"Janet Kennedy" is the biography of a Scottish woman at court in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Janet Kennedy was the partner of at least four men, which was completely typical at the time. However, she was not typical in that she was married to the Chancellor, Archibald, Earl...  more

"Janet Kennedy" is the biography of a Scottish woman at court in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Janet Kennedy was the partner of at least four men, which was completely typical at the time. However, she was not typical in that she was married to the Chancellor, Archibald, Earl of Angus, and then became the mistress of James IV. Three of her partners were killed at Flodden, as were her brother and brother-in-law. The medieval concept of marriage is different to what marriage means today, and Janet Kennedy's life enables a fascinating discussion of this concept, along with an analysis of secondary themes including religion, litigation, landholding, material possessions and the complicated inter-relationships of the members of James IV's court. Although all the primary sources from this era are written by men, this book aims to describe how women really spent their lives. Ishbel Barnes looks at medieval Scotland from a contemporary woman's perspective in order to write about the fifty percent of the population that is largely ignored or under-discussed in histories of this period.

Born into poverty and raised in a brothel, Nell Gwynne sells oranges in the pit at London?s King?s Theater, newly reopened after the plague and the Great Fire devastated the city. Soon, her quick sense of humor and natural charm get her noticed by those who have the means to make her life...  more

Born into poverty and raised in a brothel, Nell Gwynne sells oranges in the pit at London?s King?s Theater, newly reopened after the plague and the Great Fire devastated the city. Soon, her quick sense of humor and natural charm get her noticed by those who have the means to make her life easier. But the street-smart Nell knows a woman doesn?t get ahead by selling her body. Through talent, charm, intelligence, and sheer determination?as well as a keen understanding of how the world operates?Nell works her way out of the pit and onto the stage to become the leading comedic actress of the day. Her skills and beauty quickly win the attention of all of London?eventually even catching the eye of King Charles II. Their attraction is as real as it is unlikely, and the scrappy orange girl with the pretty face and the quick wit soon finds herself plunged into the confusing and dangerous world of the court, where she learns there are few she can trust?and many whom she cannot turn her back on. From the gritty streets of seventeenth-century London, to the backstage glamour of its theaters, to the glittering court of Charles II, The Perfect Royal Mistress is a love story for the ages, the rags-to-riches tale of a truly remarkable heroine.

A bold and bawdy historical novel-from the acclaimed author of Too Great a Lady. Mary Robinson's talent, beauty, and drive led her from debtors' prison to the glamour and scandal of the London stage, where a star was born--and sold as society's darling, envied by women, and desired by men....  more

A bold and bawdy historical novel-from the acclaimed author of Too Great a Lady. Mary Robinson's talent, beauty, and drive led her from debtors' prison to the glamour and scandal of the London stage, where a star was born--and sold as society's darling, envied by women, and desired by men. From her shocking affair with the Prince of Wales to heartbreaking betrayals and a restless pursuit of true romance, this breathtaking novel paints a vivid portrait of a woman who changed history by doing as she pleased--for money, for fame, for pleasure, and above all, for love.

History, as someone has remarked, can be fun. Especially when it's about 'witty, pretty Nell of Old Drury,' the impudent little Cockney comedienne who was born in a bawdy house in the slums of London, started in the theater as an orange-girl and became the mistress of merry King...  more

History, as someone has remarked, can be fun. Especially when it's about 'witty, pretty Nell of Old Drury,' the impudent little Cockney comedienne who was born in a bawdy house in the slums of London, started in the theater as an orange-girl and became the mistress of merry King Charles II. In this entertaining and lively biography, John Harold Wilson gives an authentic picture of Restoration England, and for many years her career was closely linked with the troubled times of the period from 1660-1685. Here is Restoration England-its theatre, the incredible court of Charles II, and the private and public lives of the fantastic and colorful figures of the era. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time an authentic and popular biography of Nell Gwyn has been done. The Victorian era white-washed Nell into a figure which would have made her and her royal lover roar with laughter and amazement. Mr. Wilson has now set the record straight, with the aid of the documentary evidence: letters, excerpts from the broad and witty plays she starred in (bawdy parts written especially for her), the satires and jibes of Court wits, memoirs and accounts of the liveliest court that England ever knew.

When King Charles met the auburn enchantress whom all London whispered about, he was transfixed by violet eyes that promised an unashamed sensuality. And when he beckoned her to his side as adored Queen of Pleasure over all the pomp and power of his lusty reign, Barbara Villiers reaped rich...  more

When King Charles met the auburn enchantress whom all London whispered about, he was transfixed by violet eyes that promised an unashamed sensuality. And when he beckoned her to his side as adored Queen of Pleasure over all the pomp and power of his lusty reign, Barbara Villiers reaped rich rewards -- and danger such as she had never known, from the horrors of the plague and the Great Fire of London to the flaming wrath of court enches and scoundrels, ladies and lords. Yet she would endure it all, and more, to become the Queen of England -- sovereign consort to an ardent, rakehell king.

A singular history of Georgian England through the prism of the rags-to-riches story of Mary Robinson who rose to become mistress of George IV and a cause celebre in 18th century England.Few women?s lives have described such an arc as that of Mary Robinson ? or Perdita, as she was widely known....  more

A singular history of Georgian England through the prism of the rags-to-riches story of Mary Robinson who rose to become mistress of George IV and a cause celebre in 18th century England.Few women?s lives have described such an arc as that of Mary Robinson ? or Perdita, as she was widely known. She began her career as an actress, royal mistress and possible blackmailer, and ended it just two decades later as a Romantic poet and early feminist thinker of note. She was the subject of paintings by Gainsborough and Reynolds, and of a hundred political cartoons. Variously portrayed as a wounded innocent and a harlot, she deliberately chose, in her later career, to make a political issue of her sexuality.Born in 1758, she married at fifteen, and shortly after, followed her husband into debtor?s prison where she wrote her first book of poems. Encouraged by Sheridan and Garrick, who admired her beauty, she went on the stage. It was her role as Perdita in A Winter?s Tale that brought her to the attention of the 17-year-old Prince of Wales, and they embarked on a widely satirized liaison. Mary had made her mark in fashionable Georgian high society and, over the next two decades, this was where she contrived to stay.This wonderful biography, vividly and compellingly told by the acclaimed biographer of Arbella Stuart, explores Georgian England during a period of extreme political upheaval through the life of one extraordinary woman.

London, 1660: Ready to throw off a generation of Puritan rule, all England rejoices when Charles Stuart returns to reclaim the throne. Among those welcoming him is young Barbara Villiers Palmer, a breathtaking Royalist beauty whose sensuality and clever wit instantly captivate the handsome,...  more

London, 1660: Ready to throw off a generation of Puritan rule, all England rejoices when Charles Stuart returns to reclaim the throne. Among those welcoming him is young Barbara Villiers Palmer, a breathtaking Royalist beauty whose sensuality and clever wit instantly captivate the handsome, jaded king. Though each is promised to another, Barbara soon becomes Charles's mistress and closest friend, and the uncrowned queen of his bawdy Restoration court. Rewarded with titles, land, and jewels, she is the most envied and desired woman in England--and the most powerful. But the role of royal mistress is a precarious one, and Barbara's enemies and rivals are everywhere in the palace.

When King Henry II’s mistress is found poisoned, suspicion falls on his estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. The king orders Adelia Aguilar, expert in the science of death, to investigate—and hopefully stave off civil war. A reluctant Adelia finds herself once again in the company...  more

When King Henry II’s mistress is found poisoned, suspicion falls on his estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. The king orders Adelia Aguilar, expert in the science of death, to investigate—and hopefully stave off civil war. A reluctant Adelia finds herself once again in the company of Rowley Picot, the new Bishop of St. Albans…and her baby's father. Their discoveries into the crime are shocking -- and omens of greater danger to come. From Publishers Weekly Set in 12th-century England, Franklin's mesmerizing second historical delivers on the promise of her first, Mistress of the Art of Death (2007). When Rosamund Clifford, Henry II's mistress, is poisoned, Dr. Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar must draw on her formidable forensic skills to try to uncover the killer. The prime suspect is Henry's estranged wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, who once plotted to overthrow the king. Adelia reunites with Rowley Picot, now a bishop as well as the father of Adelia's child, and the two set out on a dangerous journey, during which they brave a blizzard and Eleanor's band of ruthless mercenaries. Franklin, the pen name of Diana Norman, brings medieval England to life, from the maze surrounding Rosamund's tower to the royal court's Christmas celebration, with ice skating on the frozen Thames. A colorful cast of characters, both good and evil, enhance a tale that will keep readers on edge until the final page. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acclaimed author Alison Weir has been prolific with her books on English royalty covering everything from the Houses of York and Lancaster to the reigns of the Tudors and beyond. Now this remarkable historian brings to life the extraordinary tale of the woman who was ancestor to them all:...  more

