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cahnMore diaries of our favorite 18th-century Prussian diary-keeper have been unearthed and have been synopsized!
January 18th: Blessed be thou to me! Under your light, my Prince Heinrich was born!
January 18th: Blessed be thou to me! Under your light, my Prince Heinrich was born!
Re: Isabella of Parma
Date: 2022-08-21 01:36 pm (UTC)Louis XI: alas no. I haven't read any biography of his. Googling, I see Paul Murray Kendall - the classic Richard III. biographer - has written one, though.
ETA: I know movies aren't your thing, but there is a pretty good French movie about Louis XI up at Youtube, with English subtitles. "Louis XI,le pouvoir fracassé", English Title - Louis XI - the Universal Spider. It's set shortly before his death, excellent acting, actual period looking constumes unafraid to committ to medieval fashion (as opposed to what most historical movies and tv shows do these days). A quick summary:
Young Souveterre: My arrival on horseback opens this film, though I'm not a main character, or even an important supporting one. I bring urgent news of a conspiracy against Louis. Will I be rewarded? Stay tuned, it makes a point about Louis. As does the fact my entrance shows how ultra paranoid Louis (for good reason) is and how many obstacles I have to face.
Capitaine Guillaume: I'm Louis' chief of security, ruthless, competent, the ideal Trusted Lieutenant. Off with you in the waiting room, youngster.
Arriving somewhat later Louis de Orleans (future Louis XII) and wife Jeanne de France (younger daughter of Louis XI, crippled).
Guillaume: Sorry, your highness, I'm sending all your servants and guards away at the King's orders. You and her highness will get served by castle staff.
Louis d'Orleans: I'm pretending not to care, not least because I have a conspiracy going at this point. I, audience, am supposed to be sex on legs, which is news to those of you who only know me as the old King Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, marries before marrying her one true love Charles Brandon. At this point in my life, however, I'm decades younger, thirsty for the French throne, and full of mutual loathing re: my cousin and father-in-law, who gave me his younger daughter explicitly so we won't have kids and the French crown will inherit my duchy of Orleans. I'm alternatively verbally abusing and using her, but she forgives because, as mentioned, I'm supposedly sex on legs.
Jeanne: *suffers*
Meanwhile upstairs:
Young Sauveterre: Your majesty, my uncle and the rest of your council want to assassinate you! I overheard them! OMG! It's supposed to look like a natural death!
Louis: Natural, eh. Okay, Guillaume, we don't want anyone to know I'm on to them, lock him away for discretion. Argh, I wish I was in better health. My kid Charles is only 13 and thus will need a regent, which is what cousin Louis d'Orleans is counting on.
Anne de France: I'm Louis' older daughter, the one who has inherited his smarts and guile. Though I'm somewhat nicer in that I do feel sorry for my sister. Readers of Sarah Gristwood's Game of Queens may recall me as the opening major character and the one who mentors Margaret of Austria and Louise de Savoy both.
Louis XI: Don't. She's one of life's victims. So, as I remember you/Mr. Sex on legs used to be an item before I married him to your sister. Are you still into him?
Anne: Am not. Dad, you can't let him anywhere near the regency.
Louis XI: Yeah, but your husband isn't really up to it, either, is he?
Anne: There's a solution here you will arrive at at the end of this movie.
Louis XI: Makes a trip downstairs into the dungeon of doom. There are two prisoners locked up in cages; he plays chess with one of them, who is an archbishop who held a displeasing sermon
Archbishop: Your majesty is still too good at chess for me. But maybe I can influence you to show mercy?
Louis XI: Dream on. That's not how I survived and bested all my enemies so far.
Louis d'Orleans: He, Anne, how about some flirting?
Anne: My hormones say yes, my mind says no. My mind wins. You're scum.
Louis d'Orleans: You'll come around. Meanwhile, wife, find out what your Dad is up to!
Jeanne: *suffers*
Guillaume: Your majesty, I've finally tortured the right person and find out they want to snuff you out via pressing a cushion on your face. Now can we cancel the council session?
Louis XI: We can not. I want to see how far they're willing to take this and have them incriminate themselves. Anne, time for another secret Machiavelli lesson upstairs so I can pretend downstairs I'm distrusting you as much as the rest of my family.
