten Tomatoes
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60–100%
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
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≤0-59%
13.
The Movie Network
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The Movie Network is a Canadian English language Category A premium cable and satellite television channel that is owned by Bell Media. Launched in 1983 as the national service First Choice, an industry restructuring led to its operations being restricted to Eastern Canada from 1984 to 2016 and it resumed national operations in March 2016, when it replaced the similar Movie Central service in Western and Northern Canada. In 1976, Communications Minister Jeanne Sauvé was quoted as saying pay television is inevitable, the Saskatchewan government together with Cable Regina set up a provincial pay television network called Teletheatre in 1979. In September 1981, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission held a hearing in Hull, there were more than 24 applicants to start such services. AGF Management Ltd. and Manufacturers Life Insurance Co, together, they had $19 million in equity financing and proposed to spend $310.4 million over five years on Canadian television production. Estimated profit would be $3.1 million, a pay television licence was issued by the CRTC to First Choice Canadian Communications Corp. on March 18,1982.50 each month. However, by the time the channel launched, and providers received their revenue from the pay television services, the retail cost of First Choice jumped significantly to $15.95. When First Choice, as TMN was then known as, was launched on February 1,1983, it operated as a premium service. These programs were followed by first movie ever to be broadcast on First Choice, pacific Time that day, First Choice aired Star Wars and continued to replay the film every other day for eight hours. Before the advent of television and home theatre systems, subscribers who paid for cable FM service could receive a stereo feed of First Choice. The channels first president was Donald MacPherson, who departed in 1984 and was succeeded by Harold Greenberg, during its first year, First Choice aired a two-hour block of programming from the American adult-oriented pay service The Playboy Channel as part of a late night programming block on Fridays. The broadcast of these softcore pornographic programs resulted in opposition from many domestic feminist groups, both services used the First Choice-Superchannel name from 1984 to 1988, before they were split again in September 1988. Beginning in 1984, First Choice also made use of the slogan The Movie Network, in 1993, First Choice and Super Écran was acquired by Astral Communications. First Choice was originally granted a licence, it also operated a 24-hour French-language channel under the same licence. In early 1984, that service was merged with another Quebec-based pay-television network, TVEC, to form Super Écran, on October 1,1994, The Movie Network launched a companion film service, TMN Moviepix. On March 4,2013, the Competition Bureau approved the takeover of Astral Media by Bell Media. To that end, Corus reached an agreement with Bell through which TMN became a service once again on March 1,2016. TMN Encore also expanded nationally for the first time, and Bell took over operation of HBO Canada
The Movie Network
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First Choice logo, used from 1983 to 1984 and 1989 to 1992. From 1984 to 1989, the service used a variant of Superchannel's
star logo.
The Movie Network
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The Movie Network logo
14.
Versailles, Yvelines
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According to the 2008 census, the population of the city is 88,641 inhabitants, down from a peak of 94,145 in 1975. A new town, founded by the will of King Louis XIV, it was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789, before becoming the cradle of the French Revolution. After having lost its status of city, it became the préfecture of Seine-et-Oise département in 1790, then of Yvelines in 1968. Versailles is historically known for numerous treaties such as the Treaty of Paris, which ended the American Revolutionary War and this word formation is similar to Latin seminare which gave French semailles. From May 1682, when Louis XIV moved the court and government permanently to Versailles, until his death in September 1715, during the various periods when government affairs were conducted from Versailles, Paris remained the official capital of France. Versailles was made the préfecture of the Seine-et-Oise département at its inception in March 1790, Versailles was made the préfecture of the Yvelines département, the largest chunk of the former Seine-et-Oise. At the 2006 census the Yvelines had 1,395,804 inhabitants, Versailles is the seat of a Roman Catholic diocese which was created in 1790. The diocese of Versailles is subordinate to the archdiocese of Paris, in 1975, Versailles was made the seat of a Court of Appeal whose jurisdiction covers the western suburbs of Paris. Since 1972, Versailles has