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France

Every case set in what is now France, best-known first. Cities, states and old kingdoms count under the country that holds them today.

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Cases in France

Best-known first. Each card opens the full cited case.

Cases
125
Years
4500 BCE to 2024
Region
Europe
Main subjects
Literature and art, European families, Business dynasties, Medieval Europe
Families
House of Medici, House of Bourbon, House of Orléans, House of Valois, Rothschild family, Wildenstein family, Arnault family, Bonaparte family
Updated
30 October 2026
Pablo Picasso: Pablo picasso 11973 · Mougins, FrancePicasso died with no will and about 43,000 works, and the French state took its tax in paintingsPicasso died at 91 at Mougins. He left no will. The auctioneer Maurice Rheims counted 1,885 paintings, more than 1,200 sculptures, about 7,000 drawings, 3,222 ceramics and about 30,000 prints.Internet Archive and 3 moreEdward VIII: HRH The Prince of Wales No 4 (HS85-10-36416)1972 · Paris, FranceEdward VIII gave up the throne, sold Sandringham and Balmoral to his brother, and hid how much money he hadEdward VIII abdicated on 11 December 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée. Sandringham and Balmoral were private property, and his father had left him a life interest in them.Wikipedia (English) and 1 moreJames Baldwin: James Baldwin 37 Allan Warren (cropped)1987 · Saint-Paul-de-Vence, FranceJames Baldwin's estate sold his papers to the Schomburg Center in 2017, with part of his correspondence reported sealed for 20 yearsJames Baldwin died in 1987 at his house in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. For about 30 years his papers stayed with his estate, which one report said almost never let biographers quote his correspondence.infodocket.com and 3 moreAlain Delon: Alain Delon 19612024 · Douchy-Montcorbon, Loiret, FranceAlain Delon's three children fought over his care and his two wills, and in 2026 two of them were fined for secretly recording the thirdAlain Delon's 2015 will split his estate, which Le Monde put at several tens of millions of euros, 50% to his daughter Anouchka and 25% each to his sons Anthony and Alain-Fabien.Le Monde and 6 moreMarlene Dietrich: Marlene Dietrich in No Highway (1951) (Cropped)1992 · 12 avenue Montaigne, ParisMarlene Dietrich's daughter sold her estate to Berlin in 1993, about 300,000 pages, 16,500 photographs and 3,300 garmentsMarlene Dietrich left Germany for Hollywood, became an American citizen and entertained Allied troops in the Second World War, and many Germans did not forgive her.deutsche-kinemathek.de and 6 moreMaria Callas: Maria Callas 19581977 · Paris, FranceMaria Callas died without a valid will, her estranged husband and mother split her $8 million, and her ashes were stolenMaria Callas died in her Paris apartment at 53. She left no signed later will, so her estate, reported at $8 million, would pass to her mother, Evangelia, and sister, Jackie, from whom she had long been estranged.The Independent and 4 moreNina Simone: Portrait of the American singer Nina Simone, 1965.2003 · Carry-le-Rouet, FranceNina Simone left most of her estate to a trust for African children; the California Attorney General said her daughter diverted it, and the daughter resigned and gave up the rightsNina Simone died at her home in the south of France at 70. Her will left her only child, Lisa Simone Kelly, a Los Angeles condominium.oag.ca.gov and 5 moreJosephine Baker: Baker Harcourt 1940 21975 · Paris; Château des Milandes, Dordogne, FranceJosephine Baker barricaded herself in the kitchen of her château when it was sold for her debts, and was carried out to the stepsJosephine Baker fell in love with the Château des Milandes in the Dordogne in the 1930s. She married the bandleader Jo Bouillon in its chapel in 1947.culture.gouv.fr and 3 moreÉdith Piaf: Studio photo1963 · Plascassier, Grasse, FranceEdith Piaf's body was driven secretly from Grasse to Paris so her death could be announced there, and her husband inherited her debtsEdith Piaf died at 1:10 pm on 10 October 1963 in Plascassier, near Grasse, at 47. She had asked to die in Paris.pariszigzag.fr and 4 moreJean Seberg: Jean seberg panorama 19631979 · Paris, FranceThe FBI planted a false story about Jean Seberg's pregnancy in 1970, admitted it in 1979, and she was found dead in her car in ParisJean Seberg raised money for the Black Panthers. TIME reported in September 1979 that an FBI memo of 27 April 1970 from a Los Angeles agent proposed a rumor that her baby's father was a Black Panther leader. J.neh.gov and 3 moreMata Hari: MataHari151917 · Vincennes, near ParisMata Hari's body went unclaimed after her 1917 execution, and the embalmed head kept in a Paris anatomy museum was found missing in 2000Margaretha Zelle, known as Mata Hari, was convicted of treason by a French military court and shot by firing squad on 15 October 1917. No relative claimed her body, so it was handed over for medical study.library.georgetown.edu and 3 moreAI illustration: A grave covered in flowers and candles among the tombs of Père Lachaise cemetery, Paris, one single continuous view1971 · Paris, FranceJim Morrison left everything to Pamela Courson; she died three years later without a will, and both sets of parents fought for The Doors' moneyJim Morrison was found dead in a Paris bathtub at 27. No autopsy was done, and he was buried at Père Lachaise cemetery. His will left everything to his companion, Pamela Courson.hackardlaw.com and 2 moreRudolf Nureyev: Nureyev 9 Allan Warren1993 · Levallois-Perret, FranceRudolf Nureyev left most of his estate to two foundations; a sister and niece contested the will, and a federal judge ruled for the foundation in 1998Rudolf Nureyev died of AIDS-related illness at 54. He founded the Ballet Promotion Foundation in 1975 and left most of his estate to foundations.Deseret News and 3 more42 avenue Foch Paris: 42, avenue Foch, Paris 16e.2021 · Paris, France, and Malabo, Equatorial GuineaEquatorial Guinea's vice president bought a Paris mansion on a minister's salary, France confiscated it, and the UN court refused to stop the saleTeodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, known as Teodorin, is the son of Teodoro Obiang, who had ruled Equatorial Guinea for about 40 years by 2020.NBC News and 4 moreMarcel Duchamp: French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968)1968 · Neuilly-sur-Seine, FranceMarcel Duchamp worked in secret for 20 years on Étant donnés; it was moved to Philadelphia under his 1966 instructions after he died in 1968For about twenty years Marcel Duchamp built Étant donnés in his New York studio while the art world assumed he had stopped making art.duchamparchives.org and 3 moreJules Verne: Photograph of Jules Verne by Félix Nadar1905 · Amiens, FranceJules Verne's son rewrote his posthumous novels, and Verne's lost 1863 novel stayed in a locked safe until his great-grandson forced it open in 1989After Verne died in 1905, his son Michel and publisher Hetzel's house brought out the remaining