In the 16th Century as now, among the royals and the rich, it wasn’t so much what you knew as who you knew—and who your relations were. Blood was everything: more important than how rich you were; what you looked like; how healthy you were; what kind of temperament you had; and even what side
Louise de Savoy and the Savoy Connection Read More »
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes Historical romance meets period history These are two women with intelligence, in aristocratic roles without power. Mothers to children birthed to rule. Alienated from their natural instincts and obstructed from their abilities. Surrounded by wealth and privilege and yet locked in relationships defined by ancient customs of court and monarchy.
A Review of The Importance of Sons Read More »
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes Table of contents When did Marguerite de Rohan live? Who were Marguerite’s brothers and sisters? Who was her husband, Count Jean d’Angoulême? Who were Marguerite and Jean’s children? Where Marguerite and Jean have their lands? Some sources for information about Marguerite de Rohan Marguerite de Rohan, Countess d’Angoulême was the
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Here are the basic facts of Queen Jeanne de France’s life, the only French queen who is a real saint. Father: Louis XI de France Mother: Charlotte de Savoie Birth: Nogent-le-Roi, France 23 April 1464 Marriage: Duke Louis d’Orléans, 8 September 1476, Château de Montrichard Annulment: 17 December 1498, Saint Gatien Cathedral, Tours, 26 December
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First, here are the fundamental facts about Duchess Anne de Beaujeu, “the least foolish woman in France.” Father: Louis XI de FranceMother: Charlotte de SavoieBirth: Genappe, Brabant, April? [uncertain, but before 22 July] 1461Marriage: Pierre de Beaujeu, later Duke de Bourbon [1488]. Betrothal, 3 November 1473; Marriage, Château de Montrichard, 9 November 1474.Death: Chantelle, France,
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When the not-quite 12-year-old Anne of Brittany became duchess, her people found in her their unlikely heroine. She inherited a duchy on its knees. Brittany was reeling from defeat at the decisive battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier in July 1488. Her senile father signed the disastrous peace Treaty of Verger with France. Then he fled to his
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On 1 January 1515 Louise of Savoy’s son became king and by July, François I was at war in Italy, leaving the Regent, Louise de Savoy in charge. He was away until early in 1516. Her contemporaries, among them Pope Leo X, acknowledged and appreciated her status as a powerful mater regis. Charles Brandon, the Duke
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