Home About us Products Services Contact us Bookmark
:: wikimiki.org ::
Louvre

Louvre

: the entrance to the galleries lies below the glass pyramid]] The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre) in Paris, France, is one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. The building, a former royal palace, lies in the centre of Paris, between the Seine river and the Rue de Rivoli. Its central courtyard, now occupied by the Louvre glass pyramid, lies in the axis of the Champs-Élysées, and thus forms the nucleus from which the Axe historique springs. Part of the royal Palace of the Louvre was first opened to the public as a museum on November 8, 1793, during the French Revolution. The building it self was sent as a gift from the mighty Polish Empire in the year 700

The building

French Revolution The first royal "Castle of the Louvre" on this site was founded by Philippe II in 1190, as a fortress to defend Paris on its west against Viking attacks. In the 14th century, Charles V turned it into a palace, but Francois I and Henri II tore it down to build a real palace; the foundations of the original fortress tower are now under the Salle des Cariatides (Room of the Caryatids). The existing part of the Château du Louvre was begun in 1546. The architect Pierre Lescot introduced to Paris the new design vocabulary of the Renaissance, which had been developed in the châteaux of the Loire. His new wing for the old castle defined its status, as the first among the royal palaces. J. A. du Cerceau also worked on the Louvre. J. A. du Cerceau During his reign (1589 - 1610), King Henri IV added the Grande Galerie. More than a quarter of a mile long and one hundred feet wide, this huge addition was built along the bank of the Seine River and at the time was the longest edifice of its kind in the world. Henri IV, a promoter of the arts, invited hundreds of artists and craftsmen to live and work on the building's lower floors. This tradition continued for another two hundred years until Napoleon ended it. Louis XIII (1610-1643) completed the Denon Wing, which had been started by Catharine Medici in 1560. Today it has been renovated, as a part of the Grand Louvre Renovation Programme. The Richelieu Wing was also built by Louis XIII. It was part of the Minisrty of Economy of France, which took up most of the north wing of the palace. The Ministry was moved and the wing was renovated and turned into magnificient galleries which were inaugurated in 1993, the 200th anniversary of the Louvre Museum. Commissioned by King Louis XIV, architect Claude Perrault's eastern wing (1665 - 1680), crowned by an uncompromising Italian balustrade along its distinctly non-French flat roof, was a ground-breaking departure in French architecture. His severe design was chosen over a design provided by the great Bernini, who came to Paris for the purpose. Perrault had translated the Roman architect Vitruvius into French. Now Perrault's rhythmical paired columns form a shadowed colonnade with a central pedimented triumphal arch entrance raised on a high, rather defensive basement, in a restrained classicizing baroque manner that has provided models for grand edifices in Europe and America for centuries. The Metropolitan Museum in New York, for one example, reflects Perrault's Louvre design. Napoleon I built the Jardin du Carrousel. In those times this garden was the entrance to the Palais des Les Tuileries. The Arc du Triomphe du Carrousel (Triumph Arch) was built by Napoleon I in 1805, to commemorate his victories. The Louvre was still being added to by Napoleon III. The new wing of 1852 - 1857, by architects Visconti and Hector Lefuel, represents the Second Empire's version of Neo-Baroque, restlessly charged with detail everywhere and laden with sculpture. Work continued until 1876. In 1989, the Crystal Pyramid was inaugurated. It was deesigned and built by Ieoh Ming Pei. It was the first renovation of the Grand Louvre Project. Today, many renovations are taking place. The last one was finished two months ago. That was the renovation of the Carre Gallery, where the Mona Lisa is exhibited.

The museum

Mona Lisa Mona Lisa (1759). Three metres (ten feet) long, this is a painting of other paintings]] 1759]] The Louvre holds the rich artistic heritage of the French people from the early Capetian Kings through the Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte and to the present day. Long managed by the French state under the Réunion des Musées Nationaux the Louvre has recently acquired powers of self-management as an "Etablissement Public Autonome" in order to better manage its growth. Since September 14, 2005, the Louvre museum has gradually forbidden the taking of photos of its artworks.[http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/It_is_forbidden_to_take_pictures_%21] Among the thousands of priceless paintings is Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, perhaps the most famous painting in the world; it is housed in the Salle des Etats in a climate-controlled environment behind protective glass. Works of artists like Fragonard, Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian, Poussin, and David can also be seen. Among the well-known sculptures in the collection are the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo. The collection of Baron Edmond de Rothschild (1845-1934), given to the Louvre in 1935, fills an exhibition room. It contains more than 40,000 engravings, nearly 3,000 drawings and 500 illustrated books. Besides art, the Louvre has many other types of exhibits, including archeology, history, and architecture. It has a large furniture collection, whose most spectacular item used to be the Bureau du Roi of the 18th century, now returned to the Palace of Versailles. The most recent significant modification of the Louvre was the "Grand Louvre" project, under president François Mitterrand. This opened the north wing of the building, which had hitherto housed government offices, and covered over several small internal courtyards. Most spectacular of all, it added a glass pyramid designed by the architect I. M. Pei at the center of the palace. The much expanded and re-organized Louvre reopened in 1989. The Louvre, being so famous, is widely used in novels and on television. Examples include a setting for the book The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, among others.

Le Louvre-Lens

A second Louvre will be built in Lens, Pas-de-Calais in the North of France.[http://www.nordpasdecalais.fr/louvrelens/intro.htm] The museum will be designed by the Japanese architecture cabinet [http://www.sanaa.co.jp/ Sanaa] and should open in 2009. It will be a group of glass and aluminum buildings in the middle of a large garden.

Access

Metro Palais-Royal-Musée-du-Louvre or Louvre-Rivoli.

Notable works

Famous artworks in the Louvre include:
- Et in Arcadia ego
- Lady of Auxerre
- Mona Lisa
- Nike of Samothrace (illustrated)
- Ship of Fools
- Venus de Milo
- The Virgin and Child with St. Anne
- La Pyramide Inversée Image:Poussinorig.jpg|Et in Arcadia ego Image:Lady-of-auxerre.jpg|Lady of Auxerre Image:Mona Lisa.jpg|Mona Lisa Image:Winged victory.jpg|Nike of Samothrace Image:BoschShipOfFools.jpg|Ship of Fools Image:Wenuszmf.jpg|Venus de Milo Image:Virginandchildwithstanne.JPG|The Virgin and Child with St. Anne Image:Invertedpyramidlouvre1.jpg|La Pyramide Inversée

See also


- WebLouvre Category:Art museums and galleries in Paris ko:루브르 박물관 ja:ルーヴル美術館 simple:Louvre



