Napoleon Bonaparte and The Teenage Girl Who Won His Heart

Catch me today over at Enchanted by Josephine for a guest post on Betsy Balcombe.

Interview with J. David Markham

Thank you to everyone who submitted a question for this month's author interview with author and Napoleonic expert, J. David Markham. Even though the interview was originally only to have the top five questions, Mr. Markham graciously agreed to answer a few more....all while he is busy working on his next book AND filming for the History Channel!

And the book winner is announced at the bottom of the interview....

- From Amanda
1. What inspired you to become such a Napoleon enthusiast?
Amanda, like many people I can credit my parents, in this case my father, with encouraging my interests. He would tell me stories of various famous people in history, including Napoleon. Napoleon once said, ‘What a novel my life has been,’ and he really had it right. A rise from obscurity to greatness, a fall and a rise again. Love, sex, military glory, lots of battles, neat uniforms, glorious cavalry charges: what’s not to like, if you are a young boy? Dad had been to Paris and showed me picture postcards of places like the Arch of Triumph, Napoleon’s tomb, etc. I was hooked!

-From Amanda (this was going to be my question too!)
2. And what is your favorite piece in your Napoleonic collection and why?
Well, Amanda, you have really asked a tough one here. I have hundreds of items in my collection, many of them beautiful and often pretty valuable, either in terms of price or in terms of historical rarity. Sometimes I ask myself the terrible question of which piece I’d grab if there was a sudden fire and I had to get out quick. Its a depressing thought!

Still, your question deserves an answer and, as it happens, I have a pretty good one.

Some years ago my wife, Barbara, and I were given a private tour of the palace of Versailles, including some major areas that are not open to the public. Our guide was one of the curators, so it was a great honor. I showed him some photos of my collection (which was much smaller then), and he picked out what he considered to be the best pieces in the collection. As it happens, they were my favorite as well.

The pieces he picked were a pair of ivory miniatures (shown above), one of Napoleon, the other of Josephine. They are in 83x96 millimeter frames (about 3.25 inches by 3.75 inches), so they are fairly small. They are signed by the French miniaturist of the late 18th and early 19th century François Noël. The pieces are almost certainly from the First Empire period (1804–1815), and might even have been created for the coronation in December of 2004.

They are exquisitely carved in great detail. Josephine is especially wonderful, as the detail in her gown, jewelry and diadem are really quite amazing. And each person has wonderful, very human, expressions. If I could only keep one item (or set, in this case), I’m pretty sure this would be it.

-From Maija
3. Where do you even begin to research the history to write a book?!?!
Maija, the answer to that question will be different, depending on who you ask. In my case, I am fortunate enough to have a library of about 1200 different volumes on Napoleonic history, including English translations of virtually all of the memoires of the period and many documents as well. I have written some of my books just using these sources.

There are other sources as well, including some that I can get from my computer. Google Books has some rare books available for free in PDF form, and some websites have some outstanding information as well. But you have to be careful when you use the Internet, as some websites have very poor information. Of course, you have to be careful about some books as well!

Finally, for some of my research I have been to the British Library and the French Library and the French National Archives.

-From Carmi.
4. Where is your favorite place to see Napoleon history?
A city, museum,or special site?
Carmi, I’ve had the great pleasure and good fortune to follow Napoleonic history from England to Israel, from France to Russia, and just about everywhere in between. But I must say that the place to start is the center of the Napoleonic world: Paris! There you have his tomb, the Arch of Triumph, his rooms at Versailles (just in the outskirts), and several museums full of important Napoleonic artifacts. Then you can go a little further out of town to Fontainebleau and see where he lived some of the time and where he abdicated his throne in 1814 before being sent in exile to Elba.

Another exciting place to see Napoleonic history is the city where he was born, Ajaccio, Corsica. Corsica is a French island just of the Mediterranean coast. You can see the house where he was born and many other places of his childhood.

Of course, there are some very interesting battlefields, including Marengo (Italy), Waterloo (Belgium), Austerlitz (Czech Republic), Acre (Israel), Wagram (Austria) and Borodino (Russia).

But if I had to pick just one, it would definitely be Paris!

-From Maria Reed
5. Did Napoleon really touch the bobos of the plague victims at Jaffa? Wouldn't he had feared certain death? Or was the image of him doing that pure propaganda on the part of David?