manuscripts as posthumous novels.depauw.edu and 3 moreCoco Chanel: Coco Chanel in Los Angeles, 1931 (cropped)1971 · Hôtel Ritz, Paris, FranceCoco Chanel used Nazi anti-Jewish laws to try to take her perfume company from the Wertheimers, who had signed it over to an aircraft makerIn 1924 Gabrielle Chanel formed Parfums Chanel with the brothers Pierre and Paul Wertheimer. The Wertheimers took 70 percent and paid for making and selling Chanel No. 5. Théophile Bader took 20 percent.fundinguniverse.com and 4 moreAlain Delon: Alain Delon 19612024 · Douchy-Montcorbon, Loiret, FranceAlain Delon never acknowledged the son his mother raised, and French courts ruled the claim too late after both men diedIn August 1962 the German singer Nico gave birth to a son, Christian Aaron, near Paris and named Alain Delon as the father. Delon admitted a relationship with her but never acknowledged the boy and never took a DNA test.ici.fr and 5 moreAI illustration: A New York divorce courtroom, empty, late 1990s2008 · New York and ParisJocelyn Wildenstein's divorce was reported at $2.5 billion, and the judge barred her from spending alimony on surgeryAlec Wildenstein was heir to the Wildenstein art dealership, one of the richest private art businesses in the world. He married Jocelyn Périsset in 1978.atlantablackstar.com and 2 moreD. H. Lawrence: D H Lawrence passport photograph1930 · Vence, FranceD. H. Lawrence was exhumed in France in 1935 and cremated for a New Mexico shrine, and a scholar reported that the man who carried the ashes said he threw them awayD. H. Lawrence died of tuberculosis in Vence on 2 March 1930 and was buried in the Vence cemetery two days later.dhlawrenceranch.unm.edu and 2 moreJohnny Hallyday: Johnny-Hallyday-12017 · Marnes-la-Coquette, FranceJohnny Hallyday disinherited two of his children under California law, and a French court ruled French law appliedJohnny Hallyday, the French rock singer, died of lung cancer at 74. He was buried on the Caribbean island of Saint-Barthélemy. His will, written in English in California in July 2014, left everything to his wife, Laeticia.eapil.org and 3 moreÉmile Zola: Nadar (atelier de) - Emile Zola, 13-5565351902 · Paris, FranceA 1953 newspaper said a chimney sweep blocked Émile Zola's flue in 1902, and the Panthéon ceremony for his remains ended with a gunman wounding DreyfusÉmile Zola died in his Paris apartment on 29 September 1902, aged 62, of carbon monoxide from a chimney that was not drawing. The death was ruled accidental.historytoday.com and 3 moreKarl Lagerfeld: Fendi store opening - Karl Lagerfeld (14091153382) crop2019 · Paris, FranceKarl Lagerfeld left about €200 million to his assistant, models, his godson and his cat, and seven years later a French tax claim and a will challenge hold itKarl Lagerfeld died of prostate cancer on 19 February 2019. He was unmarried and had no children, and both his sisters had died. He drafted his will in April 2016. It was filed in Monaco and is not public.vol.at and 3 moreVincent van Gogh: Self-Portrait title QS:P1476,en:"Self-Portrait "label QS:Len,"Self-Portrait "label QS:Les,"Autorretrato"label QS:Lnds,"S1890 · Auvers-sur-Oise, FranceVan Gogh's brother died six months after him, and Theo's widow built the reputation from the paintings she inheritedVincent van Gogh sold very little in his lifetime. His brother Theo, an art dealer who had supported him, died in January 1891.vangoghmuseum.nl and 3 moreMaurice Jarre star (Hollywood Walk of Fame stars): Maurice Jarre star (Hollywood Walk of Fame stars).2009 · Los Angeles, California, USA; property in Paris, FranceMaurice Jarre left his estate to his widow through a California trust, and France's highest court said his children's reserved share did not follow him abroadMaurice Jarre, a French composer, lived in California for more than 30 years and died in Los Angeles on 29 March 2009. He married Fong Khong on 6 December 1984.legavox.fr and 4 moreFrançois Mitterrand: President François Mitterrand in 1983 (cropped)1996 · ParisFrançois Mitterrand's secret daughter walked behind his coffin after the state had paid to hide herFrançois Mitterrand died of prostate cancer in Paris eight months after leaving office. On 11 January 1996 there were two ceremonies: a mass at Notre-Dame in Paris and a burial at his hometown, Jarnac.fr-academic.com and 3 moreFelix Yusupov: Prince Felix Yusupov1967 · ParisPrince Felix Yusupov sold two Rembrandts to Joseph Widener with a buy-back option, raised the money, and lost them in courtFelix Yusupov became heir in 1908 to one of the largest fortunes in Russia. In December 1916 he and others killed Grigori Rasputin in the family's Moika Palace in Petrograd.Caselaw Access Project, Harvard Law School and 5 moreVictor Hugo: Portrait photograph of Victor Hugo published in the widely distributed serial publication entitled Galerie contemporaine, littéraire, artistique. Issued in parts from 1885 · Paris, FranceVictor Hugo left 50,000 francs to the poor and asked for their hearse; France gave him a state funeral that drew more than two million peopleVictor Hugo died of pneumonia on 22 May 1885, aged 83. His five-sentence will said, "Je donne cinquante mille francs aux pauvres," and asked to be carried to the cemetery in the paupers' hearse.deslettres.fr and 2 moreColuche: Press conference with French humorist Coluche about the Restos du Coeur in Strasbourg on 20 February 19861986 · Opio, Alpes-Maritimes, FranceColuche left 6.1 million francs of debt in 1986, his ex-wife refused the estate, and his sons spent 28 years suing over his sketchesMichel Colucci, known as Coluche, died at 41 on 19 June 1986 when his Honda motorcycle hit a truck on the road near Opio. A 2006 book alleges he was murdered, and the official finding was an accident.lefigaro.fr and 3 moreEileen Gray: Eileen Gray1976 · Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, FranceEileen Gray's furniture was removed from her villa E-1027 and sold at Sotheby's in 1991; the state bought the ruined house in 1999Eileen Gray designed the villa E-1027 for Jean Badovici, who kept it after they separated in 1932. Le Corbusier painted murals on walls Gray had left white in 1938 and 1939, which she called vandalism.archiseek.com and 3 moreTombe d'Eugène Schueller, de Liliane Bettencourt et d'André Bettencourt 52017 · Neuilly-sur-Seine, FranceLiliane Bettencourt gave a photographer about €1 billion, and her daughter's complaint ended in his convictionLiliane Bettencourt inherited L'Oréal from her father in 1957. Over two decades she gave the photographer François-Marie Banier gifts reported at nearly €1 billion.abcnews.com and 8 moreFrancisco Goya: Spanish: El pintor Francisco de GoyaPortrait of Francisco de Goyatitle QS:P1476,es:"El pintor Francisco de Goya"label QS1828 · Bordeaux, FranceGoya's grave in Bordeaux was opened in 1888 and his skull was missing; he was reburied in Madrid in 1919 without itFrancisco de Goya died in Bordeaux on 16 April 1828, aged 82. He was buried in the Grande Chartreuse cemetery in the Muguiro family mausoleum, beside his friend and in-law Martín Miguel de Goicoechea.Smithsonian