Louis xvi: Did you mean...?

Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès (1748-1836), commonly known as Abbé Sieyès, was a French clergyman and political writer, who became a leading voice in the Third Estate during the French Revolution (1789-99). Sieyès played instrumental roles in both...

Henry of Navarre became the nominal ruler of France after the assassination of Henry III of France (r. 1574-1589), whose marriage to Louise de Lorraine produced no heir. After years of attempts to deny the throne to Navarre, his enemies realized...

Antoine Pierre Joseph Marie Barnave (1761-1793) was a French lawyer, politician, and one of the most influential orators of the early stage of the French Revolution (1789-1799). He is notable for being a champion of constitutional monarchy...

Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754-1838) was one of the most significant political figures in modern French history. Beginning his career as the cynical bishop of Autun, he went on to become a revolutionary leader, a diplomat, and...

The Reign of Terror, or simply the Terror (la Terreur), was a climactic period of state-sanctioned violence during the French Revolution (1789-99), which saw the public executions and mass killings of thousands of counter-revolutionary 'suspects'...

The Napoleonic Concordat of 1801 defined France's relationship with the Catholic Church for over 100 years. The Organic Articles were added in 1802 and provided state recognition of the Reformed and Lutheran confessions alongside the Catholic...

The Château d'Amboise, located in the Loire Valley, in central France, was built over several centuries and was the centre of royal power during the Renaissance (from the 15th to the early 17th century). Witness to the heyday of the French...

La Rochelle emerged early in the French Reformation as a Protestant political and military center. The city's fortifications withstood repeated sieges over the years. In 1627, La Rochelle was besieged by Cardinal Richelieu (l. 1585-1642...

Death of King Louis XIV of France at the Palace of Versailles, oil on cardboard sketch by Thomas Jones Barker, France, c. 1835-1840. This oil sketch depicts the death of Louis XIV at Versailles. Barker was commissioned by King Louis Philippe...

Wedding of King Louis XIV of France and Marie-Thérèse of Spain, oil on canvas by Jacques Laumosnier, c. 1660-1700. This painting depicts the wedding of Louis XIV and Marie-Thérèse on the 9th of June, 1660. The union of France and Spain signaled...