King René d'Anjou and His Seven Queens

Edgcumbe Staley

Summary

“René, King of Jerusalem, the Two Sicilies, Aragon, Valencia, Majorca, Sardinia and Corsica; Duke of Anjou, Barrois, and Lorraine; Count of Provence, Forcalquier and Piemont,” so runs the preamble of his Will. To these titles he might have added Prince of Gerona, Duke of Calabria, Lord of Genoa, Count of Guise, Maine, Chailly, and Longjumeau, and Marquis of Pont-à-Mousson!
He was famous as a Sovereign, a soldier, a legislator, a traveller, a linguist, a scholar, a poet, a musician, a craftsman, a painter, an architect, a sculptor, a collector, a sportsman, an agriculturist, and incidentally a chivalrous lover. About such a many-sided character there is much to tell and much to learn. His times were spacious; the clouds of Mediævalism had rolled away, and the Sun of Progress illuminated the heyday of the Renaissance; art and craft had come into their own. Venus disarmed Mars, Diana entranced Apollo, and Minerva restrained Mercury, and all the hierarchy of heaven was captive to the Liberal Arts. René d’Anjou, figuratively, seems to have gathered up in his cunning hand the powers of all the spiritual intelligences alongwith the life-lines of practical manifestations. He has come down to us as the beau-ideal Prince of the fifteenth century.

Available since: 05/10/2023.

Other books that might interest you

Iron Brigade and Stonewall...

Editors Charles River

The Eastern Theater of the Civil War saw the bloodiest and most famous battles, as well as the biggest losses, giving the Iron Brigade a chance to demonstrate its mettle during legendary confrontations with Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, particularly at the battles of Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, and Gettysburg. In fact, the brigade suffered the highest percentage of casualties of any brigade in the Civil War, rendering it almost incapable of maintaining a fighting force by June 1864, during the middle of Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign. 
General Thomas Jonathan Jackson and his brigade earned the nickname “Stonewall” at First Manassas by turning the tide of that battle, and they would become known as the legendary foot cavalry by bottling up 3 different Union armies in the Shenandoah Valley in 1862. Although Stonewall Jackson and the Stonewall Brigade may share the most famous nickname to come out of the Civil War, it’s still unclear whether Barnard Bee, the general who provided the legendary name at First Manassas, meant it as a complaint that they were not moving or as a compliment for standing resolute in the heat of battle. 
Regardless, the Stonewall Brigade went on to fight in every major battle in the Eastern theater of the American Civil War, to the extent that of the 6,000 men who fought with the brigade over the course of four years, less than 200 remained by the time General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. They were organized, trained, and mentored by one of the most revered military leaders in American history, and they made a decisive impact on battles like First Manassas, the 1862 Valley Campaign, and Chancellorsville. The brigade was virtually a spent force by the end of the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse in May 1864, which took place nearly a year after Stonewall Jackson himself had been mortally wounded at Chancellorsville.

Show book

Making Space for What Matters -...

PhD Clarissa W. Ong, PhD...

If you hoard—or have a loved one who hoards—you may feel helpless, hopeless, or ashamed. The thought of letting go of belongings may fill you with anxiety, dread, or grief. And you may wonder if you’ll ever experience the freedom of living without the weight of this debilitating behavior. It’s important to know you are not alone, and that hoarding isn’t your fault. This book will help you find your way out of the clutter and chaos, and into the life you truly want. 
Written by a team of mental health professionals and grounded in evidence-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), this book offers a values-based approach to finding lasting freedom from hoarding. Based on cutting-edge research, this book will help you unravel the stories your mind has created about you and your belongings. You’ll also discover how emotions and thoughts play a role in hoarding behaviors, and how you can declutter to live a life more closely aligned with your deepest values. 
Most importantly, you’ll learn to move beyond feelings of shame and guilt that are associated with hoarding, and cultivate the self-compassion, self-awareness, and self-understanding needed to make real, lasting changes.

Show book

Education Across Borders -...

Patrick Sylvain, Marie Lily...

