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France’s King Louis XV (1710-1774) left a legacy of a country in near financial ruin and moral decadence that set the stage for the French Revolution under his successor Louis XVI (1754-1793). Apart from the pleasures of the flesh, to which he was near-addicted, he well understood the need to perpetuate the Bourbon family line. In what way?

Answer: By the age of 27, he had fathered 10 children with his queen consort Marie Leszczyńska of Poland.

Source: Louis the Beloved – The Life of Louis XV by Olivier Bernier

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1908 – King Carlos I of Portugal and his heir, Prince Luis Filipe are assassinated by Republican sympathizers in Lisbon.

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A short, sharp hit of history in video format. Acclaimed Irish playwright and novelist Oscar Wilde was the toast of London society in the 1890s until things came decidedly unstuck through an association with a young British aristocrat, Lord Alfred Douglas, known as ‘Bosie’.

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“In Russia a man is a called reactionary if he objects to having his property stolen and his wife and children murdered.”

Winston Churchill (1874-1965), British statesman

Source: The Wicket Wit of Winston Churchill by Dominique Enright

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HistoryWow’s Featured Historical Figure of Note

Marcus Porcius Cato (234-149BCE)

Roman statesman, soldier and writer of virtue, simplicity and wisdom. He condemned the luxury of his time and was nicknamed “the censor”. He became Consul in 195BCE, took part in the defeat of Hannibal at Zama, held command in Sardinia and Spain, and in 191 BCE assisted the Greeks in overthrowing Antiochus III at Thermopolyae.

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