Maggie+DuVall

=Understanding //The Scarlet Pimpernal//= //The Scarlet Pimpernal// takes place in 1792. Many events occur in 1792. They include:
 * Peace of Jassy is signed by Russia and Turkey- January 9th
 * French revolutionary Wars begin when France declares war on Austria- April 14th[[image:mrsdavisdws/gil.jpg width="158" height="201" align="right" caption="Madame Guillotine "]]
 * U.S. Postal Service created
 * more can be found on [|http://www.brainyhistory.com/years/1792.][|html]

Guillotine-
A device consisting of a heavy blade held aloft between upright guides and dropped to behead a person condemned to die. [| http://www.answers.com/topic/guillotine] The guillotine was invented by a kindhearted man named Dr. Joseph Guillotine, who had searched for a way to make execution more humane. Tyranny became the most common word associated with the guillotine. The target would lay face down on a bench with their neck between the uprights. The beheading took less than half a second but may doctors dispute that because it could take thirty seconds for the victim to lose consciousness this form of punishment may not be so humane after all. Approximately 40,000 people died under the guillotine. __http://www.napoleonguide.c____om/guillotine.htm__ ==

Marie Antoinette-
She was born in Vienna, Austria on November 2, 1755. Marie's husband was King Louis XVI, therefore Marie was Queen of France. Although Marie ignored France's developing financial crisis, she reduced the amount of royal household staff. The French citizens needed someone to blame for their despair. Because Marie Antoinette was royalty and originally not from France, she was the perfect person to blame. __http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95nov/antoinette.html__

The phrase "Let them eat cake" thought to be said by Marie Antoinette is most likely a rumor spread by the citizens of France. This phrase was interpreted to mean that Marie understood little about the difficult life lived by the poor and cared even less for them. This gave the people one more reason to feel discontent and made them want to revolt all the more. __http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/let-them-eat-cake.html__ = =

The Storming of Bastille-[[image:mrsdavisdws/bastille.png width="279" height="223" align="right" caption="The Bastille"]]
A group of salesmen and craftsmen decided to fight back on the morning of July 14, 1789 and ran to the Invalides to take their weapons. The crowd stole thousands of riffles but could find no powder. The mob knew that a heap of powder was stored in the Bastille, a fortress and prison, governed by Bernard-Rene de Launay. They attacked. Marquis de Launay ordered a rescue team, but when the rescue team arrived, they joined forces with the mob and against Louis XVI's guards. At 4 'o'clock in the afternoon, Marquis de Launay surrendered, the people entered the Bastille, the Marquis de Launay was beheaded, the seven prisoners of the Bastille freed, and that same night eight hundred men annihilated the Bastille. __http://bastille-day.com/history/Storming-Of-The-Bastille-July-14-1789__

Baroness Emma Orczy-
She was born in Hungry on September 23, 1865. Her father moved their family from Budapest to Brussels and then on to Paris, because he was afraid of the consequences of the Hungarian peasant revolt. In Brussels and Paris, Emma received an education. While studying in London, she met Montague Barstow, and they married in 1894. Together they wrote and illustrated magazine articles and books. Starting a life together as a young couple, they had little money. To help out with the income, Emma began to write after the birth of her first and only child. Her first novel in 1899, //The Emperor's Candlesticks//, was a failure. A climax came in 1903 when Emma and Montague wrote a play together based off of one of Emma' s short stories, which later came to be known as //The Sc////arlet Pimpernal//. Emma was able to write the story so adeptly because she was able to draw from her own experiences of being nobility and fleeing from a country. Before the novel was published in 1905, it was accepted by Fred Terry and Julia Neilson to become a play. The theatrical triumphs generated big sales for the novel. __http://www.scarletpimpernel.com/orczy.html__

Fashion-
== The history, significance, features, considerations, and benefits of fashion during the French revolution can be found at __http://www.ehow.com/about_4570555_fashion-french-revolution.htm____l__.

Causes [[image:mrsdavisdws/motto.gif width="180" height="119" align="right" caption="Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity"]] of the French Revolution-
One of the main reasons was because of **political and social inequalities**. Because France continued to practice feudalism during this time, the nobility and clergy (First and Second Estates in the Estates General) had special privileges including not paying taxes. The common people (Third Estate) did not have freedom or power in politics. They were required to pay heavy taxes and work extremely hard. The common people grew discontent with the more fortunate classes. Secondly, the **government was bankrupt**. Louis XVI spent excessively, was unable to improve or strengthen the financial situation, and replaced ministers who tried to introduce financial reforms. In addition, his successors did not reduce expenses. The government was entirely bankrupt by 1789. Another factor that led to the French Revolution was the **influence of the Enlightenment and the American Revolution**. The writings and ideas of Enlightenment thinkers like Rousseau, Voltaire, and Montesquieu became more popular with the masses. Also, the French were inspired to fight for their freedom because of the success of the Americans to overthrow British rule. Finally, there were many **outbreaks of revolution**. The Third Estate did not agree with the unjust system of the Estates General when Louis XVI finally decided to resolve France's financial crisis. The Third Estate formed the National Assembly to make a constitution, but people were afraid the king would not allow the National Assembly. The common people let out their anger by attacking the Bastille prison. The Fall of Bastille began the French Revolution and spread to other parts of France. __http://www.funfront.net/hist/f3/fr_revo_causes.htm__

French Involvement in the American Revolution-
Throughout their history, France and England have found themselves at odds, with each trying to gain an upper hand. The American Revolution offered King Louis XVI of France the opportunity to guarantee the removal of English influence in the Americas. By sending troops, supplies, and money to the revolutionaries, beginning in 1778, the French were able to play a vital role in the patriots' victory against the English. While the support did weaken the English rule, it also helped sink the French further and further into debt. The support of the colonists angered many French commoners. Their monarch was willing to aide a country half a world away, but could not feed the hungry children outside the gates of his palace. The American Revolution showed the French commoners that they could rebel and create a democracy. __http://www.laughtergenealogy.com/bin/histprof/misc/louisxvi.html__

Reign of Terror- [[image:mrsdavisdws/mr.jpg width="234" height="181" align="right" caption="Maximilien Robespierre" link="http://bastille-day.com/media/Robespierre.jpg.pagespeed.ce.rSLhHvRchg.jpg"]]
The Reign of Terror began in 1793 with the death of King Louis XVI. The Terror was designed to fight the enemies of the Revolution and to prevent a counter-revolution. The victims of the guillotine were anywhere from aristocrats to a commoner who said something negative about the revolution. The leader of The Reign of Terror was Maximilien Robespierre. His best known quote, "Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible," shows just how brutal and bloody The Reign of Terror was to the citizens of France. The Reign of Terror did not end until 1799 with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. __[]__ [] (picture)

Napoleon Bonaparte-[[image:mrsdavisdws/np.jpg width="208" height="238" align="right" caption="Napoleon Bonaparte"]]
In November of 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte overthrows the French Directory. Bonaparte ends the Reign of Terror that destroyed the original democratic intentions of the revolutionaries. He declares France a republic and appoints himself First Consul for Life. In 1804, the French people vote him emperor. Bonaparte is able to become leader of France easily and quickly because he is France’s foremost military leader. The French people know that he is an effective leader and can bring them out of their misery. The peace and stability that Bonaparte is able to establish reinforces the people’s confidence in him. In addition, he had several successful military campaigns that helped France to rise, once again, as a powerful and influential European nation. __[]__ [] (picture)

Geography-
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