W European History

Posted by Lorri Mealey

I like watching a good historical flick almost as much as reading a historical novel. My DVD collection is made up of motley assortment of historically based movies from all over Western Europe. Some are based on actual historical events, while others are fictional stories that take place in the past.

So, in no particular order, here are some of my favorite movies from Western European History.

Marie Antoinette (2006)

Directed by Sophia Coppola and starring Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette

This contemporary take on the rise and fall of the last Queen of France is beautifully done. The costuming is absolutely magnificent.

A Lion in Winter (1968)

Starring Peter O’Toole as Henry II and Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine

I am not a big classic film buff, but this one is a must for any fan of Western European History.

Elizabeth (1998)

Starring Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I. I love Cate Blanchett as a young Queen Bess. But my secret delight with this Renaissance film is the portrayal of Marie de Guise by French actress Fanny Ardent.

Life is Beautiful (1997)

Starring Roberto Benigni as a Jewish Italian suffering through the Nazi invasion. It is a provocative and unique way to look at one history’s darkest chapters.

Tea With Mussolini (1999)

Starring Cher, Judy Dench and Maggie Smith

This movie flew under the radar, but is absolutely awesome. It is loosely based on true events of a group of English ladies who remain in Florence during WWII. The settings are beautiful and the characters wonderfully flawed.

Immortal Beloved (1994)

Starring Gary Oldman and Isabella Rosellinni

Tells the story of Romantic composer Ludwig Van Beethoven. Even if you aren’t a big classical music fan, this movie is rich and compelling.

Posted by Lorri Mealey

This week I posted a series of articles related to the French Revolution. Many historians mark the French Revolution as the beginning of modern history. It certainly changed the face of France and all of Western Europe forever. In the Estates General, I give a brief account of the history of France’s governing body, as well as its prominent role in the French Revolution. In What Caused the French Revolution, I examine three big factors that lead to the Revolution: The American Revolution, Money Problems and Social inequality. I have also posted a list of Valois and Bourbon monarchs, to help keep track of all those French kings named Louis.

More Articles related to history of France and the French Revolution with be forthcoming. Currently I am reading Susan Nagel’s latest book, Marie Thérèse, Child of Terror: The Fate of Marie Antoinette’s Daughter. It has inspired many of the topics in this series. I will be posting a full book review of Marie Thérèse in a week or so.

Other series in the work for Western European at Suite101 include the History of Navarre and famous Western European Queens.

Posted by Lorri Mealey

This week’s article focuses on Lola Montez, best known as the temperamental mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. Lola has gotten a bad rap in history, mainly for her penchant for horse whipping people in the streets if she felt they slighted her. To her credit, a lot of people in Bavaria did slight her while she was King Ludwig I mistress.



Lola’s story is much more than that of royal paramour. She was a highly determined, ambitious woman. Even though she was only Ludwig’s mistress for 19 months, she helped shaped many political reforms in Bavaria, winning her the support of protestants throughout the German States.



Lola’s extensive travels brought her to United States, where she joined the Episcopal Church and donated to the Magdalene Society, a charity dedicated to reformed prostitutes.



For More Readings on Lola, check out Sex With Kings, by Eleanor Herman or Cupid and The King by HRH Princess Michael of Kent.

Posted by Lorri Mealey

The Tudors season 2 is off to a bit of a slow start. So far Katherine of Aragon has been banished to the Moors, while Anne Boleyn is elevated to Marquise of Pembrook. Episode Two brought back my favorite Renaissance King, François I. The actor who plays François does a superb job and unlike Jonathan Rhys Meyers, actually looks the part. Don’t get me wrong though, Meyers does a great job recapturing the impetuous and increasingly dangerous personality of Henry VIII. I am anxious to see how Natalie Dormer, who plays Anne Boleyn, evolves over the next season when her star begins to fade as the new Queen of England. Episode two brought back Mary Boleyn, though she is a rather one-dimensional character who adds little interest to the show and should have been left alone. Mark Smeaton makes his first appearance in episode two.

I nudged my husband when Smeaton was introduced and whispered “Guess what happens to him.”



By now he knows when I ask that, the person in question is eventually beheaded.

Posted by Lorri Mealey

The second season of the popular Showtime series The Tudors premiers on Sunday, March 30th at 9pm. The second season should eclipse the first in drama, since Henry and Anne will finally wed. I can hardly wait to see the fallout from the birth of Elizabeth and Anne's fall from grace. You can watch the entire first episode of season two at the official site for The Tudors.

I can't wait to see which Western European figures pop up in season two. So far King Francois and Queen Claude (completely misrepresented) have made an appearance, as has Charles V, complete with his famously oversized chin.

Read more about Season One of the Tudors.