Magazine and 2 moreClaude Monet: Portrait photograph of the French impressionist painter Claude Monet by Nadar1966 · Vernon, FranceMonet's last heir died in a car crash on 3 February 1966 and left Giverny and his father's paintings to the Académie des Beaux-ArtsClaude Monet's son Michel had no heir. His elder brother Jean had died earlier.academiedesbeauxarts.fr and 3 morePierre Bonnard: Tête de Bonnard (Portrait photograph of Pierre Bonnard), c.1899, Musée d'Orsay, restaurée1947 · Le Cannet, FrancePierre Bonnard's wife had four unknown nieces; a French court ruled in 1951 that he forged her will, and the family won on appealPierre Bonnard's wife Marthe, who died in January 1942, had told him for decades that she had no family.lejournaldesarts.fr and 4 morePierre Cardin: Pierre Cardin 1978 (cropped)2020 · Paris, FrancePierre Cardin's great-nephew found a will naming him sole heir to an €800 million estate, and a Paris court ruled it was not a willPierre Cardin died in December 2020, aged 98, with no children. His holding company, subsidiaries, licences, brands and property in Paris and the Vaucluse were valued at €750 to €800 million on buyout offers.fashionunited.fr and 2 moreOscar Wilde: Oscar Wilde by Napoleon Sarony. Three-quarter-length photograph, seated (cropped)1900 · ParisOscar Wilde died bankrupt in Paris; his friend Robbie Ross bought back the rights and gave the income to Wilde's sonsAfter Wilde's conviction he was declared bankrupt, and the rights to his texts were sold off. He died in Paris with Robbie Ross at his side. Ross became his literary executor.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca and 1 moreMax Linder: Max Linder - Feb 1922 Photoplay1925 · ParisMax Linder and his wife died in a Paris hotel in 1925, a letter said "He will kill me," and his brother won custody of his daughter and her fortuneMax Linder married Helene "Ninette" Peters on 2 August 1923. She was 17, and he was arrested in Nice for kidnapping a minor. In 1924 the two were found unconscious in a Vienna hotel, explained as an accidental overdose.The New York Times and 3 moreBernard Tapie: Tapie en 2011 en tournée en Belgique pour "OSCAR".2021 · Combs-la-Ville and Paris, FranceBernard Tapie was beaten in his home six months before he died owing the state more than 400 million euros, and his widow lost her flatIn 2008 Bernard Tapie received about 400 million euros from an arbitration over Crédit Lyonnais's sale of his stake in Adidas. The courts later annulled the award and ordered him to repay.thelocal.fr and 3 moreJean-Paul Sartre: Jean Paul Sartre 19651980 · Paris, FranceSartre adopted Arlette Elkaïm and made her his heir, so Simone de Beauvoir had no legal say over his work and adopted a daughter of her ownIn 1956 Arlette Elkaïm, a student from Algeria, wrote to Jean-Paul Sartre; they had a brief affair, and he helped her stay in Paris when her father ordered her home for an arranged marriage.jffp.pitt.edu and 3 moreOmar Bongo - 1973: Visit of Omar Bongo, President of Gabon, to the CEC on 17 May 1973.2009 · Libreville, Gabon, and Paris and Nantes, FranceOmar Bongo left about 300 billion CFA francs and 54 children; one daughter took his heir's birth certificate to a French court, and France charged at least nine of the childrenOmar Bongo ruled Gabon from 1967 until he died on 8 June 2009. A French judge found that much of the family's money came from "undue commissions" paid by Elf, now part of TotalEnergies, to exploit Gabon's oil.afrik.com and 5 moreVoltaire: French: Portrait de Voltaire (1694-1778) en 1718 Voltaire the age of twenty-four (?)title QS:P1476,fr:"Portrait de Volta1778 · Paris, FranceVoltaire was refused a Paris burial in 1778, buried in secret, moved to the Panthéon in 1791 with his heart kept apart, and a legend says his bones were thrown away in 1814Voltaire returned to Paris in February 1778 for the opening of his tragedy Irène and died there aged 83. Because he had not retracted his criticism of the Church, he was denied a Christian burial in Paris.jackboulware.substack.com and 3 moreJane Birkin: 66ème Festival de Venise (Mostra) Jane Birkin2023 · Paris, FranceThe original Hermes bag made for Jane Birkin sold at Sotheby's Paris in July 2025 for 8.58 million euros, the highest price paid for a handbag at auctionThe first Birkin bag was made for Jane Birkin by Hermes. She died in Paris in July 2023. On 10 July 2025 Sotheby's Paris sold the original bag for 8.58 million euros, about $10 million, after a bidding war, according to Bloomberg.Bloomberg and 3 moreAI illustration: A typed will beside a hardback memoir on a writing desk, 19891989 · Paris, FranceBette Davis wrote her daughter, her adopted daughter and two grandsons out of her will after "My Mother's Keeper"In 1985 Bette Davis's daughter, Barbara "B.D." Hyman, published My Mother's Keeper.Internet Archive and 2 moreMarc Chagall: Shagal Choumoff1985 · Saint-Paul-de-Vence, FranceChagall's heirs paid his death duties with 46 paintings and 406 drawings, and his granddaughters' committee seized a £100,000 fake to destroy itMarc Chagall died on 28 March 1985, aged 97. His heirs were his widow Valentina "Vava" Brodsky, his daughter Ida by his first wife Bella, and his son David McNeil by Virginia Haggard.centrepompidou.fr and 5 moreJulie Christie: Julie Christie (1997) (2)1976 · ParisThe Man Ray Trust said in 2021 that 148 of 188 lots in a Christie's Paris sale of his assistant's collection lacked clear title; Christie's sold themMan Ray married Juliet Browner in 1946. When he died in 1976 she founded the Man Ray Trust. After she died in 1991 her family continued it. His assistant Lucien Treillard died in 2004.insidehook.com and 3 moreW. Somerset Maugham: Maugham retouched1965 · FranceSomerset Maugham tried to disinherit his daughter in 1962 to adopt his secretary Alan Searle; a 21-month case in British and French courts barred the adoptionSomerset Maugham, in his late 80s, was cared for by his secretary and companion Alan Searle. Around the time of his 1962 memoir Looking Back, which denied that Liza was his daughter, he tried to disinherit her and adopt Searle.spectator.com and 3 moreRichard Wright: Portrait of Richard Wright1960 · Eugene Gibez clinic, ParisRichard Wright died in a Paris clinic in 1960; his daughter and friends said the US government may have had him killedRichard Wright, 52, went to the Eugene Gibez clinic in Paris with stomach pain and amoebic dysentery and died that night, 28 November 1960. The recorded cause was a heart attack. He had no known heart trouble.fbeyes.wustl.edu and 3 moreAI illustration: A picture book left open on a windowsill above the harbour at Nice, 19521952 · Nice, FranceThe author of Goodnight Moon left her royalties to a neighbour's nine-year-old son, who spent the millionsMargaret Wise Brown wrote Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Her partner from 1940, Blanche Oelrichs, who wrote as Michael Strange, died in 1950.The New Yorker and 3 moreKoh-i-Noor: Replica of the Koh-i-Noor (cropped)1893 · Paris, FranceA 10-year-old Sikh maharaja signed away the Koh-i-Noor to Queen Victoria, and