Museum

A museum is typically a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education, enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment." This definition is taken from the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Statutes, article 2, paragraph 1, and is regularly reviewed and modified at the triennial ICOM General Assemblies. The italicized tangible and intangible was substituted for the previous material at the last triennial General Assembly in Seoul in 2004, pending ratification at the next General Assembly in Vienna in 2007. (The new wording was introduced in the revised ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums, which is another of the museum profession's core normative instruments.) Museums are usually not run for the purpose of making a profit, unlike galleries which engage in the sale of objects. There are governmental museums, non-governmental or non-profit museums, and privately-owned or family museums. Modern museums concentrate on a particular subject, and most museums belong to one or more of the following categories: fine arts, applied arts, archaeology, anthropology, ethnology, history, cultural history, science, technology, natural history. Within these categories many museums specialize further, e.g. museums of modern art, local history, aviation history, agriculture or geology. A museum normally houses a core collection of important selected objects in its field. Objects are formally accessioned by being registered in the museum's collection with an artifact number and details recorded about their provenance. The persons in charge of the collection and of the exhibits are known as curators. Open-air museums collect and re-erect old buildings at large outdoor sites, usually in settings of re-created landscapes of the past. The first one was King Oscar II's collection near Oslo in Norway, opened in 1881. In 1891 Arthur Hazelius founded the famous Skansen in Stockholm, which became the model for subsequent open air museums in Northern and Eastern Europe, and eventually in other parts of the world. Most open air museums are located in regions where wooden architecture prevail, as wooden structures may be translocated without substantial loss of authenticity. A more recent but related idea is realized in the ecomuseums, which originated in France. Early museums began as princely collections of art and rare or curious natural objects and artifacts. These were often displayed in so-called wonder rooms or cabinets of curiosities. cabinets of curiosities] Museums are usually open to the general public, sometimes charging an admission fee. Some museums have free entrance, either permanently or on special days, e.g. once per week or year. The museum is usually run by a director, who has a curatorial staff that cares for the objects and arranges their display. Large museums often will have a research division or institute, which are frequently involved with studies related to the museum's items, as well as an education department, in charge of providing interpretation of the materials to the general public. Objects come to the collection through a variety of means. Either the museum itself or an associated institute may organize expeditions to acquire more items or documentation for the museum. More typically, however, museums will purchase or trade for artifacts or receive them as donations or bequests. For instance, a museum featuring Impressionist art may receive a donation of a Cubist work which simply cannot be fit into the museum's exhibits, but it can be used to help acquire a painting more central to the museum's focus. Larger museums may have an "Acquisitions Department" whose staff is engaged fulltime in this kind of activity. Museums often cooperate to sponsor joint, often traveling, exhibits on particular subjects when one museum may not by itself have a collection sufficiently large or important. These exhibits have limited engagements and often depend upon an additional entry fee from the public to cover costs. The word "museum" comes from the Latin museum, plural musea, which is in turn derived from the Greek mouseion, which refers to a place or temple dedicated to the Muses, the patron divinities in Greek mythology of the arts. It is said that there are more museums per person in Finland than in any other country in the world. A recent development with the expansion of the web, is the establishment of virtual museums, typically with no counterpart in the real world.

Further reading


- Tony Bennett, The Birth of the Museum: History, Theory, Politics, Routledge 1995

Museum designers

Notable international museum designers include Ralph Appelbaum and Edwin Schlossberg.

See also


- List of museums
- List of notable museums and galleries
- List of transport museums
- Art museum
- Maritime museum
- Science museum
- Open air museum
- Virtual museum
- Wax museum

External links


- [http://www.globalmuseum.org Global Museum]
- [http://www.museumnews.net/ Museum News]
- [http://vlmp.museophile.com/ Virtual Library museums pages] (VLmp)
- [http://icom.museum/ International Council of Museums] (ICOM)
- [http://about.museum/ The .museum top-level domain] (Dot-museum)
- [http://www.molli.org.uk/ MOLLI] (Museum On-Line Learning Initiatives)
- [http://www.insecula.com/ Great Museums in the World]
- [http://www.greece-museums.com/ Museums in Greece]
- [http://www.chinamuseums.com/ Museums in China]
- [http://www.censusfinder.com/guide_to_historical_museums.htm US Historical Museums Guide]
- [http://schulmuseum.net/ Schulmuseen in Europa]
- [http://www.aam-us.org/index.cfm/ American Association of Museums]
- A Category:Buildings and structures ms:Muzium ja:博物館 th:พิพิธภัณฑ์

Seine

This article is about the river in France. For other rivers named Seine, see Seine River (disambiguation). For the old Seine département, see Seine (département). A seine is also a kind of fishing net. The Seine (pronounced in French) is a major river of south-western

Headline text

France, and one of its commercial waterways. It is also a tourist attraction, particularly within the city of Paris.

Origin of the name

The name "Seine" comes from the Latin Sequana, which itself comes from Gaulish (Celtic) Sicauna. The name Sicauna is made up of Celtic sakw, which means "sacred" and comes from the Proto-Indo-European root
- sak- (which also gave Latin sacer and sanctus, which in turn gave English sacred and saint), and from a Celtic (or more probably Pre-Indo-European) suffix -onna which means "source, river", and which can be found in the name of many rivers of western Europe (such as the Garonne or the Dordogne). The name "Sakw -onna" ("sacred source", "sacred river"), is also the name of several other western European rivers, such as the Saône River, and possibly also the River Shannon. Another proposed etymology posits that Sequana is the Latin version of Gaulish Isicauna. Is-Icauna would be the diminutive of Icauna, which was the Gaulish name of the Yonne River. The ancient Gauls considered the Seine to be a tributary of the Yonne, which indeed presents a greater average discharge than the Seine (the river flowing through Paris should be called Yonne if the standard rules of geography were applied). Icauna comes from the Pre-Indo-European roots inka -onna. Further research will be needed to decide between both etymologies. Further downstream in what is now Normandy, the Seine was known as Rodo, or Roto, which is a traditional Celtic name for rivers, and is also the original name of the Rhône River (see Rhône article for further explanations). This is proved by the name of Rouen, which was Rotomagos in Gaulish, meaning "field, plain (magos in Gaulish, whose meaning evolved into "market") of the Roto".

