Wow, that’s a lot of palaces..... and the taxpayers still pay for them all? I would not have expected that in this era....
Was Descartes in one of these palaces when he died? I recall that he died in Stockholm when staying there to tutor the Queen, supposedly because he contracted pneumonia in an unheated palace?? Or maybe that was just an old wives’ tale......
“Was Descartes in one of these palaces when he died? I recall that he died in Stockholm when staying there to tutor the Queen, supposedly because he contracted pneumonia in an unheated palace?? Or maybe that was just an old wives’ tale......”
- Descartes died at a palace that is no longer (due to a devastating fire), called ‘Tre Kronor’ (’Three Crowns’).
This palace was the major royal palace in Sweden at that time.
Tre Kronor:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tre_kronor_%28castle%29
In order to replace it, ‘Stockholm Palace’ was built at the same site. This palace is today the official residence of the royal family, but when in Stockholm they stay at Drottningholm most of the time.
About Stockholm Palace:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Palace
Concerning the Swedes readiness to finance the luxury life of the royals, I think part of the explanation is that Swedes, like most European people, are rather tradition bound. Throughout history, Swedish monarchs have traditionally allied with ordinary people against the nobility. Real Feudalism never existed in Sweden thanks to this.
The royalties have always been viewed, not only as rulers, but also as the symbols of the common people, the core of the nation. Perhaps even more so than in a country like Britain.
Best of regards.