Many think of Versailles when they think of French kings hanging out in their glory, but in the early modern period (1450-1650), Chateau Fontainebleau offered French rulers the most welcome respite from Paris and their troubles when they wanted to get away from it all. Here they practiced a most aristocratic pastime: they hunted for deer, wild boar, rabbits, fowl, and other game on the extensive grounds and nearby forest.
Francis I, a great rival of Henry VIII, built up Fontainebleau and invited Renaissance artists from Italy to decorate the residence and dramatically move forward the Renaissance in France. One of these artists was Leonardo da Vinci, who painted the Mona Lisa for Francis I, and the painting was kept here with paintings by Raphael and others. Our class read an interesting article related to Francis and the Renaissance in Fontainebleau, and Gabrielle, our skilled guide, showed us the residence and grounds, which was also used by Napoleon I until he resigned his office after the defeat at Waterloo.
Henry VIII was never able to get the better of Francis I, and exhausted his father's treasury (plus the money that he made by selling church properties) trying to defeat Francis and regain lost territory in France. The two men also jousted and wrestled with one another, and apparently Henry VIII was able to hold his own against the 6'4" Francis I, at least in hand-to-hand combat.
To begin my daily photos, I wanted to show Thomas, Randall, and Brendan with Prince Fielder in the Louvre yesterday. (I don't yet have Jon's photo yet, who got this started!) Here are the first three, enjoying their moments of fame:
And here are a selection of my photos from Fontainebleau:
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In all, another great day in Europe-- Tomorrow, we visit the famous Pere-Lachaise cemetery and Musee d'Orsay, a famous collection of 19th century impressionist art from Paris.
Mike H.
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