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The Queen's Hamlet

The Queen’s Hamlet is a charming attraction in the park of the Palace of Versailles, built for Marie Antoinette in the 18th century. It consists of a group of rustic cottages and farm buildings, arranged around an artificial lake, that served as a place of leisure and education for the queen and her children. The hamlet was inspired by the naturalistic movement in art and architecture, and by the model farms that were popular among the French aristocracy at the time. The hamlet was also a way for Marie Antoinette to escape the formalities and pressures of the court life, and to enjoy a simpler and more intimate lifestyle. The hamlet was designed by Richard Mique and Hubert Robert, who also modified the landscape of the Petit Trianon, where the hamlet is located. The hamlet has three distinct areas: the reception area, where the queen entertained her guests in the boudoir, the billiard room, and the Queen’s House; the farm area, where the animals and crops were raised and the dair
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Battle of Stamford Bridge


In January 1066 Edward the Confessor, King of England, died, having named Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, as his successor. Harold had earned the undying hostility of his brother Tostig, who had been ejected, with his brother's approval, from his earldom in Northumbria the previous year. The vengeful Tostig formed an alliance with Harald Hadrada, King of Norway, promising to support Harald's attempt to conquer England in return for regaining his earldom. The two crossed the North Sea with a fleet of 300 ships and sailed up the Humber River.

Once ashore, the Viking army defeated an army led by the new Earl of Northumbria in alliance with the Earl of Mercia and occupied York. King Harold of England formed an army to repel the invasion and on 16 September left London for the north, reaching Stamford Bridge, just east of York, in only nine days. The two armies drew up the next day. An English offensive was soon reversed by a Viking counteroffensive led by Harald that almost turned the battle in their favor. Harald, however, was killed by an arrow in the throat. In response, Harold offered his brother peace, but Tostig fought on, encouraged by the arrival of Viking reinforcements. But the new arrivals were exhausted and soon fell in fighting during which Tostig was killed.

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