Maria, you have touched (no pun intended) on an important consideration when researching history: who do you believe? In this case, you should believe the sources that say that Napoleon did, in fact, touch the plague victims. There are accounts of him mingling with the soldiers and then helping to move a corpse, which was, in fact, a dangerous thing to do. But Napoleon always had a very special relationship with his soldiers. For the plague victims, he arranged for extra good food and some military music to be available as well.

The British have always promoted the idea that this was just French propaganda, but it is, in fact, British propaganda that is at work here. They always have tried to downplay any really positive aspects of Napoleon’s career.

To be sure, the painting by Antoine-Jean Gros (1771–1835) (not Jacques-Louis David as you suggest, though Gros studied under David for a time) may not be exactly as it happened. It certainly makes the scene look very dramatic. But the building shown in the painting still exists and I have stood in the exact spot where Napoleon stood in the painting.

-From Maria Reed
6. How many snuff boxes do you own David?
Maria,That is not quite as easy a question as you might think. I have many boxes, most of which are probably snuffboxes. But a few might be actually for something else, such as small jewelry, makeup, or even perfume. But the total number (at last count) is about 160 boxes, and I believe I have perhaps the largest private collection of Napoleonic snuffboxes in the world.

-From Maria Reed

7. Was Napoleon really successful in banning La Marseillaise? How often was his anthem 'Veillons au Salut du l'Empire' sung? Was it an official part of all most ceremonies?
Bonjour, Marie. Your question is a good one, and the answer is a little complex. The Marseillaise was composed as a marching song for soldiers marching from–-you guessed it—Marseillaise, a coastal city in the south of France. The soldiers had a long march to Paris and this made the constant hours of marching go by a little easier. It was called the War Song of the Army of the Rhine, but eventually became known as La Marseillaise.

This was in 1792, the early years of the French Revolution, and if you listen to the words, it is very Revolutionary and, to some, a bit revolting. It is also quite bloodthirsty, at least to some people. You’ve got your basic cutting of the throats of sons and consorts, impure blood watering our furrows, ripping open mother’s wombs: you get the picture. It is a call to action in defense of the Fatherland, and it became the symbol of the French Revolution.

That’s all well and good, but by the time Napoleon came to power, he wanted less Revolution and more stability. Revolution is fine against some other leaders, but not against the current leader, namely Napoleon. So when Napoleon became Emperor, he replaced the Revolution with an Empire, and La Marseillaise with Veillons au Salute du l‘Empire. This song sounds more like an anthem than a rousing call to Revolution. It was used at most public official ceremonies, especially those featuring Napoleon, but there were other songs as well that were used from time to time, certainly during the Consulate (1800-1804).

However, while Napoleon discouraged the singing of La Marseillaise and apparently issued orders banning its official use, it was used from time to time when it seemed necessary to rouse the people to action. It was also used by some military leaders with deep Revolutionary roots. Most notably, Napoleon himself used it when he returned for the 100 Days, wishing to remind the French that it had been him who had saved the Revolution and fought against those who would restore the Bourbon monarchy. When that same monarchy came to power in the person of Louis XVIII, he banned it for the same reasons. The July Revolution of 1830 brought it back, but Napoleon III banned it again, as did Vichy France in 1940. After World War II, however, it returned as the French National Anthem.

From Amanda

8. What is your favorite Napoleonic movies? (My dad was a huge fan of Waterloo.)

Well, Amanda, I must say that your father has good taste, as I usually say that Waterloo is my favorite Napoleonic movie. It really gives a good impression of what it was like during the 100 days, and the battle scenes are quite realistic. I love Rod Steiger as Napoleon, even if he is a bit over the top! The recent Monsieur N is beautifully done, but pretty much entirely fiction. The Abel Gance silent film, Napoleon is a real classic, but if I had to stick with just one, I’d stick with Waterloo.

Thank you Mr. Markham for taking the time to answer these questions.

And the winner is....Maija for her question - "Where do you even begin to research the history to write a book?!?!" Just email me your address at: info@CarlynBeccia.com so we can mail out your prize. I do hope your library is not as big as Mr. Markham's library...there might not be any more room for books.

Last Chance to enter the Book Giveaway

The deadline is today to submit your questions to author and historian, J. David Markham.

Reminder: Not only do you get those niggling Napoleon questions answered....you also get your name entered into the book giveaway. And if Napoleon just ain't your thing, then you might want to ask David about his fascinating bit of "what if" history. For example, Would President Lincoln’s assassination during the Gettysburg Address have left the Confederacy as a separate country? You will have to get the book to find out.

