Tea at Trianon: The Battle of Yorktown

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The Battle of Yorktown

Deciding the American Revolution.

The Battle of Yorktown was the last major fight of the American Revolutionary War. The American victory at Yorktown led to peace negotiations and the signing of the Treaty of Paris in September 1783, which gave the American colonies independence from the British.

The French were instrumental in helping the American colonies win the war. After the start of the Revolutionary War in Massachusetts in 1775, Benjamin Franklin led a delegation to France to convince King Louis XVI to support the American rebels in their fight against the British. At first, the French sent only weapons to the Americans. Then, in 1778, the French began sending army troops and navy ships. Read More.

Parisienne Farmgirl said...: I just love your blog. I never comment - sorry ...I can get my history and royalty fix. Thank you for all the research and hard work you put into it. It is appreciated.; July 28, 2010 at 10:06:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: My pleasure! Thank you for your kind comment!; July 28, 2010 at 10:39:00 AM EDT
GREAT MILITARY BATTLES said...: Warfare is a fascinating subject. Despite the dubious morality of using violence to achieve personal or political aims. It remains that conflict has been used to do just that throughout recorded history.

Your article is very well done, a good read.; May 25, 2015 at 1:28:00 PM EDT