Anne: Strangely enough, Machiavelli will critisize you after your death. Anyway, lesson taken.
Louis: *visiting the dungeon of doom again* Hey, I'll pardon this prisoner locked in a cage
Archbishop: *perks up*: You will?
Louis: Not you, the other one. Also, let's call Louis d'Orleans for a little chat. Hi, cousin and son-in-law, long time no see. You know, let's reconsider our relationship. I'M totally appointing you as regent for my kid Charles once I'm gone.
Louis d'Orleans: Finally! Not that you have any choice, seeing as I'm a Valois and the highest ranking male noble of the realm. Wife, your father finally came around to admitting the inevitable.
Jeanne: I may be the Stella to your Stanley, but I'M not stupid. I think Dad is up to something. No way is he just handing over the regency to you.
Louis d'Orleans: Damn, you could be right. Go and investigate on my behalf!
Jeanne: Anne, is Dad planning something against Louis?
Anne: Why do you care? Louis is scum, he's abusing you all the time. You can't still love him.
Jeanne: I don't, it's just Christian charity. *bursts into tears*
Anne: Alas, you do still love him. Poor kid.
Council of murderous intent: *assembles*
Person dressed up as Louis: *arrives*
Council: *crowds him, kills him per cushion*
Real Louis XI: *arrives*
Person: *is revealed to be the other prisoner in a cage*
Louis XI: Yeah, he was grateful for me releasing him, so he wore my clothes, what can I say. So, friends, I caught you red-handed.
Council: *trembles*
Louis XI: Tell me what you admire most about me.
Council: *sweats, praises Louis*
Louis XI: Trust you guys to leave out the most important thing. I consolidated France from an assembly of fiefdoms into something resembling a modern state and crushed all my enemies. Now, I'm expecting you all to supper, and you can think about which of your territories you'll hand over first to the crown to put me in a good mood.
*exits Louis*
Guillaume: Seeing as Young Sauveterre evidently said the truth, saved your life and wants to serve you, your Majesty, should I hire him?
Louis XI: No way. That guy talks too much. If he betrayed his uncle, he's going to betray me. Kill him.
Guillaume: *kills Young Sauveterre
Supper with well dressed by footankle chains wearing councillors: *starts*
Louis XI: So, suckers. Let me tell you how great I am, how I defeated everyone from my Dad to Charles the Bold to the Brits, and we won't even mention the Habsburgs. You're going to hand over your territories and sing Vive La France while doing or it or...
Louis: *has a stroke*
Louis d'Orleans: Yay! This day is saved after all.
Louis XI: *regains conciousness in his bedroom*: Anne, you have to help me one more time. I made fun of you using make up in our first scene only for you to give me the clever reply that I taught you about the value of appearances. Now, there's a poignant call back as I ask you to help me be put on one last appearance.
Anne: *makes up her father to look like he's not dying in silent poignant scene*
Councillors, nobles, Louis d'Orleans: Damn.
Louis XI: Don't be crushed. I'm declaring my son Charles to be King Charles VIII now. And as regent I appoint... my daughter Anne.
*exit Louis*
Louis d'Orleans: What. How. No way. Nobles, you know I'm the only rightful regent possible. I expect your oaths of loyalty immediately.
Nobles: *start to move*
Anne: Don't you dare. The first one who gives this man as much as a finger of help can kiss his territories goodbye.
Nobles: *are intimidated*
Louis: But Anne, I'm sex on legs!
Anne: You're scum, and if you dare to make for a power grab one more time, I'll crush you. On your knees, everyone.
Everyone, including, at last, Louis d'Orleans: *kneels*
Anne: I'm off to become the best Regent France will ever have
But first:
Louis XI: *death scene, a daughter on each side*
Louis XI: My favourite daughter...
Jeanne: *suffers*
Louis XI:....is France. Always France.
Anne: I understand, Dad.
*the end*
Louis XI,le pouvoir fracassé
Date: 2022-08-23 05:14 am (UTC)Readers of Sarah Gristwood's Game of Queens may recall me as the opening major character and the one who mentors Margaret of Austria and Louise de Savoy both.
Oh right!! Thank you for the callback!
Person: *is revealed to be the other prisoner in a cage*
WELP WELL THEN.