Acclaimed author Alison Weir has been prolific with her books on English royalty covering everything from the Houses of York and Lancaster to the reigns of the Tudors and beyond. Now this remarkable historian brings to life the extraordinary tale of the woman who was ancestor to them all: Katherine Swynford, a royal mistress who was to become one of the most crucial figures in the history of the British royal dynasties. Born in the mid-fourteenth century, Katherine de Roët was only twelve when she married Hugh Swynford, an impoverished knight. But her story had already begun when, at just ten years old, she was appointed to the household of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and fourth son of King Edward III, to help look after the Duke’s children. Widowed at twenty-one, Katherine, gifted with beauty and undeniable charms, was to become John of Gaunt’s mistress. Their years together played out against a backdrop of court life at the height of the Age of Chivalry. Katherine experienced the Hundred Years’ War, the Black Death, and the Peasants’ Revolt. She survived heartbreak and adversity, and crossed paths with many eminent figures of the day, among them her brother-in-law, the poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Yet as intriguing as she was to many of her contemporaries, there were those who regarded her as scandalous and dangerous. Throughout the years of their illicit union, John and Katherine were clearly devoted to each other, and in middle age, after many twists of fortune, they wed. The marriage caused far more scandal than the affair had, for it was unheard of for a royal prince to wed his mistress. Yet Katherine triumphed, and her children by John, the Beauforts, would become the direct forebears of the Royal Houses of York, Tudor, and Stuart, and of every British sovereign since 1461 (as well as four U.S. presidents). Drawing on rare documentation, Alison Weir paints a vivid portrait of a passionate spirit who lived one of medieval England’s greatest love stories. Mistress of the Monarchy reveals a woman ahead of her time–making her own choices, flouting convention, and taking control of her destiny. Indeed, without Katherine Swynford the course of English history, perhaps even the world, would have been very different. From the Hardcover edition.

Set in Denmark in the 1760s, The Royal Physician's Visit magnificently recasts the dramatic era of Danish history when Johann Friedrich Struensee, a German doctor from Altona, student of Enlightenment philosophers Diderot and Voltaire, and court physician to mad young King Christian, stepped ...  more

Set in Denmark in the 1760s, The Royal Physician's Visit magnificently recasts the dramatic era of Danish history when Johann Friedrich Struensee, a German doctor from Altona, student of Enlightenment philosophers Diderot and Voltaire, and court physician to mad young King Christian, stepped through the aperture history had opened for him and became for two years the holder of absolute power in Denmark. Dr. Struensee, tall, handsome, and charismatic, introduced hundreds of reforms, many of which would become hallmarks of the French Revolution 20 years later, including freedom of the press and improvement of the treatment of the peasantry. He also took young Queen Caroline Mathilde—unsatisfied by her unstable, childlike husband—as his mistress. He was a brilliant intellectual and brash reformer, yet Streunsee lacked the cunning and subtlety of a skilled politician and, most tragically, lacked the talent to choose the right enemies at court, a flaw which would lead to his torture and execution. An international sensation sold in 15 countries, The Royal Physician's Visit is a view from the seat of absolute power, a gripping tale, vividly and entertainingly told. Enquist's talent is in full force as he brilliantly explores the connections that will always run between political theory and practice, power, sex, love, and the life of the mind. Translated by Tina Nunnally.

As lovely and charming as she was shrewd and calculating, Athénaïs de Montespan became the most powerful noblewoman of her day by brilliantly manipulating her forbidden role as mistress of King Louis XIV. With a lively narrative style that reads like fiction, Lisa Hilton reveals the...  more

As lovely and charming as she was shrewd and calculating, Athénaïs de Montespan became the most powerful noblewoman of her day by brilliantly manipulating her forbidden role as mistress of King Louis XIV. With a lively narrative style that reads like fiction, Lisa Hilton reveals the woman behind the most dazzling days of the Sun King's reign. As a lover, Athénaïs risked the disgrace of adultery to conduct an affair that scandalized Europe. As a patron, she supported the leaders of the cultural renaissance. As a mother, she was the ancestor of most of the royal houses of Europe. The greatest beauty of her day, she lived publicly and sensationally until bizarre accusations of witchcraft forced her from grace in the "Affair of the Poisons," a mystery that remains unsolved. Athénaïs is an informative look at a true age of extremes and a woman who achieved the heights of power at a time when it was denied to most of her sex.

The royal European courts were unsurpassed for their glamour, wealth, fame, danger, treachery, and politics. The royal mistress was at the center of that world -- admired for her beauty and sensuality; feared for the power she wielded; even vilified, envied, and resented. In times when women had...  more

The royal European courts were unsurpassed for their glamour, wealth, fame, danger, treachery, and politics. The royal mistress was at the center of that world -- admired for her beauty and sensuality; feared for the power she wielded; even vilified, envied, and resented. In times when women had very little power, the royal mistress had enormous influence, and yet she is seldom mentioned in official histories.In Cupid and the King, Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent recounts the stories of five very different women, each of whom became a celebrated -- or notorious -- courtesan:Nell Gwyn, the bawdy, vivacious orange seller turned actress who endeared herself to Charles II -- and the country -- with her wit and down-to-earth mannerMadame de Pompadour, the extravagant, elegant maitresse-en-titre of Louis XV who became one of the great patrons of her time while enraging the people of FranceMarie Walewska, who became Napoleon's mistress to save her countryLola Montez, the flamboyant, scandalous Irish beauty who reinvented herself as a Spanish aristocrat to win the heart of Ludwig I of BavariaLillie Langtry, the legendary beauty immortalized by the most famous artists of her day and the only woman to completely monopolize Edward, Prince of Wales, later Edward VII Written with an insider's keen understanding of court life and filled with delicious details born of impeccable research, Cupid and the King explores a little-known chapter of the history of women's roles in the royal bedrooms of Europe.

One powerful king. Two tragic queens. In the court of Henry VIII, it was dangerous for a woman to catch the king's eye. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were cousins. Both were beautiful women, though very different in temperament. They each learned that Henry's passion was all-consuming and...  more

One powerful king. Two tragic queens. In the court of Henry VIII, it was dangerous for a woman to catch the king's eye. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were cousins. Both were beautiful women, though very different in temperament. They each learned that Henry's passion was all-consuming and fickle. Sophisticated Anne Boleyn, raised in the decadent court of France, was in love with another man when King Henry claimed her as his own. Being his mistress gave her a position of power; being his queen put her life in jeopardy. Her younger cousin, Catherine Howard, was only fifteen when she was swept into the circle of King Henry. Her innocence attracted him, but a past mistake was destined to haunt her. Jean Plaidy was a pen name of Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert, who also published as Philippa Carr, Victoria Holt, and others.

One powerful king. Two tragic queens. In the court of Henry VIII, it was dangerous for a woman to catch the king's eye. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were cousins. Both were beautiful women, though very different in temperament. They each learned that Henry's passion was...  more

One powerful king. Two tragic queens. In the court of Henry VIII, it was dangerous for a woman to catch the king's eye. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were cousins. Both were beautiful women, though very different in temperament. They each learned that Henry's passion was all-consuming and fickle. Sophisticated Anne Boleyn, raised in the decadent court of France, was in love with another man when King Henry claimed her as his own. Being his mistress gave her a position of power; being his queen put her life in jeopardy. Her younger cousin, Catherine Howard, was only fifteen when she was swept into the circle of King Henry. Her innocence attracted him, but a past mistake was destined to haunt her. Jean Plaidy was a pen-name of Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert, who also published as Victoria Holt, Philippa Carr, and others.

One powerful king. Two tragic queens. In the court of Henry VIII, it was dangerous for a woman to catch the king's eye. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were cousins. Both were beautiful women, though very different in temperament. They each learned that Henry's passion was all-consuming and...  more

One powerful king. Two tragic queens. In the court of Henry VIII, it was dangerous for a woman to catch the king's eye. Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were cousins. Both were beautiful women, though very different in temperament. They each learned that Henry's passion was all-consuming and fickle. Sophisticated Anne Boleyn, raised in the decadent court of France, was in love with another man when King Henry claimed her as his own. Being his mistress gave her a position of power; being his queen put her life in jeopardy. Her younger cousin, Catherine Howard, was only fifteen when she was swept into the circle of King Henry. Her innocence attracted him, but a past mistake was destined to haunt her.