Geography

The river is 780 km (485 miles) long, France's second-longest (after the Loire). Its main tributaries are the Aube, Marne and Oise rivers from the north and the Yonne and Eure rivers from the south. It is connected with canals to the Scheldt (also called the Escaut), Meuse, Rhine, Saône and Loire rivers. The Seine rises in the French région of Burgundy, in the département of Côte-d'Or, 30 km (18 miles) northwest of Dijon at a height of 471 metres (1545 feet). The river then flows through Troyes to Paris. In Paris, narrowed between high stone embankments, the river carries commercial barges, waterbuses and large tourist boats (bateaux-mouches). From the water, fine views are seen of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay (housing Paris' collection of Impressionist art), the Conciergerie and the Eiffel Tower. The northern side of the river is described as the Right Bank (Rive Droite) and the southern side as the Left Bank (Rive Gauche), because when facing the same direction that the river flows, these are the directions to the left and right. Left Bank The river then meanders in large loops through Normandy and Rouen, entering the English Channel (La Manche) in an estuary between Le Havre and Honfleur. The water of the Seine is an important resource. Electric power stations, thermal and nuclear, pull their cooling water from the river. Half the water used in the Paris region, both for industry and for consumption, and three quarters of the water used in the area between Rouen and Le Havre, is taken from the river.
Honfleur

Navigation

The Seine is dredged and oceangoing vessels can dock at Rouen, 120 km (75 miles) from the sea. Commercial riverboats can use the river from Bar-sur-Seine, 560 km (350 miles) from its mouth. At Paris, the river is only 24 metres (80 feet) above sea level, 445 km (277 miles) from its mouth, making it slow flowing and thus easily navigable. The tidal section of the river, from Le Havre to well beyond Rouen, is followed by a canalized section with four large multiple locks until the mouth of the Oise river at Conflans-Sainte-Honorine. Then two more multiple locks at Bougival / Chatou and at Suresnes lift the vessels to the level of the river in Paris, where the mouth of the Marne River is located. Upstream from Paris seven more locks ensure navigation to Saint Mammès (where the Loing mouth is situated). Through an eighth lock the river Yonne is reached at Monterau. From the mouth of the Yonne, larger ships can continue upstream the Seine till Nogent-sur-Seine. From there on, the river is only navigable for small craft. All navigation ends abruptly at Marcilly-sur-Seine, where the ancient Canal de la Haute Seine used to allow vessels to continue all the way to Troyes. This canal has been abandoned for many years now. (Source: [http://www.noordersoft.com/indexen.html NoorderSoft Waterways Database])

History

In ancient times the Seine was known by the Latin name Sequana. Dredging in the 1960s mostly eliminated the tidal bore ("le mascaret") and the surrounding area. It was split into four départements in 1968: Paris, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne. See: Seine (département). The Banks of the Seine in Paris were added to the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1991.

See also

Seine (département) Bateau-mouche Sightseeing boats of the Seine Category:Rivers of France ko:센 강 ja:セーヌ川

Rue de Rivoli

Rue de Rivoli is one of the most famous streets of Paris, a commercial street whose shops include the most fashionable names in the world. It bears the name of Napoleon's early victory against the Austrian army, at the battle of Rivoli, fought January 14 and 15, 1797. The rue de Rivoli marked a transitional compromise between an urbanism of prestige monuments and aristocratic squares, and the forms of modern town planning by official regulation. The new street that Napoleon Bonaparte pierced through the heart of Paris took for one side the north wing of the Louvre, which Napoleon extended, and the Tuileries Gardens. For the first time ever, a handsome, regular, wide street would face the north wing of the old palace. Napoleon's original section of the street opened up eastward from the Place de la Concorde. Builders on the north side of the Place Louis XV, as it then was named, between rue de Mondovi and rue Saint-Florentin, had been constrained by letters patent in 1757 and 1758 to follow a single façade plan. The result was a pleasing uniformity, and Napoleon's planners extended a similar program, which has resulted in the famous arcaded facades that extend for almost a mile. The restored Bourbon King Charles X continued the rue de Rivoli eastwards from the Louvre, as did King Louis-Philippe. Finally, Emperor Napoleon III extended it on into the 17th-century quarter of the Marais (see: Right Bank). Beneath the rue de Rivoli runs one of the main brick-vaulted oval-sectioned sewers of Paris' much-imitated system, with its sidewalks for the sewerworkers. In 1852, opposite the wing of the Louvre, Baron Haussmann enlarged the Place du Palais-Royal that is centered on the baroque Palais Royal, built for Cardinal Richelieu in 1624 and willed to the royal family, with its garden surrounded by chic commercial arcades. At the rear of the garden is the older branch of the Bibliothèque Nationale, in rue Richelieu. North of the rue de Rivoli, at the point where the Grands Boulevards crossed an enormous new square, the new opera house was built. The Opera Garnier is a magnificent monument to the construction of the Second Empire. Just behind the opera house can be found the largest department stores, like the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. Printemps East along the rue de Rivoli, at the Place des Pyramides, is the gilded statue of Joan of Arc situated close to where she was wounded at the Saint-Honoré Gate in her unsuccessful attack on English-held Paris on September 8, 1429. A little further along, towards the Place de la Concorde, the rue de Castiglione leads to the Place Vendôme, with its Vendôme Column surmounted by the effigy of Napoleon Bonaparte.

External links


- [http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paris/hist/rivoli.html WebMuseum Paris History:] Rue de Rivoli Rivoli, rue de

Champs-Élysées

]] The Champs-Élysées (pronounced literally the "Elysian fields") is a broad avenue in the French capital Paris. With its cinemas, cafés, and luxury specialty shops, the Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets in the world. The name refers to the Elysian Fields, the place of the blessed(heaven) in Greek mythology.

Description

The avenue runs 3 km through the 8th arrondissement in northwestern Paris, from the Place de la Concorde in the east, with its obelisk (illustration, right), to the Place Charles de Gaulle (formerly the Place de l'Étoile) in the west, location of the Arc de Triomphe. The Champs-Élysées form part of the line of the Axe historique. Axe historique One of the principal tourist destinations in Paris, the lower part of the Champs-Élysées is bordered by greenery (Marigny Square) and by such buildings as the Théâtre Marigny and the Grand Palais (containing the Palais de la Découverte). The Élysée Palace is a little bit to the north, not on the avenue itself. Farther up to the west, the avenue is lined by cinemas, theaters, cafés and restaurants (most notably Fouquet's), and luxury specialty shops. Fouquet's]

History

The Champs-Élysées were originally fields and market gardens, until 1616, when Marie de Medici decided to extend the garden axis of the Palais des Tuileries with an avenue of trees. As late as 1716, Guillaume de L'Isle's map of Paris shows that a short stretch of roads and fields and market garden plots still separated the grand axe of the Tuileries gardens from the planted "Avenue des Thuilleries", which was punctuated by a circular basin where the Rond Point stands today; already it was planted with some avenues of trees radiating from it that led to the river through woods and fields. In 1724, the Tuileries garden axis and the avenue were connected and extended, leading beyond the Place de l'Étoile; the "Elysian Fields" were open parkland flanking it, soon filled in with bosquets of trees formally planted in straight rank and file. To the east the unloved and neglected "Vieux Louvre" (as it is called on the maps), still hemmed in by buildings, was not part of the axis. In a map of 1724, the Grande Avenue des Champs-Elisée stretches west from a newly-cleared Place du Pont Tournant soon to be renamed for Louis XV and now the Place de la Concorde. Louis XV By the late 1700s, the Champs-Elysées had become a fashionable avenue; the bosquet plantings on either side had thickened enough to be given formal rectangular glades (cabinets de verdure). The gardens of houses built along the Faubourg St-Honoré backed onto the formal bosquets. The grandest of them was the Élysée Palace. A semi-circle of housefronts now defined the north side of the Rond Point. Queen Marie Antoinette drove with her friends and took music lessons at the grand Hôtel de Crillon on the Place Louis XV. The avenue from the Rond Point to the Etoile was built up during the Empire. The Champs-Élysées itself became city property in 1828, and footpaths, fountains, and gas lighting were added. Over the years, the avenue has undergone numerous transitions, most recently in 1993, when the sidewalks were widened.

