John S C Abbott

The island of Corsica, in the Mediterranean Sea, sixty miles from the coast of Tuscany, is about half as large as the State of Massachusetts. In the year 1767 this island was one of the provinces of Italy. There was then residing, in the small town of Cort , in Corsica, a young lawyer nineteen years of age. He was the descendant of an illustrious race, which could be traced back, through a succession of distinguished men, far into the dark ages. Charles Bonaparte, the young man of whom we speak, was tall, handsome, and possessed strong native powers of mind, which he had highly cultivated. In the same place there was a young lady, Letitia Raniolini, remarkable for her beauty and her accomplishments. She also was of an ancient family. When but sixteen years of age Letitia was married to Charles Bonaparte, then but nineteen years old.

The story of Louis XIV-the "Sun King" of France, is a gripping tale of royal grandeur, despotism, corruption, and moral degeneracy, which, in its very extravagance, laid the seed for the destruction of the French royal house and the infamous revolution of 1789. During Louis XIV's lengthy reign he engaged in what seemed to be a never-ending series of foreign wars, all the while furiously waging interreligious strife at home, as he ruthlessly suppressed Protestant dissent and political conspiracies. His reign saw wars with the Dutch, the Austrians, and the War of the Spanish Succession, a conflict which ultimately spread to North America and involved almost every power on the European continent. As if these wars were not enough of a drain on the economy, Louis XIV's lavish court lifestyle also exhausted the treasury, and all of France suffered grievously as he and his nobles lived debauched lives with no thought of tomorrow. Louis XIV's successors would ultimately pay the price for his seventy-two-year despotic and careless reign, and it is, as the author notes, regrettable that those who plunged France into the misery in which it found itself, died peacefully in their beds, leaving others to be blamed." The thoughtful reader will perceive that in this long and wicked reign Louis XIV was sowing the wind from which his descendants reaped the whirlwind. It was the despotism of Louis XIV and of Louis XV which ushered in that most sublime of all earthly dramas, the French Revolution."-from the Preface. ContentsChapter I: Birth and ChildhoodChapter II: The Boy-KingChapter III: Matrimonial ProjectsChapter IV: The Marriage of the KingChapter V: Festivities of the CourtChapter VI: Death in the PalaceChapter VII: The War in HollandChapter VIII: Madame de MaintenonChapter IX: The Revocation of the Edict of NantesChapter X: The Secret MarriageChapter XI: Intrigues and WarsChapter XII: The Last Days of Louis XIV

The tragic drama of Maria Antoinette-otherwise known as Marie Antoinette-and her bloody end during the French Revolution has fascinated students of history from all over the world, but rarely have the full facts been so completely captured and mapped out as in this wonderful retelling by master storyteller John Abbott. The fifth child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I, Maria Antoinette was married to Louis-Auguste, heir to the throne of France in 1770, in what was expected to be the beginning of a familial alliance between the Austrian and French royal houses. When her husband finally acceded to the throne in 1774, she became Queen of France and Navarre-and the most powerful woman in the land. The author recounts how political and social events enveloped Maria Antoinette, who was plunged into political intrigues not of her own making and of which, in many cases, she was completely unaware. Abbott paints a sympathetic, but objective, overview of her life, and what could have been done differently-with the benefit of hindsight. The royal family's attempted escape to Austria at the very height of the French Revolution however sealed her and her husband's fate. Accused by the revolutionaries of treason and of loyalty to the Austrians, Maria and her husband found their titles abolished, were imprisoned, and ultimately executed. This work, written only fifty-six years after the events, and at a time when Maria and Louis' eldest daughter, Marie Th r se, was still alive, remains one of the finest accounts of this bloody, terrible, and often misunderstood event in European royal history. ContentsChapter I: Parentage and ChildhoodChapter II: Bridal DaysChapter III: Maria Antoinette Enthroned Chapter IV: The Diamond NecklaceChapter V: The Mob at VersaillesChapter VI: The Palace a PrisonChapter VII: The FlightChapter VIII: The Return to Paris Chapter IX: Imprisonment in the Temple Chapter X: Execution of the King Chapter XI: Trial and Execution of Maria AntoinetteChapter XII: The Princess Elizabeth, the Dauphin, and the Princess RoyalNote: This is not a "scan" copy but has been completely reset.

A masterful retelling of the incredible story of the conquest of the Aztec Empire by a handful of Spaniard Conquistadors, assisted by their far more numerous Indian allies, under the leadership of Hernando Cortez. Starting with Cortez's family background, master storyteller John Abbott sketches the path of the young adventurer-sparing no details of the less pleasant aspects of his personality-to the time of his landing at Hispaniola (present-day Cuba) in the New World in 1518. From there, the adventure really begins, when he is appointed captain of an expedition to the mainland, his continual clashes with the Spanish colonial authorities notwithstanding. His expedition, which set off against the direct orders of the authorities, landed on the coast of present-day Mexico, and, after skillfully-but often deceptively-allying himself with the local Indian tribes who had suffered grievously under the murderous and cannibalistic reign of terror instituted by the Aztecs, he then marched on the great city of Tenochtitlan, center of the Aztec Empire. What makes the telling of this story more valuable than most is the author's ability to continually posit the actions of Spaniards, Aztecs and local Indian tribes into the moral and practical conditions of the time-which, as the writer points out, are quite different to those of today. The astonishing tale includes accounts of the brutal behavior of the Conquistadors, the shocking bloodlust of the Aztecs, the cannibalism of Cortez's Indian allies, and the advanced technological level of Aztec society. The final battle-and the resultant destruction of Tenochtitlan (and its conversion into present-day Mexico City) was not however the grand finale to Cortez's adventures. His triumphant return to Spain, his falling out with the queen of that nation, his return to the New World, and his death are all covered in this highly readable and satisfying biography. ContentsPrefaceChapter I: The Discovery of MexicoChapter II: Early Life of CortezChapter III: The Voyage to MexicoChapter IV: Founding a ColonyChapter V: The Tlascalans SubjugatedChapter VI: The March to MexicoChapter VII: The Metropolis InvadedChapter VIII: Battle of the Dismal NightChapter IX: The Capital Besieged and CapturedChapter X: The Conquest ConsummatedChapter XI: The Expedition to HondurasChapter XII: The Last Days of Cortez

""Daniel Boone: The Pioneer of Kentucky"" is a biography written by John S. C. Abbott that chronicles the life of one of America's most famous frontiersmen. The book covers Boone's early life in Pennsylvania, his experiences as a hunter and trapper in Virginia, and his legendary exploits in Kentucky, where he helped blaze the Wilderness Road and establish the first permanent settlements in the region. The book also delves into Boone's personal life, including his relationships with his family and his struggles with financial difficulties. Throughout the book, Abbott paints a vivid portrait of a man who embodied the rugged individualism and pioneering spirit of the American frontier. The book is a classic work of American history and a must-read for anyone interested in the early days of the United States. This Is A New Release Of The Original 1876 Edition. This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.