http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1574
Here are some one liners...
When is the King of Poland a Lot Like the King of France? -- Well... when they are one and the same person. It wasn't planned this way but the King of France died without an heir and his brother was the King of Poland.
Europe's First Public Garden -- It's not only a Renaissance in Art, and Science. Private gardening has made a comeback. The new Count has planted some poplar trees and created the first European public garden.
The 5th 'War of Religion' or as It is Commonly Known: Thursday -- Yet again, it's a fight between the French Calvinists and the French Catholics. It makes you want to holler... well... never mind.
When is the King of Poland a Lot Like the King of France?
Last year, in the first election of a Polish King, Henry the 3rd of the House of Valois was made the King of Poland. His brother, Charles the 9th, is the King of France and the family resemblance is remarkable. What is also remarkable is that the King of France has now died without an heir so Henry the 3rd takes the French throne too. Poland and France are now ruled under one crown. However, Henry will be the last of his house. The French line of succession will move to the House of Bourbon upon his death in 1589 when he will be stabbed in the head by an assassin. [1]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
I found it interesting that the King of France was also the King of Poland for a time. All the royals are cross-related. I have a friend who is a naturalized American citizen but she was once a British subject. She tells me that while the Nazis were coming to power, the British Royals spoke German as their native tongue when not in public. They had changed their name to Windsor in 1917 during World War 1, when anti-German sentiment made their previous German name unpopular. It was Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Windsor is easier anyway. [2]
I found it interesting that the King of France was also the King of Poland for a time. All the royals are cross-related. I have a friend who is a naturalized American citizen but she was once a British subject. She tells me that while the Nazis were coming to power, the British Royals spoke German as their native tongue when not in public. They had changed their name to Windsor in 1917 during World War 1, when anti-German sentiment made their previous German name unpopular. It was Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Windsor is easier anyway. [2]
Europe's First Public Garden
Ever since the large river near Seville was dammed up, the area below the dam has remained swampy. A natural aquifer has fed water into the area, keeping it too too wet for substantial development, so Count Don Francisco has drained the swamp, built some fountains and planted several rows of white poplar trees (also known as silver poplar) to create a promenade for a pleasant walk. The Alameda de Hercules is the first public garden in Europe (if you don't count Istanbul as "Europe"). The Alameda is best recognized in the modern day by the "Pillars of Hercules" that grace the north and south entrances to the promenade. The southern columns are the original columns from the Roman temple that existed in the Santa Cruz quarter. The columns meant for the northern entrance were damaged beyond repair so they are reproductions. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
The Renaissance reintroduced private gardening but a garden for public use is new for Europe. White poplar trees are native to Spain and Portugal and they can be found near rivers so they were a perfect choice for the wet conditions found at the Alameda. They also tolerate salt and acidic soil so they are the kind of trees you need for tough soil conditions. I gave the impression that the Alameda simply got better and better but over the centuries it has undergone deterioration and renewal for several cycles. 10 years ago, the Alameda was the perfect place to find a night's companionship at reasonable prices or to find drugs. Now it is a site for trendy restaurants. Nothing stays the same or as I have been told many times... this too shall pass. [8]
The Renaissance reintroduced private gardening but a garden for public use is new for Europe. White poplar trees are native to Spain and Portugal and they can be found near rivers so they were a perfect choice for the wet conditions found at the Alameda. They also tolerate salt and acidic soil so they are the kind of trees you need for tough soil conditions. I gave the impression that the Alameda simply got better and better but over the centuries it has undergone deterioration and renewal for several cycles. 10 years ago, the Alameda was the perfect place to find a night's companionship at reasonable prices or to find drugs. Now it is a site for trendy restaurants. Nothing stays the same or as I have been told many times... this too shall pass. [8]
The 5th 'War of Religion' or as It is Commonly Known: Thursday
When the year ends in an even or odd number, another "War of Religion" in France begins. Through a series of treaties and agreements, the Calvinist Huguenots have won a number of religious freedoms and a truce, but the truce always seems to fall apart. This time a group of Huguenots believe that with the recent death of the King of France and with the heir apparent in Poland, now is the time to strike. In a couple of years, the Huguenots will force concessions from the King when they threaten Paris. The King will acknowledge that the crown was wrong at the St. Bartholomew Day massacre even though this king didn't do it. (It was his brother.) And public worship for the Reformed Church (the Huguenots) will be allowed everywhere in France except Paris and at court. [9]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
FYI, no one is covered in glory here. The resentments on both sides are heart-felt and aren't going away simply because someone signed a paper granting freedom. And the French kings are losing their moral authority bit-by-bit. The deaths of 2 million people put a real dent in the king's popularity polls, if you know what I mean. It didn't matter whose fault it was. The king was supposed to maintain order and he just wasn't. The Huguenots were not a bunch of peasants with pitchforks. This was a rebellion led by the lower and mid-level aristocracy. They wanted change they could believe in and they were willing to die for it. And a lot of them did... die for it.
FYI, no one is covered in glory here. The resentments on both sides are heart-felt and aren't going away simply because someone signed a paper granting freedom. And the French kings are losing their moral authority bit-by-bit. The deaths of 2 million people put a real dent in the king's popularity polls, if you know what I mean. It didn't matter whose fault it was. The king was supposed to maintain order and he just wasn't. The Huguenots were not a bunch of peasants with pitchforks. This was a rebellion led by the lower and mid-level aristocracy. They wanted change they could believe in and they were willing to die for it. And a lot of them did... die for it.
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