The practices and values in the United States educational system position linguistically, culturally, and socioeconomically diverse children and families at a disadvantage. BIPOC dropout rates and levels of stress and anxiety have linked with non-inclusive school environments. In this collection, three educators draw on their experiences as immigrants and educators to address racial inequity in the classroom and provide a thorough analysis of different strategies that create an inclusive classroom. White educators that serve BIPOC students will benefit from these reflections on incorporating culturally relevant pedagogies that value the diverse experiences of students. 
 
 
 
With a focus on Haitian and Dominican students in the United States, the authors reveal the challenges that immigrant and first-generation students face. They also offer insights about topics such as: 
 
 
 
● How do language policies and social justice intersect? 
 
 
 
● How can educators use culturally relevant teaching and community funds of knowledge to enrich curriculum? 
 
 
 
● How can educators center the needs of the student within the classroom? 
 
 
 
● How can educators support Haitian Creole-speaking students?

Show book

Dividing Lines - How...

Deborah N. Archer

Our nation's transportation system is crumbling. But as acclaimed scholar and ACLU president Deborah Archer warns in Dividing Lines, before we can think about rebuilding and repairing, we must consider the role race has played in transportation infrastructure, from the early twentieth century and into the present day. 
 
 
 
As Archer demonstrates, the success of the Civil Rights movement and the fall of Jim Crow in the 1960s did not mean the end of segregation. With state-sanctioned racism no longer legal, officials across the country turned to transportation infrastructure to keep Americans divided. A wealthy white neighborhood could no longer be "protected" by racial covenants and segregated shops, but a multilane road, with no pedestrian crossings, could be built along its border to make it difficult for people from a lower-income community to visit. Highways could not be routed through Black neighborhoods based on the race of their residents, but those neighborhoods' lower property values—a legacy of racial exclusion—could justify their destruction. 
 
 
 
Drawing on a wealth of sources, including interviews with people who now live in the shadow of highways and other major infrastructure projects, Archer presents a sweeping, national account—from Atlanta and Houston to Indianapolis and New York City—of our persistent divisions.

Show book

Economic Crises in Argentina - A...

Anya Solace

Argentina's economic history is a complex and dynamic narrative marked by periods of growth, instability, and deep financial crises. Understanding the evolution of Argentina’s economy requires an examination of its historical context, social dynamics, and key events that have shaped its economic trajectory. From its colonial beginnings to its role in the global economy today, Argentina's economy has been influenced by various internal and external factors, ranging from agricultural production and international trade to political movements and international debt.
At the time of its independence in 1816, Argentina had a relatively underdeveloped economy, largely reliant on agriculture, particularly the production of beef and grain. The country’s early economic struggles were compounded by frequent political instability and power struggles, which hindered the development of a cohesive economic strategy. The 19th century witnessed Argentina's agricultural sector become a central pillar of its economy, with exports to Europe fueling growth. However, the country faced several economic setbacks, including trade imbalances, debt accumulation, and conflicts over territorial disputes.
The 20th century brought about significant shifts in Argentina’s economic landscape. The country experienced a wave of industrialization, which was supported by government policies aimed at reducing dependency on foreign markets. However, despite periods of prosperity, Argentina’s economy remained vulnerable to global economic trends and the volatility of international trade. The early decades of the 20th century saw periods of rapid growth alongside recurring recessions, and in the mid-1900s, Argentina began experiencing the first of many major economic crises.

Show book

Damn This War! - Between the...

Julie Hankey

The love story of Zippa and Tony is nothing without the context of the Second World War. 
 
The war introduced them - they met as blackout wardens in London. It gave them darkened streets to wander in, hand in hand, then, by sending Tony away to officer training camps, it sharpened their hunger for each other, casting a glow over his comings and goings. It turned them into schemers and wanglers against fate and army regulations. It pressed them into marriage, and when the war decided to deploy him to North Africa, it whispered the urgent question of a baby. To which Tony, thinking of the war, replied maybe not; and Zippa, thinking of the war, said yes. 
 
In spite of themselves, the war experience was changing them both, and yet both were hanging on, looking back, suspended in memory and time, and living from letter to letter. 
 
Decades later, their daughter Julie discovered their letters, and piecing them together began to create a portrait of her parents and their relationship that was completely unfamiliar to her. Vivid, honest and completely absorbing, Damn This War! is a true insight into a wartime love story.

Show book