To participate in the interview and book giveway, enter your question at the bottom of this post. Good luck!

Madame Tussaud: Lies, Fables and a Ball of wax

In last week’s post, I featured the riveting and almost unbelievable tale of Marie Tussaud and asked readers to guess if it was true. Although certainly a dramatic tale, much of what I wrote is complete rubbish. I really hope you didn't believe any of it. Let’s take a closer look at fact vs. fiction...

Royal Connections
Not a single piece of written evidence exists to show Marie ever lived at Versailles. She wasn’t even on the royal payroll. Most likely, Marie’s claimed connection to Madame Elizabeth was not a complete lie, but a tiny fib. Madame Elizabeth was known to make wax effigies of religious characters so it is very probable that she asked Marie to stop by now and then for instruction.

Marie also speaks of the court gossip, Madame Campan (shown here) as if they were best friends. Interestingly, Madame Campan never bothers to mention Marie Tussaud in her Memoirs of Marie Antoinette. This is very curious coming from someone who recorded daily life at Versailles with such detail.

Marie’s Death Mask
Many of the details of how Marie made her death masks may be complete fabrication. Marie relates how she was forced to take a death mask of Foulon's severed head with the angry mob standing over her. This ghoulish relic became very popular in her later exhibitions. In the memoirs of Chateaubriand, he describes how Foulon's head was pushed into his carriage and he was forced to look upon the grisly remains. His exact words were, "an eye in one head had been pushed from its socket and was dangling on the corpse's face, the pike sticking through the gaping mouth, the teeth clenched on the iron.' (1) How did Marie make a mask directly from De Launay’s face if it was so poorly mutilated? A mask taken from the scene that Chateaubriand describes would have probably looked more like a smashed grapefruit than a severed head.

Then there is the story of the Princesse de Lamballe’s murder (shown on the right) –a well-documented event with many first hand accounts. They also basically repeat the same grisly details – tortured and murdered, head on a pike, paraded in front of Marie Antoinette etc. etc. I have yet to find a single eye-witness that mentions Marie ever being there. Kate Bertridge poses many of these questions in her fascinating book - why did the angry mob want a wax effigy of the Princess as a memento? Why not take a lock of hair? Hmmmm suspicious.

Art Inspires Life or Life inspires Art
The ghastly realistic heads modeled from Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI, Robespierre, and Madame Lambelle can be found in Madame Tussaud’s Chamber of Horrors in London today (shown below). In Marie’s memoirs she claims that she would take her bag of sculpting tools and tip toe into Madeline Cemetery to pick through the rolling heads. During her work, members of the National Assembly stood over her as she was forced to make wax molds from the decapitated victims that she once knew personally. The image of Marie forced into her profession, a victim of the revolution herself, certainly casts her in a sympathetic light. Unfortunately, the truth may not be as tragic.


At the time, an unconfirmed rumor existed that the executioner Charles-Henri Sanson was proffering Revolutionary heads for Curtis and Marie for a fee. Supposedly, Curtis would make wax molds from the purchased heads and then return them to trunks in the Madeline cemetery. It wouldn’t be the only example of Sanson profiting from revolutionary relics. One of Sanson’s ingenious marketing ventures was to sell the fat from the guillotined corpses as a cure for rheumatic pains. After the death of King Louis XVI, he also auctioned off the dead king’s hat and had a profitable business in buttons and locks of royal hair. Selling these items were the perks of being an executioner and were well in the rights of the executioner, but the king’s body was an entirely different story.

Authorities were so careful about destroying the king’s remains that they used a double dose of quicklime to decompose it. One layer of quick lime would have really got the job done, but The National Assembly wanted to make sure that relics of the king were not made. They even ordered all of the king’s possessions from the Temple to be burned. So how did Marie creep into Madeline Cemetery to make a mold of the king’s head when authorities were taking every means possible to destroy any memory of the monarch? Was Marie really a shrewd businesswoman who profited from an illegal racket of decapitated heads? We will never know the truth, but the fact that authorities were so adamant about destroying royal remains is a curious contradiction to Marie’s version of events.(2)

