Paris France

Brief history of the city

Paris was probably founded by the Gauls, who built a small settlement on the left bank of the Seine. The city is mentioned, with the name of Lutetia, by Julius Caesar who came here in 53 B.C.

As a result of the continual menace of the barbarian invasions, this original settlement was moved to the lle-de-la-Cite, and from there it expanded along the banks of the river. The residence first of the Merovingian and then of the Carolingian kings, Paris became a real capital in 987, when Hugo, the first Capetian king, founded a new and powerful dynasty. One of Paris' moments of maximum splendour was between 1180 and 1223, when Philippe Auguste came to the throne: the construction of the Louvre was begun and the University was founded. During the reign of St Louis IX, the Sainte-Chapelle was built and work on Notre-Dame was continued. But the next dynasty, that of the Valois kings, brought wars and catastrophe, disorder and civil discord to Paris. Although Charles V briefly restored order, the fighting between the Armagnacs and Burgundians became more and more savage: this led to the occupation of France by England, and in 1430 Henry VI was crowned king of France.

In 1437 Charles VII reconquered Paris, but the population was exhausted by the bloody revolts alternating with epidemics of the plague. Although throughout the 16th century the kings preferred to live in the castles of the Loire rather than in the capital, this did not end the internecine struggles in Paris itself. The spread of the Protestant religion created struggles which for a long time rent Paris and the whole of France, culminating in the massacre of the Huguenots on the infamous night of St Bartholomew (24 August 1572). After Henri III had been assassinated in 1589, the city was besieged for four long years until finally it opened its gates to Henri IV, who had converted to Catholicism.

At the beginning of the 17th century, however, Paris already had no less than 30,000 inhabitants. The city became more and more important under the powerful Cardinal Richelieu and during the new dynasty of the Bourbon kings: at the time of Louis XIV, the Sun King, it had half a million inhabitants. But Paris earned its real place in history after 1789, the year of the French Revolution, which was to mark the birth of the modern world. The long years of terror, in which many human lives were lost and irreparable damage done to so many works of art, were forgotten in the splendour of the Empire and the dazzling court created by Napoleon, crowned Emperor in 1804.

From 1804 to 1814 Paris was constantly being enriched: the Arch of Triumph was built, the Vendome column erected and the Louvre enlarged. After the fall of other monarchies, those of Charles X and Louis-Philip pe Bourbon-Orleans, the Second Republic was born and then Napoleon III took the throne. He entrusted the task of replanning the city to Baron Haussmann: the markets of Les Halles were built, the Bois de Vincennes and Bois de Boulogne laid out, the Opera erected, and the great boulevards, typical expression of this historical era, were opened up.

The year 1871 marked a new and sad page in the history of Paris with the Commune (18 March-28 May). Many splendid historic buildings were lost in these days of rebellion and destruction by fire: among others, the Hotel de Ville and the palace of the Tuileries. But Paris had new moments of splendour at the beginning of this century, with the World Exhibitions, the construction of the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, and the birth of important movements of art, painting and literature. Unfortunately the city had yet to suffer the bombardments and destruction of two long wars. During the second world war it fell into the hands of the German Army in 1940 and was not liberated by the Allies until 1944. But from that moment until today, as a city finally alive and free, Paris has resumed its place in the history of culture and humanity.

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Paris

Paris was the child of Priam and Hecuba; just before his birth, his mother dreamed that she gave birth to a flaming torch. This dream was interpreted by the seer Aesacus as a foretelling of the downfall of Troy, and he declared that the child would be the ruin of his homeland. On the day of Paris' birth it was further announced by Aesacus that the child born of a royal Trojan that day would have to be killed to spare the kingdom, being the child that would bring about the prophecy. Though Paris was indeed born before that nightfall, he was spared by Priam, and Hecuba too was unable to kill the child even despite the urging of the priestess of Apollo, one Herophile. Instead, Paris' father prevailed upon his chief herdsman, Agelaus, to remove the child and kill him. The herdsman, unable to use a weapon against the infant, left him exposed on Mount Ida, hoping he would perish there; he was, however, suckled by a she-bear. Returning after five days, Agelaus was astonished to find the child still alive, and brought him home in a wallet to rear as his own. He returned to Priam bearing a dog's tongue as evidence of the deed's completion.

Paris' noble birth was betrayed by his outstanding beauty and intelligence; while still a child he routed a gang of cattle-thieves and restored the animals they had stolen to the herd, thereby earning the surname Alexander. It was at this time that Paris became the lover of Oenone.

