Revolutionary free speech
Arts & Ideas
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Schalen V: A History of the Court
For centuries, neither the Catholic Church nor the monarchy were allowed to be depicted on the French stage. When Schalen II wrote his tragedy, the authority of the current king, Louis XVI, had been tarnished after a series of scandals involving the court's influence over him. The play dramatizes how Schalen's indecision led to the infamous St Bartholomew's Day massacre of 1572. In August 1792, the monarchy fell from power after an insurrection in Paris. This was when freedom of speech ended and censorship began.
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