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Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser

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Recently, I discovered the library of my home town Sint-Niklaas again. I  immediately noticed that there were many books about royal houses and the  history of different countries.   One of the books that instantly caught my attention was a biography of Queen Marie Antoinette of France written by Antonia Fraser.  own picture of the book with my notes (in Dutch) About Queen Marie Antoinette of France However, I think that everyone knows Queen Marie Antoinette of France by name, here is a short introduction.   Queen Marie Antoinette of France was born on 2 November 1755 in Vienna as an Archduchess from Austria. She was the daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor.  As a daughter she was a pawn on the dynastical chessboard of Europe. After long negotiations she had to marry the dauphin of France. This big royal event (the ceremony) took place on 16 May 1770 at Versailles. On 10 May 1774, Marie Antoinette became Queen of Franc

OTD 4 June 1940 Dunkirk Evacuation

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From 26 May till 4 June 1940 the evacuation of allied soldiers during World War II from the beaches and the harbour of Dunkirk took place. History In September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Then the United Kingdom sent the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to aid to defense France. The soldiers landed at Cherbourg, Nantes and Saint-Nazaire. The commander of these troops was General John Vereker, 6th. Viscount of Gort. On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded Belgium and the Netherlands. The BEF advanced from the Belgian border to positions along the River Dyle in Belgium. On 22 May Churchill ordered the BEF to attack southward in coordination with the French forces. On 24 May, the Germans had captured the port of Boulogne and surrounded Calais. Hermann Göring, Air Marshal, urged Hitler to let the Luftwaffe finish off the British. On 26 May 1940, King George VI attended a special service in Westminster Abbey. The Archbishop of Canterbury led prayers for ou