Elizabeth I

I am still fascinated by Queen Elizabeth just as I am with her mother Anne Boleyn.  This book by Margaret George was so rich in detail and events that it took me quite awhile to finish reading it.  I found it interesting that the book starts out when she is 54 and ends with her death at almost age 70 instead of starting with her younger years.  I wonder if the reason is because a lot of books written about her cover her earlier years.  This book focuses on Elizabeth in her later decades on the throne and her cousin Lettice Knollys.  Lettice was said to have looked like Elizabeth- the Queen's rival because she marries her love Robert Dudley.  Lettice was also mother to the Earl of Essex, the nobleman that challenged her throne and was later beheaded for his treasonous actions.  These two women have been linked since childhood- one the monarch married to her country, the other trying to gain position or power for her family.

Shakespeare, Marlowe, Dudley, Raleigh and Drake fill the pages among many courtiers to make a rich novel.  The Queen's rival the Spanish king and the Armadas takes a big role in the book.  Throughout the book she often reflects back on her parents and the role they played in her life.  Her mother was beheaded at such an early age she doesn't really remember her.  By the later decades of her reign she seems to have made her peace with it and her father.  King Henry VIII seems to be her competition even in death, as if she keeps trying to prove herself to him.  It is always a wonder for me what he thinks after trying so long to beget a son, and all the wives- that the son he always wanted was in Queen Elizabeth, his daughter.  With such interesting parents she was of course to be a fascinating character.  The treasury is basically empty when she steps onto the throne, and not much better when she leaves it because of the wars she tried so hard to avoid.  She was known to have pawned off her own jewelry, so no wonder she was known as a penny pincher.  She wore very elaborate wigs and gowns and jewels despite being thrifty. Appearance was everything after all wasn't it? 

After her sister Bloody Mary's reign I am sure Elizabeth was no doubt a Golden Age.  Some quotes from the book I found interesting and seemed true to her character:  '"Elizabeth would be able to add the subjugation of Ireland to her victory over the Armada in the annals of her reign.  A worthy achievement for a woman warrior, no matter how reluctant a one she was....for all his blustering...her father achieve nothing militarily.  She, on the other hand, has saved her realm from invasion and has slammed the back door of Ireland shut to foreign meddling."  (page 611).  Elizabeth seemed to have that canny ability to pick those with the right skill sets and talents in the right positions to surround and serve her.  The only one she seems to have misjudged was the Earl of Essex.  Her love for him let him get away with too much before she finally reigned him in and punished him for his actions in Ireland.  Perhaps her weakness for him was linked to his stepfather Robert Dudley, the love of her life.  Essex was almost more of a key character in the book than Lettice his mother.

England was known for its naval prowess, trading companies and their explorations of the New World. Virginia was named for her.  At the end of Elizabeth's reign O'Neill finally surrendered to her after draining her treasury.  The High Chieftain of Ireland was finally captured.  Then the doge of Venice was requesting to open relations between the two countries- the first Catholic state to break from Rome.  It was a long time coming.  NOt everyone had taken the middle ground of her reign with the Church of England.  Catholics still survived.  The defeat of the Armada had given her people protection and assurance.  The Spanish war was basically over and the Netherlands a successful entity.  By my calculation her reign was far more glorious than her father's.  She had given her people more love than any other monarch- never having married for them.  Her country, her people.  As complex as she was she was indeed successful.  Yes she was known to change her mind many times before making a decision, but her love was constant.

I liked the part in the book where the three cousins- Queen Elizabeth, Lettice and Catherine meet at Hever Castle to remember their ancestors and to reunite.  I don't know if it ever actually happened but it was touching to see them remember Anne and Mary Boleyn.  As many of her favorite councillors and attendants around her die she becomes more aware of her mortality and the legacy she would leave behind.  After Queen Elizabeth passed James I of Scotland ruled and then his son.  People look back on her reign as a golden age and Elizabeth as a Protestant heroine.  This book was a good read but it was hard to get through with so much information.

