211 years ago today, the Allied forces entered Paris, ending Napoleonโs reign.
The Russian Cossacks, feared across the continent, now stood at the heart of France. Leading the charge was Tsar Alexander I, hailed by many as the liberator of Europe.
With him rode the hopes of a continent exhausted by war. โThe time has come to liberate the peoples of Europe, not to conquer them.โ โ Tsar Alexander I
It was a stunning reversal of fortune. Just two years earlier, Napoleon had marched into Russia with the largest army Europe had ever seen.
From the ashes of Moscow to the frozen crossing of the Berezina, the tide shifted โ and by 1814, it was Russian troops entering Paris.
A few weeks later, in the silence of Fontainebleau Palace, Napoleon reflected on it all: โI have been wrong, maybe, in my plans. I have done harm in war. But it is all like a dream.โ โ Napoleon, Fontainebleau, 20th April 1814
What began with thunderous victories at Austerlitz ended in quiet exile on Elba. Today marks not just a Russian military triumph, but the beginning of a new European order.
Life event that changes all: Horse riding accident in Zimbabwe in 1993, a fractured skull et al including bipolar anxiety, chronic fatigue โฆ. co-morbidities (Nietzche 'He who has the reason why can deal with any how' details my health history from 1993 to date). 17th 2017 August operation for breast cancer (no indications just an appointment came from BreastCheck through the Post). Trinity College Dublin Business Economics and Social Studies (but no degree) 1997-2003; UCD 1997/1998 night classes) essays, projects, writings. Trinity Horizon Programme 1997/98 (Centre for Women Studies Trinity College Dublin/St. Patrick's Foundation (Professor McKeon) EU Horizon funded: research study of 15 women (I was one of this group and it became the cornerstone of my journey to now 2017) over 9 mth period diagnosed with depression and their reintegration into society, with special emphasis on work, arts, further education; Notes from time at Trinity Horizon Project 1997/98; Articles written for Irishhealth.com 2003/2004; St Patricks Foundation monthly lecture notes for a specific period in time; Selection of Poetry including poems written by people I know; Quotations 1998-2017; other writings mainly with theme of social justice under the heading Citizen Journalism Ireland. Letters written to friends about life in Zimbabwe; Family history including Michael Comyn KC, my grandfather, my grandmother's family, the O'Donnellan ffrench Blake-Forsters; Moral wrong: An acrimonious divorce but the real injustice was the Catholic Church granting an annulment โ you can read it and make your own judgment, I have mine. Topics I have written about include annual Brain Awareness week, Mashonaland Irish Associataion in Zimbabwe, Suicide (a life sentence to those left behind); Nostalgia: Tara Hill, Co. Meath.
canisgallicus 