A review of Rozsa Gaston’s Margaret of Austria Introducing Margaret of Austria’s eventful life On to the story itself. After three unfortunate marriages in France, Spain & Savoy, Margaret of Austria comes into her own after 1504, when she is again widowed. Refusing to marry again despite intense pressure from her father, Emperor Maximilian I,
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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
Louise de Savoy and the Savoy Connection Read More »
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
Who were the women of The Importance of Pawns? Read More »
As a dominating mother, did Louise de Savoie rule for King François I? She played a powerful political domestic and international political role in his Council. Twice she acted for him as Regent. Many say Louise de Savoie was the ruling force behind King François’s government until her death in 1531. Louise’s Early Life In
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Was there scandal at the French court in 1515? What was it? Those historians who study Princess Renée of France, say that her guardian Duchess Louise de Savoie dismissed her gouvernante Mme. Michelle de Soubise in June 1515. She made accusations, and Mme. Michelle and her entourage left under a cloud. She only regained her
Scandal at the French Court in 1515? Read More »
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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