Sex, Money, and Magic: When Scandals Rocked the French Monarchy *Online* *NEW*
“The king can do no wrong” is a legal maxim. But certainly the other members of the royal court can do so, and the results can endanger the monarchy as a whole. We’ll look at three such scandals scattered across the history of the French monarchy: the adultery of princesses in the Tour de Nesle Affair, which broke in 1314; the Affair of the Poisons, beginning in 1677, in which accusations of murder and witchcraft reached to the king’s bedroom; and the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, which broke in 1785 and which undermined the monarchy on the eve of the French Revolution. Apart from untangling the complexities of these affairs (scorecards will be needed), we will examine how the French monarchy became vulnerable to laws and popular opinion. Online handouts and bibliography will be provided.
Instructor: Brian Bixby
Sections
SCFR-SP24.01
5 Thursdays, 3-5pm. Begins May 2
This class will meet online using Zoom. The Zoom link and information on how to join will be emailed to you. Please also check your spam folder.
If you register 12 hours or less before the class begins or after the start date, please contact zoom@ccae.org for the link.
Instructors: Brian Bixby
Instructor
Brian Bixby
Brian holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He teaches history courses he hopes his students will enjoy and from which he himself will learn more.