Anne: You're scum, and if you dare to make for a power grab one more time, I'll crush you. On your knees, everyone.
Everyone, including, at last, Louis d'Orleans: *kneels*
Anne: I'm off to become the best Regent France will ever have
haha, it's like you know that this is the best way to get me to watch this movie...
Louis XI: My favourite daughter...
Jeanne: *suffers*
Louis XI:....is France. Always France.
Anne: I understand, Dad.
Also, this was an amazing payoff for all those Jeanne: *suffers* lines and I am both laughing and, as usual, in awe of you :D
Re: Louis XI,le pouvoir fracassé
Date: 2022-08-23 08:15 am (UTC)Seriously, though. When Jeanne and Anne's brother Charles died without leaving a male heir behind and thus Louis d'Orleans did become King, he immediately sued for annulment of his marriage in order to marry Charles' widow instead. Now, the usual pretense for annulment suits and the easiest to use in this case would have been consanguinity, since Louis and Jeanne were, in fact, cousins. But no. Louis' arguments were two fold - first, being forced into the marriage against his will by Louis XI (but since he couldn't prove he had been younger than 14 at the time (there's dispute about his exact age), that would have been at least questionable by contemporary law), secondly, that he couldn't consumate his marriage because Jeanne was such a cripple that it was anatomically impossible. At which point Jeanne stopped suffering in silence and like Catherine of Aragon years later, said "No way". And provided witnesses towards whom Louis back in the day had bragged about consumating the marriage when it happened, in addition to her own word. Unfortunately, the Pope at the time was Alexander VI, Rodrigo Borgia, who had a vested interest in deciding in Louis' favor, because in return, Louis a) gave a younger relation of his, Charlotte d'Albret, to Cesare Borgia in marriage, meaning the Borgias had just married into the French Royal family, and b) made Cesare the Duc de Valentinois, meaning Cesare now had a dukedom and a title that was independent from his father being Pope and would thus still be his after his father's death. Rodrigo Borgia being a firm believer in "Family first", that was that for poor Jeanne.
Henry VIII: How come I didn't get such a deal?
Pope Clement (aka Giulio de' Medici): Did you offer one of your relations to marry my maybe son but definitely relation Alessandro? No, but Charles V did by offering his daughter Margaret. Also, Charles' troops were in Italy and had just sacked Rome. And Charles was Catherine's nephew. I bet if Jeanne had had Charles as a nephew, Rodrigo wouldn't have granted Louis an annulment, either.
Jeanne got at least the Duchy of Berry after her annulment, founded a new order and became a saint (literally, though her canonization only happened in 1950 (!)). Louis didn't get a son out of his second marriage, either, and when he married a third time (by then old), Mary Tudor the sister of Henry VIII, he didn't survive it long which gave rise to all the obvious jokes about sexing yourself to the grave. Incidentally, if you get around to watching the Maximilian two parter, Louis XI is the main bad guy in it and we see all three of his children - Anne, Jeanne and Charles - as young characters as well (Charles is young and dumb, Anne is the smart one, Jeanne is crippled and abused). Future Louis XII, Louis d'Orleans, otoh, does not show up.
Re: Louis XI,le pouvoir fracassé
Date: 2022-08-26 05:42 am (UTC)Oof! Poor Jeanne indeed.
I am planning to watch Maximilian! Eventually! I have to at least finish this TV show first... :D
Re: Louis XI,le pouvoir fracassé
Date: 2022-08-26 12:12 pm (UTC)Lol, look at you and your complex emotions and declarations of loyalty. Meanwhile, me: "Wait, he tricked his nobles into killing someone he tricked into wearing his clothes, and he gets to gloat afterwards? BE STILL MY HEART."
stupid stroke:D
Re: Louis XI,le pouvoir fracassé
Date: 2022-08-27 04:15 pm (UTC)Re: Louis XI,le pouvoir fracassé
Date: 2022-09-04 02:38 pm (UTC)Thanks to your summary. Without your summary, I think I would have made it about 5 minutes in before wandering off. So thank you!
I enjoyed his chessmastering! I chuckled when he caressed the spider and admired its web. I loved the dialogue, especially with the Archbishop. Anne was great! I loved Louis taking her off for secret lessons in ruling. And when he said they were cut from the same cloth and that he trusted her...I think that was my favorite scene.
