16th century France

This page is under construction (last updated 28 February 2020).

Utopia
Utopia was a book by Thomas More, written in Latin and published in 1516. It was first translated in 1551 into English. In Ever After, the book first appears in 1502.

Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa is a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Suggestions for when it was painted range from 1503 to 1517. The painting was acquired by King Francis I of France when he invited da Vinci to work in France in 1516. The latter took the painting with him, exactly like in Ever After (although the film portrays this as happening in 1512, not in 1516).

Head of a Woman (Leonardo)
Head of a Woman is an unfinished work by Leonardo da Vinci, dating from around 1508. Its Italian name, La Scapigliata, literally means "The lady of the dishevelled hair". It is therefore fitting that this painting is the "portrait" of the fierce, adventurous Danielle in Ever After.

Leonardo's water shoes
Leonardo da Vinci did indeed attempt to design a pair of shoes to walk on water with.

"the ruins at Amboise"
Prince Henry refers to "the ruins at Amboise" at some point during the film. According to him, it used to be a royal residence "before the war", but it is never mentioned which war this is. The war that he is referring to could be the Italian War of 1499-1504. This would fit date-wise. The abandoned royal residence could be the Château d'Amboise, which was a royal residence until 1560. Thus, the war that Henry refers to could also be the French Wars of Religion, although these occurred in the middle of the 16th century rather than the start of it. During this war between French Catholics and French Protestants, 1200 Protestants were (possibly) hung from the walls of the Château d'Amboise. The smell became so bad that the Court soon abandoned the Château and it was left to fall into ruin.

Dialogue

 * "Choose wisely, Henry. Divorce is only something they do in England" – Queen Marie.
 * This line suggests the Church of England has been established by the film's time. The Church of England was established when King Henry VIII of England famously broke from Rome to become head of a new church in order to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. Problem is, the real Church of England wasn't established until 1534, while the main events of Ever After take place in 1512.
 * Also, this line was spoken by a British actress.

Tennis
The type of tennis played in Ever After is real tennis, also known as royal tennis. In contrast to the now better-known lawn tennis, the walls are part of the game, as are the galleries from which spectators view the game. In the 16th century, the game gained popularity. Players had also just begun to use racquets instead of gloves and the rules had stabilized.

Feast of St. Jude
In Catholic tradition, the feast of St. Jude takes place on the 28th of October. Jude the Apostle is the saint of lost causes - ironic, considering that in Ever After, King Francis meant to announce Prince Henry's engagement at the ball, and he considers his son something of a lost cause.