🏠6 place des Vosges (formerly place Royale), Paris. The residence given to Milady by Dumas in The Three Musketeers was, in real life, the home of Victor Hugo. Image: Alamy
Dr Josephine Wilkinson
@miladyjosephine.bsky.social
✍️Free range historian and author. PhD in New Testament studies, now lives in the 17th century. 👜Loves notebooks and handbags.📒 Unpaid Carer.🌺 Agent: Andrew Lownie.
📗Entrance to the former Coverham Abbey in the Yorkshire Dales. I always think it has a Brontë feel to it, as it silently awaits its brooding and handsome owner to return from his latest travels.
🌺 The 'real' Milady de Winter ? www.historyextra.com/period/stuar...
The mystery of the ‘real’ Milady de Winter of The Three Musketeers
A spy and agent of Cardinal Richelieu, the enigmatic Milady de Winter is a constant shadow working against D’Artagnan and the three musketeers in Alexandre Dumas’ famous fiction. But could she – and t...
historyextra.com
🔗5 September 1661. Louis XIV orders d'Artagnan to arrest his superintendent of finances, Nicolas Foucquet. Except for a break of a few weeks, the musketeer will continue to guard his prisoner for the next three years. Tableau in wax by Daniel Druet.
🍃Happy September - one of my favourite pictures from one of my favourite places - the garden at Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte. Especially lovely in the autumn.
👑1 September 1715. Louis XIV died at Versailles. Read all about this event in my biography. Image: La Mort de Louis XIV au palais de Versailles by Thomas Jones Baker
🐝29 August. The traditional date of the death of John the Baptist. Click the link to read a chapter from my Master's thesis, in which I studied the historical John : dr-josephine-wilkinson.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-...
🪓Just for fun - it was probably on this day in 1628 that Milady de Winter was executed. Having persuaded John Felton that the duke of Buckingham must die, she escaped to France, was tracked down and beheaded at the behest of the Musketeers on the banks of the Lys.
🎉Wax figures depict the famous party given by Nicolas Foucquet at Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte on 17 Aug 1661. Artist unknown.
🥳17 August 1661. Louis XIV attends a party given by Nicolas Foucquet. It is often said that the sumptuousness of the event aroused the king's anger, leading to Foucquet's arrest three weeks later - but how true is this ?
🌷On summer days, Louis would retreat to the Grand Trianon with Mme de Montespan. At night, the heady scent of the tuberoses and other flowers became so strong that they were forced to close the windows. In the future, Louis would plant colourful tulips instead. Image: Versailles, le rêve d'un roi
🎉Celebrating twenty years of the film, 'Marie Antoinette,' at Petit Trianon. en.chateauversailles.fr/press/exhibi...
The Château de Versailles celebrates the 20th Anniversary of "Marie Antoinette" by Sofia Coppola | Château de Versailles
The Château de Versailles today announced that it will launch an exhibition celebrating Sofia Coppola’s landmark 2006 film Marie Antoinette to mark its 20th anniversary. From 22 September 2026 to 24 J...
en.chateauversailles.fr
🌹On 10 August 1901, two ladies enjoyed a day out at Versailles. Miss Charlotte Anne Elizabeth Moberly and Miss Eleanor Frances Jourdain took tea in the magnificent Galerie des Glaces before walking through the palace’s vast gardens ... dr-josephine-wilkinson.blogspot.com/2018/08/ghos...
Ghosts of Versailles ?
A history blog by Dr Josephine Wilkinson, author of Katherine Howard: The Tragic Story of Henry VIII's Fifth Queen.
dr-josephine-wilkinson.blogspot.com
🫘Throughout July and August 1680, Marie-Marguerite Voisin, daughter of La Voisin, a sorceress and poisoner, implicates Mme de Montespan in her mother's activities. If you're a mamber at History Extra, you can read my article on the subject here: www.historyextra.com/membership/a...