Having watched that, I determined that I needed to check out a bio. So I went looking for the Paul Murray Kendall one you mentioned, Selena. Only to find that it's not on Kindle in English, only French. Normally I would order the English hard copy and digitize it...but I don't know which address to send it to.
So naturally I decided the time has come to learn French. :D
It would be great if I could get my French up to approximately where my German is now. It would be so useful for salon!
Re: Louis XI,le pouvoir fracassé
Date: 2022-09-05 10:54 am (UTC)Re: Louis XI,le pouvoir fracassé
Date: 2022-09-05 11:01 am (UTC)Council: *trembles*
Louis XI: Tell me what you admire most about me.
Council: *sweats, praises Louis*
Louis XI: Trust you guys to leave out the most important thing. I consolidated France from an assembly of fiefdoms into something resembling a modern state and crushed all my enemies. Now, I'm expecting you all to supper, and you can think about which of your territories you'll hand over first to the crown to put me in a good mood.
??
I ask you. :D
This will have consequences...
It has already had consequences, namely the studying of French! But I look forward to these other consequences (though I cannot tell whether you propose to write fic about Louis XI or to rec more movies).
Re: Louis XI,le pouvoir fracassé
Date: 2022-09-09 04:46 am (UTC)I have sadly totally fallen off the bandwagon with my French. But at least I shall yell at you if necessary! It's not necessary, right??
Re: Louis XI,le pouvoir fracassé
Date: 2022-09-14 06:35 pm (UTC)I know, right? Being me, of course, I had to watch it in several 15-20 minute installments spaced out over the course of a week. But I watched it!
It's not necessary, right??
Nope! But it would have been that day if I hadn't asked you to yell at me. Even better, because my wife and I swapped roles in the big move yesterday, I had most of the morning free, and I got some French and German done. So I'm on a streak. \o/
Keep yelling at me if I break my streak!
Re: Isabella of Parma
Date: 2022-08-26 12:09 pm (UTC)Huh. I belatedly remembered I could search your journal for old entries, and I was curious what made her an anti-rec, what I found was you actually reccing her (to German readers, of which I am one now!):
Read: Ursula Tamussino's two biographies of Margaret of Austria and Mary of Hungary, respectively, a collection of Mary of Hungary related essays, and Catherine Fletcher's biography of Alessandro de' Medici, The Black Prince of Florence. All very readable and informative; first three books are in German, so I can only rec them to German readers.
Are you thinking of someone else? Or did you change your mind on her?
The movie sounds great! I do often wish my brain would allow me to watch and listen to things more. I may give this a try. But if I don't succeed, your write-ups are always like all the benefits of watching the movie without the downsides! <3
Louis d'Orleans: He, Anne, how about some flirting?
Anne: My hormones say yes, my mind says no. My mind wins. You're scum.
Good for her!
Person: *is revealed to be the other prisoner in a cage*
Louis XI: Yeah, he was grateful for me releasing him, so he wore my clothes, what can I say.
I feel a problematic fave forming!
Louis XI: My favourite daughter...
Jeanne: *suffers*
Louis XI:....is France. Always France.
Ha! That was a great payoff. *adds this movie to my list of things to try*
Re: Isabella of Parma
Date: 2022-08-26 01:45 pm (UTC)Re: the Louis XI film - I suspect the Anne/Louis d'Orleans flirtation pre her marriage was something the movie invented to make Anne more vulnerable and give her an obstacle to overcome beyond general machismo, but within the movie's universe, it works. Also, ever keeping Fritz/MT in mind, maybe it did happen? We'd have to read a biography to find out, I guess. (Sarah Gristwood doesn't mention it, but then Anne is one of a huge ensemble of female main characters in her book.)
Re: Isabella of Parma
Date: 2022-08-26 06:53 pm (UTC)I'm also thinking of ordering a Leopold II bio. I'm undecided between Pelham, which has the advantage of being shorter and thus something I'm more likely to make it through, and Wandruszka, which has the advantage of not having been read by you already, which means it may contain new-to-salon information.
Currently, I'm--well, currently I'm moving, but when not moving, I'm alternating between Füssel and Jürgen Luh's bio of the Great Elector, which is on Kindle!