https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe Tue, 14 Apr 2026 01:35:57 -0700 https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/631/part-of-notre-dame-cathedral-spire-collapses-in-fire https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/631
PARIS — A large fire broke out at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris on Monday evening, causing part of the historic church’s spire to collapse as the blaze spread along its roof.
André Finot, a spokesman for the cathedral, said in a telephone interview that the cause of the fire remained unknown, and there was no immediate indication that anyone had been hurt.
“It’s not about the faith — Notre-Dame is a symbol of France,” said Emmanuel Guary, a 31-year-old actor who was among a huge crowd amassed on the Rue Rivoli, on the Right Bank. Many had tears in their eyes.
To continue reading this, please see The New York Times .

]]> Mon, 15 Apr 2019 11:56:07 -0700 https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/628/fruits-of-a-decade https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/628
As next month approaches, so do my 10th rezz day approaches. Initially, I didn’t really notice, but now that I have, it has me thinking about the past lives we lived in the historical community, and the future ones we will start.
What a journey it has been, from my initial start of Meloria (now Rocca Sorrentina) and Duche de Coeur to living in the decadence of Versailles, a period of hiatus where we nomadically roamed the grid and historical community to 1920s Berlin and 1920s New York and recently Georgian London. A lot of friends fade into the past, but I had the pleasure of making new acquaintances.
One thing that I’m thinking about, is what the reason I came to the historical words, the reason I stayed in the historical community, and what I look for going forward.
*Plays flute music as he dramatizes the past*
I came to the historical community after meeting an inspirational woman in a different part of the grid. Through the next few years we shared here, I learned to love the historical world, from studying history itself to dressing the part. Dabbled in architecture, and jewels, my experience in the historical community has generally been a positive one. Dancing in decadence at Versailles, to riding around the Duche, living cozily in wonderful homes and palaces. Interestingly, as the decade I spent here progressed, I find myself drifting further from Court Roleplay, and enjoying more and more the styles of a Country home and society. Been thinking of setting up a working estate with those growable fruits and items. Might be fun? Who knows!
Anyhow! After reflecting on my time here, I look forward to a comfortable life (in style ha-ha) maybe a working estate and to continue to enjoy the friends I’ve been honored with. There is much to build and creature and a whole new generation of historical roleplays to get to know. Exciting times ahead!
What’s your story? What brought you all here, and where do you want to go?
Delos Helstein!
]]> Thu, 21 Mar 2019 07:51:05 -0700 https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/360/every-step-taken-chapter-five https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/360 Tue, 04 Dec 2012 11:48:40 -0800 https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/354/every-step-taken-chapter-four https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/354 Tue, 20 Nov 2012 11:36:55 -0800 https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/339/every-step-taken-chapter-three https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/339 Tue, 25 Sep 2012 11:41:50 -0700 https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/336/every-step-taken-chapter-two https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/336 Sun, 09 Sep 2012 22:52:46 -0700 https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/332/every-step-taken-chapter-one https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/332 Wed, 05 Sep 2012 21:13:45 -0700 https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/291/louis-xvi-a-mature-stud https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/291 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:40:00 -0800 https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/290/the-queen-of-britain https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/290 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:02:29 -0800 https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/288/the-greatness-of-king-louis-xvi-an-interesting-look https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/288
It is tragic any time a nation sets to destroying itself rather than accomplishing the great deeds possible if they worked together to channel all of that energy into the pursuit of some more lofty ambition. Although he had trepidations about some of it, there is ample reason to believe that had it not been for the outbreak of the Revolution, King Louis XVI might have gone down in history as one of the greatest Kings of France in secular as well as spiritual terms. In all the focus on the Revolution and his personal character, the great events and foreign policies of his reign are often overlooked. In the first place, he was no despot and from the very start favored giving the people a greater say in how their money was spent and how France was governed. However, even with all of the problems facing France, as a monarch, Louis XVI took a broader look at the past, present and future of France and wanted to see past losses made right and gains made for a greater future for his country. Of course, particularly after the drubbing France had taken in the recent conflicts with Great Britain, it was the British who would be the primary rival in his foreign policy. The King was not malicious or reckless by any means but he was determined to see British gains made at the expense of France reversed.

This was what ultimately led to the French intervention in the American Revolution (or more properly War for Independence). Louis XVI had deep reservations about helping any rebels in waging war against their sovereign yet he was persuaded to make an alliance with the fledgling United States by a combination of the urging of his advisors and his desire to see an end to the British domination of North America and, perhaps, a much greater French influence in the region. Although not often remembered, following the French and Indian War the French military had been reformed and greatly improved. The expeditionary force sent to North America fought extremely well and, along with the French navy, proved decisive in securing the independence of the United States by forcing Great Britain to give up on the war and come to terms with their former fellow subjects. The islands of Tobago and Grenada were taken from the British (Tobago being retained by France along with Senegal in the final settlement) but, to some extent, Louis XVI was undercut by his American allies who made a separate peace with Great Britain and effectively thwarted the greatest ambition King Louis had for the conflict which was the recovery of Canada. Had the war gone on there is every reason to believe that could have happened.