Commerce

1993 In 1860, the merchants along the avenue joined together to form the Syndicat d'Initiative et de Défense des Champs-Élysées, changed to an association in 1916 headed by Louis Vuitton to promote the avenue. In 1980, the group changed its name to the Comité des Champs-Élysées. It is the oldest standing committee in Paris. The committee has always dedicated itself to seek public projects to enhance the avenue's luxe atmosphere, and to lobby the authorities for extended business hours. Even today, the committee has approval over the addition of new business to the avenue. Because of the high rents, few people actually live on the Champs-Élysées; the upper storeys tend to be occupied by offices. Rents are particularly high on the north side of the avenue, because of better exposure to sunlight. The splendid architecture of the grandiose "Champs-Elysées" is admired by many people. It is located right next to the Presidential palace with its rounded gate and the "Grand palais" that was erected in the late 19th century. While walking among the gardens and tree-lined promenades one could even encounter an open-air marionette theatre for children — a French tradition popular through the ages.

Events

Every year on Bastille Day, the largest military parade in Europe passes down the Champs-Élysées, reviewed by the President of the Republic (see our multimedia content on the parade). The Champs-Élysées is also the traditional end of the last stage of the Tour de France.

External links


- [http://www.insecula.com/salle/MS01196.html/ Avenue des Champs-Elysées]
- [http://www.columbia.edu/cu/arthistory/courses/parismaps/ Barry Bergdoll, Columbia University: Paris maps]
- [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=paris,+france&ll=48.869966,2.307043&spn=0.012014,0.041096&t=h&hl=en Satellite image from Google Maps] Category:Streets and squares of Paris ja:シャンゼリゼ通り

November 8

November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining.

Events


- 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great pomp as would befit a returning god.
- 1520 - Stockholm Bloodbath begins: A successful invasion of Sweden by Danish forces results in the execution of around 100 persons.
- 1576 - Eighty Years' War: Pacification of Ghent - The States-General of the Netherlands meet and unite to oppose Spanish occupation.
- 1602 - The Bodleian Library at Oxford University is opened to the public.
- 1620 - The Battle of White Mountain, the first battle in the Thirty Years' War, takes place near Prague, ending in a decisive Catholic victory in only two hours.
- 1793 - In Paris, the French Revolutionary government opens the Louvre to the public as a museum.
- 1837 - Formation of Mount Holyoke Seminary, first US college founded for women
- 1861 - American Civil War: The "Trent Affair" – The USS San Jacinto stops the United Kingdom mailship Trent and arrests two Confederate envoys, sparking a diplomatic crisis between the UK and US.
- 1864 - U.S. presidential election, 1864: Abraham Lincoln is reelected in an overwhelming victory over George McClellan.
- 1889 - Montana is admitted as the 41st U.S. state.
- 1892 - U.S. presidential election, 1892: Grover Cleveland is elected over Benjamin Harrison and James B. Weaver to win the second of his non-consecutive terms.
- 1895 - While experimenting with electricity Wilhelm Röntgen discovers x-rays.
- 1917 - People's Commissars gives authority to Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin
- 1923 - Beer Hall Putsch: In Munich, Adolf Hitler leads the Nazis in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the German government.
- 1932 - U.S. presidential election, 1932: Franklin D. Roosevelt defeats Herbert Hoover in a landslide victory.
- 1933 - Great Depression: New Deal - US President Franklin D. Roosevelt unveils the Civil Works Administration, an organization designed to create jobs for more than 4 million of the unemployed.
- 1935 - A dozen labor leaders come together to announce the creation of the Congress for Industrial Organization (CIO), an organization charged with pushing the cause for industrial unionism.
- 1935 - Fernand Bouisson becomes Prime Minister of France
- 1937 - The Nazi exhibition Der ewige Jude ("the eternal Jew") opens in Munich.
- 1939 - Venlo Incident: Two British agents of SIS are captured by the Germans.
- 1939 - In Munich, Adolf Hitler narrowly escapes an assassination attempt while celebrating the 16th anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch.
- 1941 - Albanian Communist Party founded.
- 1942 - World War II: Operation Torch - United States and United Kingdom forces land in French North Africa.
- 1942 - World War II: French resistance coup in Algiers, by which 400 Civil French patriots neutralized Vichyst XIXth Army Corps during 15 hours, arrested vichyst generals (Juin, Darlan, etc.), and so allowed the immediate success of Operation Torch in Algiers, then, from there, to the whole French North Africa.
- 1950 - Korean War: United States Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown shoots down two North Korean MiG-15s in the first jet aircraft-to-jet aircraft dog fight in history.
- 1960 - U.S. presidential election, 1960: John F. Kennedy is elected over Richard M. Nixon, becoming the youngest man elected to that office.
- 1965 - The British Indian Ocean Territory is created, consisting of Chagos Archipelago, Aldabra, Farquhar and Des Roches islands.
- 1965 - The soap opera Days of Our Lives debuts on NBC in the United States.
- 1966 - Former Massachusetts Attorney General Edward Brooke becomes the first African American elected to the United States Senate.
- 1966 - U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signs into law an antitrust exemption allowing the National Football League to merge with the upstart American Football League.
- 1971 - The fourth album of British rock group Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin IV) is released, including one of the group's most well known songs, "Stairway to Heaven".
- 1973 - The right ear of John Paul Getty III is delivered to a newspaper together with a ransom note, convincing his father to pay 2.9 million USD.
- 1974 - In Salt Lake City, Utah, Carol DaRonch narrowly escapes abduction by serial killer Ted Bundy.
- 1979 - Foundation of the Chilean Communist Party (Proletarian Action).
- 1987 - Enniskillen massacre: In Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, an Irish Republican Army bomb explodes, at a ceremony honoring Britain's war dead, killing eleven people.
- 1988 - U.S. presidential election, 1988: George H. W. Bush is elected over Michael Dukakis.
- 1991 - Marion Barry is reelected mayor of Washington, D.C..
- 1994 - For the first time in 40 years the United States Republican Party takes control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in midterm congressional elections.
- 1997 - US president Bill Clinton speaks at a dinner sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, the USA's largest gay rights organisation.
- 2002 - Iraq disarmament crisis: UN Security Council Resolution 1441 – The United Nations Security Council unanimously approves a resolution on Iraq, forcing Saddam Hussein to disarm or face "serious consequences".
- 2004 - War in Iraq: More than 10,000 U.S. troops and a small number of Iraqi army units participate in a siege on the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah.
- 2005 - Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Corzine is elected governor of New Jersey.