The Guillotine that killed Marie Antoinette
The guillotine located in the Chambers of Horrors today claims that it is the original knife that lopped off Marie Antoinette’s head, but these claims cannot be confirmed. The original catalog listing describes this relic as, ‘purchased by Madame Tussaud herself, together with the lunette, which held the victim’s head in position and the chopper which the executioner kept at hand for use should the guillotine knife fail. The executioner, Sanson vouched for the authenticity of these articles and gave them to his grandson.’(3)

Executions were a family business to the Sanson family and Charles-Henri Sanson passed down the trade to his son, Clement-Henri. After the revolution, it was obviously a lot harder to find work as an executioner and Clement-Henri fell into debt. He tried to remedy his solvency by opening up a bawdy Chamber of Horrors in the Sanson home. Unfortunately, the home-based chambers of horrors just didn't have the same ghoulish appeal as the real thing. For one, Sanson tried using the famous guillotine to decapitate unfortunate sheep. Most people were not amused. He then tried to sell the "national razor," but was unsuccessful finding a buyer. The guillotine and symbol of radical bloodshed soon disappeared. 4 Clement-Henri did sell the original plans used to make the guillotine to the Tussauds and from those plans a replica was made. Most likely, the original guillotine was destroyed by the Justice Ministry after the Revolutionary fires cooled. Keeping the guillotine would have been tantamount to Americans preserving slave ships. I find it hard to believe that it wouldn't have been destroyed.

Pals with Josephine and Napoleon
Marie claims that she was in La Forte Prison at the same time as Josephine, but no record exists of Josephine being imprisoned there. (She was imprisoned in Carmes prison.) In fact, no records exists of Marie ever being imprisoned there either. Marie even goes so far as to say that her friendship with Josephine secured her an intriguing assignment making a life mask from Napoleon Bonaparte. The wax model of Napoleon became the most popular exhibit amongst the British who viewed Napoleon as more myth than man. This story seems absurd when we remember that Napoleon was a man who could never sit still. He dictated to his artists the pose, the props, even the frame of the painting. He left nothing to chance. Jacque Louis David begged him to pose for a formal sitting and Napoleon always refused. So it seems odd that he would sit for wax being poured on his face when he wouldn’t sit for a state portrait.

Napoleon certainly had a utilitarian appreciation for wax sculpture. In 1796, he purchased models from the famous wax anatomical sculptor, Felice Fontana to be used in anatomical studies for his army surgeons. In 1806, he even set up a school in Rouen to teach artists the art of wax modeling. (4) With his usual quest for knowledge, especially knowledge that would help in his military campaign, Napoleon valued wax as a teaching medium. But as art….wax held less allure for the pragmatic emperor.

More slippery than a ball of wax.
Marie’s memoirs become problematic when these incongruities are exposed. For one, if she lied about people she knew and events…what else did she lie about? Do we throw the whole memoirs out or choose to believe some of it? I will confess that I am being hard on Marie. Her memoirs do provide a first hand account into a very dramatic period in history and we must also remember that Marie’s legacy was born out of the dime museum era in entertainment. This was an age when P.T. Barnum displayed the first “Fejee Mermaid” - captured off the coast of Fejee island and Joice Heth - a women over 160 years old. A good hoax was an art and deception was part of the entertainment. In other words, audiences knew that they were being tricked and that was half the fun. Marie indulged in the same humbug as her fellow showman while blurring the line between entertainment and history. So we must take her memoirs with the proverbial grain of salt and remember that Marie Tussaud was a showman first and a historian second.


What do you think about Marie’s account of history? How much of it should we believe? And I will pose a deeper question for the more philosophically inclined – is the modern day Madame Tussauds a reflection of who we revere in society today? You certainly won’t find firefighters, police officers, teachers or even many examples of royalty drawing crowds to Madame Tussauds.

Notes:
(1) Bertridge. p. 113
(2) Pilbeam p. 62,
(3) Bertridge. p. 132.
(4) Pilbeam p. 109

Sources and Further Reading:
Tussaud, Marie. The Memoirs of Madame Tussaud, Saunders and Otley, 1838. Bertridge, Kate.
Marie Tussaud: A Life in Wax, New York, NY: Harper Perennial, 2007.
Pilbeam, Pamela. Madame Tussaud and the History of Waxworks, London and New York: Hambledon & London, 2003.
Madame Tussaud and Sons' Exhibition, Biographical and Descriptive Sketches of the Distinguished Characters which Compose the Unrivalled Exhibition and Historical Gallery of Madame Tussaud and Sons ... G. Cole by W.S. Johnson, 1866
Time Magazine, Heirs of the Widows, Monday October 15, 1951
Chateaubriand, FrancÌois-ReneÌ, The memoirs of Chateaubriand, New York, NY: Knopf, 1961.