In the other great arena of colonial competition, Louis XVI also hoped to reverse previous losses and see the growing British dominance in India come to an end. He allied with the Maratha Empire and took the side of the Sultan of Mysore in the Second Anglo-Mysore War in the hope of breaking the dominance of the British East India Company, curtailing British influence in India and increasing French influence. France actually had a much larger sphere of influence in India, controlling large parts of the east coast and holding sway over the majority of the southern subcontinent. French troops and ships were active in the region but due to the distance involved the campaign was overtaken by events elsewhere and when the end of the American Revolution forced France to make a hasty peace with Britain the previous French support for the Indians was withdrawn. In the end Britain and the Indian forces made peace that restored the pre-war status quo in India. Again, had not the situation in American brought hostilities to an end, it is conceivable that France, working through local alliances, might have dethroned Britain from her place of prominence in India.

There was also the Far East to consider and, though not often remembered, it was under King Louis XVI that France first took a serious interest in Vietnam and, indirectly, helped bring about the victory of the last great imperial dynasty of Vietnamese history. Crown Prince Canh, heir of the future Emperor Gia Long, came to Versailles as a boy, converting to Christianity and symbolizing the alliance by which French support was promised to his father in exchange for favorable trade agreements and some minor territorial concessions. The previous regime in Vietnam had viciously persecuted Christians and King Louis was anxious to see a more humane dynasty put in place. A Catholic missionary had saved the life of Gia Long and he vowed that the rights of Christians would always be respected in his domain. However, by the time these great events were to take place in southeast Asia the forces of the Revolution were gaining strength and events rapidly approached a climax. King Louis was not able to play the decisive role he had wished to. Still, the Bishop of Adran acted on his own to help Emperor Gia Long take the throne and so things worked out. The only problems arose in the future when post-revolutionary French regimes tried to collect the payments promised to Louis XVI which the Vietnamese were reluctant to grant since it was the Bishop rather than the government in Paris which had actually helped them at the critical time.

King Louis also sponsored around-the-world voyages of exploration and the world (certainly North America) owes a great deal to Louis XIV for doing the same in his time. The point of all of this is that King Louis XVI was not, as he is so often portrayed, some sort of totally indecisive ditherer who fussed and prayed over one crisis after another. He had big plans for France, he had ambition, he wanted to see France recover her place of greatness in the world and had a few things gone differently there is no reason to believe that she could not have done so. There are those who will say that the Revolution proves that France was too weak to have accomplished anything in that period but this is clearly false. Look at what Napoleon was able to accomplish, once the Revolution was ended, only a few years later with the same country. Considering that the goals of Louis XVI were all about restoration and not conquering every nation in Europe, there is no reason to believe that he could not have been successful. King Louis XVI fully deserves his pious reputation as a martyr for the Kingdom of France but he should also be remembered as a potentially great King who could have done magnificent things for his country. From The MadMonarchist. http://madmonarchist.blogspot.com/2012/01/greatness-of-king-louis-xvi.html
Delos's Say I know very little aboutauthenticityof these statements, but I have come across, the french intervention in the war ofIndependencemany time. What was stated, is whats generally accepted byscholarsacross the board. In my own research of the economic state of France during the 18th century, it was during the late part of the rule of Louis XV, and into Louis XVI that roads were better maintainedand expanded, and adevelopmentofindustries,slowly started to rise, based on the Industrial Revolution in Britain, which wasbeginning. Louis XVI, unlike his grandfather, took into account his people's views and accounts, issuing a royalcensus, which were still kept to this day, locked away away somewhere inParis.Whetherthecensuswas used or not, the sheereffortto do that, is show that he was more interested in his people a whole, rather than his court.Duringhis years as dauphin, he not only consumed food, dear Louis loved food, but books, upon books. When he came to the throne, scared as he was, he was a promising young monarch, who was full of ideas. His ideas I've read, were met by greatopposition, by his minsters, and by his court, who resisted even the slightest change, and we're obsessed with short term polices. Poor Louis, he wasindecisiveness, a lot, or little, perhaps it was thisopposition, and the pressure of his surroundings, that lead to his choices, and the damper down the initial ideas he once had.
I'll be researching more on the points listed by The Mad Monarchist, its aninterestingthing!


]]> Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:10:16 -0800 https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/286/richard-mique-larchitecte-francais https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/286
Marie-Antoinette then took him into her service in memory of their shared origins in Lorraine. He agreed to satisfy all her caprices. At Versailles, Mique began in 1775 the refurbishment of her inner apartment (cabinet de la Mridienne, library, inner study, billiards room, etc.) which went through several drafts as the queens tastes evolved. In 1782, he installed on the ground floor facing the marble courtyard a new and more discreet apartment to replace that of Mme Sophie, daughter of Louis XV. In the grand apartment, he designed the salon of the Nobles in the neo-classical style, not hesitating to mask the Louis XIV decor by a white ceiling with a cornice. He annexed to the apartment the salon of Peace which became the queens gaming room.