been the seat of one of Frances 30 nationwide académies of the Ministry of National Education. Versailles is also an important node for the French army, a tradition going back to the monarchy with, for instance, the palace of Versailles is in the out-skirts of the city. Versailles is located 17.1 km west-southwest from the centre of Paris, the city of Versailles has an area of 26.18 km2, which is a quarter of the area of the city of Paris. In 1989, Versailles had a density of 3, 344/km2, whereas Paris had a density of 20. Born out of the will of a king, the city has a rational and symmetrical grid of streets, by the standards of the 18th century, Versailles was a very modern European city. Versailles was used as a model for the building of Washington, the name of Versailles appears for the first time in a medieval document dated 1038. In the end of the 11th century, the village curled around a medieval castle, the 14th century brought the Black Death and the Hundred Years War, and with it death and destruction. At the end of the Hundred Years War in the 15th century, in 1561, Martial de Loménie, secretary of state for finances under King Charles IX, became lord of Versailles. He obtained permission to four annual fairs and a weekly market on Thursdays. The population of Versailles was 500 inhabitants, Martial de Loménie was murdered during the St. Bartholomews Day massacre
Versailles, Yvelines
Versailles, Yvelines
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Flag
Versailles, Yvelines
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Louis XIII built the original hunting lodge that will become the
Palace of Versailles under his son and successor Louis XIV
Versailles, Yvelines
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Versailles in 1789.
15.
Fronde
–
The Fronde was a series of civil wars in France between 1648 and 1653, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. The king confronted the opposition of the princes, the nobility, the law courts, and most of the French people. The Fronde was divided into two campaigns, the Fronde of the parlements and the Fronde of the nobles, the timing of the outbreak of the Fronde des parlements, directly after the Peace of Westphalia that ended the Thirty Years War, was significant. A. Lloyd Moote argues that Cardinal Mazarin blundered into the crisis, the Fronde represented the final attempt of the French nobility to do battle with the king, and they were humiliated. The long-term result was to strengthen Royal authority, but to weaken the economy, the Fronde facilitated the emergence of absolute monarchy. The French word fronde means sling, Parisian crowds used slings to smash the windows of supporters of Cardinal Mazarin, the Fronde in the end provided an incentive for the establishment of royalist absolutism, since the disorders eventually discredited the feudal concept of liberty. The pressure that saw the traditional liberties under threat came in the form of extended and increased taxes as the Crown needed to recover from its expenditures in the recent wars. The costs of the Thirty Years War constrained Mazarins government to raise funds by means, the impôts, the taille. The nobility refused to be so taxed, based on their old liberties, or privileges, and the brunt fell upon the bourgeoisie. When Louis XIV became king in 1643, he was only a child, most historians consider that Louiss later insistence on absolutist rule and depriving the nobility of actual power was a result of these events in his childhood. The military record of the first Fronde is almost blank, the noble faction demanded the calling of an assembly of the Estates General. The nobles believed that in the Estates-General they could continue to control the element as they had in the past. The royal faction, having no army at its disposal, had to release the prisoners. But Frances signing of the Peace of Westphalia allowed the French army to return from the frontiers, the two warring parties signed the Peace of Rueil after little blood had been shed. From then on the Fronde became a story of intrigues, half-hearted warfare in a scramble for power and control of patronage, the military operations fell into the hands of war-experienced mercenaries, led by two great, and many lesser, generals. The peace of Rueil lasted until the end of 1649, the princes, received at court once more, renewed their intrigues against Mazarin. On 14 January 1650, Cardinal Mazarin, having come to an understanding with Monsieur Gondi and Madame de Chevreuse, suddenly arrested Condé, Conti, the war which followed this coup is called the Princes Fronde. This time it was Turenne, before and afterwards the most loyal soldier of his day, listening to the promptings of Madame de Longueville, he resolved to rescue her brother Condé, his old comrade in the battles of Freiburg and Nördlingen
Fronde
–
Cardinal Mazarin, French diplomat and statesman, by Pierre-Louis Bouchart
Fronde
–
Battle of the Faubourg St Antoine (1652) by the walls of the
Bastille,
Paris
Fronde
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"Louis XIV Crushes the Fronde" by
Gilles Guérin 1654
Fronde
–
The
Battle of the Dunes in 1658
16.