other countries still claim itDuleep Singh became ruler of the Sikh Empire at five in 1843, the youngest son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who had owned the Koh-i-Noor diamond. After the Second Anglo-Sikh War, the East India Company annexed the Punjab.Wikipedia (English) and 2 moreAI illustration: Opencast coal mining dug up to the lawns of Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire, 19471948 · Saint-Bauzile, Ardèche, FranceThe government ordered opencast mining up to Wentworth Woodhouse, and the Fitzwilliam earldom ended in 1979Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire has more than 300 rooms and an east front of 618 feet, the longest of any English country house. The Earls Fitzwilliam owned it and the coal under it.wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk and 6 moreBeau Brummell: BrummellEngrvFrmMiniature1840 · Caen, FranceBeau Brummell spent his inheritance on clothes and cards, fled London by night, and died in a paupers' asylum in CaenGeorge Bryan Brummell was born on Downing Street on 7 June 1778, the son of Lord North's private secretary. His father's estate, about £60,000, was shared equally among three children and held in trust until they came of age.english-heritage.org.uk and 2 moreAI illustration: The Croisette at Cannes at night, 20042004 · Cannes, FranceThe 10th Earl of Shaftesbury was strangled by his wife's brother in Cannes, and his heir died six months laterAnthony Ashley-Cooper, 10th Earl of Shaftesbury, owned more than 9,000 acres in Dorset, the family seat of St Giles House and the bed of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.france24.com and 4 moreSarah Baartman: Saartjie Baartman (portrait)1815 · Paris, FranceFrance passed a law in 2002 to return Sarah Baartman's remains to South AfricaSarah Baartman was born about 1789 near the Gamtoos River in today's Eastern Cape, South Africa. On 29 October 1810 she was said to have signed a contract with the surgeon William Dunlop, though she could not read.sahistory.org.za and 4 moreLouis XIV: French: Portrait de Louis XIV en costume de sacre Portrait of Louis XIVtitle QS:P1476,fr:"Portrait de Louis XIV en costu1715 · Palace of Versailles, FranceLouis XIV's will gave power to his illegitimate son, and the Paris Parlement annulled it the day after he diedLouis XIV outlived his son and grandson. His heir was his five-year-old great-grandson, Louis XV.Wikipedia (English) and 1 moreLouis XIV: French: Portrait de Louis XIV en costume de sacre Portrait of Louis XIVtitle QS:P1476,fr:"Portrait de Louis XIV en costu1680 · Vaux-le-Vicomte, Maincy, Seine-et-Marne, FranceLouis XIV jailed Fouquet for life 19 days after his party at Vaux-le-Vicomte, and in 2019 robbers tied up its 90-year-old owner with his own necktiesNicolas Fouquet, Louis XIV's superintendent of finances, bought the Vaux estate in 1641 and built the château. On 17 August 1661 he held a fête for the king, with the first performance of Molière's Les Fâcheux.thelocal.fr and 5 moreIvar Kreuger: Kreuger ca19201932 · ParisIvar Kreuger shot himself in Paris in 1932, and auditors found his match empire rested on forged Italian bondsIvar Kreuger, born in Kalmar in 1880, controlled most of the world's match production through Svenska Tändsticks AB and his holding company, Kreuger & Toll.fortune.com and 5 moreMarcel Proust: Otto Wegener Proust vers 1895 bis1922 · Paris, FranceProust's sister-in-law burned his papers after her husband died in 1935, and a perfume heir bought his furniture for 1,500 francsMarcel Proust died in Paris in 1922. His younger brother Robert was his literary executor and the only person who knew how Time Regained was meant to end.bnf.fr and 3 moreAmedeo Modigliani: Amedeo Modigliani in his studio1920 · ParisModigliani died poor, his partner jumped from a window the next day, and Italian police later closed a Modigliani show for fakesAmedeo Modigliani died of tubercular meningitis at 35. The next day his pregnant partner, Jeanne Hébuterne, jumped from her parents' apartment window. Their infant daughter was raised by Modigliani's family in Italy.itsartlaw.org and 4 moreAuguste Rodin: Auguste Rodin by George Charles Beresford (NPG x6573)1917 · Meudon, FranceRodin gave all his works and reproduction rights to France in 1916, and the Musee Rodin spent 18 years in court over about 1,700 casts it called fakesIn 1916, the year before his death, Auguste Rodin gave the French state all his plaster, marble, bronze and stone works, his drawings, his antiquities and his intellectual property rights.musee-rodin.fr and 3 morePaul Cézanne: Paul-Cezanne1906 · Aix-en-Provence, FranceCézanne's 1902 will left everything to his son and nothing to his wife Hortense, and they sold his studio to Vollard for 275,000 francsPaul Cézanne lived with Hortense Fiquet for years in secret, partly for fear that his father would cut his allowance.spectator.com and 3 moreGustave Caillebotte: Gustave Caillebotte photo c18781894 · Gennevilliers, FranceGustave Caillebotte left France more than 60 Impressionist works in 1894; the state refused part and hung 38 in 1897Gustave Caillebotte died in 1894, leaving his Impressionist collection to the French state and naming Renoir executor. His brother Martial pressed with Renoir for the conditions of the bequest to be kept.musee-orsay.fr and 3 moreAI illustration: Crated paintings in a Paris art gallery on the Rue La Boétie, 20012001 · ParisDaniel Wildenstein's widow said his sons hid the art fortune in trusts, and France prosecuted the heir for tax fraudDaniel Wildenstein ran the family art dealership until his death in 2001. His widow, Sylvia Roth, was told by his sons Guy and Alec that inheritance taxes would bankrupt her unless she signed away her rights.Artnet News and 2 moreÉdouard Empain: Edouard Empain2018 · Pontoise, FranceBaron Empain was kidnapped in Paris in 1978, lost part of a finger, was held 63 days, and sold his stake in Empain-Schneider three years laterÉdouard-Jean Empain, born in Budapest in 1937, was the grandson of Édouard Empain, founder of the Belgian family's industrial group.Le Monde and 4 moreSultan of Sulu with others LCCN2014685226 (cropped): Title: Sultan of Sulu with others Abstract/medium: 1 negative : glass ; 5 x 7 in. or smaller.2017 · Sabah, Malaysia; Madrid, Spain; Paris, FranceMalaysia stopped paying the Sulu sultan's heirs in 2013, and a Spanish arbitrator awarded them US$14.92 billionOn 22 January 1878 the Sultan of Sulu signed a grant to Baron de Overbeck and Alfred Dent over his lands on the mainland of Borneo, "for ever and in perpetuity", in return for 5,000 dollars a year to the sultan "his heirs or successors".sagc.sabah.gov.my and 7 moreGrabstein Mayer Amschel Rothschild: Tombstone for Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1812) at the old Jewish cemetery (Battonnstraße Cemetery) in Frankfurt am Main The text is translat2015 · Geneva, Switzerland, and Paris, FranceTwo Rothschild banks went to law over who could use the family name alone, and settled in 2018 that neither mayThe Rothschild banks descend from Mayer Amschel Rothschild