Untitled attachment

The French Revolution grew out of the Enlightenment, where ideas such as freedom and individual rights were held as the highest values. While originating in the European desire to do good and sense of fairness, it was exploited by jewish intellectuals who sought the political positions taken from them in the middle ages. From their bases of power in Europe such as the Netherlands, Poland and now the United Kingdom, the jews spread revolutionary ideas of equality, with the spin of oppressor vs oppressed. The "oppressive feudal nobility" was blamed for the economic collapse of France that the jews themselves had engineered.

The proto-Bolshevik movement was named Jacobins. They dubbed monarchism "L'Ancien Régime", old regime. The Jacobins coined the phrase "Dark Ages" to paint all of medieval society as cruel and degenerate, without cultural or scientific progress. When in fact it was those Monarchs who had built Europe. There were many among the nobility who supported the revolutionaries at first. Agreeing with the Jacobins alleged desire for fairness, not realizing their true goal was the extinction of the entire nobility. Revenge for the pogroms in France going back to Saint Louis, who all the Bourbons descend from.

The revolutionaries stormed the bastille fortress on, 14 July 1789. A symbol of Bourbon power in Paris. The King Louis XVI was forced to accept a constitutional monarchy, but this didnt satisfy the Jacobins. On 21 January 1793 they publicly executed the King and later his wife Marie Antoinette. They proclaimed the first French Directorate as the new government. The monarchs of Europe were horrified and quickly formed a coalition led by Great Britain, to out this criminal mob which had usurped the throne of France. The Revolutionary Wars had begun.

During the revolutions reign of terror thousands of nobles would be executed or simple murdered by mobs. The terror extended to culture as well, especially medieval relics and art. The French Crown Jewels, which included many medieval artifacts and religious relics, were largely sold off or melted down during the revolution. Some of the most significant losses included the Sancy Diamond, the Regent Diamond, and the Hortensia Diamond.

The Sainte-Chapelle in Paris housed precious relics of Christ, including the Crown of Thorns. During the revolution, these relics were removed and scattered. The Crown of Thorns was eventually reacquired by the Louvre Museum, but many other relics were lost or destroyed. The Basilica of Saint-Denis was the traditional burial place of the French monarchy and housed an extensive collection of medieval art and artifacts, much of this treasure was looted or destroyed. Many of the tombs of the French kings were opened and their remains scattered. Many of the tapestries that adorned the royal palaces were sold off or destroyed. For example, a series of tapestries depicting the story of King David, which had been woven in the 16th century for Fontainebleau Palace, were cut up and sold as scraps.

The bells of Notre-Dame Cathedral were melted down during the to make cannons for the French military. Many of the statues on the facade of Chartres Cathedral were decapitated. many libraries were looted or destroyed, and countless manuscripts and early printed books were lost. The library at Saint-Germain-des-Prés was ransacked and its collection scattered. The Palace of Versailles was one of the most important repositories of medieval and Renaissance art in France, much of this artwork was stolen or destroyed. Including a series of tapestries depicting scenes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which had been woven for Louis XIV, cut up and sold as scraps. Like Versailles, Fontainebleau Palace was home to an extensive collection of medieval and Renaissance art, again stolen or destroyed.

Public

Notices where this attachment appears