
Henrietta Maria by Leanda De Lisle
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.After Elizabeth is written by Leanda de Lisle, who has also written articles for the Daily Express, the Spectator, the Guardian, and the New Statesman.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781639362806 |
| ISBN 10 | 1639362800 |
| Title | Henrietta Maria |
| Author | Leanda De Lisle |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Pegasus Books |
| Year published | 2022-09-06 |
| Number of pages | 432 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |