The biography of François-Camille of Lorraine is not so simple; at any rate, the modern vicissitudes of its circulation give cause for alarm about the memory of this nobleman

Quite by chance I discovered that the Russian-language Wikipedia and a multitude of secondary sources on the Runet maintain that Louis de Lorraine, Prince of Lambesc (1692-1743), had one son, Louis-Charles of Lorraine, who inherited his father's title, and five daughters: Jeanne, Louise, Henriette, Camille and Agathe.

I cannot for the life of me imagine how it came about that the younger son of Louis of Lorraine, François-Camille of Lorraine, an influential churchman and abbot, and, what is more, a direct descendant of the sovereigns of Lorraine, was taken by unfortunate 'historians' for a woman. What logic is this? Ah, François-Camille, rather a girlish sort of name, so a daughter it must be!

The conclusion is one: never take Wikipedia at its word; everything must be checked against dictionaries, primary sources, authentic texts and documents not in translation. And do learn your grammar, for the feminine name Françoise is spelt thus: Françoise!!!

Report a translation error

September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

In the finale of the Strugatskys' Roadside Picnic, the Golden Ball is told: "Happiness for everybody, free, and let nobody go away unsatisfied!" I do not promise to offend nobody, but the digest really does come free of charge. So, here is the main business of the

Frederic Leighton

Frederic Leighton. “Daedalus and Icarus”, 1869 Daedalus warns his son not to climb too high: the heat of the sun may melt the wax, but Icarus is already gazing into the distance, and the lamentations of a foolish old man interest him not in the least

The biography of François-Camille of Lorraine is not so simple; at any rate, the modern vicissitudes of its circulation give cause for alarm about the memory of this nobleman

Read more

September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

Frederic Leighton

Attempts to resolve the problems of many years of uncontrolled mass migration

Characters from Gogol's "Petersburg Tales" on the pedestal of the monument to Nikolai Gogol on Nikitsky Boulevard, photograph of the 1960s