History has not been kind to Alice Perrers, the notorious mistress of King Edward III. Scholars and contemporaries alike have deemed her a manipulative woman who used her great beauty and sensuality to take advantage of an aging and increasingly senile king. But who was the woman behind the...  more

History has not been kind to Alice Perrers, the notorious mistress of King Edward III. Scholars and contemporaries alike have deemed her a manipulative woman who used her great beauty and sensuality to take advantage of an aging and increasingly senile king. But who was the woman behind the scandal? A cold-hearted opportunist or someone fighting for her very survival?Like most girls of her era Alice is taught obedience in all things. At the age of fourteen she marries the man her father chooses for her, dutifully accepting the cost of being torn from the family she holds so dear and losing the love of her mother forever. Despite these heartbreaks Alice finds that merchant Janyn Perrers is a good and loving husband and the two settle into a happy life together. Their bliss is short-lived, however, unraveled the dark day a messenger appears at Alice's door and notifies her of Janyn's sudden disappearance.In the wake of this tragedy, Alice learns that her husband kept many dangerous secrets--secrets that result in a price on her own head and that of her beloved daughter. Her only chance to survive lies in the protection of King Edward and Queen Philippa, but she therefore must live at court as a virtual prisoner. When she is singled out by the king for more than just royal patronage, the stakes are raised. Disobeying Edward is not an option, not when her family is at risk, but the court is full of ambitious men and women, many of whom will stop at nothing to see her fall fron grace. The whispers and gossip abound, isolating Alice, who finds unexpected solace in her love for the king.Emma Campion paints a colorful and thrilling portrait of the court of Edward III--with all of its extravagance, scandalous love affairs, political machinations, and murder--and the devastating results of being singled out by the royal family. At the center of the storm is Alice, surviving by her wits in this dangerous world where the choices are not always of her own making. Emma Campion's dazzling novel shows that there is always another side to the story.From the Hardcover edition.

Written by a direct descendant of the union between Nell Gwyn and King Charles II, Nell Gwyn tells the story of one of England's great folk heroines. Born during a tumultuous period in England's past, Nell Gwyn was spotted selling oranges in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Nell's wit and charm...  more

Written by a direct descendant of the union between Nell Gwyn and King Charles II, Nell Gwyn tells the story of one of England's great folk heroines. Born during a tumultuous period in England's past, Nell Gwyn was spotted selling oranges in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Nell's wit and charm brought her to the attention of numerous suitors, including one of the theater's leading actors, Charles Hart. Under his patronage Nell took to the stage where she became one of London's first professional female actresses, and the finest comedienne in London. She then caught the eye of the pleasure-seeking "merry monarch" King Charles II, and their seventeen-year love affair played out against the backdrop of the Great Fire of London, the Great Plague, court scandals, and the constant threat of political revolution. Magnificently re-creating the heady, licentious, yet politically charged atmosphere of Restoration England, Nell Gwyn tells the true-life Cinderella story of a common orange girl who became England's first "people's princess."

This is the story of John of Gaunt and the impact that he had not only on his own times, but on the history of the western world as well. Seldom does one man impact so much. It is the time when parliamentary democracy was being forged in the 'Good Parliament' (against the duke of Lancaster's...  more

This is the story of John of Gaunt and the impact that he had not only on his own times, but on the history of the western world as well. Seldom does one man impact so much. It is the time when parliamentary democracy was being forged in the 'Good Parliament' (against the duke of Lancaster's strenuous opposition). When the 'Back to the Bible' philosophy that would lead to the Protestant Reformation was being shaped by John Wycliffe (and spread under the sheltering influence of John of Gaunt's arm). Fourteenth century England was where a man took a stand and the world changed directions. It was also the time when Katharine Swynford's brother-in-law, Geoffrey Chaucer, was painting the word-pictures of his times that endure to this day. 'Although Book Two in the trilogy is about John of Gaunt, and covers the years of his separation from Katharine, I never lost Katharine. I always knew where Katherine Swynford was, and what she was thinking'. Readers Focus Group In many ways the history of both England and America has depended on the decisions John of Gaunt made, and the actions John of Gaunt took during his life time. For more than six centuries, the royal families of England (Lancaster, York, Tudor, Stuart...) have descended from him, and no fewer than six U. S. presidents (including George Washington and James Monroe) would descend from the love affair John of Gaunt had with his beautiful enigmatic mistress, Katherine Swynford, the woman history has forgotten! The love affair that changed the world has largely been overlooked, even though not only kings and presidents can be traced back to John of Gaunt and Katharine Swynford, but also the very first seeds of the Protestant Reformation can be tracked to John of Gaunt's door and the support the mighty Duke of Lancaster gave to John Wycliffe. This is the story of what happened behind the scenes. It covers the actions of a small group of men who formed a Lollard (Protestant) underground which changed both the history of the western world and Church History. It was a period in history where the Wycliffe Bible, the Blackfriar's Council, and the formation of a Lollard underground involved both John of Gaunt and Katharine Swynford in extremely dangerous times. Love, Honour and Royal Blood also brings to light John of Gaunt's relationship with the two principal players in this great drama of church history: John Wycliffe and William Courtenay (Archbishop of Canterbury). The cultural revolution which swirled around John of Gaunt, his relative Geoffrey Chaucer, his friend John Wycliffe, and the love of his life Katharine Swynford, is the untold story of the 'Back to the Bible' theology which changed the world and started the Protestant Reformation. This is John of Gaunt's story.

A wicked turnabout on Jane Austen's oft-quoted adage -- "a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" -- is My Lady Scandalous, a richly raucous history that traverses the notoriously licentious British Regency era in the company of its most celebrated...  more

A wicked turnabout on Jane Austen's oft-quoted adage -- "a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" -- is My Lady Scandalous, a richly raucous history that traverses the notoriously licentious British Regency era in the company of its most celebrated courtesan.Following a simple Edinburgh girlhood, Grace Dalrymple came of age in the sin city of London, where wealthy men ruled society and women had everything to lose, starting with their reputations. As an impressionable bride of seventeen who married a man more than twice her age, Grace's remarkable beauty (likened by journalists to "a May morning") soon attracted the attentions of other men. A disastrous liaison with a consummate rake not only branded Grace as a demi-rep -- a woman with half a reputation -- but the scandal provoked Dr. John Eliot, her philandering husband, to pursue a divorce.Grace became mistress of the most infamous peer in England, George James, Lord Cholmondeley, whose "secret perfections" were reputed to inspire "female enthusiasm." Cholmondeley commemorated the relationship by commissioning two works from eminent portraitist Thomas Gainsborough, first in 1778 and later in 1782, the same year Grace gave birth to a daughter, Georgiana (who may, in fact, have been the child of the Prince of Wales). Had Grace been an aristocrat, she and Cholmondeley might have had a future together, but it was not to be.The tabloids broke the news: "Miss Dalrymple has embarked for France, and it is said parted with her noble gallant." Grace was soon to find a new protector in that nation's richest man, Philippe, Duc d'Orleans. Though Grace was ensconced as "one of the most brilliant and popular among the fashionable 'impures,'" her liaison with the duke turned perilous when Orleans fell to the Revolution's guillotine, just as she narrowly escaped with her life."People die, but love may not," declares author Jo Manning of her subject's romantic and historic misadventures. A connoisseur of the times, Manning ably demonstrates -- through contemporary newspapers, magazines, prints, and portraits as well as Grace's posthumously published journal -- how life in George III's England and Marie Antoinette's France can seem strangely familiar, especially when history turns to affairs of the heart.

As long as there is marriage, there will also be the Mistress. Why then, does our society still behave as if marital infidelity were some unfathomable aberration?Mythology is rich with mistresses-- both divine and mortal--some who have played their roles cunningly and to perfection, and some who...  more

As long as there is marriage, there will also be the Mistress. Why then, does our society still behave as if marital infidelity were some unfathomable aberration?Mythology is rich with mistresses-- both divine and mortal--some who have played their roles cunningly and to perfection, and some who have destroyed themselves and all around them. Famous mistresses have not only graced literature but have written it. Courtesans have been a feature of royal courts throughout history. And, whether or not we admit it, or feign nave ignorance, mistresses are women we know, here and now.Victoria Griffin, herself a mistress, brings her steady yet startling focus on the mistresses in history and culture, past and present: from Camille Claudel to Monica Lewinsky, from Madame de Pompadour to Simone de Beauvoir, from George Eliot to Pamela Harriman. It is a subject as rich and diverse as history itself, alive with memorable characters. The Mistress will provoke and delight in equal measure.

Written by a direct descendant of the union between Nell Gwyn and King Charles II, Nell Gwyn tells the story of one of England?s great folk heroines, a woman who rose from an impoverished, abusive childhood to become King Charles II?s most cherished mistress, and the star of one of the great...  more

Written by a direct descendant of the union between Nell Gwyn and King Charles II, Nell Gwyn tells the story of one of England?s great folk heroines, a woman who rose from an impoverished, abusive childhood to become King Charles II?s most cherished mistress, and the star of one of the great love stories of royal history. Born during a tumultuous period in England?s past, Nell Gwyn caught the eye of King Charles II, the newly restored, pleasure-seeking ?merry monarch? of a nation in full hedonistic reaction to Puritan rule. Their seventeen-year love affair played out against the backdrop of the Great Fire of London, the Great Plague, court scandals, and the constant threat of political revolution. Despite his other lovers? Machiavellian efforts to win the king?s favor and humiliate Nell, the self-proclaimed ?Protestant whore? earned the devotion of her king and the love of her nation, becoming England?s first ?people?s princess.? Magnificently recreating the heady and licentious, yet politically charged atmosphere of Restoration England, Nell Gwyn tells the true-life Cinderella story of a common orange salesgirl who became mistress to a king.

