$35.49
Author: de Lisle Leanda
Edition: First Edition
Number Of Pages: 432
Details: Product Description
Dispelling the myths around this legendary queen, this biography of Henrietta Maria, queen consort of King Charles I, retells the dramatic story of the English Civil War from the perspective of this dynamic woman.
Henrietta Maria is British history’s most reviled queen consort. Condemned in her lifetime as the “Popish brat of France,” an adulteress, and a traitor, she remains in popular memory the wife who wore the breeches in her marriage, the woman who turned her husband Catholic (and so caused the English Civil War), and a cruel and bigoted mother.
This clear-eyed biography unpicks the myths and considers the story from Henrietta Maria’s point of view. A portrait emerges of a woman whose closest friends included Puritans as well as Catholics, who crossed swords with Cardinal Richelieu, and led the anti-Spanish faction at the English court. A witty conversationalist, Henrietta Maria was a patron of the arts and a champion of the female voice, as well as a mediatrix for her persecuted fellow Catholics.
During the civil war, the queen’s enemies agreed that Charles would never have survived as long as he did without the “She Generalissimo.” Seeing events through her gaze reveals the truth behind the claims that she caused the war, explains her estrangement from her son Henry, and diminishes the image of the Restoration queen as an irrelevant crone. In fact, Henrietta Maria rose from the ashes of her husband’s failures—a “phoenix queen”—presiding over a court judged to have had “more mirth” even than that of the Merry Monarch, Charles II.
It is time to look again at this often-criticized queen and determine if she is not, in fact, one of British history’s most remarkable women.
Review
“This provocative biography sweeps away old prejudices about the ‘silly’ wife of Charles I. With grace and sensitivity, de Lisle cuts through the misogyny to reveal a different Henrietta Maria. In this volume, she provides a new dimension, rehabilitating a wrongly maligned queen. Henrietta Maria’s perspective allows this book to become something more than mere analysis of politics and war. De Lisle understands that history is a story of people; she possesses a visceral understanding of the emotions that swirled inside Henrietta Maria. This approach also allows a new cast of characters to emerge.” ― The Times (London)
“Brilliantly written, mesmerising, superb scholarship and totally immersive – you feel as if you are there, the vivid scene drawing underpinned by meticulous research. Henrietta Maria is explored with de Lisle’s customary forensic focus, razor sharp intelligence and searing sympathy – and the result is a total game changer.” — Kate Williams, historian and author of Rival Queens: The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots.
“If the Stuarts are having their time in the sun at last, then Leanda de Lisle is one of the reasons they are. Masterful and pleasurable about a transformative century and a neglected, underestimated woman’s role in it – what more can one want from history?”
— Sarah Fraser, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Highlander
“Like the proverbial phoenix, Henrietta Maria is a glorious resurrection of one of the most misrepresented queens of England. A reviled figure in her day, and little better than a caricature ever after, Henrietta Maria can be compared to Marie Antoinette – except for the fact that she managed to survive her husband’s execution and live to see one of her sons crowned King Charles II. She deserves a seat in the pantheon of extraordinary women. And finally, thanks to Leanda de Lisle’s meticulous research, she has a biography worthy of her fascinating life.” — Amanda Foreman, New York Times bestselling author of Georgiana and A World on Fire
“Leanda de Lisle has brilliantly overturned nearly four centuries of misogynistic, religiously bigoted, and politically motivated myths about Henrietta Maria, who now emerges as a fascinating, fearless, but ill-fated woman, wife a
Release Date: 06-09-2022
Package Dimensions: 41x236x700