of Frankfurt. In 2012 Baron David de Rothschild united Rothschild & Cie of Paris with N M Rothschild of London.swissinfo.ch and 3 moreVladimir Putin: Vladimir Putin (2026 02 23) (cropped)2014 · London, New Zealand, France"Putin's banker" put $100 million into New Zealand trusts for his family, and a London judge ruled the trusts were shamsSergei Pugachev founded Mezhprombank and was known in the press as Putin's banker. The bank collapsed in 2010. Its liquidator, the Russian Deposit Insurance Agency, claimed 76.6 billion roubles, over $1 billion, from him.The National Archives, Find Case Law and 2 moreRené Lacoste 1927 Militaire a: Lacoste [en tenue militaire] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]2012 · Paris, FranceLacoste's chairman sued to annul his daughter's appointment, then both sides of the family sold to the Swiss partnerRené Lacoste, the tennis champion, founded the Lacoste brand in 1933. In 2005 his son Michel Lacoste replaced his brother Bernard as chief executive, and Michel's daughter Sophie Lacoste-Dournel joined the board.thelocal.fr and 2 moreAI illustration: A Paris saddler's shop front on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 20102010 · ParisLVMH secretly built a 17 percent stake in Hermès, and 52 family members locked half their shares together to stop itHermès was controlled by about 70 descendants of its founder.thefashionlaw.com and 2 moreYves Saint Laurent: Graphite and Egg Tempera on Canvas2008 · Paris, FranceYves Saint Laurent signed a civil union days before he died, and his collection sale included two bronze heads looted from Beijing in 1860Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé founded his couture house and were partners for 50 years. Days before Saint Laurent died in Paris on 1 June 2008, aged 71, the two men signed a PACS, a French civil partnership, at his home.lalibre.be and 7 moreYves Saint Laurent: Graphite and Egg Tempera on Canvas2008 · Beijing, China; Paris, FranceBritish and French troops looted the Summer Palace in 1860; Yves Saint Laurent's estate auctioned two of its bronze heads, and the winning bidder refused to payTwelve bronze animal heads of the Chinese zodiac spouted water from a fountain in the European section of the Yuanmingyuan, the Qing emperors' garden palace outside Beijing. The Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione designed them.visualizingcultures.mit.edu and 4 moreArnaud Lagardère: Arnaud lagardere - portrait2003 · Paris, FranceArnaud Lagardère inherited control of his father's group in 2003, lost it to Vivendi in 2023, and was charged with using company money to pay inheritance debtJean-Luc Lagardère built an aerospace, media and publishing group. After his sudden death in 2003 his son Arnaud took charge. A partnership-limited-by-shares structure let Arnaud control the group with a small stake.fortune.com and 2 moreDiana, Princess of Wales: Diana, Princess of Wales 1997 (2)1997 · Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, FrancePrincess Diana's executors changed her will after her death and gave each godchild one item instead of a quarter of her possessionsCharles and Diana separated in 1992 and divorced on 28 August 1996. She received a lump sum reported at about £17 million and lost the style Her Royal Highness. A year later she died in a car crash in Paris.Wikipedia (English) and 1 moreProcès-verbal for the recovery of the items the Bảo Đại Emperor gave to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam during his ab: A report about the recovery of the ceremonial sword and se1997 · Huế, Vietnam; Paris, FranceBảo Đại handed his gold seal to the revolution in 1945, sued his own son for it in France, and his widow's heirs sold it for 6.1 million eurosEmperor Minh Mạng had the seal Hoàng đế chi bảo cast in solid gold in 1823. It weighs 10.78 kg. On 30 August 1945 Bảo Đại read his abdication at Huế and handed the seal and a jewelled sword to the Viet Minh envoy Trần Huy Liệu.voatiengviet.com and 5 moreHarbour, Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus: Harbour, Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus1996 · Kyrenia (Girne), Cyprus; Strasbourg, FranceTitina Loizidou was kept from her Kyrenia land after 1974, won in Strasbourg, and Turkey paid in 2003 but never gave back the landTitina Loizidou grew up in Kyrenia on Cyprus's north coast and owned several plots there. Work had begun on a block of flats on one before 20 July 1974, when Turkish forces landed.lagen.nu and 3 moreAI illustration: A white exhumation tent among the graves of Père Lachaise cemetery at night, 19981991 · Senlis, FranceA French court declared Yves Montand a girl's father after his death, and his body was exhumed to test itYves Montand, born Ivo Livi, was one of France's biggest singing and film stars. He died of a heart attack at Senlis on 9 November 1991, aged 70, and was buried at Père-Lachaise beside his wife Simone Signoret.The Irish Times and 2 moreAI illustration: The European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg1990 · FranceFrench law gave a child born of adultery half a share of his mother's estate until Europe's human rights court ruled against it in 2000Claude Mazurek was born in Avignon in 1942. His mother was married to another man when he was conceived, which made him an "adulterine" child under the French Civil Code.European Court of Human Rights and 2 moreRue Louis Vuitton - Asnières-sur-Seine (FR92) - 2024-04-06 - 1: Rue Louis-Vuitton, Asnières-sur-Seine.1989 · Paris, FranceThe Vuitton family's patriarch brought in Bernard Arnault and was fired from LVMH, and Arnault has locked his own five children into a 30-year holdingHenry Racamier married a Vuitton heiress. When he took charge, the Louis Vuitton workshops supplied two shops in France with sales of €1 million a year. In 1987 he merged Louis Vuitton with Moët-Hennessy to form LVMH.UPI and 3 moreAI illustration: A cotton textile mill in the Vosges, France, 1970s1980 · Dammarie-sur-Loing, LoiretMarcel Boussac, France's richest man in 1951 and Dior's backer, died ruined; his collapsed group became Bernard Arnault's startMarcel Boussac built France's largest cotton group from 1911. In 1951 he was ranked France's richest man, with more than 50 factories and 20,000 workers. In 1946 he financed Christian Dior's new couture house.tbheritage.com and 4 moreJuan Negrín 1938 (cropped): Juan Negrín in 1938.1956 · Cartagena, Spain; Odessa and Moscow, USSR; Paris, FranceSpain's gold went to Moscow in 1936; when Negrín died, his son gave Franco the receipts, and Moscow said the money was all goneIn September 1936 Juan Negrín became Finance Minister of the Spanish Republic. He ordered much of the Bank of Spain's gold sent to the Soviet Union. Four ships left Cartagena on 25 October 1936 and reached Odessa on 2 November.enciclopedia.cat and 3 morePhilippe Pétain: Pétain - portrait photographique1951 · Port-Joinville, Île d'Yeu, FrancePétain's property was confiscated in 1945 and his coffin was stolen from Île d'Yeu in 1973The High Court tried Philippe Pétain from 23 July to 15 August 1945. It sentenced him