Machiavellian
–
Machiavellianism is the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct. The word comes from the Italian Renaissance diplomat and writer Niccolò Machiavelli, born in 1469 and it was in this context that the St. The English playwrights William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe were enthusiastic proponents of this view, the Anti-Machiavel is an 18th-century essay by Frederick the Great, King of Prussia and patron of Voltaire, rebutting The Prince, and Machiavellianism. It was first published in September 1740, a few months after Frederick became king, denis Diderot, the French philosopher, viewed Machiavellianism as an abhorrent type of politics and the art of tyranny. In the 1960s, Richard Christie and Florence L. Geis developed a test for measuring a persons level of Machiavellianism and their Mach - IV test, a twenty-statement personality survey, became the standard self-assessment tool of Machiavellianism. Using their scale, Christie and Geis conducted multiple experimental tests showed that the interpersonal strategies and behavior of High Machs. Their basic results have been widely replicated, measured on the Mach - IV scale, males are, on average, slightly more Machiavellian than females. A1992 review described Machiavellian motivation as related to cold selfishness and pure instrumentality, High Machs admitted to focusing on unmitigated achievement and winning at any cost. Due to their skill at interpersonal manipulation, there has often been an assumption that high Machs possess superior intelligence, however, research has firmly established that Machiavellianism is unrelated to IQ. Both empathy and emotion recognition have been shown to have negative correlations with Machiavellianism, additionally, research has shown that Machiavellianism is unrelated to a more advanced theory of mind, that is, the ability to anticipate what others are thinking in social situations. If high Machs actually are skilled at manipulating others this appears to be unrelated to any special abilities as such. Machiavellianism is one of the three personality traits referred to as the triad, along with narcissism and psychopathy. Machiavellianism has been found to be correlated with Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. However, Machiavellianism correlates more highly with the Honesty-humility dimension of the six-factor HEXACO model than any of the Big Five dimensions. Machiavellianism has also located within the interpersonal circumplex, which consists of the two independent dimensions of agency and communion. Agency refers to motivation to succeed and to individuate the self, whereas communion refers to motivation to merge with others, Machiavellianism lies in the quadrant of the circumplex defined by high agency and low communion. Machiavellianism has been found to lie diagonally opposite from a construct called self-construal. This suggests that high in Machiavellianism do not simply wish to achieve
Machiavellian
–
Niccolò Machiavelli
Machiavellian
–
General
17.
French nobility
–
The French nobility was a privileged social class in France during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period to the revolution in 1790. The nobility was revived in 1805 with limited rights as an elite class from the First Empire to the fall of the July Monarchy in 1848. Hereditary titles, without privileges, continued to be granted until the Second Empire fell in 1870 and they survive among their descendants as a social convention and as part of the legal name of the corresponding individuals. In the political system of pre-Revolutionary France, the nobility made up the Second Estate of the Estates General, although membership in the noble class was mainly inherited, it was not a fully closed order. New individuals were appointed to the nobility by the monarchy, or they could purchase rights and titles, sources differ about the actual number of nobles in France, however, proportionally, it was among the smallest noble classes in Europe. For the year 1789, French historian François Bluche gives a figure of 140,000 nobles and states that about 5% of nobles could claim descent from feudal nobility before the 15th century, with a total population of 28 million, this would represent merely 0. 5%. Historian Gordon Wright gives a figure of 300,000 nobles, in terms of land holdings, at the time of the revolution, noble estates comprised about one-fifth of the land. The French nobility had specific legal and financial rights and prerogatives, the first official list of these prerogatives was established relatively late, under Louis XI after 1440, and included the right to hunt, to wear a sword and, in principle, to possess a seigneurie. Nobles were also granted an exemption from paying the taille, except for lands they might possess in some regions of France. Furthermore, certain ecclesiastic, civic, and military positions were reserved for nobles and these feudal privileges are often termed droits de féodalité dominante. With the exception of a few isolated cases, serfdom had ceased to exist in France by the 15th century, in early modern France, nobles nevertheless maintained a great number of seigneurial privileges over the free peasants that worked lands under their control. They could, for example, levy the tax, an annual tax on lands leased or held by vassals. Nobles could also charge banalités for the right to use the lords mills, ovens, alternatively, a noble could demand a portion of vassals harvests in return for permission to farm land he owned. In the 17th century this system was established in Frances North American possessions. However, the also had responsibilities. Nobles were required to honor, serve, and counsel their king and they were often required to render military service. The rank of noble was forfeitable, certain activities could cause dérogeance, most commercial and manual activities were strictly prohibited, although nobles could profit from their lands by operating mines and forges. The nobility in France was never a closed class
French nobility
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A
signet ring with coat of arms
French nobility
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Kingdom of France
French nobility
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The abolition of privileges, relief by
Léopold Morice at the "Monument to the Republic", Paris
French nobility
–
Joan II, Countess of Auvergne (1378-1424)
18.