Between 1854 and 1859 Frieda Arnold was dresser to Queen Victoria. Her letters give readers a rare glimpse into palace life from the point of view of the servant. Discreet, well-read, lively, charming, and dazzled but not overwhelmed by the grandeur of her new surroundings, she give a unique...  more

Between 1854 and 1859 Frieda Arnold was dresser to Queen Victoria. Her letters give readers a rare glimpse into palace life from the point of view of the servant. Discreet, well-read, lively, charming, and dazzled but not overwhelmed by the grandeur of her new surroundings, she give a unique account of the interiors of all the royal castles and the royal yacht. She was behind the scenes when Napoleon III came to England, and she went with the Queen on the famous state visit to Paris in 1855. Frieda wrote home to her native Karlsruhe describing the sights of London from the foreigner's perspective, appalled by the gulf between riches and squalor, and taking in all the current places of interest from the Bank of England to Crystal Palace. She sees troops leaving for the Crimea and returning to the new camp at Aldershot. Frieda's viewpoint is curious and unique. Her letters are illustrated by portraits, early photographs from the time and Frieda's own sketches and watercolours. Frieda's letters give us the chance to listen to an intelligent, articulate voice from a vanished and otherwise silent world.

As mistress to King Louis XV from 1745 until her death in 1764, Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, marquise de Pompadour, was portrayed in an impressive array of paintings, engravings, sculpture, and other media. Most of these representations were made under her careful supervision and control, as she...  more

As mistress to King Louis XV from 1745 until her death in 1764, Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, marquise de Pompadour, was portrayed in an impressive array of paintings, engravings, sculpture, and other media. Most of these representations were made under her careful supervision and control, as she sought to maintain her place at the king's side and to develop authority and influence at the royal court and in national politics. To this end, the marquise summoned the greatest artists of the day, including Boucher, La Tour, Van Loo, Nattier, Drouais, Falconet, and Pigalle. This beautiful book is the first scholarly biographical study of Madame de Pompadour in fifty years. Eminent historian Colin Jones places these pictures within the historical framework of art, culture, gender, and politics, considering all aspects of Madame de Pompadour's unprecedented power. He also shows how she utilized her image as a means of retaining her royal lover's affection, as her relationship with him passed from sexual infatuation to platonic friendship. This book accompanies an exhibition at the National Gallery, London from October 16, 2002 to January 12, 2003.

Mistress Anne is the first full-scale biography of Anne Boley. England was on the verge of a seccession crisis: Henry's marriage to Queen Katherine had failed to produce a male heir and he wondered if he were not the object of a divine curse, At this precaious moment in history his passion was...  more

Mistress Anne is the first full-scale biography of Anne Boley. England was on the verge of a seccession crisis: Henry's marriage to Queen Katherine had failed to produce a male heir and he wondered if he were not the object of a divine curse, At this precaious moment in history his passion was roused by Anne Boleyn. And this dowerless girl with no royal blood.who offered no political advantage. would become the centerpiece of the divorce that not only sundered Henry VIII- the most glorious man of his age-from Queen Katherine but from the pope

Mary Robinson, nicknamed 'Perdita' by the Prince of Wales after her role on the London stage, was a woman in whom showmanship and reckless behaviour contrasted with Romantic sensibility and radical thinking. Born in Bristol in 1758, she moved to London with her family at a young age and was...  more

Mary Robinson, nicknamed 'Perdita' by the Prince of Wales after her role on the London stage, was a woman in whom showmanship and reckless behaviour contrasted with Romantic sensibility and radical thinking. Born in Bristol in 1758, she moved to London with her family at a young age and was trained by Garrick for the theatre. After a royal command performance as Perdita in The Winter's Tale, she was hotly pursued by George, the 17-year-old Prince of Wales, and she became his first mistress. He gave her GBP20,000, a house in Berkeley Square, and another in Old Windsor; the popular press followed the affair with glee and gusto. But when he left her she blackmailed him for the return of his letters. A string of other high-profile lovers followed including Lord Malden, Charles James Fox and, most notably, Lt Col Tarlton. However, a miscarriage left Mary semi-parilysed and when her last lover deserted her to marry someone else, she wrote two novels in revenge. Her growing literary reputation brought in many friends, including Coleridge but her death saw the bailiffs trying to evict her from her cottage. This lively account of one of the most extraordinary women of her age is set against

1929. Some of the royal ladies found in this volume were more sinned against than sinning. As to others, there is no doubt as to the category in which they belong. Catherine de Medici ranks as one of the great villains of history, but the author contends she was innocent of most of the crimes of...  more

1929. Some of the royal ladies found in this volume were more sinned against than sinning. As to others, there is no doubt as to the category in which they belong. Catherine de Medici ranks as one of the great villains of history, but the author contends she was innocent of most of the crimes of which she has been accused. Catherine the Great has little to commend her, especially in the line of private morals, but it must be admitted she left a profound impression upon her times. Other subjects discussed are: Mary, Queen of Scots, a subject of endless controversy; Louise de la Valliere, mistress of that gay monarch, Louis XIV; Maria Theresa; Marie Antoinette; Josephine; Bloody Mary of England; Sophia of Hanover; Christina of Sweden; and Caroline of Brunswick.

1929. Some of the royal ladies found in this volume were more sinned against than sinning. As to others, there is no doubt as to the category in which they belong. Catherine de Medici ranks as one of the great villains of history, but the author contends she was innocent of most of the crimes of...  more

1929. Some of the royal ladies found in this volume were more sinned against than sinning. As to others, there is no doubt as to the category in which they belong. Catherine de Medici ranks as one of the great villains of history, but the author contends she was innocent of most of the crimes of which she has been accused. Catherine the Great has little to commend her, especially in the line of private morals, but it must be admitted she left a profound impression upon her times. Other subjects discussed are: Mary, Queen of Scots, a subject of endless controversy; Louise de la Valliere, mistress of that gay monarch, Louis XIV; Maria Theresa; Marie Antoinette; Josephine; Bloody Mary of England; Sophia of Hanover; Christina of Sweden; and Caroline of Brunswick.

In March 1844 the French magazine _Le Siecle,_ printed the first installment of a story by Alexandre Dumas. It was based, Dumas claimed, on some manuscripts he had found a year earlier in the Bibliotheque Nationale while researching a history he planned to write on Louis XIV. The serial...  more

In March 1844 the French magazine _Le Siecle,_ printed the first installment of a story by Alexandre Dumas. It was based, Dumas claimed, on some manuscripts he had found a year earlier in the Bibliotheque Nationale while researching a history he planned to write on Louis XIV. The serial chronicled the adventures of D'Artagnan -- a young swordsman intent on joining the king's musketeers. Young D'Artagnan becomes embroiled in court intrigues, international politics, and ill-fated affairs between royal lovers. The book at hand is the second volume of the third serial. Louis XIV is well past the age where he should rule, but the ailing Cardinal Mazarin refuses to relinquish the reins of power. Meanwhile, Charles II, a king without a country, travels Europe seeking aid from his fellow monarchs. Athos still resides at La Fère while his son, Raoul de Bragelonne, has entered into the service in the household of M. le Prince. As for Raoul, he has his eyes on an entirely different object than his father -- his childhood companion, Louise de la Valliere, with whom he is hopelessly in love. Porthos, now a baron, is off on some mysterious mission along with Aramis, who is now the Bishop of Vannes. (Volume I of II.)

Throughout the centuries, royal mistresses have been worshipped, feared, envied, and reviled. They set the fashions, encouraged the arts, and, in some cases, ruled nations. Eleanor Herman's Sex with Kings takes us into the throne rooms and bedrooms of Europe's most powerful monarchs....  more

Throughout the centuries, royal mistresses have been worshipped, feared, envied, and reviled. They set the fashions, encouraged the arts, and, in some cases, ruled nations. Eleanor Herman's Sex with Kings takes us into the throne rooms and bedrooms of Europe's most powerful monarchs. Alive with flamboyant characters, outrageous humor, and stirring poignancy, this glittering tale of passion and politics chronicles five hundred years of scintillating women and the kings who loved them. Curiously, the main function of a royal mistress was not to provide the king with sex but with companionship. Forced to marry repulsive foreign princesses, kings sought solace with women of their own choice. And what women they were! From Madame de Pompadour, the famous mistress of Louis XV, who kept her position for nineteen years despite her frigidity, to modern-day Camilla Parker-Bowles, who usurped none other than the glamorous Diana, Princess of Wales. The successful royal mistress made herself irreplaceable. She was ready to converse gaily with him when she was tired, make love until all hours when she was ill, and cater to his every whim. Wearing a mask of beaming delight over any and all discomforts, she was never to be exhausted, complaining, or grief-stricken. True, financial rewards for services rendered were of royal proportions -- some royal mistresses earned up to $200 million in titles, pensions, jewels, and palaces. Some kings allowed their mistresses to exercise unlimited political power. But for all its grandeur, a royal court was a scorpion's nest of insatiable greed, unquenchable lust, and vicious ambition. Hundreds of beautiful women vied to unseat the royal mistress. Many would suffer the slings and arrows of negative public opinion, some met with tragic ends and were pensioned off to make room for younger women. But the royal mistress often had the last laugh, as she lived well and richly off the fruits of her "sins." From the dawn of time, power has been a mighty aphrodisiac. With diaries, personal letters, and diplomatic dispatches, Eleanor Herman's trailblazing research reveals the dynamics of sex and power, rivalry and revenge, at the most brilliant courts of Europe. Wickedly witty and endlessly entertaining, Sex with Kings is a chapter of women's history that has remained unwritten -- until now.