Get your Napoleon questions ready for the Book Giveaway

Most Napoleon fans are already familiar with J. David Markham’s books. I am very excited to have Mr. Markham as a guest interview at the end of February. You can visit his site to learn more about his books and I also recommend his fascinating Napoleon podcast that covers everything Napoleon from myth to military hero. (My favorite episode is of course the Josephine/Napoleon one!)

For those of you who might not be acquainted with Mr. Markham’s work, here is his biography:

J. David Markham is an internationally acclaimed historian, Napoleonic scholar and award-winning author. For over twenty years he has written and lectured about Napoleon and other historical topics. His other interests include Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar/Ancient Rome, and the French Revolution. He and his wife, Barbara, live in Olympia, Washington, USA. David has taught history and other subjects at the university, college and high school levels, and has received numerous teaching awards and recognitions.

David is President of the International Napoleonic Society, having served as Executive Vice-President and Editor-in-Chief from 1996 until 2008. He has produced a series of International Napoleonic Congresses in Europe, the Middle East and Asia and edited two editions of the journal, Napoleonic Scholarship.

David served as President of the Napoleonic Alliance from 2004-2007, and as Executive Vice-President for some years before his terms as president.

A collector of some note, he has one of the world’s finest private collections of Napoleonic snuffboxes, as well as a significant collection of miniatures and engravings. All of the images used in his books come from his collection.

Book Giveaway
Mr. Markham will be giving a signed copy of one of his books to one lucky reader.* I am going to do something a little different for this book giveaway. Instead of doing a random drawing from newsletter subscribers, the winner of Mr. Markham’s book will be drawn from THE TOP FIVE interview questions. Your question can be an author related question or something more specific about Napoleon. If your question is chosen, it will be used in the author interview and entered into the book giveaway. Readers are welcome to enter more than one question. Deadline for entries is February 5th.

Enter your questions below in the comments field for a chance to win!

Small discriminatory Print
US subscribers only for this one, but international newsletter subscriber can win the monthly book giveaway.

Royal Bitches: How Dogs Ruled the Palace

Throughout history, kings and queens have often shown their dogs far greater love and affection than their spouses or children. Here are just a few examples where dogs ruled.


Dogs first, People Second
Frederick the Great showed little attraction toward women and had no children. His beloved greyhounds were his real babies. His dogs had free reign of the palace including their own gallery where they could run amuck tearing the furniture to shreds and pooping in every corner. Frederick even erected a magnificent white marble mausoleum to his greyhounds after their death with plans for his own tomb to lie between them. His blatantly, ignored wife, Elizabeth Christine, could only hope for such honors.

Queen Victoria is famous for being "amused" by her dogs, but not so much by her children. To punish her grandson, George V, for his poor table manners, Victoria commanded him to eat under the table like a dog. In an effort to emulate the canine competitor for his mother's affections, George proceeded to remove all his clothing so that he could be (like a dog) unburdened by clothing in his punishment. It doesn’t take a psychologist to discern that Victoria’s children may have felt that they came in second place. Her own emotions toward those bundles of joy were expressed when she said of her babies,

'til they have become a little human; an ugly baby is a very nasty object...and the prettiest is frightful when undressed...as long as they have their big body and little limbs and that terrible frog-like action.' ¹

Perhaps if her babies had been born with fur than her affections may have been different.

Peter the Great was also not much of a family man except when it came to his dogs. He showed little remorse after locking his sisters up in a nunnery and murdering his son, but his beloved dog, Finette was by his side every second of the day.

Dogs in the Bedroom
Dogs were often afforded luxuries that pandering courtiers could only hope for, including coveted access to the monarch’s bedchamber. Peter the Great’s miniature greyhounds slept in his bed sharing vermin and covers.

Catherine the Great’s boudoir was overrun with her husband, Peter’s 8-10 hunting dogs. She complained in her letters of the stench and the little presents they left on her pillow in the form of dog poop.

