Tea at Trianon: An Armed Society

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

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

An Armed Society

From The History Desk:

An armed society, is a polite society.
We cannot return to the days when a man tipped his hat to a woman, out of respect for her sex. The first reason we cannot return to such a nicety, is because men no longer wear hats as they used to. The exception is a small group of men that continue to dress with more formality than the rest of the society. The wearing of baseball caps does not count. Indeed, I have yet to see a guy wearing a baseball cap doff it in the presence of a female.
Throughout modern history, from the Renaissance forward, it has been considered politeness to doff a hat upon greeting women, and one’s betters. The difference being, men would return their hat to their head in some circumstances. Unless one was in the presence of their queen, one could replace their hat. Not to be polite in society was considered an affront that could be called out. Since most men, and many women, were armed, it was best to mind one’s P’s and Q’s rather than face either humiliation or having to get up at the crack of dawn to fight a duel. In the day of swords and knives, most duels were fought until first blood was drawn. The protocol then had the bleeding party apologize. After that, everyone packed up and went home, as the wrong had been righted.
Sometimes there would be a duel to death. That was reserved for great offenses, like adultery, insulting the monarch, or lies, that smeared one’s name, or the name of one’s nearest and dearest. If we took social media back into the Middle Ages, blood would be drawn daily. Mostly, people avoided dueling by minding their own business. Rivalries were left to the great families. The peasants, rich and poor, didn’t like the rivalries, but there wasn’t much they could do about it. This is so because peasants were about making money. If a peasant became rich enough, he could marry up. Either through himself marrying the earl’s daughter, or he would marry his daughter to the earl’s son. That sort of thing, Once that happened, they too could immerse themselves in the rivalries.
Peasants could arm themselves. There were no police around to keep their neighborhoods safe. That was the job of those who lived there. When traveling, all people of every class would hit the road together, to keep the brigands away. And of course, everyone was armed. Even the women would carry small daggers. People back then didn’t have the victim mentality that moderns have.
Up until the 20th century, it was considered okay to have a weapon for defense. What changed? The attitude towards the state and its government, that came with the theories of Marx and Engles, who considered everyone, except the rich, of course, a victim.
Victims wait for the state to take care of them, including, keep them safe. Because the state has told them they are victims, which means they are helpless. Sure, back in the day, the lord would keep his serfs safe, because his serfs lived on the baronial lands. He also kept the villagers safe, to some degree. The average villager, however, lived with others, so the others looked out for everyone in the household. If an invading army showed up, the villagers were let into the castle grounds, or into the church, which could have a monastery attached. Since they were armed, they helped to defend their territory.
The point being, no one lived alone. Except for hermits, living the single life just wasn’t done. Society was truly that: an organized community. Why even hunter-gathers had a society. They stuck together, had their various duties, and watched one another’s backs. Everyone was armed, to some extent. Victim-think wasn’t a thing. If attacked, by animal or human, one would defend their self, and others. (Read more.)