Paris
–
Paris is the capital and most populous city of France. It has an area of 105 square kilometres and a population of 2,229,621 in 2013 within its administrative limits, the agglomeration has grown well beyond the citys administrative limits. By the 17th century, Paris was one of Europes major centres of finance, commerce, fashion, science, and the arts, and it retains that position still today. The aire urbaine de Paris, a measure of area, spans most of the Île-de-France region and has a population of 12,405,426. It is therefore the second largest metropolitan area in the European Union after London, the Metropole of Grand Paris was created in 2016, combining the commune and its nearest suburbs into a single area for economic and environmental co-operation. Grand Paris covers 814 square kilometres and has a population of 7 million persons, the Paris Region had a GDP of €624 billion in 2012, accounting for 30.0 percent of the GDP of France and ranking it as one of the wealthiest regions in Europe. The city is also a rail, highway, and air-transport hub served by two international airports, Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly. Opened in 1900, the subway system, the Paris Métro. It is the second busiest metro system in Europe after Moscow Metro, notably, Paris Gare du Nord is the busiest railway station in the world outside of Japan, with 262 millions passengers in 2015. In 2015, Paris received 22.2 million visitors, making it one of the top tourist destinations. The association football club Paris Saint-Germain and the rugby union club Stade Français are based in Paris, the 80, 000-seat Stade de France, built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, is located just north of Paris in the neighbouring commune of Saint-Denis. Paris hosts the annual French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament on the red clay of Roland Garros, Paris hosted the 1900 and 1924 Summer Olympics and is bidding to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The name Paris is derived from its inhabitants, the Celtic Parisii tribe. Thus, though written the same, the name is not related to the Paris of Greek mythology. In the 1860s, the boulevards and streets of Paris were illuminated by 56,000 gas lamps, since the late 19th century, Paris has also been known as Panam in French slang. Inhabitants are known in English as Parisians and in French as Parisiens and they are also pejoratively called Parigots. The Parisii, a sub-tribe of the Celtic Senones, inhabited the Paris area from around the middle of the 3rd century BC. One of the areas major north-south trade routes crossed the Seine on the île de la Cité, this place of land and water trade routes gradually became a town
Paris
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In the 1860s Paris streets and monuments were illuminated by 56,000 gas lamps, making it literally "The City of Light."
Paris
Paris
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Gold coins minted by the Parisii (1st century BC)
Paris
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The
Palais de la Cité and
Sainte-Chapelle, viewed from the Left Bank, from the
Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry (month of June) (1410)
19.
