The East · Monarchies · Moscow · Observations · Society · Humour

Maxim Suchkov, the Russian editor of the American Al-Monitor, has drawn attention to the setting of Putin's talks with Erdoğan on 5 March: behind Recep stands a bronze Catherine II, who routed the Turkish army, destroyed the Turkish fleet at Ochakov and I

Maxim Suchkov, the Russian editor of the American Al-Monitor, has drawn attention to the setting of Putin's talks with Erdoğan on 5 March: behind Recep stands a bronze Catherine II, who routed the Turkish army, destroyed the Turkish fleet at Ochakov and Izmail in 1768-1774 and

Architecture · Monarchies · Mores · People

Diane de Poitiers and her daily bathing in the river at Château de Chenonceau

Perhaps the secret of the beauty of Diane de Poitiers, who managed to seduce and win the heart of Henry II, nineteen years her junior, lay in the fact that she washed every day. Moreover, she washed in the river: in one of the arches of the Château de Chenonceau

A white banner with a red diagonal stripe and three golden embroidered bees, displayed under glass in a museum.

NB! · Archaeology · Monarchies · Heritage

Napoleon's flag on Elba with three golden bees and the find in Childeric's tomb

That famous flag of Napoleon on Elba, with its three golden bees. The bees may well have been the oldest symbol of the rulers of France. In 1653 an image of bees was discovered in the tomb of Childeric, father of Clovis I, founder of the Merovingian dynasty, who lived

Books · Monarchies · Observations · Mores · Saint Petersburg

Tyutchev dedicated a poem to Princess Dagmar's arrival in Saint Petersburg in 1866

When the heir of Alexander II, Nicholas, suddenly died of an unknown illness, his bride, the Danish Princess Dagmar, passed, as it were, to the second son, became his betrothed and, accordingly, came to Saint Petersburg. This was September 1866. The weather was splendid. And so Tyutchev, in honour of

The East · Monarchies · Humour

Parable of Harun al-Rashid and the old woman who prayed for his health

There is a parable. Harun al-Rashid liked to wander about at night. One evening he strayed into a dark hovel in which an elderly woman was offering up a prayer for his health. "How pleasant!" he said. "How may I reward you?" "You see,

Art · Monarchies · Observations · Humour

Portrait of the deposed King Charles IV of Spain by Juan Bauzil, 1818

And who is this pockmarked fellow with the playful ringlets? Charles IV, King of Spain, deposed in 1808, bears a resemblance to Trump, especially, as you can see, from behind. Why the Spaniard Juan Boisil painted such a portrait is unclear. Still, given the year of its creation, 1818, one

Aristocracy · London · Monarchies · Mores · Ethnography

Princess Charlotte's sarafan and the fashion for Russian dress in England after 1814

During Alexander I's visit to London in 1814, the looks and attire of the Russian aristocrats, and indeed the Tsar himself, made a great impression on English society. Russian dress came into fashion once more, and Englishwomen arrayed themselves in sarafans. The sarafan became one of Princess Charlotte&

Monarchies · Observations · Society · Humour

Battle of Karansebes, where the Austrian army defeated itself after a drunken brawl

The Battle of Caransebeș will go down in history as one of the most absurd engagements ever fought: the Austrian army managed to defeat itself. My thanks to Twitter's algorithmic feed for this staggering story. One is deeply sorry for the men who perished in this tragedy, yet

NB! · Aristocracy · Monarchies · Observations · Humour

Remember: if you see me in the guise of Leopold I, in full ceremonial dress and a gigantic headdress of white plumes with a peacock atop, it means I am returning with good news

Remember: if you see me in the guise of Leopold I, in full ceremonial dress and a gigantic headdress of white plumes with a peacock atop, it means I am returning with good news. If I appear as Prince Gundaker of Liechtenstein, with a sail of black feathers upon my

Coming Up · Architecture · Monarchies · Moscow · Museums

Bazhenov's model of the Grand Kremlin Palace shown at the Museum of Architecture on Vozdvizhenka

The grandiose Model of the Grand Kremlin Palace, which gathered dust for 20 years in the storerooms of the Shchusev Museum of Architecture, is perhaps the most vivid testimony to Catherine II's sweeping idea of remodelling the ensemble of the Kremlin and Red Square. Alas, the plan was

Art · London · Monarchies · Museums

Holbein's Whitehall mural of Henry VIII was destroyed in the fire of 1698

The best-known portrait of King Henry VIII today is a replica of a group portrait by Hans Holbein from 1537. The mural on the wall of the royal palace of Whitehall showed Henry VIII with his father Henry VII standing behind him, and, on the other side, Queen Jane

Art · Monarchies · Museums · Paris · People

Art historian Anthony Blunt, curator of the royal gallery and Soviet spy

1960: De Gaulle at the Nicolas Poussin exhibition in the Louvre with the Minister of Culture, André Malraux. The exhibition was organised by the Poussin specialist Anthony Blunt (pictured with Elizabeth), a man of remarkable biography. Blunt was a second cousin of Elizabeth II's mother through his own