Hey Guys ! English is not my native language, so bear with my abysmal grammatical skills (or, better yet, correct them so I can improve the quality of the text !). I've got lots of ideas to keep this fictional history book going on : Beauxbâtons is behind a lot of things, or to put it more correctly, a lot of things are behind Beauxbâtons. The first chapter is just a way of setting an historical context and to show how differently Beauxbâtons evolved compared to Hogwarts and Durmstrang. In the meantime, remember to put some reviews - this has no literary ambition but I hope it'll make an interesting read all the same ! Kudos !
BEAUXBATONS: A HISTORY
CHAPTER ONE : THE ORIGINS
Its Inspirations
Beauxbâtons is generally acknowledged as the "middle child" in the family of European wizarding schools: its foundation (811) follows Hogwart's (730-734?) by nearly one century and predates Durmstrang's (875) by sixty years. All three institutions, however, share the same roots: the 592 International Convention of Magic, led by the great enchanter himself, Merlin. Though the topic of education was scarcely the most important object of discussion back then, the plea for an organized education system concerning magical matters was brought upon on several instances. Merlin himself agreed that the future of the wizarding world lied in the creation of schools.
Readers perusing through the unofficial records will notice that, from the very first start, the project was influenced by various political motivations. Looking back at the mistakes he made during the downfall of Arthurian Britain, Merlin, bitter and remorseful, ruthlessly campaigned for the retirement of wizards from muggle internal affairs. Had he not been incapacitated by his rival and enemy Morgan Le Fey, there is no doubt that Merlin's dream school would have been a powerful asset to his popularity and influence over young wizards and witches. In his mind, it was on the benches of an Academy that the spirits of new mages were to be shaped according to his own personal agenda.
One could argue that, in his vision, schools were inseparable from an organized Ministry of Magic: History proved that wizarding schools would on the contrary prove to be the most constant and fiercest opponents to governmental bureaucracy (Hogwart's pivotal role during the Fudge and Thicknesse Years is but the most recent examples). Ironically, it was Morgan herself who would go on to realize Merlin's pet project (though at that time the experiment had already been carried out successfully in Scotland) – though historians cannot fathom how the great enchanter would have reacted, had he learned exactly what kind of central government Beauxbâtons would be involved with.
Difficult Times
Several factors explain the relatively late foundation of BeauxBâtons; as we mentioned before, Morgan's desire to create her very own school of wizardry played a key part in sabotaging the project. Her reign of terror and the awe it inspired extended well over Brittany (where she had relocated her quarters in the Forest of Brocéliande, now going by the unconvincing pseudonym of Morgane and passing herself as a fairy); therefore, several dignified preceptors of the time were often accused of being Morgane's agents when they campaigned for the building of a magical school, and the very idea was, for a long time, something of a taboo in the French Wizarding community. In the same way, there is also the possibility that mages from the area, by then (unlike in England) mostly converted to the new religion, resented the project on account of its pagan original instigators.
Finally, France was, simply put, not the most stable place of the wizarding world back then: the Merovingian dynasty was marked by severe religious tensions (wizards were the last bastion of paganism), fanatical attacks, massive migrations, dark-lord-wannabies killing everyone on their path (Morgane being the most famous), and traumatic cataclysms. As a result, muggle hostility was on the rise, particularly after the fall of Ys, a magical city built in the sea were wizards and muggles alike were supposed to co-exist peacefully. Its thousand inhabitants drowned in a gigantic flood, survivors from each side blaming the other for the destruction of the town (the actual culprit was much later revealed to be the King's daughter, Dahud). This came as the last straw for the muggle population, and by the 8th century, french wizards tended to die violently, either at the stake or by the hand of another mage. All in all, it was simply not a good time to build a school – parents tended to keep their surviving progeny close and teach them magic at home (while not so long ago the standard was to place them, with 5 or 6 other children, under the instruction of a recognized druid or mage).
The Appeasement
Charles Martel, and later, his son Charlemagne, devoted their reign to the consolidation of central power; with several known and trusted sorcerers posing as counselors by their side, they also used their authority to create a positive influence in the wizarding community. Muggle uprisings were put to a stop, since riots of any form were interpreted as a sign of rebellion; safe zones were designated as places to build new villages for magical refugees. A secret agreement with Morgane kept Brittany out of their way but also guaranteed her non-intervention (she had by then considerably softened her ways). This new form of government was therefore received positively by wizards; although magic was now more or less practiced in intrigue and secret, it was a time of prosperity and peace. Charles Martel himself was protected by his loyal friend and accomplished duelist Roland de Ronceveau in battle; the death of this heroic wizard served as an example and by 800, the newly crowned Charlemagne enjoyed a great popularity in the magical world. His advisors jumped at the opportunity to finally make Merlin's idea a reality. In exchange for global secrecy and military assistance, Charlemagne brought protection and official recognition: he would put his signature on the original Chart of Beauxbâtons in 801. Through time, muggles came to believe that Charlemagne invented school, which was of course only true in the case of magical education.