At Trianon, the domain of Marie-Antoinette par excellence, all her fantasies were given free rein: construction of a small theatre for the queen and her friends; a belvedere to rest in; a hamlet like that of the Prince de Cond at Chantilly but even larger, for her pastoral activities. Here Mique laid out an English-style garden on the advice of the painter Hubert Robert and the botanist Claude Richard. An artificial cave, a temple of Eros, an artificial lake and river enlivened this picturesque setting designed to express Rousseaus taste for nature.

Mique built on the hill of Saint-Cloud, when this estate was given by Louis XVI to the queen, a hospital for her charitable work. Rebuilt since then, only the chapel remains. The chapel of the Carmel of Saint-Denis for Mme Louise, the religious daughter of Louis XV, is another famous achievement of the architect. A zealous servitor of Marie-Antoinette, Mique was guillotined in Paris in 1794. Taken from the Chateau de Versailles Website: http://en.chateauversailles.fr/history/versailles-during-the-centuries/the-palace-construction/richard-mique-1728-1794 List of his works: 1762: His first known design, for a kiosk in the gardens of Lunville . 1763-64 Two gates for the city of Nancy: the Porte Sainte-Catherine and the Porte Stanislas already show the neoclassical taste.. 1765: Plans for the Sainte-Catherine barracks at Nancy . 1767-72: Buildings for an Ursuline convent in the town of Versailles for Maria Leszczyska . The convent now houses the Lyce Hoche. Mique's first two plans were rejected. The third executed design is similar to Jacques-Germain Soufflot 's Church of Sainte-Genevive in Paris . 1775-84: All the structures, including the bridge, that form the picturesque hamlet, the Hameau de la Reine in the garden of the Petit Trianon at Versailles. Mique carried it out in its naturalistic jardin anglo-chinois probably laid out in collaboration with the painter Hubert Robert; for inspiration, he was directed to visit the Anglo-Chinese park at Ermenonville (Higonnet 2002: 29). 1775-85: Church of the Carmelites Basilica of Saint-Denis , for the aunt of Louis XVI, Madame Louise , who had become a nun in the convent at Saint-Denis. Madame Louise dictated in detail the subjects she wanted for the sculptural decorations. The neoclassical building, with a Corinthian portico adapted from the Roman Maison Carre at Nmes , was consecrated 28 May 1784. 1778-79: The private theatre of Marie Antoinette at the Petit Trianon . 1778-81 : The octagonal Belvedere (1778-81) [5] , consecrated to the Seasons, the Pavillon du Rocher and the Temple de l'Amour in the newly-informal gardens of the Petit Trianon at Versailles. The Temple of Love, visible from the Queen's bedroom, was the setting for many ftes (Higonnet 2002: 28) 1780: Htel de l'Intendance, Versailles 1780s: Chteau de Bellevue , alterations in the interior (demolished) and alterations to the park, which required 42,000 new trees and a hermitage, for Mesdames , the daughters of Louis XV. 1782: Consolidation of the tower at the Cathedral of Orlans (1782-1787) 1785: Modifications at the Chteau de Saint-Cloud for Marie Antoinette (bombed by French artillery on 13 October 1870 and razed in 1891) 1785: Boudoir for Marie Antoinette at the Petit Trianon . Some Pics : Enjoy! ]]> Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:56:06 -0800 https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/285/marie-antoinette-and-her-children-the-queens-adopted-family https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/285 Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:08:10 -0800 https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/284/salomon-de-brosse-larchitecte-francais https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/284 Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:31:05 -0800 https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/282/france-officially-recognized-the-united-states-of-america https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/282 FranceOfficiallyRecognizes the United States of America

December 17th,is the anniversary of the day on which Louis XVI, the Most Catholic King of France, recognized the United States of America as a sovereign nation in 1777. Without that decision, American independence might have come much later if at all. French aid kept the rebellion going and provided the money and supplies without which George Washingtons ragtag army could not have survived. It was not the most brilliant foreign policy decision in the history of the French monarchy. While the war of the American Revolution ended in a French victory over the UK, partially avenging the defeat of the Seven Years War, the victory was Pyrrhic. The US did not become a strategic ally of France in its long and losing contest with Britain, and the costs of the American Revolution would ultimately force Louis XVI to convene the Estates General meeting that launched the French Revolution. Be that as it may, it was a decisive moment in American and world history. Most historians believe that it was the US victory at the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777 that led Louis to conclude that the time had come for recognition. If so, that makes Saratoga one of the most important battles of all time. Thanks, France, for the help. Britain was our mother country, but you were the midwife of our independence, and without you, we might not be here. You have often wondered since whether helping us was the right thing to do, but the chances are that if you ever really need us again, we will be there. Merci . The King and Queen graciously received Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and other Americans at Versailles.
This was taken from the American Interest, main website. ]]> Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:57:09 -0800 https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/275/happy-halloween-heres-a-little-storythe-undead-lover https://livinghistoryvw.com/earl-of-rushcliffe/blog/275 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:03:49 -0700