Louis XIV of France
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Louis XIV, known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, was a monarch of the House of Bourbon who ruled as King of France and Navarre from 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any monarch of a country in European history. In the age of absolutism in Europe, Louis XIVs France was a leader in the centralization of power. Louis began his rule of France in 1661, after the death of his chief minister. By these means he became one of the most powerful French monarchs, under his rule, the Edict of Nantes, which granted rights to Huguenots, was abolished. The revocation effectively forced Huguenots to emigrate or convert in a wave of dragonnades, which managed to virtually destroy the French Protestant minority. During Louis reign, France was the leading European power, and it fought three wars, the Franco-Dutch War, the War of the League of Augsburg. There were also two lesser conflicts, the War of Devolution and the War of the Reunions, warfare defined Louis XIVs foreign policies, and his personality shaped his approach. Impelled by a mix of commerce, revenge, and pique, in peacetime he concentrated on preparing for the next war. He taught his diplomats their job was to create tactical and strategic advantages for the French military, Louis XIV was born on 5 September 1638 in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, to Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. He was named Louis Dieudonné and bore the title of French heirs apparent. At the time of his birth, his parents had married for 23 years. His mother had experienced four stillbirths between 1619 and 1631, leading contemporaries thus regarded him as a divine gift and his birth a miracle of God. Sensing imminent death, Louis XIII decided to put his affairs in order in the spring of 1643, in defiance of custom, which would have made Queen Anne the sole Regent of France, the king decreed that a regency council would rule on his sons behalf. His lack of faith in Queen Annes political abilities was his primary rationale and he did, however, make the concession of appointing her head of the council. Louis relationship with his mother was uncommonly affectionate for the time, contemporaries and eyewitnesses claimed that the Queen would spend all her time with Louis. Both were greatly interested in food and theatre, and it is likely that Louis developed these interests through his close relationship with his mother. This long-lasting and loving relationship can be evidenced by excerpts in Louis journal entries, such as, but attachments formed later by shared qualities of the spirit are far more difficult to break than those formed merely by blood
Louis XIV of France
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Louis XIV by
Hyacinthe Rigaud (1701)
Louis XIV of France
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Louis-Dieudonné,
Dauphin of France, in 1643 by
Claude Deruet
Louis XIV of France
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Louis XIV as a child, unknown painter
Louis XIV of France
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1655 portrait of Louis, the Victor of the Fronde, portrayed as the god
Jupiter
20.
Alexandre Bontemps
–
Alexandre Bontemps was the valet of King Louis XIV and a powerful figure at the court of Versailles, respected and feared for his exceptional access to the King. There were four head or Premier valets de chambre, of whom Bontemps became the most senior in 1665 and his father, Jean Baptiste Bontemps, had been surgeon to Louis XIII of France before becoming a Premier Valet in 1643. He was thus a key figure in maintaining the security of the King, the Governorships of Versailles and Marly had been given to him in 1665 after the death of Blouin, then the senior head-valet, and passed to Blouins son in turn when Bontemps died. He was also a member of the Conseil du Roi and held a rank in the chivalric Order of Saint Lazarus. He seems to have been a figure, entirely devoted to Louis. He was twelve years older than the King and he was one of a small handful of witnesses to the secret second marriage of Louis to Madame de Maintenon. Saint-Simon speaks of royal coaches and says all the secret orders, the private audiences. He emerges better than most from the Memoirs of Saint-Simon, whose father had been a friend of Bontemps, Saint-Simon asked him for advice on important issues, using him sparingly. The memoirist Choisy wrote that part of his success with Louis came from never asking him for favours, although Saint-Simon says that he loved procuring favours solely for the pleasure of it. Great numbers of people, some of highly placed, owed their fortunes to him. The two statements are not incompatible, as Bontemps was in a position to ask favours from ministers and he says Bontemps was rough and brusque in manner, yet respectful and always in his place. His only skill lay in serving his master, and he was intent on that. Influential for the past fifty years, and with the Court at his feet and he once greatly amused Louis, when asked how his wife was, by replying mechanically with a shrug. He used the Swiss Guards stationed around the Palaces and gardens to report on the behaviour of courtiers, including their church attendance, as Intendant or Governor of Versailles, his control extended to the whole town outside the palaces, where many courtiers had houses. The office of head valet dated back to a historically unwise complaint some generations back by the Gentlemen of the Bedchamber, always great nobles, once established, the valets expanded in number and importance, somewhat at the Gentlemens expense. One of their number was always a few steps from the King wherever he went, and the four Premiers, rotating quarterly, were able to. In addition one of the ordinary valets was en poste by the Kings bed all day, inside the balustrade that separated it, like an altar communion-rail, from the rest of the room. In the morning Levée and evening Coucher ceremonies, the Grand Chamberlain of France and Premier valet did the work, according to Saint-Simon, he copied his master with a secret second marriage to the mother of La Roche, head-valet to Louiss grandson, Philip V of Spain
Alexandre Bontemps
–
The
Chateau of Marly, Louis's holiday home; one of Bontemps's responsibilities
Alexandre Bontemps
–
Louis XIV by
Hyacinthe Rigaud
21.