Births


- 35 - Nerva, Roman Emperor (d. 98)
- 1491 - Teofilo Folengo, Italian poet (d. 1544)
- 1622 - King Charles X of Sweden (d. 1660)
- 1656 (N.S.) - Edmond Halley, British astronomer and mathematician (d. 1742)
- 1694 - Leonhard Trautsch, German composer (d. 1762)
- 1706 - Johann Ulrich von Cramer, German judge and philosopher (d. 1772)
- 1710 - Sarah Fielding, English writer (d. 1768)
- 1715 - Elisabeth Christine von Braunschweig-Bevern, queen of Frederick II of Prussia (d. 1797)
- 1723 - John Byron, British naval officer (d. 1786)
- 1836 - Milton Bradley, American lithographer and game manufacturer (d. 1911)
- 1847 - Jean Casimir-Périer, French politician (d. 1907)
- 1847 - Bram Stoker, Irish novelist (d. 1912)
- 1848 - Gottlob Frege, German mathematician and logician (d. 1925)
- 1866 - Herbert Austin, English automobile pioneer (d. 1941)
- 1868 - Felix Hausdorff, German mathematician (d. 1942)
- 1869 - Zinaida Gippius, Russian woman-poet in exile in France (d. 1945)
- 1883 - Arnold Bax, English composer (d. 1953)
- 1884 - Hermann Rorschach, Swiss psychiatrist (d. 1922)
- 1893 - Clarence Williams, American jazz pianist and composer (d. 1965)
- 1896 - Bucky Harris, baseball player (d. 1977)
- 1898 - Marie Prevost, Canadian actress (d. 1937)
- 1900 - Margaret Mitchell, American author (d. 1949)
- 1900 - Charlie Paddock, American athlete (d. 1943)
- 1904 - Cedric Belfrage English-born writer (d. 1990)
- 1908 - Martha Gellhorn, American writer and journalist (d. 1998)
- 1918 - Hermann Zapf, German designer
- 1919 - P.L. Deshpande, Indian author (d. 2000 )
- 1920 - Esther Rolle, American actress (d. 1998)
- 1922 - Christiaan Barnard, South African heart surgeon (d. 2001)
- 1922 - Ademir, Brazilian football player (d. 1996)
- 1923 - Jack Kilby, American electrical engineer, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics (d. 2005)
- 1927 - Nguyen Khanh, Prime Minister of South Vietnam
- 1927 Patti Page, American singer
- 1927 -1931 - Darla Hood, American actress (d. 1979)
- 1927 - Morley Safer, Canadian journalist
- 1935 - Alain Delon, French actor
- 1942 - Angel Cordero Jr., Puerto Rican jockey
- 1947 - Minnie Riperton, American singer (d. 1979)
- 1949 - Bonnie Raitt, American singer
- 1952 - Jan Raas, Dutch cyclist
- 1953 - Alfre Woodard, American actress
- 1954 - Michael D. Brown, U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency director
- 1954 - Rickie Lee Jones, American singer and composer
- 1954 - Jeanette McGruder, American musician (P Funk)
- 1958 - Don Byron, American clarinetist
- 1961 - Leif Garrett, American singer and actor
- 1967 - Courtney Thorne-Smith, American actress
- 1968 - Parker Posey, American actress
- 1968 - Zara Whites, Dutch actress
- 1975 - Tara Reid, American actress
- 1976 - Brett Lee, Australian cricketer
- 1979 - Aaron Hughes, Irish footballer
- 1981 - Joe Cole, English footballer
- 2000 - Madison Poer, American actress
- 2000 - Marissa Poer, American actor

Deaths


- 911 - Louis the Child, last Carolingian ruler of the East Franks (b. 893)
- 955 - Pope Agapetus II
- 1171 - Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut (b. 1108)
- 1226 - King Louis VIII of France (b. 1187)
- 1246 - Berenguela of Castile, queen of Alfonso IX of Castile (b. 1180)
- 1308 - Duns Scotus, Scottish philosopher
- 1517 - Francisco Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros, Spanish statesman (b. 1436)
- 1527 - Jerome Emser, German theologian (b. 1477)
- 1599 - Francisco Guerrero, Spanish composer (b. 1528)
- 1600 - Natsuka Masaie, Japanese warlord (b. 1562)
- 1603 - Robert Catesby, English conspirator (b. 1573)
- 1658 - Witte Corneliszoon de With, Dutch naval officer (b. 1599)
- 1674 - John Milton, English poet (b. 1608)
- 1719 - Michel Rolle, French mathematician (b. 1652)
- 1830 - King Francis I of the Two Sicilies (b. 1777)
- 1887 - Doc Holliday, American gambler and gunfighter (b. 1851)
- 1890 - César Franck, Belgian composer and organist (b. 1822)
- 1917 - Colin Blythe, English cricketer (b. 1879)
- 1934 - Carlos Chagas, Brazilian physician (b. 1879)
- 1945 - August von Mackensen, German field marshal (b. 1849)
- 1953 - Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1870)
- 1953 - John van Melle, South African author (b. 1887)
- 1977 - Bucky Harris, baseball player (b. 1896)
- 1978 - Norman Rockwell, American illustrator (b. 1894)
- 1986 - Vyacheslav Molotov, Russian politician (b. 1890)
- 1998 - Jean Marais, French actor (b. 1913)
- 1999 - Leon Štukelj, Slovenian gymnast (b. 1898)
- 2005 - David Westheimer, American novelist (b. 1917)

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/8 BBC: On This Day] ---- November 7 - November 9 - October 8 - December 8 -- listing of all dates ko:11월 8일 ms:8 November ja:11月8日 simple:November 8 th:8 พฤศจิกายน