Paris' chief distraction at this time was to pit Agelaus' bulls against one another. One bull began to win these bouts consistently, and Paris began to set it against rival herdsmen's own prize bulls; it defeated them all. Finally Paris offered a golden crown to any bull that could defeat his champion. Ares responded to this challenge by transforming himself into a bull and easily winning the contest. Paris gave the crown to Ares without hesitation; it was this apparent honesty in judgment that prompted the gods of Olympus to have Paris arbitrate the divine contest between Hera, Aphrodite and Athena.

The goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite had been invited along with the rest of Mount Olympus to the a forced but Eris had been snubbed because of her troublemaking inclinations. Eris therefore tossed into the party a golden apple inscribed with the word "Kallisti" -- "For the most beautiful one" -- provoking the goddesses to begin quarreling about the appropriate recipient. Paris was appointed to select the most beautiful and, escorted by Hermes, the three goddesses approached him as he herded his cattle on Mount Garagarus. Greek mythological morality being what it was, each of the contestants immediately attempted to bribe Paris to choose them. Hera offered political power, riches and control of all of Asia, Athena skill in battle, wisdom and the abilities of the greatest warriors, and Aphrodite offered Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world and also the wife of Menelaus of Sparta. Paris awarded the apple to Aphrodite.

Helen was famed to be the most beautiful woman in ancient Greece at the time she lived and had many suitors who were men of extraordinary abilities. Therefore, following Odysseus's advice, her father Tyndareus made them all promise to defend the marriage of Helen and whomever she chose. She chose Menelaus, and when Paris kidnapped her, arriving on a boat built by Phereclus, all of Achaea attacked Troy in the Trojan War.

Paris is portrayed throughout the Iliad as a cowardly character; in a duel between him and Menelaus, he is narrowly saved by Aphrodite. His only claim to glory is killing Achilles with a poisoned arrow, which is guided to Achilles' vulnerable heel by Paris' good aim.

Late in the Trojan War, Paris was killed by Philoctetes , an incident not recounted by Homer. After Paris died, his brother, Deiphobus, married Helen until he was killed by Menelaus, who then took his wife back to Sparta.

Oenone, Paris' first wife, was a nymph from Mount Ida in Phrygia. Her father was Cebren, a river-god. She was skilled in the arts of prophecy and medicine, which she had been taught by Rhea and Apollo respectively. When Paris left her for Helen she told him that if ever he was wounded, he should come to her for she could heal any injury, even the most serious wounds.

When Paris was mortally wounded by Philoctetes he was borne to Mount Ida, where he begged Oenone to heal him. She refused and Paris was brought back to Troy, where he died. Relenting, Oenone pursued him down the mountain, but arrived too late, and she threw herself onto his burning funeral pyre. The reasons offered for her refusal are various: some sources state that she resented Paris' betrayal of her and saw his death as a just punishment, before being overcome by her affection; others state that she was prevented from aiding her love by her father, and had to wait until Paris left their home before aiding him.

Paris Hilton Biography

American model Paris Whitney Hilton was born in New York on February 17, 1981, to a former actress Kathy Richards and a real estate mogul and Hotel Hilton empire heir Richard Hilton. Born in a rich and educated family, she once attended school, though later on drooped out and didn't go to school ever since. She had ever briefly studied at the Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, California and attended the Canterbury School, a boarding school in Connecticut, during her junior year before transferred to Dwight School in New York City, but was finally dropped out after few months there and got a GED.

From that time, Paris decided not to go to school anymore. Instead, she started to work as a fashion model for Catherine Malandrino and Marc Bouwer, and on an advertising campaign for Italian label Iceberg. As one of the Hotel Hilton empire heiress, Paris is well known for either her abundant wealth or her socialite, from which she inherits an 'extreme' attitude and habit. Moreover, this beautiful woman and 'flirt' had successfully dated many men, including Leonardo DiCaprio; actor Edward Furlong; boxer Oscar De La Hoya; model Jason Shaw, with whom she ever engaged to in the year of 2001; Chicago Bears football player Brian Urlacher; singer Rob Mills; Deryck Whibley; and in December 2003 she dated Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter, but split in July 2004. Besides, she was also issued to date the Australian player Mark Philippousissis, because of which she was accused for causing Mark to split from singer Delta Goodrem.

Far, far away from her personal life that successfully draws public attention, her movie career seems totally fail. The several movies Paris had starred in include “The Hillz” (2004), “Wonderland” (2003), and the big-screen adaptation of “The Cat In The Hat” (2003), all of which didn't gain any respect and award at all. There's none of her films became as popular as her intriguing acts, and so did her album she announced to record at the end of 2003 with the help of JC Chasez and his producer Rob Boldt in the creation of her dance-pop album.