The Affair of the Poisons: who plotted to kill King Louis XIV?
In the 1670s, Louis XIV of France was the target of a series of assassination attempts involving poisons and necromancy. But who was the perpetrator? Josephine Wilkinson untangles a conspiracy that sc...
historyextra.com
🌸6 August 1644. Louise de La Vallière born at Tours. The first official mistress of Louis XIV, she was a deeply religious woman, she will eventually leave court to become a nun. Image: Lizzie Brocheré as Louise and Davy Sardou as Louis XIV (Le Roi, l'Écureuil et la Couleuvre)
Do apply if you can. As a former scholar in residence, I highly recommend it 📚 www.gladstoneslibrary.org/about/schola...
Scholarships & Residencies - Gladstone's Library
When William Gladstone established his library, he wanted to ensure that anyone who would benefit from a residential period of study at Hawarden should
gladstoneslibrary.org
Gladstone's Library@gladlib.bsky.social · 2mo ago📣 Gladstone's Library Scholarships: Last Chance for Applications!📣 The submission period for scholarships to be taken in 2027 closes at 11.45pm BST today (Monday 3rd August 2026). For details on the 23 scholarships available and how to apply go to our website -> Scholarships and Residencies.
📣 Gladstone's Library Scholarships: Last Chance for Applications!📣 The submission period for scholarships to be taken in 2027 closes at 11.45pm BST today (Monday 3rd August 2026). For details on the 23 scholarships available and how to apply go to our website -> Scholarships and Residencies.
💍28 July 1540. Katherine Howard marries Henry VIII, becoming his fifth queen. Perhaps the most minunderstood of the Six, Katherine's is a tragic story. My book draws heavily from original documents (some never before published) to show that her story is more nuanced than tradition has allowed.
🌙The beauty of the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte as the sun sets.
👀 A quick read for the weekend - www.historyextra.com/period/stuar...
The real three musketeers: the historical Athos, Porthos and Aramis (and d’Artagnan) revealed
The musketeers, made famous by Alexandre Dumas and the many films his stories inspired, are the most well-known of the regiments of ancien regime France. Moreover, the heroes of Dumas’s stories – d’Ar...
historyextra.com
🦌A family home for French kings, the château de Fontainebleu features many images depicting its use as hunting lodge by kings such as François I and Louis XIV.
🥗Louis liked to entertain members of his court to dinner. Fun and games inevitably ensued. On one occasion, a food fight broke out and a lady threw a piece of fruit at the king, hitting him on the head. He retaliated by picking up a bowl of salad and tipping it over her.🥗 Image: Liebig card.
🌞Happy July ! 'An Allegory of King Louis XIV in Armour hailed as King of the Sea by the Personification of France,' attributed to Jean Nocret (1615-1672).
🪽30 June 1670. Death of Henriette d'Angleterre, duchesse d'Orléans. I published an article about the controversy surrounding her death - www.historytoday.com/archive/hist...
🍊Where did Alexandre Dumas find his inspiration for Milady de Winter ? My article... www.historyextra.com/period/stuar...
The mystery of the ‘real’ Milady de Winter of The Three Musketeers
A spy and agent of Cardinal Richelieu, the enigmatic Milady de Winter is a constant shadow working against D’Artagnan and the three musketeers in Alexandre Dumas’ famous fiction. But could she – and t...
historyextra.com
📒 Can't believe it was six years ago that Suzie was helping me prepare my book on John the Baptist for publication😊
⚔️25 June 1673. Louis XIV's Dutch Wars take a tragic turn for France when d’Artagnan is shot and killed at the siege of Maastricht. The acting captain of the Musketeers was about 60 years old.
🫧24 June. Traditional date of the birth of John the Baptist. Read about his life and the traditions that influenced his teaching in my book. Images: Filippino Lippi. John the Baptist bids farewell to his parents as he embarks upon his desert sojourn. Cover of my book😊