Philip II of France

Philip II (French: Philippe II), called Philip Augustus (French: Philippe Auguste) (August 21,1165 – July 14,1223), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. A member of the Capetian dynasty, Philip Augustus was born August 21, 1165 at Gonesse, Val-d'Oise, France, the son of Louis VII of France and his third wife, Adèle of Champagne. Philip was a younger half-brother of Marie de Champagne, Alix of France, Marguerite of France and Alys, Countess of the Vexin. He was an older brother of Agnes of France. In declining health, his father had him crowned at Reims in 1179. He was married on April 28, 1180 to Isabelle of Hainaut. His father and co-ruler died on September 18, 1180. His eldest son Louis (later King Louis VIII), was born on September 5, 1187. As king, he would become one of the most successful in consolidating France into one royal domain. He seized the territories of Maine, Touraine, Anjou, Brittany and all of Normandy from King John of England. His decisive victory at the Battle of Bouvines over King John and a coalition of forces that included Otto IV of Germany ended the immediate threat of challenges to this expansion (1214) and left Philip Augustus as the most powerful monarch in all of Europe. He reorganized the government, bringing to the country a financial stability which permitted a sharp increase in prosperity. His reign was popular with ordinary people when he checked the power of the nobles and passed some of it on to the growing middle class his reign had created. He went on the Third Crusade with Richard the Lionhearted and the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick I Barbarossa (1189-1192). His army left Vézelay on July 1, 1190. At first the French and English crusaders traveled together, but the armies split at Lyons, as King Richard decided to go by sea, and Philip Augustus took the overland route through the Alps to Genoa. The French and English armies were reunited in Messina, where they wintered together. On March 30, 1191 the French set sail for the Holy Land, where they launched several assaults on Acre before King Richard arrived (see Siege of Acre). By the time Acre surrendered on July 12, Philip Augustus was terribly ill with dysentery and had little more interest in further crusading. He decided to return to France, a decision that displeased King Richard, who said, "It is a shame and a disgrace on my lord if he goes away without having finished the business that brought him hither. But still, if he finds himself in bad health, or is afraid lest he should die here, his will be done." So on July 31, 1191 the French army remained in Outremer under the command of Hugues III, duke of Burgundy. King Philip and his cousin Peter de Courtenay, count of Nevers, made their way to Genoa and from there returned to France. Philip Augustus decided to marry again, and so August 15, 1193 he married Ingeborg of Denmark (1175-1236), the daughter of King Valdemar I of Denmark. She was renamed Isambour, and Stephan of Dornik described her as "very kind, young of age but old of wisdom." For some unknown reason, Philip Augustus was repulsed by her, and he refused to have her be crowned queen. Ingeborg protested this treatment, so he shut her up in a convent. He asked the pope for an annulment, on the grounds of non-consummation. Philip Augustus had not counted on Ingeborg, however; she insisted that the marriage had been consummated, and she was his wife and the rightful queen of France. In the meantime Philip Augustus had married for a third time on May 7, 1196 to Princess Agnès of Méranie (c.1180 - July 29, 1201). Their children were: # Marie (1198 - October 15, 1224) # Philippe Hurepel (1200 - 1234) Pope Innocent III declared that this new marriage was null and void, since Philip Augustus was still wed to Ingeborg. He ordered Philip to part from Agnès and when he did not, the pope placed France under an interdict in 1199. This continued until September 7, 1200. Due to pressure from the pope and from Ingeborg's brother, King Valdemar II of Denmark, Philip Augustus finally took Ingeborg back as his queen in 1213. Philip Augustus would play a significant role in one of the greatest centuries of innovation in construction and in education. With Paris as his capital, he had the main thoroughfares paved, built a central market, Les Halles, continued the construction begun in 1163 of the Gothic Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, constructed the Louvre as a fortress and gave a charter to the University of Paris (the Sorbonne) in 1200. Under his guidance, Paris became the first city of teachers the medieval world had known. Philip Augustus died July 14, 1223 at Mantes and was interred in Saint Denis Basilica. He was succeeded by his son by Isabelle of Hainaut, Louis VIII.

Sources


- Payne, Robert. The Dream and the Tomb, 1984
- Baldwin, John W. The Government of Philip Augustus, 1991 Category:1165 births Category:1223 deaths Category:Natives of Ile-de-France Category:French monarchs Category:Crusades Category:Dukes of Brittany Category:Counts of Vermandois ja:フィリップ2世 (フランス王)

1190

Events


- March 16 - Massacre and mass-suicide of the Jews of York, England prompted by Crusaders and Richard Malebys kill 150-500 Jews in Clifford's Tower
- June 10 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowned in the Saleph River while leading an army to Jerusalem.
- October 4 - Richard I of England threatens war against Tancred of Sicily, and captures Messina
- "On the Harmony of Religions and Philosophy" (ar. Kitab fasl al-maqal) first published.
- Coronation of Richard I of England (the Lion-Hearted)
- Anti-Jewish riots in England.
- In Myanmar, Anawrahta's lineage regains control with the assistance of Sri Lanka. Pagan has been in anarchy. The new regime reforms Burmese Buddhism on Sri Lankan Theravada models.
- Henry I becomes Duke of Brabant.
- Richard I of England and Philip II of France meet at Vézelay, beginning the Third Crusade.
- Stevan Nemanja founds the Studenica monastery in Serbia.
- The feudal era of Japan begins.
- Cartmel Priory founded

Births


- Vincent of Beauvais, Dominican friar and encyclopedist (died 1264)
- Peter I, Duke of Brittany (died 1251)
- William III of Sicily (died 1198)
- William of Sherwood, English logician (died 1249)

Deaths


- June 10 - Frederick Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, (drowned) (born 1122)
- William Fitzstephen, servant of Thomas a Becket
- Ranulf de Glanvill, chief justiciar of England
- Isabelle of Hainaut, queen of Philip II of France (born 1170)
- Sibylla of Jerusalem, Queen of Jerusalem (born c. 1160)
- Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester Category:1190 ko:1190년 simple:1190

