France
Torpilleur 317
Torpilleur 315 from the French torpedo boat 295 class. TORPILLEUR 317 TORPEDO BOAT 1905-1916 Weight (tons):Â 100 grt Dimensions:Â Â Â Â 40.2 x 4.4 x 2.6 m Armament:Â Â Â Â Â Â 3 x T.T., 2 x 37 mm guns Propulsion:Â Â Â Â Â Â steam Power:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2000 horsepower Torpilleur 317 Built by Chantiers Dubigeon, Nantes in 1905 and owned at the time of her loss…
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The Change of Dynasty – Bourbon Spain
Louis XIV presents his grandson, the King of Spain to the Court and to the Spanish Ambassador. The dichotomy of Castile-Aragon could not be summarily removed by the stroke of a pen – not even the pen of a Bourbon. The fall of Oropesa in 1691 left Spain without an…
The Causes of “The Hundred Years’ War”
Clockwise, from top left: the Battle of La Rochelle, the Battle of Agincourt, the Battle of Patay, and Joan of Arc at the Siege of OrlĂ©ans The long conflict between France and England, to which historians have given the name of “The Hundred Years’ War,” interests us chiefly as an…
THE BATTLE OF CORUNNA, 16 JANUARYÂ 1809
42nd Highlanders the Black Watch at the Battle of Corunna on 16th January 1809 in the Peninsular War: picture by Harry Payne The positions of the armies at Corunna. The British are in red and the French in blue. Despite their predicament, the British had two factors in their favour.…
France’s Expeditionary Force in Indochina
France had a long history of fighting colonial wars and saw Indochina as just another inconvenient colonial revolt that needed to be suppressed in the usual manner. This approach was a mistake, but once the Korean War broke out, it was perhaps understandable. In Korea, the communists had very much…
Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War Part I
Assassination of Louis I, Duke of OrlĂ©ans in Paris in 1407 These were terrible times for the Armagnac princes. They were among the greatest noblemen in France and traditionally the closest to the Crown. Yet they had been cut off from the King and expelled from their domains. Their networks…
Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War Part II
Household of John, Duke of Berry The defence was directed from Bourges by the Duke of Berry. The Duke was no soldier but he was assisted by experienced captains including Charles d’Albret, John Duke of Bourbon and that bold fighter Raoul lord of Gaucourt. Bourges was filled with refugees of…