The Oldest Head of State Ever Was Tried for Treason, Convicted, and Sentenced to Death.
As I noted elsewhere, for my birthday, my wife set me free in a good book store to buy three books; it ended up being five.
It's an embarrassment of riches, although my reading for history pleasure time is short; most of what I read is technical.
It was a hard choice which one to hit first, but on reflection, I chose for the first read, France on Trial for the following reason:
It's about the trial of the oldest head of state in French history, Marshal Phillipe Petain, who took office after the Nazis defeated France, suspended democracy (The Third Republic) and ruled fairly ruthlessly by decree, under the thumb of the Germans, establishing the Vichy rump state that lasted from 1940 to 1944 when the country was reconquered by the allies.
Petain was evacuated to Germany as the allies approached, and after the surrender of Germany, went to Switzerland in order to return to France.
He was arrested and tried for treason, convicted, and sentenced to death. His former protégé, Charles De Gaulle, temporarily the new Head of State for France, commuted the sentence to life in prison in recognition for his service in the First World War where he held out in the Battle of Verdun in 1916, putting down a mutiny.
He died, a prisoner in 1951, senile and unable to think clearly.
Why out of the five did I chose to read this one first?
It should be obvious, old, senile, right wing bastard, oldest ever Head of State, a traitor, arrested, tried and convicted for treason.
It ain't over until the orange is rotting in its coffin.