Francis I of France

Francis I (French: François Ier) (September 12 1494 – July 31 1547), called the Father and Restorer of Letters (French: le Père et Restaurateur des Lettres), was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547. Francis I, a member of the Valois Dynasty, was born at Cognac, Charente, the son of Charles d'Angoulême (1459 – January 1 1496), 1st cousin of King Louis XII, and of Louise of Savoy (September 11 1476 – September 22 1531). He married Claude of France, the daughter of Louis XII. Because of the Salic Law that stated that women could not inherit the throne of France, the throne passed to Francis I at the death of Louis XII, as he was the descendant of the eldest surviving male line of the Capetian Dynasty. Claude of France became queen Consort. Francis I is considered to be France's first Renaissance monarch. His reign saw France make immense cultural advances. He was a contemporary of King Henry VIII of England and of Charles V ruler of a multinational European empire, his great rivals. When young Francis ascended the throne in 1515 he was a king with unprecedented humanist credentials. While his two predecessors, Charles VIII and Louis XII, had spent much of their reigns concerned with Italy they did not much embrace the new intellectual movements coming out of it. Both monarchs continued in the same patterns of behavior that had dominated the French monarchy for centuries. They are considered the last of the medieval French monarchs, but they did lay the groundwork for the Renaissance to come into full swing in France. Contact between the French and Italians in the long running series of wars under Charles and Louis had brought new ideas to France by the time the young Francis was receiving his education. Thus a number of his tutors, such as Desmoulins, his Latin instructor, and Christophe de Longeuil were schooled in the new ways of thinking and they attempted to imbue Francis with it. Francis' mother also had a great interest in Renaissance art, which she passed down to her son. One certainly cannot say that Francis received a humanist education; most of his teachers had not yet been affected by the Renaissance. One can, however, state that he clearly received an education more oriented towards humanism than any previous French king. By the time Francis ascended the throne in 1515 the Renaissance had clearly arrived in France, and Francis was an important supporter of the change. Francis became a major patron of the arts. He lent his support to many of the greatest artists of his time and encouraged them to come to France. Some did work for him, including such greats as Andrea del Sarto, and Leonardo da Vinci, who Francis convinced to leave Italy in the last and least productive part of his life. While Leonardo did little painting in his years in France, he brought with him many of his great works, such as the Mona Lisa, and these stayed in France upon his death. Other major artists who Francis employed include the goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini, and the painters Rosso and Primaticcio, all of whom were heavily employed in decorating Francis' various palaces. Francis employed a number of agents in Italy who endeavoured to procure artworks by Italian masters such as Michelangelo, Titian, and Raphael and ship them to France. These agents had some notable successes, even if plans to try to move Leonardo's Last Supper to France proved impractical. When Francis ascended the throne the royal palaces were decorated with only a scattering of great paintings, and not a single piece of sculpture either ancient or modern. It is during Francis' reign that the magnificent art collection of the French kings that can still be seen in the Louvre was truly begun. Francis was also renowned as a man of letters. When Francis comes up in a conversation among characters in Castiglione's Book of the Courtier, it is as the great hope to bring culture to the war-obsessed French nation. Not only did Francis support a number of major writers of the period, he was a poet himself, if not one of immense quality. Francis worked hard at improving the royal library. He appointed the great French humanist Guillaume Budé as chief librarian, and began to expand the collection. Francis employed agents in Italy looking for rare books and manuscripts, just as he had looking for art works. During his reign the size of the library increased greatly. Not only did Francis expand the library, there is also, according to Knecht, evidence that he read the books he bought for it, a much rarer feat in the royal annals. Francis set an important precedent by opening his library to scholars from around the world in order to facilitate the diffusion of knowledge. Francis was an impressive builder and he poured vast amounts of money into new structures. He continued the work of his predecessors on the Château d'Amboise and also started renovations on the Château de Blois. Early in his reign he also began construction of the magnificent Château de Chambord, very obviously inspired by the styles of the Italian renaissance, and perhaps even designed by Leonardo. Francis rebuilt the Louvre, turning it from a gloomy medieval fortress into a building of renaissance splendour. Francis financed the building of a new City Hall (Hôtel de Ville) for Paris in order to have control over the building's design. He constructed the Château de Madrid and rebuilt the Château de St-Germain-en-Laye. The largest of Francis' building projects was the reconstruction and expansion of the royal château of Fontainebleau, which quickly became his favourite place of residence. Each of Francis' projects was luxuriously decorated both inside and outside. Fontainebleau, for instance, had a gushing fountain in its courtyard where quantities of wine were mixed with the water. Militarily and politically, Francis' reign was less successful; he tried and failed to become Holy Roman Emperor, and pursued a series of wars in Italy - see Italian Wars. Francis did manage to defeat the Swiss at Marignano, which enabled him to go on and capture the Italain city-state of Milan. His most devastating defeat occurred at the Battle of Pavia (1525), where he was captured by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V: Cesare Hercolani hurt his horse and Francis was captured. So Hercolani was named "victor of the battle of Pavia". Francis was held captive in Madrid and forced to make major concessions to Charles before he was freed. Upon his return to France, however, Francis argued that his agreement with Charles was made under duress and he repudiated it. As King, in 1524, he assisted the citizens of Lyon to finance the expedition of Giovanni da Verrazano to North America; on this expedition, Verrazano claimed Newfoundland for the French crown. In 1534, he sent Jacques Cartier to explore the St. Lawrence River in Quebec to find certaines îles et pays où l'on dit qu'il se doit trouver grande quantité d'or et autres riches choses ("certain islands and lands where it is said there are great quantities of gold and other riches"). In his castle in Villers-Cotterêts, Aisne, in 1539, Francis signed the edict which made French the administrative language instead of Latin. The same edict required priests to register births and establish a registry office. An important change Francis brought to European history was that he came to an understanding with the Ottoman Turks. No formal treaties with the 'infidels' were signed, but high-level meetings between the two powers let them collude against Charles V, and in 1543 the two powers even combined for a joint naval assault on Nice. While Francis left France strewn with magnificent palaces he caused severe harm to the nation's economic well-being in order to do so. In his old age, Louis XII worried that Francis, his successor, "would spoil everything." Francis' father-in-law had left France in good shape with the monarchy ascendant over the feudal lords and the economy prospering. While Francis continued to strengthen the crown, he succeeded in undermining the nation's economy. Palaces were extremely expensive, as were wars against the Habsburgs. To pay for these efforts, Francis undermined the nation's fiscal security. Taxes went up: the taille, the tax on peasants, more than doubled, while the gabelle, the salt tax, was tripled. Francis also used new ways to raise revenues. He sold many of the crown jewels and began alienating crown lands, disposing of important liquid assets. Francis also began the process of selling offices for quick revenue. While he did not practice the selling of offices extensively he did begin the trend that would eventually undermine the entire French government. Francis' older sister, Marguerite (1492 – 1549), Queen of Navarre, wrote the classic, Heptameron. Francis' legacy is a mixed one. He achieved great cultural feats, but they came at the expense of France's economic well being. Francis I died at the Château de Rambouillet and is interred with his first wife, Claude de France, Duchess of Bretagne, in Saint Denis Basilica. He was succeeded by his son, Henry II.

Marriages

On May 18, 1514, he married (1) Claude of France (October 13 1499 – July 20 1524), the daughter of King Louis XII of France and Anne de Bretagne. Children: # Louise (August 19, 1515 – September 21, 1517) # Charlotte (October 23, 1516 – September 8, 1524) # François (February 28, 1518 – August 10, 1536) # Henri II (March 31, 1519 – July 10, 1559) # Madeleine (August 10, 1520 – July 2, 1537) married James V of Scotland # Charles (January 22, 1522 – September 9, 1545) # Marguerite, Duchess of Berry (June 5, 1523 – September 14, 1574). Married Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy. On August 7 1530, he married (2) Eléonore of Austria, with no children.