Empress of the Seven Hills/ His Last Duchess

Kate Quinn did an excellent job in writing Empress of The Seven Hills.  I have reviewed her other books; this is a sequel to Mistress of Rome.  I read this book very fast I practically devoured it I liked it so much.  Her books are easy to read and fast paced they keep you interested.  As usual, in my reviews, I will try to be brief but probably won't.  I also have spoilers because I can't help myself going into vivid detail.  This book follows the senator's daughter Vibia Sabina, also the daughter of a spoiled aristocrat.  She lives in the household of Marcus Norbanus, a good man who works for the emperor.  Vibia meets Vix, son of a Jewish mother who was a slave and a barbarian father.  He leaves his life in Brigantia and heads for Rome to find what is interesting there.  His dream is to own his own legion one day, and he ends up working in the household of Marcus Norbanus.  There he meets Vibia and they become lovers.  Her hand is up for marriage and many suitors visit for her hand.  Her father is letting her pick her suitor which is most unusual.

Titus is a bookworm and is encouraged by his father to sue for Vibia's hand in marriage.  She turns him down but instead they become the best of friends.  Titus keeps his crush a secret for the time being.  The book follows the three of them as they become intangled with the emperor Trajan.  Vibia ends up marrying Hadrian, the emperor's ward but not yet heir, because he promises her adventure to see the world and travel.  Vix joins the legions, aiming to be general one day.  Vibia goes along with Hadrian at the disapproval of her mother in law, so she can experience the campaign firsthand.  During the campaign she runs into Vix again and they become lovers once again.  Hadrian her husband is a hard worker but is homosexual so there is really no love there.  Hadrian and Vix are enemies from a fight years before, especially because Vix is a favorite of the emperor.  Hadrian serves as legate for Trajan's campaign so he is also working hard.  His resentment grows as Emperor Trajan promotes Vix higher up in the ranks.  The book takes you from Germania to Dacia and Parthia.  Vix is a complicated character- handsome, strong, ruthless, tumultuous in emotions, a leader.  He leaves a mistress behind that he gets pregnant and she ends up dying from childbirth.  He ends up raising her motherless son that is not his and shows some compassion there.  He ends up marrying and having children of his own.

I skim many details of the campaign but what is most intriguing about the book are the characters.  Vix like I said is quite a moody character that is sometimes abusive especially when he leaves his mistress while still in a relationship with Vibia.  Somehow you find yourself liking him despite all that, or at least wanting to know more.  Perhaps his interesting character comes from his parents.  The interesting but slightly odd thing is that the author writes about him from the 1st person whereas everyone else is written in the 3rd person.  I wonder if in this book she prefers the male characters over the female. You feel like you get to know him more that way, where Titus and Vibia kind of get lost sometimes.  Vibia is another complex character, cool and calculating and strong.  She doesn't seem the sort of person you would like either but you find yourself quite engaged.  Titus to me is the real strong but silent character, because he seems so romantic and has principles and seems to treat women with respect where Vix doesn't.  He is like Vix's conscience, the unlikliest of friends.  He kind of ties everything together with his views on the situations going on, balancing everything out.  I found myself applauding at the end when he ends up being named one of the Emperor's potential heirs to the throne instead of Hadrian.  Titus is always kind of in the background, not wanting much from life but he ends up near the forefront.

I liked this book because of the complex characters, some of who I didn't mention.  The evil mother in law Plotina, Hadrian her adopted son who I don't really delve into him.  The one thing I will mention besides the way the author wrote the charcters is that she didn't start the story with enough backgrounpd from Mistress of Rome so you end up being a little confused at the beginning until you get a grasp on the characters.  If you haven't read it first you might be a little confused at the parentage of Vibia and Vix.  The book ends with the death of the Emperor, who is quite a likeable character unlike many Emperors, with a nudge from his calculating wife Plotina; and Vibia who ends up pregnant with Vix's baby.  You find yourself mad at Vix for cheating on his wife when he finally seemed like a good guy, and wanting to know more at the same time.  You wonder if Vibia ever leaves Hadrian, if Titus will become Emperor with his love Fasutina, who is also Vibia's younger sister.  You wonder as well if Plotina is caught from her evil deed and if Hadrian and Vix have the big showdown we've all been waiting for.  I'm sure there is a sequel in the works.  I liked this book because I loved getting to know more about Rome and I enjoyed the campaigns and wars.

