On 27 March 1615, the notorious Reine Margot, Queen of Navarre, much vilified first wife of the great King Henry IV of France, died. At the time of her death, she was the last member of the royal Valois line that had ruled in France since 1328. A Bright, Clever Child Born on 14 May
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The 16th century in France saw big changes in intellectual life, culture, religion, and politics, for both women and men. Italian influences brought new ideas in humanism, arts, architecture, and literature. Like men, women writers and thinkers began to explore ideas about the dignity and potential of the individual, reflecting the influence of humanism. At
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According to Caroline zum Kolk, “In the long history of the household of the queen of France, the sixteenth century marked a peak: never before or since was its staff so numerous, or was it so deeply involved in life at court.” To give a sense of the size and complexity of the French queens’
The Queens of France’s Households’ in 16th Century Read More »
The Renaissance marriage of Germaine [Germana] de Foix is a perfect example that for centuries, royal women were pawns in power and politics.
Power and Politics in Germaine de Foix’s Marriage Read More »
What do Countess Louise, Astrology, and January 1 have in common? Readers of the Journal de Louise de Savoye, duchesse d’Angoulesme, d’Anjou et de Valois will know the answer. For the rest of you, let me explain. Estimated reading time: 4 minutes Three crucial events In the 20 years between 1496 to 1515, three crucial
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What clothing did French Renaissance Noblewomen wear? As a writer, I ask myself this question each time I need to describe a woman. I focus on noblewomen because courts set the fashion. People of every class copied the one above it as closely as their finances allowed. Styles varied from one country to another and from
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I began this website with facts not fiction about the women of 16th Century France. It was too limiting. , I posted historical content about the women I was fictionalizing. It was too limiting. Now my site is more eclectic. I have lots about my fiction, the blog posts with historical content about the women
The Women of 16th-Century France: Fact and Fiction Read More »
This post was originally published on Ruins & Reading. The story behind The Importance of Pawns or how I developed my debut novel is long and tortuous. Yet you could not have asked about a topic closer to my heart. Historical fiction has been my favourite genre since I learned to read at five. At
The Story Behind The Importance of Pawns or How I Developed My Debut Novel Read More »
You’ll find my brief history of the life of Princess Renée de France, a stanch Huguenot, at The Freelance History Writer. I recently wrote a guest blog post there to celebrate the launch of my novel The Importance of Pawns. In the post, I give an overview of the tumultuous life that Princess Renée lived.
A Brief History of Princess Renée de France: Staunch Huguenot Read More »
For 10 weeks, in 2021, from March 15 to May 17, the first published book in my series on Anne of Brittany, The Importance of Pawns, went on Tour with the Coffee Pot Book Club. Here are links to each of the blogs that posted different articles about my book. I thank all of them
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Who are the four women in The Importance of Pawns who dominate the action? At the centre of the plots are Princess Claude and Princess Renée of France, the elder and younger daughters of the French King and Queen. The third, Baronne Michelle de Soubise, Renée’s Gouvernante*, fights to shield herself and the two daughters
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To say Mary Tudor, King Henry VIII’s younger sister, was reluctant to become Queen of France, is an understatement. When her brother told her she was to marry King Louis XII, she was furious. So, who was Mary Tudor? Why was she upset about marrying the King of France? Early Life: Favoured Daughter Mary grew
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