Might be motivated by her failure in those movies, Paris decided to produce her own unauthorized sex video with ex-boyfriend Rick Salomon. Just before she wanted to release her Fox reality television series; originally broadcast in 2003, put together two young, wealthy urban socialites with the people and the values of a rural American farming community; named “The Simple Life” (2003), public, just as Paris herself, was shocked with the appearance of the sex video on the internet. An investigation followed had proven Rick Salomon as the one who leaked that "One Night in Paris" sex video onto the Internet, which DVD then released on June 9, 2004. A month after the incident, that was in July 2004, Paris lawsuit against Salomon was settled with her receiving of $400,000 and a percentage of the profits. That wasn't the end of the case since its original video and a rip of the DVD were still circulating on the Internet, for which in early 2005 Paris was reported "stealing" one of that sex video from a Los Angeles newsstand and threw her 80 cents change right on the newsstand employee face, made her being charged with theft and vandalism.

Had a cameo appearance in “Zoolander” (2000), appeared in the short as a model, as well as having her pictures appeared in several magazines, including , Vanity Fair and FHM, do not yet satisfy Paris who in 2004 released a book entitled "Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose" bringing in it her full color photographs and her tips on the dos and don'ts of living as an heiress. Just like her many unsuccessful films, this book also got abundant critics, claimed as amateurish, and was parodied by Robert Mundell on “The Late Show with David Letterman.” So, let us wish the unlucky Paris luck for her plan to open "Club Paris" in Orlando, Florida in 2005.

What a fortunate for this hotel heiress that Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office finally dropped the charges concerning the petty theft she did at Swing Newsstand in December 2004. The lack of convincing and sufficient evidences to the charges was the main reason for the D.A. to reject the case. Came after that good news was a very bad incident caused by a computer hacker who secretly broke into Paris' mobile phone and published her personal photographs and celebrity-laden address book on the Internet caused her to apologize her celebrity pals for causing troubles for them. And not so long after, the socialite was forced to confirm her steamy same-sex kiss with VJ Eglantina Zing. Nevertheless, those all doesn't prevent this beauty to come to Mexico to promote her new fragrance "Smells Like Flowers," book, and film projects.

Known for her longtime friendship with Nicole Richie, her companion in “The Simple Life”, Paris suddenly made a statement that she no longer befriended this daughter of Lionel Richie on April 20, 2005. As neither of them showed any signs of reconciliation, people began to assume that “The Simple Life” had drawn near to its end. However, Paris apparently felt that this decision was wrong after several months and therefore intended to get Nicole back as her best friend. Reportedly wrote an apology letter to her, she made a confirmation that their show still continued its next season for both of them were slated to undergo the shooting process on November 1.

Also in 2005, in the month of May to be exact, Paris engaged to Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis, her boyfriend of five months. To celebrate their engagement, the couple has held a barbecue for 75 friends and family at their Hollywood Hills home. Sad to say that not so long after they got engaged, Paris has in September that same year publicly announced her split from her junior fiance of five months. Not without reason but the Hollywood babe claimed to have yet ready for a marriage, saying "I feel I'm just not ready for marriage. I have seen the breakups between people who love each other and rush into getting married too quickly. I do not want to make that mistake." Despite their break up, Paris admitted to still love Latsis anyway and that they will continue to work together on business endeavors and have movies together in the works. "I'm still young and still have a very active career that I'm not prepared to give up. I have worked very hard to get to where I am. Paris is a great guy and we will handle this with dignity and respect."

Though, people kept questioning on the reason behind their break up. Day to day they became even more curious to know what was really happening between them. At last, they got the answer. The hotel heiress finally revealed implicitly during an interview with America's Extra TV reporter that the reason behind their break up was because Latsis has cheated on her during his bachelor party. Worse, a friend of her also verified that Paris yes revealed during a party in Los Angeles that Latsis has had an affair with another woman. It's all apparent to be true when Paris was asked by the TV reporter to give some advices to a man who wants to get married, she said "Be good to your girl, communicate and tell the truth. And don't cheat on her at your bachelor party." In related news, the beauty also denied to have a romantic relationship with Mary-Kate Olsen's ex-boyfriend, millionaire Stavros Niarchos III, saying "I'm single and loving it."

By October, Paris again encountered another annoying trouble as actor Tom Sizemore claimed that she had shared with him an intimate evening together after a party at his home following the release of his DVD entitled "Tom Sizemore Sex Scandal.” Strongly denied Sizemore's statement even saying that she did not know him, she was found out to have a picture posing with the man which was taken in 2001. Shortly thereafter, there was rumor on the street that brought Paris to once again becoming the talk of the town. It's none other than her break-up with Niarchos, whom she previously claimed to have nothing to do with. As if it has yet satisfying enough for her, she again created another sensation when it was reported that she and still estranged friend Nicole were back in the "Simple Life" business, producing the show's fourth season, entitled "The Simple Life: Till Death Do Us Part," which was set to begin in January 2006.