Ryn+Cromartie

=//The Scarlet Pimpernel// Background Information=

Baroness Emmuska Orczy was born an only child in Hungary in 1865. After rebellious peasants destroyed her family's farm, she moved from Hungary to Brussels to London. Baroness Orczy was married in 1894 to Montague MacLean Barstow. Co-authored with her husband, she became famous in 1903 with the stage version of //The Scarlet Pimpernel.// Two years later, the novel version was published to huge success. Baroness Orczy continued to write until her death in 1947.
 * __Author__**

Click here to see a picture of the flower.
 * __A Scarlet Pimpernel__**
 * A scarlet pimpernel is a small plant found in Europe, Asia, and North America.
 * It's flowers are only open when the sun shines.


 * __Characters__**
 * Sir Percy Blakeney- one of the richest, most fashionable men in England, very handsome, has a reputation for being dull-witted, married to Marguerite, secretly the Scarlet Pimpernel.
 * Marguerite Blakeney- married to Sir Percy, clever, beautiful, once was an actress in France, her home country.
 * Chauvelin- French agent, main antagonist, main goal in life is to eliminate all French aristocracy.
 * Armand St. Just- Marguerite's brother, used by Chauvelin to blackmail her.
 * Comtesse de Tournay- aristocrat rescued by the Scarlet Pimpernel, dislikes Marguerite.
 * Suzanne- daughter of the Comtesse de Tournay, old schoolmates with Marguerite.
 * Sir Andrew Ffoulkes- devoted follower to the Scarlet Pimpernel, in love with Suzanne.


 * __Geography of France__**
 * France is in Western Europe, bordering the English Channel, between Switzerland and Spain.
 * It is slightly less than twice the size of Colorado, with an area of 547,030 square km.


 * __The French Revolution__**
 * The French Revolution began in 1789 and lasted for about ten years.
 * It was started because of economic issues, heavy taxation, and most of all, the separation between the upper and lower classes and the indifference the upper class showed to the lower class's suffering.
 * By the end of the revolution, France was a republic based around elected (mostly middle-class) individuals.


 * __Marie Antoinette__**
 * Born in 1755 as a princess and archduchess of Austria, at the age of 14 she was married to the crown prince of France.
 * In 1774, the old king died and her husband Louis XVI became king, making her the queen of France, while only just a teenager.
 * By the late 1780s, envy and hatred of Marie and her frivolous lifestyle became widespread.
 * October 1793 was the date she was executed by the guillotine.

__**French Fashion After the Revolution**__
 * There was simpler fashion after and during the revolution. Not only because of a shortage of expensive materials for clothing, but nobles that evaded capture tried to blend in with the lower classes
 * Cheaper, more common materials were used for clothing.
 * No lace,, frills, etc.
 * Hairstyles were no longer large and elaborate, but plain and mostly unadorned.



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 * __The Guillotine__**
 * In 1791, Dr, Guillotin proposed to the Legislative Assembly that the only method of execution in France should be by decapitation. He designed a contraption that is now know as a guillotine to do the decapitation.
 * The first execution by guillotine was that of a highway man named Nicholas-Jacques Pelletier in 1792.
 * By 1975, the guillotine had claimed the lives of over a thousand people in Paris alone.


 * __ Versailles __**
 * The Palace of Versailles was the official residence of the kings of France from 1682 to 1790.
 * Originally a hunting lodge, it was expanded by Louis XIV.
 * It is home to the famous Hall of Mirrors and beautiful, extensive gardens.
 * During the French Revolution, much of the opulent furniture was auctioned off.


 * __Sources__**
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 * http://kirjasto.sci.fi/orczy.html
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution
 * http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/thefrenchrevolution/p/ovfrenchrev.htm
 * http://europeanhistory.about.com/cs/frenchrevolution/a/Guillotine.htm
 * http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcfrance.htm
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_pimpernel
 * http://www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Western_Europe/France/france6.htm
 * http://www.marie-antoinette.org/