Posted by Lorri Mealey

This week I am looking back at some of my earlier works here at Suite101. As you may have noticed, perusing the topics here at Western European History, I gravitate toward lesser known history as well as the main stream topics. The more obscure a topic, the better! After all, there’s plenty written about Mary, Queen of Scots. But what about her mother and father? Do you even know who they are? (Find the answer here).



Perhaps some of the topics I write about aren’t hugely important in the great scheme of things, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t interesting, or downright fascinating. After all, history is more than just big players, wars and social movements. It’s a tapestry woven of millions of smaller people, places and events, all coming together to shape the world we know today.



My Favorite Obscure History Topics (so far, at least):

• History of Bavaria
• History of Luxembourg
• Queen Claude of France

Posted by Lorri Mealey

I have been enjoying the best of the Renaissance with the Showtime series, The Tudors, this past week. (My satellite provider has been showing it for free all month!) The story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn unfolds in all its drama with beautiful period costumes and authentic settings.

I was skeptical at first because Henry VIII is played by the British actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, a skinny, sulky looking actor I only knew from Bend it Like Beckham. He is way too thin and too young looking to be playing Henry, who was in his later thirties at the time. However, Meyers has a certain arrogance and presence that make you soon embrace him as England’s most famous king. He vacillates between pleading with Anne that he really does love her to thundering at whomever has angered him “I AM THE KING OF ENGLAND!” The swinging changes in the king’s personality make for great TV entertainment.

Anne Boleyn is played by the very beautiful Natalie Dormer. I think she is all together too nice and the writers are going to have to really let her be more ambitious and much more conniving in season two than she is now.

Katherine of Aragon is portrayed by Maria Doyle Kennedy, who does an outstanding job. She carries herself with grace and dignity, as befitting a royal princess of Spain and the Queen England. She also shows her determination to keep her marriage together, even in the face of her impetuous boy-husband.

All in all a great show for those who love the Renaissance and the intrigue of the Tudor court. Stay tuned for more on The Tudors.

Posted by Lorri Mealey

Romantic Literature that wasn’t too romantic



The Romantic Movement ushered in a new style of writing, focusing on human emotions, love, fear, and all that good stuff. It also brought about Fairy Tales. But these were not the types of stories you would want to read before bedtime….



Fairy Tales, a staple of any childhood, did not start out as very kid-friendly. In fact, the Brothers Grimm had to revise most of their early stories, because so many parents were outraged by them. Here is just a few of the things that Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm changed, in order to appease parents.



Rapunzel was pregnant in the tower- She asks the wicked Godmother “why are my clothes so tight and why they don’t fit me any longer.”



Cinderella’s wicked step sisters have their eyes pecked out by doves, while in another version Cinderella cuts up her stepsisters body and salts it down in a barrel. The she sends it off to her wicked stepmother as a gift.



Snow White’s wicked stepmother (who was her real mother, apparently) doesn’t fall down a well (certainly a humane way to die). In the early version she dances herself to death wearing red-hot iron shoes.



You can find out more about the Grimm’s gruesome fairy tales in Grimm’s Grimmest (Chronicle Books, 1997).

Posted by Lorri Mealey

Romantic Literature that wasn’t too romantic



The Romantic Movement ushered in a new style of writing, focusing on human emotions, love, fear, and all that good stuff. It also brought about Fairy Tales. But these were not the types of stories you would want to read before bedtime….



Fairy Tales, a staple of any childhood, did not start out as very kid-friendly. In fact, the Brothers Grimm had to revise most of their early stories, because so many parents were outraged by them. Here is just a few of the things that Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm changed, in order to appease parents.



Rapunzel was pregnant in the tower- She asks the wicked Godmother “why are my clothes so tight and why they don’t fit me any longer.”



Cinderella’s wicked step sisters have their eyes pecked out by doves, while in another version Cinderella cuts up her stepsisters body and salts it down in a barrel. The she sends it off to her wicked stepmother as a gift.



Snow White’s wicked stepmother (who was her real mother, apparently) doesn’t fall down a well (certainly a humane way to die). In the early version she dances herself to death wearing red-hot iron shoes.



You can find out more about the Grimm’s gruesome fairy tales in Grimm’s Grimmest (Chronicle Books, 1997).

Posted by Lorri Mealey

This week I have popped over to the UK/Irish History page and posted a brief biography of Nell Gwyn, the actress-turned-mistress of Charles II. Restoration England is one of my favorite time periods, even though the men do prance around in ridiculous wigs and high heels.

Nell Gwyn remains one of the most colorful women in history, known for her wicked sense of humor and great talent on the stage. Nell's biography is the first of several royal paramours I have planned in the near future. I have already written about the most powerful royal mistress, Diane de Poitiers. But there are several more, including Lola Montez (Bavaria), Lillie Langtry (England) and Madame de Pompadour (France).