Conference I

Before The Revolution: from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Marie Antoinette



Before the Revolution, France had kings, and these kings had queens – usually chosen for political purposes and for their capacity to produce heirs. The role of the queen was to support the king, but many used their position to promote their own agenda – as did the royal mistresses, whose influence on domestic and international politics is often underestimated.

Aliénor d’Aquitaine and Catherine de Médicis are familiar names, but what exactly did they achieve ? Who remembers the role played by lesser known women such as Anne de Bretagne or Agnès Sorel?

What of the royal “favourites” such as Mme de Pompadour and Jeanne du Barry? And did Marie-Antoinette really deserve her reputation as a heartless manipulator and heedless spender of public funds?

These were also times when wars were fought by men, yet some notable women took up arms for a cause and made their name as military figures. Jeanne d’Arc is still celebrated today, but who has heard of Jeanne Hachette and her deeds? These questions and more will be the subject of this first lecture.


             

Where: Alliance Française Adelaide
When: Tuesday 6 August, 6.30pm to 8.00pm

Tickets: $20 for one lecture & $30 for the two of them

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About the lecturer: 

John West-Sooby is Emeritus Professor of French at the University of Adelaide. He has worked for many years on Nicolas Baudin’s voyage of discovery to Australia and has authored or co-produced numerous books and articles on the subject. He has also published widely on nineteenth-century French literature and crime fiction (French and Australian). John has been a long-time partner of the Alliance Française d'Adelaide, having done many conferences and talks about France history and literature. 

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