to death, national indignity and confiscation of his property. De Gaulle commuted the sentence to life imprisonment on 17 August 1945.ina.fr and 3 moreMolière: French: Molière Molièretitle QS:P1476,fr:"Molière "label QS:Lfr,"Molière "label QS:Len,"Molière"1673 · Paris, FranceMolière died in 1673 after collapsing in his own play; priests refused him last rites, and Louis XIV allowed a night burialMolière collapsed during a performance of his play Le Malade imaginaire, first staged on 10 February 1673, and died a few hours later at home, aged 51. He died without receiving the last rites.Encyclopaedia Britannica and 2 morePalace of Versailles: Versailles Palace (FRA) – Equestrian Olympic Venue1793 · Palace of Versailles, Yvelines, France; Tribunal correctionnThe Revolution auctioned Versailles's furniture in 17,000 lots, and a top expert was convicted in 2025 of forging royal chairs for the buy-back marketAfter the monarchy fell, the Convention ordered the royal contents of Versailles sold. The auction ran from 25 August 1793 to 11 August 1794 in about 17,000 lots, down to mirrors and baths.The Art Newspaper and 6 moreGrand noeud de corsage de l'impératrice Eugénie - François Kramer - Musée du Louvre Objets d'art OA 12238: Grand noeud de corsage de l'impératrice Eugénie - François Kramer - Musée1661 · Musée du Louvre, Paris, FranceFrance sold its crown jewels in 1887 to stop a king returning; the Louvre bought one back for €6.72 million, and thieves took it in eight minutes in 2025Cardinal Mazarin died in 1661 and left 18 large diamonds to the French crown. In September 1792 thieves broke into the Garde-Meuble in Paris and took most of the crown jewels. Many were never recovered.gia.edu and 6 moreElizabeth Patterson Bonaparte: Triple portrait of Elizabeth Patterson (a.k.a. "Betsy Bonaparte")1860 · Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Paris, FranceNapoleon annulled his brother's Baltimore marriage, and Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte's son lost his claim to the Bonaparte inheritance in a Paris courtOn Christmas Eve 1803 Elizabeth Patterson, daughter of the Baltimore merchant William Patterson, married Jérôme Bonaparte, Napoleon's youngest brother, before Bishop John Carroll. Jérôme was a minor and lacked his mother's consent.h-france.net and 2 moreAI illustration: William the Conqueror's funeral at Caen, 1087, stopped by a man claiming the church stood on his father's land1087 · Priory of Saint-Gervais, RouenWilliam the Conqueror's funeral stopped when a man said the church stood on his father's stolen landWilliam was injured against the pommel of his saddle while taking the town of Mantes in July 1087.University of Chicago, LacusCurtius and 3 moreLouis XVII: Louis XVII title QS:P1476,en:"Louis XVII "label QS:Len,"Louis XVII "1795 · Temple prison, Paris, FranceA doctor stole the heart of the boy king Louis XVII, and DNA in 2000 ended 200 years of impostorsLouis-Charles, son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, became Louis XVII to royalists when his father was executed in 1793. He was held alone in the Temple prison and died there on 8 June 1795, aged ten, of tuberculosis.Journal article (DOI) and 1 moreChâteau de Chambord LCCN20176597811883 · Château de Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, FranceFrance seized Chambord in 1915 because its owner served Austria, while his half-brothers, who fought for the Allies, sued him for a bigger shareIn 1821 a national subscription bought Chambord for the infant Duke of Bordeaux, born months after his father, the Duc de Berry, was assassinated.chambord.org and 6 moreLouis Renault (industrialist): Louis Renault en 19181944 · Paris clinic, after detention at Fresnes prisonLouis Renault died in custody before trial, and France took his company without paying his heirsLouis Renault ran the car company he had founded with his brothers.conseil-etat.fr and 6 moreFritz Mannheimer: Josephine Baker, NL-HlmNHA 54004680001939 · Vaucresson, FranceBanker Fritz Mannheimer died ten weeks after his wedding, his bank failed, and Hitler bought his collection from the creditorsFritz Mannheimer, born in Stuttgart in 1890, ran Mendelssohn & Co. in Amsterdam. He had the bank buy his art and furniture for him.resources.huygens.knaw.nl and 2 moreVladimir Lenin: Lenin in 1920 (cropped)1936 · ParisLenin's 1918 decree took Sergei Shchukin's 258 paintings, and his heirs' claims in Paris and Los Angeles failedSergei Shchukin, a Moscow textile merchant, hung 258 paintings in his mansion, including works by Matisse and Picasso. He emigrated in August 1918.kommersant.ru and 6 moreEmprunt Russe 500 fr 1894: Scan d'un document original, datant de 1894 : titre au porteur portant le n° 301021. Obligation d'État de 125 Roubles-or, soit 500 francs-or, montant le 1917 · Paris, FranceRussia repudiated the tsar's bonds, France settled for $400 million in 1997, and the holders' association tried to seize a Russian sailing ship and a cathedralFrom 1888 to 1914 Paris sold Russian Empire loans to French savers. The first large issue, on 10 December 1888, was 500 million francs at 4 percent. About 15 billion gold francs went in over thirty years.moneyvox.fr and 3 moreLouis Le Prince: Louisleprincerestored1890 · Dijon, FranceLouis Le Prince filmed moving pictures in 1888, vanished from a train in 1890, and his son died after testifying against EdisonLouis Le Prince, a Frenchman working in Leeds, received a US patent on 10 January 1888 for a 16-lens camera and projector, with matching patents in Britain and France.museumsandgalleries.leeds.gov.uk and 4 moreLouis Henri, Prince of Condé: French: Portrait en pied du duc de Bourbon, en tenue de lieutenant général title QS:P1476,fr:"Portrait en pied du duc de1897 · Chantilly, Oise, FranceThe last Prince of Condé was found hanged after willing Chantilly to an 8-year-old prince, who later gave it to the Institut de France while in exileLouis Henri de Bourbon, the last Prince of Condé, owned Chantilly, north of Paris. His English mistress, Sophie Dawes, Baronne de Feuchères, persuaded him to sign a will in 1829.Wikipedia (English) and 5 moreMarquis de Sade: Portrait of Marquis de Sade (1740-1814)1814 · Charenton asylum, FranceThe manuscript of Sade's 120 Days of Sodom was smuggled into Switzerland in 1982, sold for 7 million euros in 2014, and bought by France for 4.55 million euros in 2021Sade wrote The 120 Days of Sodom in 37 days in his Bastille cell, on a parchment scroll about 39 feet long. He was moved to Charenton on 4 July 1789 and left it behind.thelocal.ch and 3 moreEleanor of Aquitaine: Church of Fontevraud Abbey Eleanor of Aquitaine effigy1137 · Bordeaux, FranceEleanor inherited Aquitaine at about 13, took it back when France annulled her marriage, and married the future king of England eight weeks laterWilliam X, duke of Aquitaine, died on Good Friday, 9 April 1137, on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. His eldest daughter Eleanor, about 13, inherited Aquitaine and Poitou.fontevraud.fr and 2 moreAI illustration: Royal officers arrive at the Château de Chenonceau with a deed to take