The acclaimed author of Duchess and Royal Harlot returns with the unforgettable story of a king?s last love and London?s darling... Nell Gwyn has never been a lady, nor does she pretend to be. Blessed with impudent wit and saucy beauty, she swiftly rises from the poverty of Covent Garden to...  more

The acclaimed author of Duchess and Royal Harlot returns with the unforgettable story of a king?s last love and London?s darling... Nell Gwyn has never been a lady, nor does she pretend to be. Blessed with impudent wit and saucy beauty, she swiftly rises from the poverty of Covent Garden to become a sensation in the theater. Still in her teens, she catches the eye of King Charles II, and trades the stage for Whitehall Palace -- and the role of royal mistress. Even though she delights the king, she must learn to negotiate the cutthroat royal court, where ambition and lust for power rule the hearts of all around her. For beneath her charm and light-heartedness, Nell has her own ambition -- to become no less than the king?s favorite.

In Regency London, the only way for a woman to succeed is to beat men at their own game. So when Mary Anne Clarke seeks an escape from her squalid surroundings in Bowling Inn Alley, she ventures first into the scurrilous world of the pamphleteers. Her personal charms are such, however, that...  more

In Regency London, the only way for a woman to succeed is to beat men at their own game. So when Mary Anne Clarke seeks an escape from her squalid surroundings in Bowling Inn Alley, she ventures first into the scurrilous world of the pamphleteers. Her personal charms are such, however, that before long she comes to the notice of the Duke of York. With her taste for luxury and power, Mary Anne, now a royal mistress, must aim higher. Her lofty connections allow her to establish a thriving trade in military commissions, provoking a scandal that rocks the government - and brings personal disgrace. A vivid portrait of overweening ambition, MARY ANNE is set during the Napoleonic Wars and based on du Maurier's own great-great-grandmother. In Regency London, the only way for a woman to succeed is to beat men at their own game. So when Mary Anne Clarke seeks an escape from her squalid surroundings in Bowling Inn Alley, she ventures first into the scurrilous world of the pamphleteers. Her personal charms are such, however, that before long she comes to the notice of the Duke of York.With her taste for luxury and power, Mary Anne, now a royal mistress, must aim higher. Her lofty connections allow her to establish a thriving trade in military commissions, provoking a scandal that rocks the government - and brings personal disgrace.

A Bittersweet Tale of Love, Loss, and the Power of Royalty When Roger Bigod arrives at King Henry II's court to settle a bitter inheritance dispute, he becomes enchanted with Ida de Tosney, young mistress to the powerful king. A victim of Henry's seduction and the mother of his son,...  more

A Bittersweet Tale of Love, Loss, and the Power of Royalty When Roger Bigod arrives at King Henry II's court to settle a bitter inheritance dispute, he becomes enchanted with Ida de Tosney, young mistress to the powerful king. A victim of Henry's seduction and the mother of his son, Ida sees in Roger a chance to begin a new life. But Ida pays an agonizing price when she leaves the king, and as Roger's importance grows and he gains an earldom, their marriage comes under increasing strain. Based on the true story of a royal mistress and the young lord she chose to marry, For the King's Favor is Elizabeth Chadwick at her best.

When Madame de Pompadour became the mistress of Louis XV, no one expected her to retain his affections for long. A member of the bourgeoisie rather than an aristocrat, she was physically too cold for the carnal Bourbon king, and had so many enemies that she could not travel publicly without...  more

When Madame de Pompadour became the mistress of Louis XV, no one expected her to retain his affections for long. A member of the bourgeoisie rather than an aristocrat, she was physically too cold for the carnal Bourbon king, and had so many enemies that she could not travel publicly without risking a pelting of mud and stones. History has loved her little better.Nancy Mitford's delightfully candid biography re-creates the spirit of eighteenth-century Versailles with its love of pleasure and treachery. We learn that the Queen was a "bore," the Dauphin a "prig," and see France increasingly overcome with class conflict. With a fiction writer's felicity, Mitford restores the royal mistress and celebrates her as a survivor, unsurpassed in "the art of living," who reigned as the most powerful woman in France for nearly twenty years.

In Regency London, the only way for a woman to succeed is to beat men at their own game. So when Mary Anne Clarke seeks an escape from her squalid surroundings in Bowling Inn Alley, she ventures first into the scurrilous world of the pamphleteers. Her personal charms are such, however, that...  more

In Regency London, the only way for a woman to succeed is to beat men at their own game. So when Mary Anne Clarke seeks an escape from her squalid surroundings in Bowling Inn Alley, she ventures first into the scurrilous world of the pamphleteers. Her personal charms are such, however, that before long she comes to the notice of the Duke of York. With her taste for luxury and power, Mary Anne, now a royal mistress, must aim higher. Her lofty connections allow her to establish a thriving trade in military commissions, provoking a scandal that rocks the government - and brings personal disgrace. A vivid portrait of overweening ambition, MARY ANNE is set during the Napoleonic Wars and based on du Maurier's own great-great- grandmother.

This is the first biography of Madame de Pompadour, royal mistress to Louis XV, for many years, and gives a new interpretation of her strength as a woman.

When Madame de Pompadour became the mistress of Louis XV, no one expected her to retain his affections for long. A member of the bourgeoisie rather than an aristocrat, she was physically too cold for the carnal Bourbon king, and had so many enemies that she could not travel publicly without...  more

When Madame de Pompadour became the mistress of Louis XV, no one expected her to retain his affections for long. A member of the bourgeoisie rather than an aristocrat, she was physically too cold for the carnal Bourbon king, and had so many enemies that she could not travel publicly without risking a pelting of mud and stones. History has loved her little better. Nancy Mitford's delightfully candid biography re-creates the spirit of eighteenth-century Versailles with its love of pleasure and treachery. We learn that the Queen was a "bore," the Dauphin a "prig," and see France increasingly overcome with class conflict. With a fiction writer's felicity, Mitford restores the royal mistress and celebrates her as a survivor, unsurpassed in "the art of living," who reigned as the most powerful woman in France for nearly twenty years.

Marie Thérése Louise de Savoie-Carignan, Princess de Lamballe, was fated to be not only an eye-witness but a victim of the Reign of Terror. She was born in Turin in 1749, was married in 1767 to Stanislaus, Prince of Lamballe and son of the Duke of Penthiévre, which brought her...  more

Marie Thérése Louise de Savoie-Carignan, Princess de Lamballe, was fated to be not only an eye-witness but a victim of the Reign of Terror. She was born in Turin in 1749, was married in 1767 to Stanislaus, Prince of Lamballe and son of the Duke of Penthiévre, which brought her into the relationship of sister-in-law to the Duke of Orléans. Her husband died within a year, leaving her, as she expresses it, "a bride when an infant, a widow before I was a mother or had a prospect of becoming one." A marriage was proposed between the Princess and Louis XV, but it fell through. In her retirement she gained the friendship of Marie Antoinette, who appointed her superintendent of the royal household on the accession of Louis XVI. This official connection grew into a sisterly intimacy of the most cordial kind. Their youth of brilliant promise was soon overshadowed by ominous troubles. The lighter temperament of the Queen was happily balanced by the philosophic gravity of the Princess, who foresaw the bitter fruits of the conditions in which her royal mistress had been reared and would not radically change. This journal-record of experiences and reflections is as pathetic a tale as has ever been told.

A singular history of Georgian England through the prism of the rags-to-riches story of Mary Robinson who rose to become mistress of George IV and a cause celebre in 18th century England.Few women’s lives have described such an arc as that of Mary Robinson – or Perdita, as she was...  more

A singular history of Georgian England through the prism of the rags-to-riches story of Mary Robinson who rose to become mistress of George IV and a cause celebre in 18th century England.Few women’s lives have described such an arc as that of Mary Robinson – or Perdita, as she was widely known. She began her career as an actress, royal mistress and possible blackmailer, and ended it just two decades later as a Romantic poet and early feminist thinker of note. She was the subject of paintings by Gainsborough and Reynolds, and of a hundred political cartoons. Variously portrayed as a wounded innocent and a harlot, she deliberately chose, in her later career, to make a political issue of her sexuality.Born in 1758, she married at fifteen, and shortly after, followed her husband into debtor’s prison where she wrote her first book of poems. Encouraged by Sheridan and Garrick, who admired her beauty, she went on the stage. It was her role as Perdita in A Winter’s Tale that brought her to the attention of the 17-year-old Prince of Wales, and they embarked on a widely satirized liaison. Mary had made her mark in fashionable Georgian high society and, over the next two decades, this was where she contrived to stay.This wonderful biography, vividly and compellingly told by the acclaimed biographer of Arbella Stuart, explores Georgian England during a period of extreme political upheaval through the life of one extraordinary woman.From the Hardcover edition.

