France

Article deals with the struggle for the County of Flanders between England and France in the second half of the XIV century. It concerns with the changes in their tactic: England and France stopped the warfare for a short period of time and used the means of diplomacy to gain Flanders instead. Members of the Plantagenet (Edmund Langley) and the Valois (Philip the Bold duke of Burgundy) dynasties in their matrimonial policy tried to seek the hand of the heiress of Flanders – Marguerite of Males.

The article describes the peculiarities of British policy in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East during 1699–1791, within the context of the diplomatic confrontation in Europe and the defense of British possessions in India.

This article is focused on studying the preparation and conduct of the referendum of «the Constitution for Europe» in France. Particular attention is paid to analysis of the evolution of the attitude of the French electorate toward the idea of a “referendum” and a “Constitution for Europe” from the moment the president’s announcement about his intention to hold a referendum, and its results that led to the rejection of «the Constitution». Besides, the internal factors that contributed to the negative outcome of the referendum are discussed.

 The article is devoted to the study of images of Royal power that were used by the last Valois dynasty’s representatives, reflecting the transformations that occurred in connection with the attempt to strengthen the Royal authority with intensification of secular power and gaining spiritual power.