it back for the crown, 15591559 · Château de Chenonceau, Indre-et-Loire, FranceChenonceau was taken for a royal debt, taken from a king's mistress by his widow, and auctioned to a bank after its owner's ruinThomas Bohier, a royal finance officer, and his wife Catherine Briçonnet built Chenonceau in the 1510s. An audit found money diverted in his accounts, and the king claimed nearly 190,000 livres from his heirs.chenonceau.com and 2 moreGilles de Rais: Féron - Gilles de Rais (1405-1440) - MV 9621440 · Nantes, Brittany, FranceGilles de Rais sold his castles to the Duke of Brittany, seized a priest in church, and was hanged; his heirs then claimed the lands backGilles de Rais was born at Champtocé castle in 1404 and inherited estates in Brittany, Anjou, Poitou, Maine and Angoumois. The historian Matei Cazacu puts his income at about 50,000 livres a year.famous-trials.com and 1 moreMartin Guerre: Thumbnail (5)1560 · Artigat, County of Foix, FranceAn impostor lived as Martin Guerre for three years, took his wife and land, and was hanged when the real Martin walked into courtMartin Guerre, a peasant heir in the Pyrenean village of Artigat, married Bertrande de Rols at about 14. In 1548, accused of stealing grain from his father, he disappeared. In summer 1556 a man arrived claiming to be Martin.Internet Archive and 3 moreThérèse Humbert: Thérèse Humbert1879 · Paris, FranceThérèse Humbert borrowed for 20 years against an inheritance from an American millionaire who never existed, and the safe held almost nothingThe Crawford inheritance was a hoax. Thérèse Humbert, born Thérèse Daurignac in 1856, said that in 1879 she had helped an American millionaire, Robert Henry Crawford, through a heart attack on a train.complaintes.criminocorpus.org and 2 moreNicéphore Niépce: Posthumous portrait of J.N. Niépcelabel QS:Len,"Posthumous portrait of J.N. Niépce"label QS:Lfr,"Portrait posthume de J.1833 · Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, Burgundy, FranceNicéphore Niépce died before photography paid, his partner named it the daguerreotype, and France gave Niépce's son the smaller pensionIn 1827 Nicéphore Niépce made the oldest surviving photograph taken with a camera, a view from a window at his house, Le Gras. On 4 January 1829 he formed a partnership with Louis Daguerre, owner of the Diorama in Paris.hrc.utexas.edu and 2 moreNicolas Leblanc: Nicolas Leblanc - CNAM1806 · Paris, FranceThe Revolution guillotined Nicolas Leblanc's patron, seized his soda works and published his patent, and the state paid his heirs 49 years after his suicideNicolas Leblanc was private physician to the Duke of Orléans from 1780. He found a way to make soda, used for glass and soap, from common salt, the goal of a 2,400-livre prize set by the French Academy of Sciences.thechemicalengineer.com and 2 moreJean-Marie Leclair: JMLeclair1764 · Rue Carême-Prenant, Le Marais, ParisJean-Marie Leclair was found stabbed three times at his Paris door in October 1764, and his ex-wife sold his belongings and unpublished musicJean-Marie Leclair, 66, was found dead early on 23 October 1764 in the vestibule of his house on the Rue Carême-Prenant. He had three stab wounds. Wikipedia gives 22 October as the date of death.interlude.hk and 2 moreNicolas Flamel: Nicolas Flamel Histoire critique1418 · Paris, FranceNicolas Flamel left his property to his Paris parish church, a 1612 book made him an alchemist, and treasure hunters ransacked his house for goldNicolas Flamel, born near Pontoise around 1330 to 1340, worked in Paris as a public scribe near the church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, drafting contracts and letters.universalis.fr and 3 moreReliquary of the Crown of Thorns Notre-Dame NDP68 Cat95: Reliquary of the Crown of Thorns Notre-Dame NDP68 Cat951238 · Constantinople; Venice, Italy; Paris, FranceA bankrupt emperor of Constantinople pawned the Crown of Thorns to Venetian lenders, and a fire chaplain carried it out of burning Notre-DameTradition holds that a crown kept in Constantinople was the crown of thorns placed on Jesus. After the Fourth Crusade the city was ruled by Latin emperors.newadvent.org and 4 morePortrait of Monsieur de Lavoisier and his Wife, chemist Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze: Portrait of Monsieur de Lavoisier and his Wife, chemist Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze1794 · Paris, FranceThe Revolution guillotined Lavoisier and seized his notebooks, and his widow fought until she got back the property and nearly all his papersAntoine Lavoisier was a chemist and a tax farmer. He was jailed from 28 November 1793. On 8 May 1794 he and his father-in-law, Jacques Paulze, were tried, convicted and guillotined.news.cornell.edu and 2 morePhilip IV of France: Philip IV of France 1285-13141314 · Paris, FrancePhilip IV arrested every Templar in France in one morning, the pope gave their property to the Hospitallers, and the Hospitallers paid the king 200,000 livresThe Knights Templar held land, houses and money across Europe and answered only to the pope. Philip IV of France was deeply in debt.blogs.loc.gov and 3 moreLouis the Pious: Ludwik I Pobożny840 · Verdun, FranceLouis the Pious's sons deposed him twice and fought a battle at Fontenoy, and the Treaty of Verdun split the empire into the lands that became France and GermanyIn 817 Louis the Pious issued the Ordinatio Imperii at Aachen. It made his eldest son Lothar co-emperor and heir to the empire. His sons Pepin and Louis got subordinate kingdoms and could not make war or peace without Lothar.sourcebooks.web.fordham.edu and 5 moreJeanne d'Arc au bûcher, Place du Vieux-Marché, Rouen (La Prière pour la France): Carte postale n°1311431 · Rouen, FranceJoan of Arc's mother sued to clear her daughter's name, and in 1456 the church declared the 1431 trial nullJoan of Arc led French forces for Charles VII. In December 1429 the king ennobled her father, Jacques, her mother, Isabelle Romée, and her brothers Jean and Pierre; the family used the name du Lys.archive.joan-of-arc.org and 2 moreHorses of Basilica San Marco bright: Original Horses Inside Basilica San Marco1205 · Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey; Venice, Italy; Paris, FraVenice took four bronze horses from Constantinople in 1204, Napoleon took them and Veronese's Wedding at Cana in 1797, and in 1815 only the horses went homeFour bronze horses from an ancient four-horse chariot stood in the Hippodrome of Constantinople by the 8th or 9th century.haaimagehosting.omeka.fas.harvard.edu and 4 moreAI illustration: Peers in Westminster Hall at the bigamy trial of the Duchess of Kingston, 17761788 · ParisThe House of Lords convicted the Duchess of Kingston of bigamy, and she left England with the Duke's fortuneElizabeth Chudleigh, maid of honour to the Princess of Wales, secretly married the naval officer Augustus Hervey at Lainston, near Winchester, on 4 August 1744. They hid it so she could keep her court post.Wikisource (primary text) and 4 moreExpulsion of the Jesuits from Spain, 1767: Depiction of the embarkation of the Jesuits in Cartagena (Spain), bound