FYI May 03, 2020

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On This Day

1616 – Treaty of Loudun ends French civil war.
The Treaty of Loudun was signed on 3 May 1616 in Loudun, France, and ended the war that originally began as a power struggle between queen mother Marie de Medici’s favorite Concino Concini (recently made Marquis d’Ancre) and Henry II de Condé, the next in line for Louis XIII’s throne.[1] The war gained religious undertones when rebellious Huguenot princes joined Condé’s revolt.

Negotiations and terms
Negotiations between the court and Condé took place at Loudun between February and May and were conducted by the secretary of state, Nicolas de Neufville, Marquis de Villeroy.[2] Père Joseph, a confidant of Armand-Jean du Plessis (at the time Bishop of Luçon and Queen Anne’s grand almoner, later to become Cardinal Richelieu and first minister), also took part.[3] The treaty was signed by Marie and Condé on 3 May 1616 and officially ended the revolts by many nobles in France at the cost of royal concessions and reparations to Condé and others.[1] Based on the terms of the treaty, the Huguenots were allowed to unite their churches in France with those in Béarn.[4] Moreover, the treaty granted amnesty to Condé along with others and made Condé head of the council of state.[1] Concini was removed as lieutenant-general of Picardy and governor of Amiens, while Condé received one and a half million livres.[2]

Aftermath
Concini remained with quite a bit of power as the favorite of Marie, who eventually made Condé also give his support. Du Plessis, a supporter of Concini, was made conseiller d’état late in May, and Concini got Villeroy removed from his post as councillor in June (although this did not take full effect until 9 August). Concini was also made lieutenant-general in Normandy and governor of Caen and received a sweetener of 300,000 livres.[2] He was widely unpopular for being a foreigner (an Italian from Florence), and his receipt of these emoluments again inspired many nobles to think of revolting.

Condé meanwhile forsook good governance in an attempt for increased personal power and the throne.[5] After Condé told Concini that he could not longer protect him from the nobles, Marie decided to take steps to protect her favorite. Louis XIII went along with Marie’s plan to arrest Condé, inviting Condé to a small chat and using palace guards to arrest him on 1 September 1616.[1] Condé’s followers then fled from Paris. Thus, the peace was broken and war broke out again between the supporters of Concini and Condé’s followers. The war ended with Louis XIII’s coup d’état of 24 April 1617, when Concini was arrested, but reportedly resisted and was killed. Marie and her entourage, including du Plessis, were exiled to the Château de Blois on 3 May.[6]

 
 

Born On This Day

1906 – Anna Roosevelt Halsted, American journalist and author (d. 1975)
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Dall Boettiger Halsted (May 3, 1906 – December 1, 1975) was an American writer who worked as a newspaper editor and in public relations. She was the eldest child and only daughter of the U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt and assisted him in social and administrative duties at the White House. She wrote two children’s books published in the 1930s.

She worked with her second husband Clarence John Boettiger at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, serving as editor of the women’s pages for several years. She later worked in public relations for universities. Beginning in 1963, she was appointed to presidential commissions by John F. Kennedy, serving on the Citizen’s Advisory Council on the Status of Women for several years, and as vice-chairman of the President’s Commission for the Observance of Human Rights.

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FYI

By Pranav Baskar, NPR Goats & Soda: A Flying Photographer Looks Down On Earth In Awe And Sorrow
 
 
 
 
By Nina Totenberg, NPR: Listen Live: Supreme Court Arguments Begin Monday
Wednesday, May 6: Birth control access & Robocalls

10 a.m. ET: Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania consolidated with Trump v. Pennsylvania
The court considers a Trump administration rule that would allow employers with religious or moral objections to birth control to limit their employees’ access to free birth control under the Affordable Care Act.

11 a.m. ET: Barr v. American Association of Political Consultants
In 1991, Congress passed a law that prohibits most robocalls. In 2015, Congress created an exception for government debt collection. Political groups, which want to use robocalls to raise money and turn out voters, are challenging the act as a violation of their First Amendment free speech rights.
Monday, May 11: Native American land & Religious freedom

10 a.m. ET: McGirt v. Oklahoma
On the surface, this case is about whether states, like Oklahoma, can prosecute members of Native American tribes for crimes committed in the historical bounds of tribal land. But it has implications for state power over thousands of miles of land in Oklahoma that has historically belonged to Creek, Cherokee, Seminole, Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes.
 
 
 
 
By Pia Ceres, Wired: I Can’t Stop Escaping Into Google Photos’ Nostalgia Vortex I got the app for its easy photo backups. I didn’t realize it would become a precious window to the past—or a lifeline in a time of existential despair.
 
 
 
 
By Louise Matsakis, Wired: Zoom Not Cutting It for You? Try Exploring a Virtual World If you’re craving more from your video chats, think outside the box. From Second Life to Online Town, there are plenty of places to gather while staying at home.
 
 
 
 
By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and staff writer: How Halley’s Comet will spark Monday night’s meteor shower
 
 
 
 
By Jake Rosen, Mental Floss: The Man Who Built a 40-Foot Spite Fence Around His Neighbor’s Home When Nicholas Yung wouldn’t sell his land to railroad baron Charles Crocker, Crocker built a 40-foot fence around his house and blotted out the sun.
In retrospect, the Yung/Crocker feud would ultimately prove pointless. In 1906, an earthquake and related fire swept through San Francisco, gutting the Crocker mansion and neighboring buildings. Rather than rebuild, the family decided to donate the block to charity.

In a strange twist, the place where Crocker had once built a monument to spite and malice became a home for compassion and warmth. In donating the site, the Crockers opened an opportunity to erect Grace Cathedral, an Episcopalian place of worship.
 
 
 
 
By Jóhanna Katrín Friðriksdóttir, History Today: The Rise of the Valkyries Life and death in a Viking battle depended not on military prowess, but on the favour of the valkyries. Why were these mythical figures, who decided a warrior’s fate, female?
 
 
 
 

By Mike Baker, The New York Times: ‘Murder Hornets’ in the U.S.: The Rush to Stop the Asian Giant Hornet
 
 
 
 
By Deana Bianco, Pocket: The Unsung Black Musician Who Changed Country Music
 
 

 
 

Recipes

By Sam O’Brien, Atlas Obsura: How to Make a 5,000-Year-Old Energy Bar Eat like ancient Great Plains hunters with this simple recipe.
 
 
Taste of Home: Creamy Coleslaw
Test Kitchen Tips
Greek yogurt can be used instead of sour cream for less fat and more protein.
If you like your coleslaw tart, add 1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice or maybe even a julienned Granny Smith apple.
 
 
Taste of Home: Burrito Bake
 
 
By Amy, My Recipe Treasures: Authentic Homemade Mexican Horchata
 
 
By Amy, My Recipe Treasures: Double Chocolate Muffins