1933. The Rose of London. The romance of a royal mistress. The story of the romantic career of Jane Shore, who became the favorite mistress of King Edward IV, is almost forgotten. Thompson tells the story of this woman, whose beauty and irresistible charm cast an enchantment over some of the...  more

1933. The Rose of London. The romance of a royal mistress. The story of the romantic career of Jane Shore, who became the favorite mistress of King Edward IV, is almost forgotten. Thompson tells the story of this woman, whose beauty and irresistible charm cast an enchantment over some of the most distinguished men of her time, as she deserves a niche in history. Illustrated.

Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry (Marie-Jeanne, Comtesse du Barry) (1743-1793) was a French courtesan who became the mistress of Louis XV of France and is one of the most famous victims of the Reign of Terror. She first served as courtesan to Louis François Armand du Plessis, duc de Richelieu....  more

Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry (Marie-Jeanne, Comtesse du Barry) (1743-1793) was a French courtesan who became the mistress of Louis XV of France and is one of the most famous victims of the Reign of Terror. She first served as courtesan to Louis François Armand du Plessis, duc de Richelieu. Marie-Jeanne, however, could not qualify as an official royal mistress unless she had a title; this was solved by her marriage to Du Barry's brother, Comte Guillaume du Barry, in 1769. She was presented to the King's family and the court on April 2, 1769. At the King's request before his death in May 1774, she was banished from the court, as her amoral presence would have prevented the king from receiving absolution. In 1792 she was suspected of giving financial aid to emigres from the French Revolution. After a trial, she was executed by guillotine on the Place de la Concorde on December 8, 1793. Her Memoirs were written by the French Baron, Etienne Léon Lamothe-Langon (1786-1864) and were first published in English in 1903.

Born the illegitimate daughter of a monk and a seamstress, Madame du Barry rose from poverty to become one of the most powerful and wealthy women of France. A courtesan, she became Louis XV's official mistress and was fêted as one of France's most beautiful women. On Louis XV's death she...  more

Born the illegitimate daughter of a monk and a seamstress, Madame du Barry rose from poverty to become one of the most powerful and wealthy women of France. A courtesan, she became Louis XV's official mistress and was fêted as one of France's most beautiful women. On Louis XV's death she became vulnerable to those secretly longing for her downfall. Marie Antoinette had her imprisoned for a year, and in 1793 she was executed by the Revolutionary Tribunal for her aristocratic associations. Joan Haslip's classic biography shares the extraordinary and ultimately tragic story of du Barry's life and, in turn, illustrates the dazzling world of the eighteenth century royal court of France and the horrors of the Revolution.

The Affair of the Poisons, as it became known, was an extraordinary episode that took place in France during the reign of Louis XIV. When poisoning and black magic became widespread, arrests followed. Suspects included those among the highest ranks of society. Many were tortured and numerous...  more

The Affair of the Poisons, as it became known, was an extraordinary episode that took place in France during the reign of Louis XIV. When poisoning and black magic became widespread, arrests followed. Suspects included those among the highest ranks of society. Many were tortured and numerous executions resulted.The 1676 torture and execution of the Marquise de Brinvilliers marked the start of the scandal which rocked the foundations of French society and sent shock waves through all of Europe. Convicted of conspiring with her adulterous lover to poison her father and brothers in order to secure the family fortune, the marquise was the first member of the noble class to fall.In the French court of the period, where sexual affairs were numerous, ladies were not shy of seeking help from the murkier elements of the Parisian underworld, and fortune-tellers supplemented their dubious trade by selling poison.It was not long before the authorities were led to believe that Louis XIV himself was at risk. With the police chief of Paris police alerted, every hint of danger was investigated. Rumors abounded and it was not long before the King ordered the setting up of a special commission to investigate the poisonings and bring offenders to justice. No one, the King decreed, no matter how grand, would be spared having to account for their conduct.The royal court was soon thrown into disarray. The Mistress of the Robes and a distinguished general were among the early suspects. But they paled into insignificance when the King's mistress was incriminated. If, as was said, she had engaged in vile Satanic rituals and had sought to poison a rival for the King's affections, what was Louis XIV to do?Anne Somerset has gone back to original sources, letters and earlier accounts of the affair. By the end of her account, she reaches firm conclusions on various crucial matters. The Affair of the Poisons is an enthralling account of a sometimes bizarre period in French history.

A sumptuous new biography of one of the most famous dangerous liaisons When Jeanne Antoinette Poisson was a child, a fortune-teller predicted that she would one day be the mistress of a king. Born into the financial bourgeoisie that was a world apart from the royal court, the beautiful Jeanne...  more

A sumptuous new biography of one of the most famous dangerous liaisons When Jeanne Antoinette Poisson was a child, a fortune-teller predicted that she would one day be the mistress of a king. Born into the financial bourgeoisie that was a world apart from the royal court, the beautiful Jeanne Antoinette nonetheless fulfilled this prophecy by becoming Madame de Pompadour, the most famous and influential mistress of Louis XV. In this sumptuous biography, Evelyne Lever traces the enduring friendship between the monarch and his favorite, and the far-reaching implications-both personal and political-of their relationship. Pompadour was devoted to Louis XV, and her contribution to the culture of the age was significant: she was an outstanding singer and actress, entertaining the King and the court in impressive stage productions, and was a longtime patron of the visual arts. She commissioned paintings by Boucher, Nattier, Van Loo, La Tour, and Pigalle, and she formed friendships with many of the philosophers and writers of the period, including Fontenelle, Crébillon, and Voltaire. In effect, she was France's minister of culture at a time when no such position existed. But she was loathed for her role in France's disastrous military losses, and was the victim of persistent court gossip and intrigues. This vibrant biography sheds new light on the talented and resilient woman who influenced, for better and worse, the fate of a nation.

He was born Charles Stuart, and deprived of his heritage, he was forced to spend the early years of his manhood wandering Europe. He became Charles II, King of England, the most fascinating rake in British history. It is the story of Charles' early years that is told here through the eyes...  more

He was born Charles Stuart, and deprived of his heritage, he was forced to spend the early years of his manhood wandering Europe. He became Charles II, King of England, the most fascinating rake in British history. It is the story of Charles' early years that is told here through the eyes of two women--one, Lucy Water, who became his mistress and mother of his natural son; the other, Charles' younger sister, Minette. Around these three fascinating characters Jean Plaidy has woven an extraordinary tapestry filled with the stories of Charles' exciting escapades, of his love for Lucy Water, and of Minette's love for Louis XVI of France, le Roi Soleil, who was not himself above setting a woman he loved to spying on her royal brother who was also his British adversary. All the characters famous in history here come to life in dazzling color: young Louis XIV; Henrietta, fascinating and tragic; eager Lucy Water; and, above all, the Wandering Prince himself, careless, witty, tolerant, but always the statesman and the monarch taking second place to the lover. Jean Plaidy has written an enthralling story of romance, escape, and the youth of a king for whom love always came first.

This superbly factual account of the life and death of Austria's Prince Rudolph reads like a fast-paced thriller. The colorful and controversial Prince--the last and most talented of the Hapsburg line--was discovered dead on January 30, 1889, in the royal hunting lodge at Mayerling. Beside him,...  more

This superbly factual account of the life and death of Austria's Prince Rudolph reads like a fast-paced thriller. The colorful and controversial Prince--the last and most talented of the Hapsburg line--was discovered dead on January 30, 1889, in the royal hunting lodge at Mayerling. Beside him, also dead, lay his mistress, the beautiful young Baroness Mary Vetsera. What happened that day remains a mystery that has evoked endless speculation and countless dramatic re-creations--none more engrossing and entertaining than Barkeley's vivid telling.

In keeping with the practice of the 18th century, Edward Augustus, son of George III and the Duke of Kent, commissioned a friend to find him a mistress. From this unpromising and unromantic beginning grew his 27-year-long love affair with Julie de St Laurent.Edward was sent to command the...  more

In keeping with the practice of the 18th century, Edward Augustus, son of George III and the Duke of Kent, commissioned a friend to find him a mistress. From this unpromising and unromantic beginning grew his 27-year-long love affair with Julie de St Laurent.Edward was sent to command the garrison at the British naval base of Halifax, and Julie went with him. Together they spent many happy years there and in Quebec City. The Duke inscribed his devotion on the landscape at his estate near Halifax, where walks were laid out to spell "Julie", and a heart-shaped pond was dug as a testament to their love. When the only heir to England's throne died, however, the Duke's duty to make a royal marriage and produce more heirs was clear. He and Julie parted, though he continued to concern himself about her well-being and financial stability.As it turned out, Edward was successful and the future Queen Victoria was born from his royal marriage. Edward died not long afterwards, leaving behind him several fine public buildings in Halifax as monuments of his time in that city.The Prince and His Lady is both a moving love story and a fascinating portrait of the social life of Canada's early history.