for the Papal States in compliance with the expulsion order issue1767 · Madrid and over 120 Spanish towns; Civitavecchia, Italy; CorSpain opened sealed orders in every Jesuit town on one night in 1767, seized the order's property, and the Pope's cannon turned the exiles' ships awayA small council approved the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spain on 29 January 1767, and Charles III ratified it on 20 February.newadvent.org and 2 morePierre-Paul Riquet: Pierre-Paul Riquet (1604-1680)1680 · Toulouse, FrancePierre-Paul Riquet spent his fortune on the Canal du Midi, died eight months before it opened, and left his heirs the canal and its debtsPierre-Paul Riquet made his money collecting the gabelle, the salt tax, in Languedoc and supplying the army. He proposed a canal to join the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. A royal edict of 5 October 1666 ordered it built.structurae.net and 3 moreLeonardo da Vinci: Portrait of Leonardo da Vincilabel QS:Len,"Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci"label QS:Les,"Retrato de Leonardo da Vinci"labe1519 · Clos Lucé, Amboise, FranceLeonardo da Vinci's legitimate half-brothers cut him out of their father's estate, and his will still left them money and landLeonardo was born on 15 April 1452 near Vinci, the illegitimate first child of the notary Piero da Vinci and Caterina di Meo Lippi. Piero married four times and had at least 16 legitimate children, the last born after his death.Treccani and 2 moreVix krater: Châtillon-sur-Seine480 BCE · Vix, at the foot of Mont Lassois, Côte-d'Or, FranceThe Vix grave held the largest metal vessel of the ancient world, buried with a woman, and some scholars questioned whether the body was a woman'sIn January 1953 Maurice Moisson and René Joffroy uncovered a burial chamber at the foot of Mont Lassois, a fortified hilltop near Vix. It had not been robbed.musee-vix.fr and 2 moreVilla Bethania Rennes-le-Château: Die Villa Bethania in Rennes-le-ChâteauLegend · 1917 · Rennes-le-Château, Aude, FranceThe priest of Rennes-le-Château put his buildings in his servant's name, a restaurant owner spread a treasure story in 1956, and Pierre Plantard tied it to an invented secret orderBérenger Saunière, from a poor family, became parish priest of Rennes-le-Château in 1885. He built the Villa Bethania and the Tour Magdala around his church.cesnur.org and 2 moreCharles VII of France: KarlVII1456 · Bourges, FranceJacques Coeur financed Charles VII's war, then the king charged him with poisoning the royal mistress and confiscated everythingJacques Coeur traded with Damascus by 1432, became master of the royal mint in 1436 and steward of royal spending by 1441, and was ennobled with his family.Wikisource (primary text) and 2 moreLe cadavre de Jean de Montagu détaché de la potence par son fils. G: Auteur(s): Langlois, Philibert, graveur Marck, dessinateur Autre titre: De 1226 à 1469 / De l'avènement de St L1409 · Paris and Marcoussis, Essonne, FranceFrance's grand master was beheaded and hung at Montfaucon; his son won back his name and body, then died at AgincourtJean de Montaigu rose from royal secretary to grand master of the royal household under Charles VI of France. From the income of his offices he built a fortune.herodote.net and 4 moreGisant de Léon V d'Arménie: Gisant de Léon V d'Arménie1393 · Paris, FranceThe last king of Armenia was ransomed from Cairo, made lord of Madrid for life, and his title passed to the kings of CyprusLevon (Leo) of Lusignan was crowned king of Cilician Armenia at Sis on 14 September 1374, first by a Latin bishop and then by the Catholicos. Some Armenian nobles preferred Mamluk rule to a Catholic king.publications.gov.cy and 5 moreCoronation of Philip VI of Valois and Jeanne of Burgundy (BNF fr 10135 - fol 412v): Coronation of King of France Philipp VI of Valois and Queen Jeanne of Burgundy by Archbishop of 1328 · Paris, FranceFrance kept two kings' daughters off the throne, passed over Edward III, and later cited a Frankish land rule to justify itThe Salic law, a Frankish code compiled about 500 under Clovis, says in Title 59 that "of Salic land no portion of the inheritance shall come to a woman." It concerned land, not crowns.avalon.law.yale.edu and 4 morePhilip IV of France: Philip IV of France 1285-13141315 · Montfaucon, Paris, FrancePhilip IV's treasurer was hanged on the Montfaucon gallows he had built, and the king who let him hang left legacies to his childrenEnguerrand de Marigny was chamberlain to Philip IV of France. In 1313 and 1314 he ran the royal treasury and the new audit office, the chambre des comptes.Encyclopaedia Britannica and 2 moreRaymond VI of Toulouse: Raimond6Toulouse1222 · Toulouse, FranceThe Church gave Raymond VI's county to the crusade leader and refused his body burial, and his granddaughter's childless marriage handed Toulouse to FranceThe papal legate Pierre de Castelnau excommunicated Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse, in 1207, and the Council of Avignon excommunicated him again. The crusade against the Cathars took his lands.newadvent.org and 4 moreArtur of Brittany Alienor of Brittany: Artuš Bretaňský se sestrou Eleonorou1199 · Rouen, FranceRichard I's nephew Arthur disappeared in his uncle King John's prison, and Arthur's sister was held for 39 years until she diedArthur, duke of Brittany, was the son of Geoffrey, an elder brother of John. Geoffrey died before Arthur was born in 1187. In 1190 Richard I named Arthur his heir presumptive. When Richard died in 1199 he named John instead.british-history.ac.uk and 4 moreClovis I: Saint Remy baptise Clovis détail524 · Paris, FranceClovis's sons sent their mother scissors and a sword, then killed two of their dead brother's sons and split his kingdomClovis, king of the Franks, died in 511. Gregory of Tours writes that his four sons "received his kingdom and divided it among them in equal parts." Chlodomer, king at Orléans, was killed at Vézeronce in June 524.sourcebooks.fordham.edu and 4 moreGurgy les noisats S6 Fig: Map featuring the frequency distribution of informative haplotypes shared between Gurgy and modern populations4500 BCE · Gurgy "Les Noisats", Yonne, FranceOne founding father's bones were carried to Gurgy and reburied, and his descendants over seven generations lie around him, with almost no adult daughtersGurgy "Les Noisats" is a cemetery of more than 100 people buried between 4850 and 4500 BC, excavated by Stéphane Rottier from 2004 to 2007.europepmc.org and 2 moreTemplars being burned at the stake.label QS:Len,"Templars being burned at the stake."label QS:Lde,"Verbrennung von Templ: Illustration, anonyme Chronik, „Von der Schöpfung der WeltLegend · 1308 · Poitiers, France; Paris, FranceOne Templar said under torture in 1308 that he saw a brother leading 50 horses and heard of 18 galleys, and that is the only medieval source for a Templar treasure fleetAfter Philip IV arrested the Templars in France in October 1307, Pope Clement V heard Templar witnesses at Poitiers. In June 1308 a brother named Jean de Châlons testified after torture.jasoncolavito.com and 2 more