Tag: French history
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The Crusade That France Launched Against Its Own People — And Still Doesn’t Celebrate
The Cathar Crusade of 1209 reshaped southern France. Today the ruined hilltop castles still stand — plus get weekly France stories free in our newsletter.
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Two Thousand Years Old — and Still Selling Tickets in France
France’s Roman arenas still host concerts after 2,000 years. Nîmes, Orange and Pont du Gard — plus get weekly France stories free in our newsletter.
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Why Two Women Fought Over the Most Beautiful Château in France
Discover how a royal mistress and a queen fought over Château de Chenonceau — and how their centuries-long rivalry shaped the Loire Valley’s most beautiful castle — plus get weekly France stories free in our newsletter.
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Why Brittany Has More Ancient Standing Stones Than Anywhere on Earth
Discover the Carnac stones in Brittany — 3,000 prehistoric menhirs older than Stonehenge, still standing in silent rows across the Breton moorland — plus get weekly France stories free in our newsletter.
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Why French Kings Kept Fleeing Paris for the Loire Valley
Discover the power struggles, royal rivalries, and dramatic histories behind the Loire Valley châteaux that shaped France — plus get weekly France stories free in our newsletter.
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The Medieval Colour at Chartres Cathedral That Scientists Still Cannot Copy
Chartres Cathedral holds over 10,000 square metres of medieval stained glass in a blue no one has reproduced. Here’s what makes it unmissable — plus get weekly France stories free in our newsletter.
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The Pyrenean Escape Routes Are Still There — and Anyone Can Walk Them
During WWII, guides led thousands across the Pyrenees into Spain. The Chemin de la Liberté still exists — and you can walk it today.
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The City on the French Riviera That Wasn’t French Until 1860
Nice looks and feels French — but it only became part of France in 1860. Here is the story of a city with two identities, and why that split is still visible on every street corner.
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The Loire Valley Château With 237 Secret Hiding Places — and Why They Were Built
Inside Château de Blois, a small oak-panelled study hides 237 secret compartments built for Catherine de Medici. The legend of what she kept there has never been fully settled.
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The French Villages That Were Never Rebuilt After World War One
Nine villages near Verdun were destroyed in WWI and never rebuilt. They are still official communes, with mayors but no residents. The Red Zone still exists. The earth is still giving back its dead.