The story of Edward VII and his longtime mistress, Alice Keppel?summoned to his bedside by Queen Alexandra herself as the king lay dying?is well known; what is less familiar is that Keppel's daughter, Violet Trefusis, nourished a lifelong passion for author Vita Sackville-West. Lovers for a few...  more

The story of Edward VII and his longtime mistress, Alice Keppel?summoned to his bedside by Queen Alexandra herself as the king lay dying?is well known; what is less familiar is that Keppel's daughter, Violet Trefusis, nourished a lifelong passion for author Vita Sackville-West. Lovers for a few tempestuous years, they eventually split?Vita to domesticity with her husband, children, and garden (and occasional flings with other women), Violet to a flamboyant Continental existence. Readers of Nigel Nicholson's Portrait of a Marriage, the biography of his parents, Vita and diplomat Harold Nicholson, will see a different side of this tale. Biographer Souhami (Greta and Cecil, HarperSanFrancisco, 1994) creates a good historical view based on original letters and papers; she brings to present-day readers an interesting aspect of Edwardian times?stable marriages that included lovers of both sexes. Royal-watchers of today might find it amusing to know that Alice Keppel's daughter Sonia (Violet's sister) was the grandmother of Camilla Parker-Bowles. For all readers.?Katharine Garstka, Intergraph Corp., Huntsville, Ala. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. The New York Times Book Review, Kennedy Fraser Souhami ... is Violet's unabashed champion. Encouraged by the strides in feminist biography in recent decades and by greater openness about homosexuality, she portrays Violet ... as a woman who loved another woman and who was punished--by society, and especially by her mother, whom she adored. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Set in the over-scaled, decadent Versailles of Louis XIV, Memoirs of a Dwarf is the story of Hugues, an impoverished dwarf who maneuvers his way up into the very highest of court circles by clandestinely serving the needs of a mob of unscrupulous gamblers, of a priest notorious for saying black...  more

Set in the over-scaled, decadent Versailles of Louis XIV, Memoirs of a Dwarf is the story of Hugues, an impoverished dwarf who maneuvers his way up into the very highest of court circles by clandestinely serving the needs of a mob of unscrupulous gamblers, of a priest notorious for saying black Masses at midnight, and—from under the gaming tables—of a number of sex-starved society women, including Louis's mistress. Along the way, Hugues finally discovers the truth of his own identity, a revelation which is a political bombshell and which subjects him to a grisly turn. The story combines historical events and characters—Louis, his mistresses, his outrageous brother Philippe, and many other baroque personalities—with fictitious ones. Hugues’s tale reaches its climax during the famous affaire des poisons, the sexual and political scandal that thundered through the royal court and threatened wholesale destruction.

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: remark that the queen's coach was black, drawn by black horses, with black harness and housings. Such dismal...  more

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: remark that the queen's coach was black, drawn by black horses, with black harness and housings. Such dismal trap- pings, which were likewise seen on the twelve carriages that made up the royal procession, were in consequence of the deep mourning which still prevailed for king William. The Bristol annals likewise mention that the mourning worn by the royal persons was purple. The queen and prince Georgt went through all the usual routine of a grand civic reception, from which the ancient customs of pageantry and presents were entirely excluded; and then partook of a magnificent dinner, at the great house of sir Thomas Day, Bridge-end.1 Here queen Anne gave receptions to mistress mayoress and other Bristol ladies, who kissed her majesty's hand, and went through the regular court presentations. When the fatiguing day came to a close, the queen, with her invalid consort, entered their black vehicle, and, followed by their long funeral- looking procession of mourning coaches, arrived safely at the neighbouring city of Bath that night. In the course of the first four months of her accession, the queen seems to have taken considerable pleasure in rewarding any instances of disinterested attention, which either she or her consort had experienced during their previous long eclipse of court favour. The kindness of Mrs. Davies, of Twickenham, was rewarded by a renewal of her expiring lease of the house she had lent for the reception of the duke of Gloucester, for which purpose queen Anne wrote an especial request to Catharine of Braganza, of whose dower the old manor-house and its demesne made part. The royal visit to Bristol evidently brought John Duddlestone to the memory of prince George, and caused that worthy citizen's connexion with royalty to conclude in a very satisfactory manner...

LADY SARAH LENNOX - AN IRREPRESSIBLE STUART 1745-1826 BY EDITH ROELKER CURTIS. ACKNOWLEDGMENT First and foremost, the author wishes to express her grati tude to the late Richard Walden Hale, who introduced her to the subject of this biography, and who as he expressed it presented her with a...  more

LADY SARAH LENNOX - AN IRREPRESSIBLE STUART 1745-1826 BY EDITH ROELKER CURTIS. ACKNOWLEDGMENT First and foremost, the author wishes to express her grati tude to the late Richard Walden Hale, who introduced her to the subject of this biography, and who as he expressed it presented her with a store of material concerning Lady Sarah Lennox. But for his deep interest in English biography and history this work would not have been undertaken. The abundant results of his researches in the field covered by this book were the main sources of my information. In addition to this tangible material, he gave freely of his interest, scholarship and counsel, in what proved to be a most absorb ing and delightful task. It cannot be said that the finished product is a work of collaboration. Indeed we often differed in the interpretation of Lady Sarahs character, and on ques tions of inclusion and omission. For any errors in these re gards, I must, myself, be held accountable. His part in the inception and pursuance of the undertaking should, how ever, be made known to readers of the book, even as it is realized and appreciated by me. The writer wishes, also, to acknowledge her indebtedness to the Earl of Ilchester for his courtesy in extending permis sion to use material from THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF LADY SARAH LENNOX, edited by Lady Ilchester and Lord Stavordale John Murray, London, 1902 and HENRY FOX, FIRST LORD HOLLAND, HIS FAMILY AND RE LATIONS, by the Earl of Ilchester John Murray, London, 1920. With one or two exceptions, all quotations from Lady Sarah Lennoxs letters have been taken from Lord Ilchester s book. The author would record her gratitude also to Sir John vii Vlii ACKNOWLEDGMENT Murray, publisher, for his kindness and courtesy in all this matter. Three letters have been taken from THE LETTERS OF GEORGE III TO LORD BUTE, edited by Mr. Romney Sedgwick, Macmillan, London, 1939 and the author wishes to thank editor and publisher for permission to reproduce them here. Of the several friends who have helped in preparing this book, Mr. John Bovey must be thanked especially for his valuable editorial assistance, and Mr. Richard Walden Hale Jr. for his suggestive criticism of the manuscript. E. R. C. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. The Rise of the House of Lennox .... 1 II. Childhood 21 III. The Foxes and Holland House 34 IV. A Royal Suitor 47 V. The Royal Courtship 77 VI. The Royal Wedding and the Coronation . . 104 VII. Belle of London 125 VIII. The Bride 137 IX. Paris in the Spring 156 X. Gallic Interlude 168 XI. The Adored Mistress 188 XII. In This Rudderless State 196 XIII. All for Love 209 XIV. The Declassee 227 XV. Recovery 241 XVI. Fulfillment 257 XVII. The Wife of a True Military Man .... 280 XVIII. Lengthening - Shadows 295 XIX. The Mother of Heroes 311 XX. The Past Recaptured 328 Bibliography 336 Index 341 The Rise of the House of Lennox N OCTOBER ninth, 1671, sobersided John Evelyn recorded in his diary that he had gone that night with Mr...

In keeping with the practice of the 18th century, Edward Augustus, son of George III and the Duke of Kent, commissioned a friend to find him a mistress. From this unpromising and unromantic beginning grew his 27-year-long love affair with Julie de St Laurent.Edward was sent to command the...  more

In keeping with the practice of the 18th century, Edward Augustus, son of George III and the Duke of Kent, commissioned a friend to find him a mistress. From this unpromising and unromantic beginning grew his 27-year-long love affair with Julie de St Laurent.Edward was sent to command the garrison at the British naval base of Halifax, and Julie went with him. Together they spent many happy years there and in Quebec City. The Duke inscribed his devotion on the landscape at his estate near Halifax, where walks were laid out to spell "Julie", and a heart-shaped pond was dug as a testament to their love. When the only heir to England's throne died, however, the Duke's duty to make a royal marriage and produce more heirs was clear. He and Julie parted, though he continued to concern himself about her well-being and financial stability.As it turned out, Edward was successful and the future Queen Victoria was born from his royal marriage. Edward died not long afterwards, leaving behind him several fine public buildings in Halifax as monuments of his time in that city.The Prince and His Lady is both a moving love story and a fascinating portrait of the social life of Canada's early history.Replaces the Goodread edition, ISBN 0-88780-139-0

London: 1673. With her family ruined by war, penniless thirteen-year-old Sarah Jennings is overjoyed to be chosen as a maid of honor at the bawdy Restoration court of Charles II. Her beauty stirs the desires of the jaded aristocrats, but Sarah wants a grander future for herself than that of a...  more

London: 1673. With her family ruined by war, penniless thirteen-year-old Sarah Jennings is overjoyed to be chosen as a maid of honor at the bawdy Restoration court of Charles II. Her beauty stirs the desires of the jaded aristocrats, but Sarah wants a grander future for herself than that of a pampered mistress. As allies, she chooses John Churchill, a military hero whose ambition and passions match her own, and befriends the Lady Anne of York, a lonely royal princess who comes to trust Sarah over all others. But Whitehall Palace is ripe with ever-shifting alliances and sexual scandal, and Sarah will need all her cleverness to succeed. Titles, power, and wealth are the prizes, while an idle whisper in the wrong ear can bring a cry of treason, and the executioner's axe. Will Sarah's loyalties -- and her dreams -- falter when a king is toppled from his throne, and a new queen crowned? And will she dare risk everything when her one true love is tested by a passionate, dangerous obsession? Brimming with the intrigue and sensuality of one of history's most decadent courts, DUCHESS brings to vivid life the story of an unforgettable woman who determines her own destiny -- outspoken, outrageous, but most of all true to herself and her heart.