Chevalier de Lorraine
–
Philippe of Lorraine, called the Chevalier de Lorraine was a French nobleman and member of the House of Guise, cadet of the Ducal House of Lorraine. He was the lover of Philippe de France, Monsieur. Philippe de Lorraine was the son of the Count and Countess of Harcourt. His father, Henri of Lorraine, was created the Count of Harcourt in 1605, Henri was also the Grand Squire of France, a prestigious charge of the royal stables, the transport of the king and his ceremonial entourage. He was known as Monsieur le Grand and his mother was a member of the old House of Cambout, who traced their ancestry back to the Sovereign Dukes of Brittany. His oldest brother, Louis, was Count of Armagnac and husband of Catherine de Neufville and she was a sister of François de Neufville de Villeroy, the future governor of Louis XV. Philippe was the titulary Abbot of four abbeys, Saint-Père-en-Vallée in the Diocese of Chartres, Tiron, the two Henriettes had fled England due to the English Civil War and had lived at the Palais-Royal as a grace and favour residence. Lorraine and Henriette would later live together under closer circumstances, Monsieur married Henriette Anne at the Palais-Royal in 1661, Monsieur openly flaunted his affairs at court, especially his long term lover Lorraine. Philippe de Lorraine was three years younger than Philippe dOrléans, insinuating, brutal and devoid of scruple, he was the great love of the life of Monsieur. He was also the worst enemy of the two wives. As greedy as a vulture, this cadet of the French branch of the House of Lorraine had, by the end of the 1650s, Monsieur even said to Henriette Anne that he could not love her without Lorraines permission. Unsurprisingly, Monsieurs first marriage was not a happy one, in January 1670, his wife prevailed upon the King to imprison the chevalier, first near Lyon, then in the Mediterranean island-fortress of the Château dIf, and finally he was banished to Rome. But by February, Monsieurs protests and pleas persuaded the King to restore him to his brothers entourage, in 1682, Lorraine was exiled again, having been accused of seducing the young Count of Vermandois with his set and began practising le vice italien. Having been allowed to return to court, he was blamed for helping to instigate the marriage between Philippe dOrléans, duc de Chartres and Mademoiselle de Blois in 1692. Chartres was the son of Monsieur and his second wife Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Monsieur and Elizabeth Charlotte married in 1671. According to Henriette Anne, Elizabeth Charlotte and Saint-Simon, Monsieur was frequently manipulated by Lorraine. Monsieur died in 1701, by the end of his own life, he had lost his collection of furniture at the Palais-Royal and the money from the abbey, Saint-Simon also said that he married his cousin Béatrice Hiéronyme de Lorraine, Abbess of Remiremont. Lorraine died in 1702, aged roughly 59, from a fit of apoplexy and his niece, Marie de Lorraine, was the Princess of Monaco, as the wife of Antonio I
Chevalier de Lorraine
–
Philippe, Chevalier de Lorraine
22.
