Author Topic: Books on French Royals  (Read 150423 times)

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Robert_Hall

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Re: Books on French Royals
« Reply #135 on: February 08, 2011, 04:24:04 PM »
The French court did not have "debutantes" balls.  Individual  girls were normally presented by a family member, already in the Court to show that she was available for  marriage or to be open for a position in service as a noble lady.
 Likewise, there were no "seasons" as such. The court moved with the king, wherever he went.  Entertainments were constant, at Versailles especially. Naturally religious fetes and royal weddings were  great reasons for a grand party.
 Court etiquette was formalized  and structured under Louis XIV and kept the same pretty much  under even the Bonaparte monarchies [who, BTW, may have been the ones to introduce "debuts at Court, a'langlaise]
 There are many sources, in English of the Court and it's rules. -  Versailles and the Trianons, by Nolhac, Versailles and the Court under Louis XIV by  Farmer. And  many court memoirs, like Montespan, Campan, etc. I have a set of 20 volumes on just that- memoirs of the French Courts, both Bourbon and Bonaparte. The complete set may be hard and costly to find, but the individual volumes do come up on book searches. [all in English translations]

alastair

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Re: Books on French Royals
« Reply #136 on: February 08, 2011, 04:25:42 PM »
I don't mean the court I mean the aristocracy and high society. 1900 to 1939 or about then

Robert_Hall

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Re: Books on French Royals
« Reply #137 on: February 08, 2011, 06:13:35 PM »
The tread is about  French Royalty, so fair assumption on my part.
 However, if the era you are after, the perhaps Beauty in Exile; The artists, models and Nobility who fled the revolution and  influenced the world of fashion [Paris] Lots stuff on the  "society of that period. Author is  Vassiliev.

Offline Suzanne

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Re: Books on French Royals
« Reply #138 on: April 05, 2012, 11:36:52 PM »
I found this book fascinating. It restores Joan of Arc's patron, Queen Yolande of Sicily, Countess of Provence and Duchess of Anjou to her rightful place in French history.

http://www.royalhistorian.com/the-medieval-book-reviews-1-the-maid-and-the-queen-the-secret-history-of-joan-of-arc-by-nancy-goldstone/

Offline Suzanne

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Re: Books on French Royals
« Reply #139 on: April 11, 2012, 10:19:14 PM »
There is an interesting new book out about Marie and Hortense Mancini. Their lives intersected with many of the royal families of the seventeenth century

http://www.royalhistorian.com/the-kings-mistresses-by-elizabeth-c-goldsmith-book-review/

Offline Suzanne

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Robert_Hall

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Re: Books on French Royals
« Reply #141 on: April 13, 2012, 03:54:18 PM »
The first book you cite is not very good at research, apparently. Josephine was not Napoleon's wife at the time of his overthrow. Marie Louise was. I hope that was not the point of the book.

Offline Превед

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Re: Books on French Royals
« Reply #142 on: September 13, 2013, 07:19:43 PM »
Anyone know any good books on the French aristocracy. Including things like debutantes, social season , ettiquette etc . All the ones I can find seem only ever find are only in French X

Well, I suggest you follow the example of the debutantes, for whom acquiering a smattering of French was de rigueur. Without, one is quite perdu!

À propos de perdu.... Proust is always a good, if random source of us et coutumes of Parisian high society during the Belle-Époque. Just consider what he has to say about the U and non-U pronunciation of the Bourbons' Austrian exile:

S'il n'y avait aucune affectation, aucune volonté de fabriquer un langage à soi, alors cette façon de prononcer était un vrai musée d'histoire de France par la conversation. « Mon grand-oncle Fitt-jam » n'avait rien qui étonnât, car on sait que les Fitz-James proclament volontiers qu'ils sont de grands seigneurs français, et ne veulent pas qu'on prononce leur nom à l'anglaise. Il faut, du reste, admirer la touchante docilité des gens qui avaient cru jusque-là devoir s'appliquer à prononcer grammaticalement certains noms et qui, brusquement, après avoir entendu la duchesse de Guermantes les dire autrement, s'appliquaient à la prononciation qu'ils n'avaient pu supposer. Ainsi, la duchesse ayant eu un arrière-grand-père auprès du comte de Chambord, pour taquiner son mari d'être devenu Orléaniste, aimait à proclamer : « Nous les vieux de Frochedorf ». Le visiteur qui avait cru bien faire en disant jusque-là « Frohsdorf » tournait casaque au plus court et disait sans cesse « Frochedorf ». (From Proust, Marcel. A la recherche du temps perdu. V : La Prisonnière.)

Methinks the U pronunciation is Austrian dialect, à la frohesch Fescht for frohes Fest?
« Last Edit: September 13, 2013, 07:30:36 PM by Превед »
Берёзы севера мне милы,—
Их грустный, опущённый вид,
Как речь безмолвная могилы,
Горячку сердца холодит.

(Афанасий Фет: «Ивы и берёзы», 1843 / 1856)

Offline JamesAPrattIII

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Re: Books on French Royals
« Reply #143 on: September 22, 2013, 07:08:44 PM »
I have some books:
The Wars of Louis XIV 1667-1714 John Lynn
Giant of the Grand Siecle John Lynn (John Lynn writes about Louis XIVs military and is great at it)
The Affair of the Poisons Francis Mossiker murder and scandal at Louis XIVs court
The Queens Necklace Francis Mossiker on the affair of the diamond necklace
The War of the Austrian Succession 1740 -1748 Reed Browning
The Nine Years war and the british army 1688-1697 John Child
The Kings Honor and the kings cardinal The War of the Polish Succession john L Sutton

Offline JamesAPrattIII

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Re: Books on French Royals
« Reply #144 on: September 23, 2013, 08:14:39 PM »
There is a site versallies3d.com for who want to know what Versallies looked like over the years

Eric_Lowe

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Re: Books on French Royals
« Reply #145 on: September 24, 2013, 06:08:09 PM »
Sounds interesting. I would pick Louis XIV era since the rooms are not in that style anymore or buildings like the Trianon de Porcelain.

Offline Marie Valerie

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Re: Books on French Royals
« Reply #146 on: October 31, 2014, 02:54:45 PM »
Are there any photos of Sophie of Alencons children Louise & Emmanuel in "Mon Album de famille" ?

Eric_Lowe

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Re: Books on French Royals
« Reply #147 on: November 03, 2014, 12:11:07 AM »
Should have...

Offline JamesAPrattIII

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Re: Books on French Royals
« Reply #148 on: March 21, 2015, 05:43:36 PM »
not a book but a movie on Versailles "A Little Chaos" is in the works

Offline JamesAPrattIII

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Re: Books on French Royals
« Reply #149 on: January 03, 2016, 07:01:57 PM »
Another book:
"The French Musketeer 1622-1775" Rene Chartrand