Catherine of Braganza began to engage more readily in the activities of the Stuart Court following a visit from her mother-in-law, Dowager Queen Henrietta Maria. Henrietta had encouraged her to accept his husband’s infidelities and participate and even organize events. Charles also inspired her to be more involved, just as his mother had done during
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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When I started Passion for Compasses, I did not expect to discover a medieval eyeopener. Although the subtitle–Medieval Master Builders and their Cathedral Building Plans–intrigued me, I thought I would learn a bit about how medieval architects built the great gothic cathedrals without understanding any of the technicalities. I picked it up from Book Sirens
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In an era when newspapers were still in their infancy, letters played an indispensable role in connecting minds and disseminating news. Madame de Sévigné, became one of the earliest of the French letter writing luminaries. She navigated the intricate web of court politics, fashion, and social dynamics, while penning her insights with eloquence and humor.
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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
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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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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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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
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I recently received to buy the book of poetry, SPACE PLACE TIME to support David Dunn’s Wild Life Fund? What is this Fund? He explains its purpose best. Its sole aim is to finance the wilder aspects of his existence for as long as possible. Knowing the author as I do, the honesty of his
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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes Few settings cast a spell like the French court. The French Renaissance court, even for those who know little about it, exercises a charm that is hard to resist. Writing about how I created it as a setting is the subject of my blog post Getting to Setting in The
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As I was researching my new novel I reflected on the importance of male heirs for Brittany and France. I had been reading an article that electrified me in the book Noblesse de Bretagne du Moyen Age à Nos Jours. Failures in the male line One article in particular challenges several standard interpretations of Breton
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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 »