Henrietta of England
–
Henrietta of England was the youngest daughter of King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland and his wife, Henrietta Maria of France. Fleeing England with her governess at the age of three, she moved to the court of her first cousin Louis XIV of France, where she was known as Minette. After she married Philippe of France, brother of King Louis XIV, known as Monsieur at court and her marriage was marked by frequent tensions. Henrietta was instrumental in negotiating the Secret Treaty of Dover, in June 1670 – early in the month as her unexpected death. Jacobite claims to the throne of Great Britain following the death of Henry Benedict Stuart descend from her through her daughter Anne Marie and her father was King Charles I of England, her mother the youngest daughter of Henry IV of France and Marie de Medici. All her life, Henrietta would enjoy a relationship with her mother. Her connections with the court of France as niece of King Louis XIII, shortly before the birth of Henrietta, her mother had been forced to leave Oxford for Exeter, where she had arrived on 1 May 1644. Many thought she would not survive the birth due to her state of health at the time, after a particularly difficult birth, the princess was put in the care of Anne Villiers, Countess of Morton, known at that time as Lady Dalkeith. For the safety of the infant princess, the decided to make her way to Falmouth. Arriving at Falmouth in mid-July, the queen was informed that the infant princess had been ill with convulsions. On 26 July, Henrietta met her father, Charles I of England, prior to his arrival, the king had ordered that the princess would be baptised in accordance with the rites of the Church of England, and she was baptised Henrietta at Exeter Cathedral on 21 July. A canopy of state was erected in honour of her dignity as a Princess of England, while living at the French court, the princess was given the name Anne in honour of her aunt, the French queen Anne of Austria. When she first arrived, she was known as Henrietta dAngleterre or the princesse dAngleterre in France and she and her mother were given apartments at the Louvre, a monthly pension of 30,000 livres and the use of the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. This lavish establishment soon diminished as all the money Queen Henrietta Maria received was given to her husband in England or to exiled cavaliers who had fled to France. During the Fronde, the war that raged in France between 1648 and 1653, Henrietta and her mother stayed at the Louvre. In February 1649, Henriettas mother was informed of the execution of her husband Charles I, at the end of the Fronde, Queen Henrietta Maria and her daughter moved into the Palais Royal with the young Louis XIV and his mother and brother Philippe. At the same time, Queen Henrietta Maria decided to have her daughter, with the arrival of Henriettas brother, Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester, in 1652, their small court was increased. After the Fronde was over, the French court made it a priority to find a bride for the king of France
Henrietta of England
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Painting by
Mignard
Henrietta of England
–
A posthumous painting by
Peter Lely of Princess Henrietta commissioned by her brother King Charles II and presented by him to Exeter Guildhall, in the Council Chamber of which it still hangs today, in recognition of her birth in Bedford House, Exeter, the
town house of the
Earl of Bedford who had given her mother refuge during the dangerous years before her father's execution in 1649
Henrietta of England
–
Henrietta as
Minerva holding a painting of
Monsieur, by Antoine Mathieu
23.
Madame de Maintenon
–
Françoise dAubigné, Marquise de Maintenon was the second wife of King Louis XIV of France. She was known during her first marriage as Madame Scarron, and her marriage to the king was never officially announced or admitted, though she was very influential at court. She founded the Maison royale de Saint-Louis, a school for girls from noble families. Françoise dAubigné was born on 27 November 1635, but her place of birth is under speculation, a plaque suggests her birthplace was at the Hotel du Chaumont in Niort, in western France. Her mother, Jeanne de Cardilhac, was the daughter of Constants jailer and her grandfather was Agrippa dAubigné, a well-known Protestant General, a former intimate servant of Henry IV, and an epic poet. Suzanne would later go to serve Anne of Austria and Maria Theresa, in 1639 Françoises father was released from prison and went with his family to the island of Martinique in the West Indies. Jeanne was a mother, allowed her children few liberties. Constant returned to France, leaving his wife and children behind in Martinique, Jeanne was forever trying to be mother and father to her children, and eventually she made it back to France, to join her husband in 1647. Within months of her return to France Jeannes husband died and Françoise returned to the care of her aunt, Madame de Villette. The Villettes house, Mursay, became a memory for Françoise. The de Villettes were wealthy and took care of the child. When this became known to her godmothers family, an order was issued that Françoise had to be educated in a convent, Françoise disliked the convent life, but she grew to love one of the nuns there, Sister Céleste, who persuaded Françoise to take her First Communion. I loved her more than I could possibly say, I wanted to sacrifice myself for her service. Madame de Neuillant, the mother of Françoises godmother Suzanne, brought her to Paris and introduced her to sophisticated women and men, in her excursion with Madame de Neuillant, Françoise met Paul Scarron, who was 25 years older than she, and began to correspond with him. Scarron was a poet and novelist, who counted Marie de Hautefort. He offered her marriage, or to pay her dowry so that she enter a convent. Although Scarron suffered from acute and crippling rheumatoid arthritis, she accepted his proposal, the match permitted her to gain access to the highest levels of Paris society, something that would have otherwise been impossible for a girl from an impoverished background. For nine years, she was Scarrons wife and nurse, and a fixture in his social circle
Madame de Maintenon
–
The Marquise de Maintenon
Madame de Maintenon
–
Mme de Maintenon
24.
