A Medieval Soap Opera
Created | Updated 2 Weeks Ago
A Medieval Soap Opera
Nantes is the historical capital of the Duchy of Brittany, although it's not part of the modern administrative region of Brittany. This was the castle of the Duke, which became a French royal castle when Anne of Brittany married the French King Charles 8th. When he died (I'll let you look it up, you may or may not find it amusing), she married his successor Louis 12th. The outside of the castle is fortified.
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Post Editor: Superfrenchie suggested I look this up. Here goes.
She hated Albret all the more, because as she grew older and increased in beauty, he had conceived a violent passion for her, but her courage and firmness put a stop to the tyrannical meddling of her ministers and filled them with respect and admiration.
She then sent a messenger to England claiming the protection of Henry VII.
Her chancellor, Montauban, supported her, considering the match far beneath her, and told Albret plainly of the aversion and indignation of the Duchess and the preposterous nature of his claims. The Comte d'Albret flew into a furious rage, but was of course powerless in the matter. And just then Charles VIII. sent to claim the wardship of the Duchess and her sister, saying that he would marry them to the two sons of the Vicomte de Rohan and resign all his claims to the duchy.
– Pictures of the Old French Court, a gossipy version of history by Catherine Bearne, New York, 1900.
Whew. This is obviously the plot of a prequel to Downton Abbey. That's what I get for looking that up on Gutenberg.
Apparently, the French court back then was more complicated than the plot of The Edge of Night. Anyway, Anne was, indeed, married to two French kings and apparently had the diplomatic skills of a Metternich. I wish we had her around today: she might be of use on the world scene. If you want to know more, look her up.
