1783: Tatiana, Duchesse de Provence Coeur
Though events of the year 1782 conspired to keep me away from my beloved Provence Coeur, I returned from my travels to celebrate the start of 1783 back at home.
There was much to do getting my estate back in order and I dug into the project with renewed vigor.
When word of the first earthquake in Rocca Sorrentina reached me, I immediately started preparing to aid those that might need my aid. I watched from Provence as the sun set over that beautiful land and awoke the next day to find the island and bay had vanished, replaced by a small mountain range. I continue to receive reports from friends that have made it to safety, for which I am most grateful knowing that they will rebuild their lives anew.
Here in France, the country celebrates its victory over Great Britian and welcomes peace between the nations. However, there are unsettling rumblings amongst the people, and the queen has increasingly become the target of ridicule. I fear that the return of Count Fresen will not help in this regard and the return of men like the Marquis de laFayette may well contribute to great change throughout the nation. Whether this change will be for the good or bad, remains to be seen.
In happier news, I was most honoured when her majesty contacted me for help with her latest construction project, Le Hameau de la Reine. Of course, it is necessary that I work behind the scenes, but I most enjoy participating with those that are bringing her vision to life. We are farming and gardening specifically to provide for our table and there is nothing like the joy of eating food fresh grown in your own garden.
I look forward to watching the year unfold!
Some RL events that are inspiring my story:
- February 5 – 1783 Calabrian earthquakes : The first of a sequence of five earthquakes strikes Calabria , Italy (February 5–7, March 1 & 28), leaving 50,000 dead.
- September 3 – Peace of Paris : A treaty between the United States and Great Britain is signed in Paris, formally ending the American Revolutionary War , in which Britain recognizes the independence of the United States; and treaties are signed between Britain, France, and Spain at Versailles , ending hostilities with the Franco-Spanish Alliance.
- November 21 – In Paris, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent, marquis d'Arlandes , make the first untethered hot air balloon flight (flight time: 25 minutes, Maximum height: 900 m).
- France in the American Revolutionary War
- Financial Ruin: The massive cost of funding, arming, and fighting a global war against Britain left the French Crown deeply bankrupt and financially exhausted. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Catalyst for Revolution: The heavy national debt, combined with American ideals of liberty and equality brought home by French soldiers like the Marquis de Lafayette , laid direct ideological and economic groundwork for the French Revolution . [ 1 , 2 ]
- In 1783, the French tax system under the Ancien Régime was deeply unequal, regressive, and heavily burdened by massive debts from funding the American Revolutionary War (1778–1783). Taxation absorbed roughly 25% to 30% of average incomes, with almost the entire financial load placed on the common people while the privileged upper classes used political influence to evade payment.
- Count Axel von Fersen , after his return from America in June 1783, was accepted into the queen's private society. There were claims that the two were romantically involved, [88] but since most of their correspondence has been lost, destroyed, or redacted, for many years there was no conclusive evidence. [89]
- In 1783, the queen was busy with the creation of her " hamlet ", a rustic retreat built by her favoured architect Richard Mique , according to the designs of the painter Hubert Robert . [93] Its creation caused another uproar when its cost became widely known. [94] [95]
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Proprietress of Tatiana's Tea Room ~ Owner of the Provence Coeur Estate ~ Webmistress of this site
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