Maria Theresa of Spain
–
Maria Theresa of Spain, was by birth Infanta of Spain and Portugal and Archduchess of Austria as member of the Spanish branch of the House of Habsburg and by marriage Queen of France and Navarre. Her marriage in 1660 with King Louis XIV was made with the purpose to end the war between France and Spain. Without any political influence in the French court or government, she died at the age of 44 from complications from an abscess on her arm. Born an Infanta of Spain at the Royal Monastery of El Escorial, she was the daughter of King Philip IV, and his wife Elisabeth of France, as a member of the House of Habsburg, Maria Theresa was entitled to use the title Archduchess of Austria. Unlike France, the kingdom of Spain had no Salic Law, when Maria Theresas brother Balthasar Charles died in 1646, she became heiress presumptive to the vast Spanish Empire and remained such until the birth of Philip Prospero, in 1657. She was heiress presumptive once more between 1 November and 6 November 1661– the death of Prince Philip and the birth of Prince Charles, who would later inherit the thrones of Spain as Charles II. In 1658, as war with France began to wind down, anne of Austria desired an end to hostilities between her native country of Spain and her adopted one, France. However, Spanish procrastination led to a scheme in which Frances prime minister, Cardinal Mazarin, pretended to seek a marriage for his master with Margaret Yolande of Savoy. When Philip IV of Spain heard of a meeting at Lyon between the Houses of France and Savoy in November 1658, he reputedly exclaimed of the Franco-Savoyard union that it cannot be, and will not be. Philip then sent an envoy to the French court to open negotiations for peace. The negotiations for the contract were intense. This was eventually done but, by the skill of Mazarin and his French diplomats, the renunciation and its validity were made conditional upon the payment of a large dowry. As it turned out, Spain, impoverished and bankrupt after decades of war, was unable to pay such a dowry, a marriage by proxy to the French king was held in Fuenterrabia. On 9 June the marriage took place in Saint-Jean-de-Luz at the rebuilt church of Saint Jean the Baptist. After the wedding, Louis wanted to consummate the marriage as quickly as possible, the new queens mother-in-law arranged a private consummation instead of the public one that was the custom. On 26 August 1660, the made the traditional Joyous Entry into Paris. Maria Theresa was very fortunate to have found a friend at court in her mother-in-law and she continued to spend much of her free time playing cards and gambling, as she had no interest in politics or literature. Consequently, she was viewed as not fully playing the part of queen designated to her by her marriage, but more importantly, she became pregnant in early 1661, and a long-awaited son was born on 1 November 1661
Maria Theresa of Spain
–
Portrait of Maria Theresa of Spain as Queen of France
Maria Theresa of Spain
–
Signature
Maria Theresa of Spain
–
Maria Theresa as Infanta of Spain and Portugal
Maria Theresa of Spain
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Infanta Maria Theresa by Velázquez, 1653. Here, she wears her hair in a popular style at the Spanish royal court and a dress with wide panniers, also popular in Spain.
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