7 Key Figures of the French RevolutionThese people played integral roles in the uprising that swept through France from 1789-1799.Read more
Was Napoleon Short? Origins of the ‘Napoleon Complex’A prominent cartoonist’s mocking depiction of the French emperor managed to stick through the centuries.Read more
How Bread Shortages Helped Ignite the French RevolutionWhen Parisians stormed the Bastille in 1789 they weren’t only looking for arms, they were on the hunt for more grain—to make bread.Read more
Why Napoleon Kidnapped One Pope After AnotherPope Pius VI died in captivity, while his successor Pope Pius VII was held hostage for five years.Read more
How a Scandal Over a Diamond Necklace Cost Marie Antoinette Her HeadThe Diamond Necklace Affair reads like a fictional farce, but it was all true—and would become the final straw that led to demands for the queen’s head.Read more
Why Catherine the Great’s Enemies Turned Her into a Sex FiendFrom nymphomania to bestiality to voyeurism, there were few themes of sexual deviance that were not invented about the Empress of Russia.Read more
Why Sir Walter Raleigh Was Beheaded400 years ago, one of England’s most famous explorers fell lethally out of favor.Read more
What Inspired Queen ‘Bloody’ Mary’s Gruesome Nickname?She did burn hundreds of Protestants at the stake, but also history, as they say, is written by the victors.Read more
How Marie Antoinette’s Legacy Was Sullied By Vicious Songs About Her DeathThe execution ballads about the last queen of France spread myths about her that most people still believe.Read more