French Revolution | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/french-revolution/RSS feed for French RevolutionenFri, 01 May 2026 15:00:20 +0000How Do You Lift a 30,000-Pound Mast From a Warship Built a Record-Breaking 261 Years Ago? With a Really, Really Big Cranehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-do-you-lift-a-30000-pound-mast-from-a-warship-built-a-record-breaking-261-years-ago-with-a-really-really-big-crane-180988658/HMS "Victory" served in the American Revolution, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. It's the world’s oldest warship still in commission—but it's in desperate need of repairsFri, 01 May 2026 15:00:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-do-you-lift-a-30000-pound-mast-from-a-warship-built-a-record-breaking-261-years-ago-with-a-really-really-big-crane-180988658/The Real Count of Monte Cristo Was Alexandre Dumas's Father, a Trailblazing Black Generalhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-count-of-monte-cristo-was-alexandre-dumas-father-a-trailblazing-black-general-180988347/Ahead of the March 22 premiere of a new TV adaptation, learn about the life of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, the French Army officer who inspired the beloved novelTue, 17 Mar 2026 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-count-of-monte-cristo-was-alexandre-dumas-father-a-trailblazing-black-general-180988347/Museum Devoted to the Romantic Movement Reopens in Paris After Extensive Renovationshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/museum-devoted-to-the-romantic-movement-reopens-in-paris-after-extensive-renovations-180988251/The Musée de la Vie Romantique, where the Dutch-French painter Ary Scheffer once lived, opened its doors on Valentine's DayMon, 02 Mar 2026 21:42:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/museum-devoted-to-the-romantic-movement-reopens-in-paris-after-extensive-renovations-180988251/A Guillotine Goes on Display in Marseille, Where the Execution Device Was Last Used 48 Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/guillotine-goes-on-display-in-marseille-where-the-execution-device-was-last-used-48-years-ago-180987505/A museum in the city is honoring the legacy of Minister of Justice Robert Badinter, who fought to repeal the death penalty in France once and for allTue, 14 Oct 2025 16:00:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/guillotine-goes-on-display-in-marseille-where-the-execution-device-was-last-used-48-years-ago-180987505/The Founding Father Who Lost a Leg, Romanced Married and Single Women Alike, and Escaped the Bloodshed of the French Revolutionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-founding-father-who-lost-a-leg-romanced-married-and-single-women-alike-and-escaped-the-bloodshed-of-the-french-revolution-180987242/Gouverneur Morris wrote the preamble to the Constitution and shaped the future of the nascent United States. Later in life, he rejected the foundational document as a failureTue, 02 Sep 2025 10:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-founding-father-who-lost-a-leg-romanced-married-and-single-women-alike-and-escaped-the-bloodshed-of-the-french-revolution-180987242/Divorce Papers and Sauce-Stained Sleeves Reveal the Personal Side of Napoleon's Rise and Fallhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/divorce-papers-and-sauce-stained-sleeves-reveal-the-personal-side-of-napoleons-rise-and-fall-180986896/More than 100 objects connected to the French emperor just sold at auction. The collection sheds light on the man and the myth in stunningly intimate detailMon, 30 Jun 2025 18:44:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/divorce-papers-and-sauce-stained-sleeves-reveal-the-personal-side-of-napoleons-rise-and-fall-180986896/Smuggled Out of France During a Bloody Revolution, Marie Antoinette’s Shimmering Pink Diamond Is Heading to Auctionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smuggled-out-of-france-during-bloody-revolution-marie-antoinettes-shimmering-pink-diamond-is-heading-to-auction-180986764/The 10.38-carat gemstone, which carries an estimate of $3 million to $5 million, was owned by generations of European royaltyMon, 09 Jun 2025 20:02:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smuggled-out-of-france-during-bloody-revolution-marie-antoinettes-shimmering-pink-diamond-is-heading-to-auction-180986764/The Ornate Sword That Napoleon Commissioned During His Rise to Power Is Heading to Auctionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-ornate-sword-that-napoleon-commissioned-during-his-rise-to-power-is-heading-to-auction-180986556/Prior to his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, the French ruler gave the saber to one of his most trusted generals, whose family kept it for generationsWed, 07 May 2025 19:54:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-ornate-sword-that-napoleon-commissioned-during-his-rise-to-power-is-heading-to-auction-180986556/On This Day in 1793, Revolutionaries Executed the King of France by Guillotine, a Deadly Machine They Saw as a Symbol of Equalityhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/on-this-day-in-1793-revolutionaries-executed-the-king-of-france-by-guillotine-a-deadly-machine-they-saw-as-a-symbol-of-equality-180985835/Supporters of the French Revolution killed Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, with the same apparatus used to execute common criminalsTue, 21 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/on-this-day-in-1793-revolutionaries-executed-the-king-of-france-by-guillotine-a-deadly-machine-they-saw-as-a-symbol-of-equality-180985835/See the Dazzling Diamond Necklace With Possible Ties to Marie Antoinette That Just Sold for $4.8 Millionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-dazzling-diamond-necklace-with-possible-ties-to-marie-antoinette-that-just-sold-for-48-million-180985484/Some of the gems may have featured in a royal scandal known as the "affair of the diamond necklace" that damaged the French queen’s reputation in 1785Tue, 19 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-dazzling-diamond-necklace-with-possible-ties-to-marie-antoinette-that-just-sold-for-48-million-180985484/