Francis I in fiction

The amorous exploits of Francis inspired the 1832 play by Fanny Kemble (1809-1893 Francis the First and the 1832 play by Victor Hugo (1802-1885), Le Roi s'amuse (The King Enjoys Himself), which latter in turn inspired the 1851 opera of Giuseppe Verdi (1813 – 1901), Rigoletto. Francis was first played in a George Méliès movie by an unknown actor in 1907, and has also been played by Claude Garry (1910), Aimé Simon-Girard (1937), Sacha Guitry (1937), Gérard Oury (1953), Jean Marais (1955), Pedro Armendáriz (1956), Claude Titre (1962), Bernard Pierre Donnadieu (1990). Category:1494 births Category:1547 deaths Category:Natives of Poitou-Charentes Category:French monarchs Category:Dukes of Milan Category:Knights of the Garter Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece ja:フランソワ1世 (フランス王) simple:Francis I of France

Henry II of France

Henry II (French: Henri II) (March 31 1519 – July 10 1559), a member of the Valois Dynasty, was King of France from July 31, 1547 until his death. Born in the Royal Château at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, the son of François I and Claude de France and the grandson of Louis VII of France and Anne de Bretagne, his marriage was arranged to Catherine de Medici (April 13 1519 - January 5 1589) on October 28 1533 when both were 14 years old. His long-running affair with Diane de Poitiers lasted throughout his married life. He was crowned King on July 25 1547 in the cathedral at Reims. His reign was marked by wars with Austria, and the persecution of the Protestant Huguenots. Henry II severely punished them, burning them alive or cutting out their tongues for speaking their Protestant beliefs. Even someone suspected of being a Huguenot was imprisoned for life. Henry II was an avid hunter and participant in jousting tournaments. On July 1 1559, during a match to celebrate the Peace Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis with his longtime enemies, the Habsburgs of Austria and to celebrate the marriage of his daughter Elizabeth of Valois to King Philip II of Spain, King Henry's eye was pierced by a sliver that penetrated the brain, from the shattered lance of Gabriel Montgomery, captain of the King's Scottish Guard. He suffered terribly, and, despite the efforts of royal surgeon Ambroise Paré, passed away on July 10 1559 and was buried in a cadaver tomb in Saint Denis Basilica. He was succeeded by his son, François II. For the next forty years following Henri II's death, France was filled with turbulence as his sons and other claimants to the French crown fought for power.

Marriage and Children

On October 28 1533, he married Catherine of Medici (April 13 1519 - January 5 1589) Issue: # François II (January 19 1544 - December 5 1560) # Elisabeth de France (April 2 1545 - October 3 1568) married Philip II of Spain # Claude (November 12 1547 - February 21 1575) married Charles II, Duke of Lorraine # Louis (February 3, 1549 - October, 1549) # Charles-Maximilien (Charles IX) (June 27 1550 - May 30 1574) # Edouard Alexandre (Henry III) (September 19 1551 - August 2 1589) # Marguerite de Valois (May 14 1553 - March 27 1615). Married Henry IV of France. # Hercule (François), Duke of Alençon and Anjou, (March 18 1555 - June 19 1584) # Jeanne (June 24 1556 - June 24 1556) (Twin - died at birth) # Victoire (June 24 1556 - August 1556) (Twin - died at two months) Henry II also had three illegitimate children:
- By Diane de Poitiers: Diane de France, Duchess d'Angoulême (1538-1619) who married François, Duke of Montmorency. Other sources says Diane's mother was Filippa Duci, and that Diane de Poitiers only raised her.
- By Jane Fleming: Henri de Valois (1551- June 1586). He was legitimized and became governor of Provence.
- By Nicole de Savigny: She gave birth to a son, but Henry II didn't legitimized him because he wasn't sure about his paternity. He gave him the title of Count of Saint-Rémy.

Prophecy

Nostradamus, the French astrologer known for his prophecies, first became famous when he predicted the death of King Henry II, as follows: CI, Q 35 The young lion will overcome the older one, on the field of combat in single battle, He will pierce his eyes through a golden cage, Two wounds made one, then he dies a cruel death. The Italian astrologer Luca Gaurico, a contemporary of Nostradamus, is also said to have predicted the king's death. Henry II of France Henry II of France Category:Natives of Ile-de-France Category:French monarchs Category:Knights of the Garter Category:Book and manuscript collectors ja:アンリ2世 (フランス王)

Pierre Lescot

Pierre Lescot (Paris c.1510 – Paris 1578) was a French architect active during the French Renaissance. Francois I took him into his service, and appointed him architect in charge of the building projects at the Louvre, which transformed the old château into the palace that we know. A project put forward by the architect and theorist Sebastiano Serlio was set aside in favor of Lescot's, in which three sides of a square court were to be enclosed by splendid apartments while on the east, facing the city as it then was, the fourth side was probably destined to be lightly closed with an arcade. Festive corner pavilions of commanding height and adorned by pillars and statues were to replace the medieval towers. Little was actually achieved beyond razing some of the old feudal structure. Though Lescot was confirmed in his position after the king's death by his heir Henri II, and though he worked at the Louvre project until his death, only the west side and part of the south side were completed, comprising the present southwest wing of the Cour Carré, the Aile Lescot, or "Lescot Wing". [http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/g/goujon/1_carree.html]. The building executed in 1546–51 set the mold of French classicism: it is of two stories with an attic richly embellished with Goujon's panels of bas-reliefs crowned by a sloping roof, a traditional feature of French building and practical in a rainy climate. The deeply recessed arch-headed windows of the ground story give the impression of an arcade, while the projecting pavilions bear small round oeil de boeuf windows above them. In the second storey slender fluted pilasters separate the windows, which alternate delicate triangular and arched pediments. Goujon's noble sculpture and architectural ornaments, are cleverly subordinated to the construction, but the surviving groundfloor Salle des Caryatides (1546–49) is named for Goujon's four caryatid figures that support the musicians' gallery. Of Lescot's constructions at the Louvre there also remain the Salle des Gardes and the Henri II staircase. His first achievements (1540–45) were the rood-screen in St-Germain-l'Auxerrois, of which only some sculptures by Goujon have been saved and in Paris the Hôtel de Ligneris (1548–50, now the Musée Carnavalet]], which was thoroughly altered by François Mansart). Here and especially in the design of the Fountain of Nymphs (1547–49), his moderate part is outshone by Goujon's sculpture. Lescot's career is so scantily documented it is not known whether he ever visited Italy, or whether his knowledge of Italian practice was derived through the architecture and engravings that issued from the School of Fontainebleau. All of Lescot's known works have sculptural decoration by Trebatti and by Jean Goujon, who collaborated with him at the Louvre. Unlike the other architects of the French Renaissance, Pierre Lescot was not from a line of masons but the son of a seigneur. His father, also Pierre Lescot, was sieur of Lissy en Brie and Clagny, not far from Versailles, seigneuries his son Pierre inherited. Although, according to a letter from Ronsard, Pierre Lescot busied himself ze