His Last Duchess by Gabrielle Kimm was not a favorite of mine, it took me time to get engaged in the storyline.  There was not enough of a plot to me and too much sex and passion.  I was expecting more of a historical novel and less of a romantic mystery.  I was drawn to it because of the last name Medici.  The book follows 16 year old Lucrezia de' Medici as she is married to the wealthy Duke of Ferrara, Alfonso d'Este.  He ends up being dangerous, mysterious and demanding.  Years go by and the marriage is never consummated, and he starts to fear that his title will be taken from him if there is no heir.  He is obviously mad and possibly bi polar; the author often delves into his mind and his crazy thoughts.  He keeps a mistress named Francesca who he takes his madness out on but it seems to keep him mostly stable.  Lucrezia ends up falling in love with a painter and plans a way to escape with him once his commission is done.  In the meantime, Alfonso also has his own sinister plans.  The book seems to plod along for some time then speeds up about 3/4 of the way through to an exciting and dramatic end.  The last bit was good and a page turner for me and somewhat redeemed itself.  The author based the premise of the book on a poem by Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess."  The author will write about Francesca in her next book, the duke's lover, and explores her character more in The Courtesan's Lover.  If you wish to find out more about Lucrezia I believe you could read The Second Duchess by Elizabeth Loupas, which is about Alfonsos' next duchess, which I have also blogged about.

The Flower Reader

The Flower Reader by Elizabeth Loupas was such a good book, I really enjoyed reading it.  While I was looking up authors in the library search I noticed this one and had to reserve it.  This book follows Rinette Leslie of Granmuir, a young ward of Queen Mary Guise of Scotland.  Her father had died and afterward her mother entered a convent there to devote the rest of her life in sanctuary to God.  That is how she became to be a royal ward of the queen's.  At the age of 17 the queen regent was dying and with her last words ordered her to a secret- to take a casket to Saint Margaret's Chapel in Dunfermline, there to hide it in a secret vault until she could give it to her daughter.  The queen's daughter Mary had been in France since a young age as a ward of Queen Catherine Medici and King Henry II, where she was married for two years to their son Francis until he passed away.  The queen entrusted whatever secrets were in the casket to Rinette.

It didn't take long for the drama to being unfolding; Rinette escaped on horse with her nurse before she would become a ward of Rothes or someone else.  She took the casket with her and rushed to meet her childhood love, Alexander Gordon.  They met a few days later and hurriedly met in a chapel to wed.  They were interrupted by Lord Rothes and several other men- Rinette was the lady of Granmuir now that her father was dead, but Rothes was to be in charge of her until she came of an age.  By claiming sanctuary they were able to buy time and were wed the next day.  During their honeymoon interlude Rinette told her husband Alexander about the casket.  He asked to see what was inside, and against her better judgement she lets him.  There was a packet of letters sealed by Nostradamus and other cipher letters inside.  Rinette hid it and they continued on.  She discovered she was pregnant, and near the end of her time they heard Mary was landing and rushed to meet her to give her the casket.  They rushed to Holyrood to Edinburgh Castle, but were not able to meet Mary right away as she was resting.

