Famous French People
Jeanne d'Arc
Joan of Arc (1412-1431) is a patron saint of France. She lived on a farm with her family during the medieval period. She had visions and believed that God was telling her to go and help the Dauphin, Charles, become the King of France. When she arrived at the court Charles played a trick on her. He dressed as one of the courtiers. She had never seen him before but knew instantly who he was.
At the time France was in a very long war with England, who wanted to control France as well as England. The English had laid siege to the town of Orléans. Joan convinced Charles to let her lead the French army to save the town. The English were defeated and the town was saved. Joan was nicknamed "The Maid of Orleans". The French soldiers went on to capture the city of Rheims. Charles was crowned king of France.
Soon afterwards Joan was captured by the Duke of Burgundy, who was an ally of the English. He offered her for ransom but Charles did not pay it. Instead the Duke of Burgundy handed Joan over to the English. The English were terrified of her. They accused her of witchcraft and handed her over to the Bishop of Beauvais. She was tried by a church court. On the 30th of May, 1431 she was burned at the stake.
In 1920 she was proclaimed a saint by the Pope.
At the time France was in a very long war with England, who wanted to control France as well as England. The English had laid siege to the town of Orléans. Joan convinced Charles to let her lead the French army to save the town. The English were defeated and the town was saved. Joan was nicknamed "The Maid of Orleans". The French soldiers went on to capture the city of Rheims. Charles was crowned king of France.
Soon afterwards Joan was captured by the Duke of Burgundy, who was an ally of the English. He offered her for ransom but Charles did not pay it. Instead the Duke of Burgundy handed Joan over to the English. The English were terrified of her. They accused her of witchcraft and handed her over to the Bishop of Beauvais. She was tried by a church court. On the 30th of May, 1431 she was burned at the stake.
In 1920 she was proclaimed a saint by the Pope.
Napoléan Bonaparte
Napoléan (1769-1821) was born in Corsica in 1769. He rose through the ranks of the army during the French revolution. In 1799 he staged a coup d'état. He proclaimed himself the emperor of France in 1804. The conquered much of Europe as he was a great military strategist. However, in 1814 he abdicated the throne because of his disastrous campaign in Russia in 1812. He was exiled to the island of Elba. However, in 1815, he returned to power but abdicated again and was exiled this time to the island of Saint Helena. He never left this island again and died there in 1821, at the age of 51.
Paul Cézzane
Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) was born in Aix-en-Provence. He spent most of his life painting there. However, when he tried to go to art school he was not admitted. Instead he studied law and went to night classes to learn how to draw. His first paintings were very dark. His paintings became much brighter after he took Pissarro advice and began painting in the sunlight.
Alfred Sisley
Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) was the son of an English textile merchant. He was born in Paris and spent most of his life in France. He was an Impressionist landscape artist. Sisley wasn't originally interested in becoming an artist. He originally studied business with the intention of following his father into business. However, while he was studying in London he visited museums and galleries. As a result he became more interested in art. He sold his first painting in 1872. He died in 1899. If you would like to see some of his paintings click on his picture.
Claude Monet
Claude Monet (1840 – 1926) was an impressionist painter. Monet liked to paint the same scene over and over in order to capture the light and changing seasons. In 1883 Monet bought a house in Giverny. Some of his most famous paintings of lily ponds were painted in Giverny. If you would like to see some of his paintings click on his picture.
Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh (1853 – 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter. In just over 10 years he created over 2,000 paintings. He learned to paint by reading books so his paintings were very dark to begin with. He then moved to Provence in order to paint. He painted lots of different types of painting such as portraits, self-portraits and landscapes. He had lots of mental problems and spent a time in an asylum where he recovered enough to continue painting. If you would like to see some of his paintings click on his picture.
Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod (1818 – 1893) was a French composer. His most famous piece is his Ave Maria, which is based on a piece by Bach. Another really famous piece is called Funeral March of a Marionette. This piece of music was used by Alfred Hitchcock as a theme tune for one of his shows. He also wrote operas such as Faust and Roméo et Juliette.
George Bizet
George Bizet (1838-1875) was a French composer. He was most famous for his operas Carmen and Les Pêcheurs de Perles (The Pearl Fishers). Music from both operas is often used in advertising and movies.