Despite a short reign as head of state of France during the late 1700s, Maximilien de Robespierre is one of the best known and most influential figures, due to his association with the French Revolution. An accomplished lawyer and politician, he was an outspoken advocate for the right to petition. He campaigned for the abolition of both celibacy AND slavery in the French colonies.
He helped establish the feared Committee for Public Safety after King Louis XVI and his cake-enthusiast wife Queen Marie Antoinette was executed by the famous guillotine! A brutal regime, Robespierre was behind who was, and who wasn’t executed – by the same method as the former King and Queen – yeah, the guillotine. It was also a time of great religious persecution – he tried to make the French national religion “The Cult of the Supreme Being.”
King Henry IV
At the age of 19, Henry IV became the King of Navarre, before being swiftly married just two months later! At the time, there was a religious war between the Catholics and the Protestants. Henry IV was the only French king to ever follow the Protestant faith! But the fighting was absurd – for the event of Henry IV’s wedding, thousands of Protestants came to Paris to enjoy the celebrations and spectacle, but this was to end catastrophically.
What is remembered as the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, took place on the very day of his wedding, with the same Protestants being killed by Catholic fanatics. Henry barely escaped with his life. After five years he escaped, and raised an army to fight in the “Wars of Religion.” In 1589, he marched right into Paris. His counterpart Henry III was assassinated, and he became the King of France.
The Good King Henry
After waging his religious war, he followed through with his promises to the Protestant French, persecuting Catholic French people across the nation. He was made a popular target for assassination attempts, allegedly dodging twelve attempts on his life! “Le Bon Roi Henri” was remembered for his concern for the welfare of his people, and for being a King who worked to protect the interests of the state, promote agriculture, eliminate corruption and encouraging education.
Due to his tolerance, he was an unpopular king among his contemporaries, though did gain more status after his death. For this reason, researchers chose to recreate his face using modern technology. The same team which worked on bringing Robespierre back to life, including forensic pathologist Philippe Charlier and facial reconstruction specialist Philippe Froesch, also worked on showing the modern world the face of the “Good King.”
Just The Tip of The Robespierre?
Clearly, the myth behind the man was so great that it intrigued forensic pathologist Philippe Charlier, and led him to join forces with facial reconstruction specialist Philippe Froesch to re-create the face of the mad French statesman. The pair used his actual death mask to help to construct the image that we see today. Now Robespierre’s actual responsibility for what occurred in France during that pivotal time is a hotly debated topic among historians.
Some believe he was the “incarnation of Terror” whereas others see him as more of an ideologist, who brought democracy to France. Following the massive amount of executions held during the French Revolution, even Robespierre came under scrutiny. He found out what it was like to experience the guillotine. Here we see Philippe Froesch (French head of Visualforensic) presenting the reconstruction of the formidable Frenchman.
Bach As Seen In The Future!
Composer and musical savant, Johann Sebastian Bach is one of those magical music men whose legacy continues to this day. Born in Germany in 1685, he was raised in a family with a musical pedigree. A wonderful musician, Bach has always been remembered as one of history’s great composers. A result of the “Golden Age” of music, he is nestled well within the Baroque period.
Known for his compositions Art of Fugue, the Brandenburg Concertos, and the Goldberg Variations among other pieces, in the classical world, he is a treasured composer. Prodigious with the organ and nearly any musical instrument he touched, Bach began writing music for the church. In 1721 he completed writing his renowned Brandenburg Concertos, music that defined the period.