During last minute preparations for seventeen-year-old Mary Boynton's wedding, the plague arrives in London and the country is plunged into unimaginable chaos. The Boyntons flee to their Norfolk estate, but soon a relative with close connections to Charles II's court offers Mary the opportunity...  more

During last minute preparations for seventeen-year-old Mary Boynton's wedding, the plague arrives in London and the country is plunged into unimaginable chaos. The Boyntons flee to their Norfolk estate, but soon a relative with close connections to Charles II's court offers Mary the opportunity to join Queen Catherine's entourage. Mary quickly gains the admiration of both the king and his lonely wife, but it is not long before Mary's innocence is challenged by the attentions of the glamorous Duke d'Almanda, who helps save the Boynton family home from the Great Fire of London. It is only when her love affair with the Duke goes mysteriously awry that Mary shows her true strength. Far from the pampered child she once was, Mary now negotiates a maze of intrigue and influence, love and lust, to become a key player in the royal network of spies and intelligence agents. Although her success arouses the jealousy of the King's mistress, Mary has come too far, lost too much, not to find happiness in the end...

Mary Anne knew the grinding heel of poverty, and determined it would never grind her again. With beauty, brains, ambition, and the glittering decadence of Regency London to sustain her, she chose the only route that could take a cockney girl to the top - as mistress to the Royal Duke of York....  more

Mary Anne knew the grinding heel of poverty, and determined it would never grind her again. With beauty, brains, ambition, and the glittering decadence of Regency London to sustain her, she chose the only route that could take a cockney girl to the top - as mistress to the Royal Duke of York. But soon she provoked a scandal that rocked the country, placed the Duke on trial before Parliament, and risked losing Mary Anne everything...

'It is God's curse that I carry this sex desire for a woman, for when I have one, she is no sooner had than hated.' In his second historical novel, Peachment introduces us to Andrew Marvell, the beguiling 17th century poet and writer of 'To his Coy Mistress', also a spy and politician. Marvell...  more

'It is God's curse that I carry this sex desire for a woman, for when I have one, she is no sooner had than hated.' In his second historical novel, Peachment introduces us to Andrew Marvell, the beguiling 17th century poet and writer of 'To his Coy Mistress', also a spy and politician. Marvell delightfully captured in his metaphysical poetry every aspect of love lost and gained. And yet, ironically, the man himself was a solitary figure whose reflections and tremendous insight allowed beauty to spill from an otherwise lonely existence. Peachment's Marvell allows us to witness those aspects of his life that we never would glean from history alone, as we follow him throughout his childhood, his travels in Europe, his firsthand experiences of the Cromwellian Civil War, and his endless battle between a deep-seated suspicion of women and a passionate yearning for them. Christopher Peachment worked as a stage manager at the Royal Court and many other theatres after a stint as a pilot.He then turned to journalism. In the 1980's he was film editor for Time Out magazine, later becoming Deputy Literary Editor and Arts Editor for The Times. He has written on film, literature, art, opera and ballet. This is his second novel. He lives in Hoxton, London.

The reign of Athenais de Montespan as principal mistress of Louis XIV corresponds with the most glorious period of the Grand Siecle. Athenais was "the true Queen of France", symbol of a dazzling French culture in the 17th century. As a lover, she risked the disgrace of double adultery to conduct...  more

The reign of Athenais de Montespan as principal mistress of Louis XIV corresponds with the most glorious period of the Grand Siecle. Athenais was "the true Queen of France", symbol of a dazzling French culture in the 17th century. As a lover, she risked the disgrace of double adultery to conduct an affair which scandalized Europe; as a patron she supported many of the leaders of the cultural renaissance including Moliere and Racine; as a mother she is the ancestor of most of the royal houses of Europe. The greatest beauty of her day, Athenais lived her life publicly and sensationally until accusations of witchcraft forced her from power in the "Affair of the Poisons", a mystery which remains unsolved. She fascinates not only because she achieved power at a time when it was denied to most women, but because she achieved that power through her manipulation of a prescribed role. This biography explores her life and influence.

Before her first journey, no one would have guessed that Isabella Bird would become the heroine of Victorian travel. A middle-aged spinster on the Isle of Mull, she suffered from all kinds of strange diseases and was too frail to hold up her head without a steel support. Nonplussed, her doctors...  more

Before her first journey, no one would have guessed that Isabella Bird would become the heroine of Victorian travel. A middle-aged spinster on the Isle of Mull, she suffered from all kinds of strange diseases and was too frail to hold up her head without a steel support. Nonplussed, her doctors packed her off to the Pacific, the antipodean version of the spas of Switzerland, hoping for a cure.;Once there, her transformation was dramatic. Suddenly in Hawaii, she could climb the world's highest volcano - and was the first woman to do so; she rode an elephant through the untravelled jungles of Perak, she arrived in Hong Kong just in time to see it burn, and in Colorado she fell in love with a one-eyed desperado called Rocky Mountain Jim. But whenever she came home, her illness returned, making another trip essential.;Ultimately, she became a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (another female first), adviser to Gladstone and friend of Queen Victoria. She also became the mistress of her own mythology; insisting that her books reproduced the fresh impressions recorded in her letters.This selection reveals not the Isabella Bird we thought we knew, but instead a tempestuous, self-obsessed woman, occasionally at odds with the idea of Empire, deflecting proposals right and left. The letters also throw light on a fascinating relationship with Hennie, an equally clever and curious sister who had to stay behind.

Mary Anne knew the grinding heel of poverty, and determined it would never grind her again. With beauty, brains, ambition, and the glittering decadence of Regency London to sustain her, she chose the only route that could take a cockney girl to the top - as mistress to the Royal Duke of York....  more

Mary Anne knew the grinding heel of poverty, and determined it would never grind her again. With beauty, brains, ambition, and the glittering decadence of Regency London to sustain her, she chose the only route that could take a cockney girl to the top - as mistress to the Royal Duke of York. But soon she provoked a scandal that rocked the country, placed the Duke on trial before Parliament, and risked losing Mary Anne everything...

Second-novelist Scott (The Lucky Gourd Shop, 2000) traces the uneven course of a real-life 19th-century Maryland heiress's love affair with the French pirate Jean Lafitte. Cassandra Owings, the daughter of a wealthy Maryland landowner, meets and falls in love with one Benedict van Pradelles, a...  more

Second-novelist Scott (The Lucky Gourd Shop, 2000) traces the uneven course of a real-life 19th-century Maryland heiress's love affair with the French pirate Jean Lafitte. Cassandra Owings, the daughter of a wealthy Maryland landowner, meets and falls in love with one Benedict van Pradelles, a French aristocrat who'd served with Lafayette in the Revolutionary War but has been reduced to penury in the wake of the French Revolution. Benedict and Cassandra want to marry, but Cassandra's father refuses permission, so they elope and sail to France, where Benedict's family is suffering through the horrors of the Reign of Terror. Already dispossessed of their lands, houses, and titles, Benedict's parents are literally hiding for their lives when Benedict and Cassandra find them in Paris. While Benedict and his father set about organizing a secret opposition group to the revolutionary government, Cassandra looks after Benedict's mother, by now dying of starvation and heartbreak. One accomplice from Benedict's underground coterie is a young gentleman named Jean Lafitte, a counterrevolutionary courier who soon becomes Cassandra's friend, confidante, and lover. Eventually, both Benedict's and Jean's fathers are killed by the mob, and Cassandra, Benedict, and Jean all have no choice but to flee France. Cassandra and Benedict go to New Orleans, where Benedict becomes a respected state official and close friend of Governor William Claiborne, who's waging a fierce campaign against the pirates terrorizing the Gulf Coast ports. One of the most notorious is none other than Jean Lafitte, who comes often to New Orleans and resumes his secret affair with Cassandra. After Benedict dies of yellow fever,Cassandra (now ostracized from polite society) leaves for Maryland, but her ship is set upon by pirates-led by Lafitte. A happy ending? It depends on which ending (Cassandra's fate is disputed to this day) you accept. A good sweep of history, though rather overwhelmed in the end by heavy breathing and swelling bosoms. Agent: Miriam Altshuler