Napoleon was forced to share his bed with Josephine’s beloved pug, Fortune. During the Revolution, Fortune aided his mistress during her imprisonment in Carmes. The pugnacious pug smuggled secret messages hidden in his collar to Josephine’s children. Later, Napoleon would have to compete for Josephine’s affections with her loyal dog and complained,

‘As if a pretty woman could give up her routine, her friends, her Madame Tallien or a dinner-party at Barras’ house and the performance of a new play of Fortune, yes! Fortune! You love them all more than your husband…’ ²

Fortune put the jealous husband in his place by biting him on the leg.

Doctors in the Tudor age even prescribed putting a dog in bed with their monarch as the cure for stomach cramps. These dogs were called “comforters.” A puppy as a cure may sound like quack medicine, but you could actually view it as the forerunner of the hot water bottle. I personally would take a warm puppy over a hot water bottle or heated pad any day.


Throughout the 16th –19th century, dogs also controlled vermin in the palace and bedroom. (Cats had a hard time finding work because they were considered vermin themselves.) Louis XI took great pride in watching his mice-catching dogs working while he lay in his bed. Queen Victoria had a legendary rat catcher – a Dachshund named Dackel.

Even more important than vermin controllers and bed companions, dogs also protected their owners while they slept. In 1549, the power-hungry Thomas Seymour was planning to marry Princess Elizabeth I and kidnap his nephew, King Edward VI (son of Henry VIII). When Seymour crept into the king's bedchamber, Edward’s loyal guard dog barked furiously alerting his master of his uncle’s evil intentions. Seymour silenced the yapping dog by shooting him dead, but the guards had already been alerted in the melee. Edward might have even pardoned Seymour for his silly rouse, but killing his favorite guard dog was unforgivable. Thomas Seymour lost his head on Tower Green two months later in 1549.

Marie Antoinette’s spaniel Thisbee also slept in her room to alert her of intruders. Thisbee accompanied the family after they were transferred to the Temple. What became of the dog is still unknown.

Dogs at the Dinner table
Louis XIV fed his dogs personally with biscuits baked by his pastry cook. Queen Victoria’s dogs often shared the dining table with her guests. Prince Albert’s favorite greyhound, Eos ate with a fork like a true regal dog.

The painting to the left may look like a typical medieval banquet with rambunctious dogs climbing all over the table, but these dogs were actually food tasters, called chiens-gouteurs. If the dog didn’t die from the royal fare than everyone went ahead and enjoyed their meal. Can you picture it?…”ahh my dog appears to be still breathing. Everyone eat up.”

Dogs in the Stateroom
Dogs could also change the course of politics. Pope Clement VII did not share history’s fondness for the greyhound. Legend has it that Clement was ready to sign Henry’s divorce papers until the English envoy’s greyhound knocked over the stool supporting the pope’s gouty foot. Screaming like Andy Rooney on a rant, the ornery Clement abruptly refused to discuss Henry’s divorce.

Peter the Great forbid any petitions to be presented to him under pain of death. When a courtier was sentenced to the knot, Peter’s wife, Catherine, had the poor man’s petition presented to Peter by attaching it to the collar of the Czar’s favorite dog, Finette. The industrious Catherine knew that only an appeal from Peter’s dog would be granted.

Dogs as Accessories
We may balk at Hollywood’s trend to carry a dog around like a matching pocketbook, but queens were the first to invent the dog accessory. Royalty often got so attached to their lap dogs that they were literally joined at the hip. Mary Queen of Scot’s executioners was certainly surprised to find her small, Maltese hiding under her skirts after she was beheaded. The dogs of Versailles were taught to carry the noble ladies’ long trains. Not to be undone in the fashion department, dogs also wore regal coats and were heavily perfumed as to not offend delicate noses. And here is a trend that should surely come back amongst Hollywood’s pop princesses….doggy earrings. The poor pooch in this picture of Henriette Anne of England is wearing bright red dangly ones.

Without a doubt, these pampered pets ruled the palace. I have always had the belief that how people treat their pets is very indicative of their true nature. If you are interested in more information about dogs and cats in royal society then I highly recommend MacDonough's Reigning Cats and Dogs. MacDonough's work provides an intriguing look into the courts of some of our most raucous royals illustrated from the perspective of how they interacted with their pets.

Stay tuned for next week when cats get their say on how they ruled.

Source Notes:
(1) p. 120. Farquhar, Michael. A Treasury of Royal Scandal. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 2001
(2)p. 180. MacDonogh Katherine. Reigning Cats and Dogs. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, 1999.