The Loire Valley
- The construction of these palaces signified a change in the culture during the Renaissance–no longer fortresses, these palaces were built for pleasure. USA Today talks about three of the most popular castles in the Loire Valley, as well as hosting a short tour through the valley.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2016/09/21/loire-valley-france-castles-chateaus/90751858/ - This 25 minute historical tour of the castles with Rick Steves will make you wish you could wander the valley yourself!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS9ANdUpTuQ
What is the Ancien Régime? (15th c. – 1792)
- This chapter breaks down the key points of the Ancien Régime, focusing on the vocabulary, societal structure, and the distribution of power during this period. It was during this period that the castles of the Loire Valley appeared, and when nobility ruled.
https://www.boundless.com/world-history/textbooks/boundless-world-history-textbook/the-french-revolution-1137/france-under-louis-xv-1138/the-ancien-regime-1141-17720/ - King Louis XIV, the longest reigning king in French history, was known as the Sun King. We will go more into his palace of Versailles, but for now: who is he?
https://www.biography.com/people/louis-xiv-9386885 - This biography of King Louis XV, the grandfather of Louis XVI, can be considered
King Louis XVI one of the main contributors to the eventual Revolution.
https://www.biography.com/peopl
e/louis-xv-9386921 - A biography of King Louis XVI, the husband of Marie-Antoinette, and beheaded during the revolution.
https://www.biography.com/peopl
e/louis-xvi-9386943 - Contemporary France pp 13-15 PDF
The Renaissance Period (1483 – 1595)
- French historian Jules Michelet was the first to coin the term renaissance–which, in English, means “rebirth.” During this era, there were shifts in the way of thinking; the intellectual movements of humanism and neoplatonism.
Humanism: https://www.thoughtco.com/renaissance-humanism-p2-1221781
Neoplatonism: http://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/plato-platonism-and-neoplatonism- How do these two ideas correlate or differentiate?
- This timeline of the Renaissance not only gives the important events during the period, shows the relationship between aristocracy (particularly in the Burgundy region) and Italian artists.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/08/euwf.html - The Met has a large collection of Renaissance art.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/keywords/renaissance-art/ - Music underwent development as well. The musical center moved from Paris to Burgundy, and the music scene changed in tone, audience, and composition.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/renm/hd_renm.htm - A video example of Renaissance guitar music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6xulWdqcgE