Opus

Encyclopædia of the sublime

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Princess Charlotte of Belgium

Princess Charlotte of Belgium was the only daughter of Leopold I and Louise-Marie d’Orléans. Charlotte was born on 7 June 1840 at the Castle of Laeken. She was just ten years old when her mother died of tuberculosis, a sudden death which left a deep mark on the young princess. As a young adult, her beauty and status attracted many suitors. In 1857, she married one of them, the Archduke of Austria Ferdinand Maximilian (1832-1867), a husband who proved to be a disappointment in many respects. The couple moved to Italy where the Archduke's brother was Viceroy of Lombardy and Venice. Maximilian was stripped of his functions because his brother did not like the way in which he governed the Italian territories. Therefore, the couple moved to its second home, Miramare Castle, on the shores of the Adriatic Sea near Trieste. It was an enchanting place which quickly became a golden prison where Charlotte grew bored. The couple found themselves caught up in the political strategies of Napoleon III. Under pressure from the latter, Maximilian accepted the Imperial crown of Mexico in 1864. However, the Mexicans refused to recognise him as their Emperor, instead seeing him as a puppet of Napoleon who was occupying the country by force. Finally, the French Emperor decided to withdraw his troops in order to focus more on Europe. Maximilian was overthrown and was executed in 1867. Charlotte, who had returned to Europe a few months earlier to seek help, found herself up against closed doors. Hearing of the death of her husband and the fall of the Mexican empire, she succumbed to hysteria and paranoia. Her brother Leopold II, who had become King of the Belgians, welcomed her at the Royal Palace. The deposed Empress, prey to persistent bouts of insanity, retired to her home country and died at Bouchout Castle in 1927.

Ainu

The Ainu of Japan are typically said to descend from the Jomon people, who appeared in Japan around 16,000 years ago, and are also associated with the Emishi people and the Satsumon, who were both active around 700 CE and into the early 1000s CE. Like their ancestors, the Ainu were hunter-gatherers. During the summer, they would gather plants and fish for salmon, and during the fall and winter, they would hunt rabbit, bear and ezo deer. Tattooing among the Ainu was for women only. A specially trained woman would tattoo a girl’s face and perhaps forehead. The process of the tattooing began early, around age 6 or 7. A few dots at first, near the upper lip, made with small cuts from a ceremonial knife. Each year new cuts would be made, and the cuts rubbed with charcoal (specifically birch charcoal, for its rich, dark color), and then the wound would be cleaned in an antiseptic made of boiled ash bark. The process continued until her wedding day, when the groom would make the final cuts that turned the tattoo into a smile.

Gertrude Jeannett

Gertrude Jeannette was an American playwright and film and stage actress. In 1935 she became the first woman to get a license to drive a motorcycle in New York City, and she joined her husband's motorcycle club in the early 1940s. In 1942, she took and passed the cab driver's test and became the first female cab driver in New York City. In 1949, she was present at the Peekskill Riots, when the Ku Klux Klan attempted to lynch Paul Robeson. Her husband worked as a bodyguard for Robeson, and during the riot, she and her husband rushed to the motorcycles to help get Robeson out. Using money she earned as a taxi driver, she enrolled in a speech class to help manage her stammer. The one class she could find was at the American Negro Theater in Harlem. Acting was part of the curriculum, and because of that, she studied along with notable actors such as Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. She began writing plays in 1950, writing about strong women that "no one would be ashamed to play."

François Vatel

François Vatel was the majordomo of Nicolas Fouquet and prince Louis, Grand Condé. He was responsible for an extravagant banquet for 2,000 people hosted in honour of Louis XIV by the Grand Condé in April 1671 at the Château de Chantilly, where he died. According to a letter by Madame de Sévigné, Vatel was so distraught about the lateness of the seafood delivery and about other mishaps that he committed suicide by running himself through with his sword, and his body was discovered when someone came to tell him of the arrival of the fish.

Frederik IX of Denmark

Frederik IX of Denmark was the King of Denmark from 1947 until his death in 1972. As king, Frederik IX was known for his informal and approachable demeanor, earning him the nickname "the people's king." He was beloved by the Danish public for his down-to-earth personality and willingness to engage with ordinary citizens. In addition to his role as monarch, Frederik IX was an accomplished musician and conductor, known for his love of jazz and classical music. He often performed as a jazz pianist and was a patron of the arts, supporting Danish musicians and composers throughout his reign.

Devil’s Island

Devil's Island was a French penal colony that operated for 100 years, from 1852 to 1952, and officially closed in 1953, in the Salvation Islands of French Guiana. Opened in 1852, the Devil's Island system received convicts from the Prison of St-Laurent-du-Maroni, who had been deported from all parts of the Second French Empire. It was notorious both for the staff's harsh treatment of detainees and the tropical climate and diseases that contributed to high mortality. The prison system had a death rate of 75 percent at its worst and was finally closed down in 1953. Devil's Island was also notorious for being used for the exile of French political prisoners, with the most famous being Captain Alfred Dreyfus, who had been accused of spying for Germany.