They decided to put the casket in the hidden vault in the chapel, and Alexander went with her to hide it.  Rinette hid a bunch of flowers in and around the casket and they slipped back out.  On the streets she was feeling sick and asked to return to their apartments when suddenly an assassin from the crowds slit Alexander's throat.  Rinette was rescued by Monsieur Nicolas de Clarac, a secretary of the deceased queen.  She soon gave birth to her daughter and didn't awaken for several days.  When she woke up she discovered that her daughter Mairi had been baptized by her godmother the new Queen of Scotland, and that her husband was lying in a coffin at Holyrood Abbey.  It took time for her to start healing both in body and spirit, and her ladies were there to attend her.

The Earl of Huntly had been a ward of her husband and so held Glenlithe as a fiefdom, and immediately began to fight to take her and her daughter as a ward.  The Earl of Rothes also fought back as she was a lady of Granmuir and therefore fell under his protection.  Through her sharp wit she asked to remain at court with the Queen for motives of her own, and also as the queen was her daughter's godmother.  It was decided by the Queen's half brother James that she would stay until she handed the casket over to the Queen.  The casket was no longer a secret- it appears her husband had written several monarchs about the secret casket and its contents to try and sell it.  Even though he had blatantly betrayed her, Rinette still desired to find out who his killer was.  She had some memories of the dagger that had killed him and what it looked like.  When she was presented to the Queen she decided to use the casket as a bargain- she said she would turn it over when the Queen helped find her husband's killer and bring him or her to justice.  This way she hoped to evade the Earls of Huntly and Rothes as well as bring her husband's killer to justice.

Court life continues and during it all, the dances and weddings and plays and serving the Queen and being with her daughter, Rinette tries to discover the identity of her husband's killer.  While at court she befriends Nicolas de Clerac who seems over and over to save her.  He becomes a favorite of the Queen's and is always by her side so they have to be careful about being seen together too much as the Queen is easily jealous.  Her daughter is taken care of at Granmuir by her ladies as the years pass away at court.  Rinette is approached often by various courtiers and agents to sell the casket to them.  The patience of the Queen and her half brother soon wears out and they demand that she turns the casket over to them.  They write up a treaty of protection for her and her daughter and her lands and say she does not have to marry against her will if she turns the casket over.  The queen and her brother the Earl of Moray signs the treaty.  When Rinette goes to find the casket it is gone- only the flowers remain.  Angry at her the Queen and her brother think that she has sold it and betrayed them.  They strip her of her castle Granmuir by the sea and force her to marry Rannoch Hamilton, a friend of the Earl of Rothes. 

Rinette marries him very unhappily and is scared as she has mocked him on several occasions in front of other men.  He abuses her in every way and she cannot escape or they will harm her daughter.  She is asked back to court to serve the Queen again, and the Queen acts like nothing has passed between them.  Rinette is relieved to serve the Queen as it keeps her from her husband during the day and sometimes at night.  Pierre Chastelard, an agent of Queen Catherine Medici, had tried to kill her with a dagger thinking to get the casket.  Word had spread the casket was gone but people still believed Rinette had it hidden.  She did not.  Nicolas de Clerac tries to do what he can for her but he could not stop the marriage.  Over time they have fallen in love but not declared it to each other.  Nicolas was injured by someone in the dark trying to stab him- it seems whoever this assassin was was trying to get at her through him.  A courtier was stabbed and killed in the same fashion as her Alexander had- as a warning to her probably.  Nicolas conferred often with Rinette in secret, trying to help her find her deceased husband's killer.  He said it was likely one of the Escadron Volant who worked for Catherine of Medici who had killed her husband.

Her husband Rannoch of Hamilton had married her in order to discover where the casket was so he could be the duke of Kinmeal Castle.  He worked for the Earl of Rothes and Moray and thought that by marrying her and threatening her child he could get the casket from her.  He hates the Queen and manages to get Rinette away from her and the court and takes her away.  She is pregnant and has another daughter Katherine she calls Kitte, but she is taken away from her.  Rinette is locked up for almost a year and is starting to suspect poison in her meals.  She manages to use her wits once again and uses the help of the deaf girl who feeds her and the stable boy to help her escape while Rannoch is drunk.  They take her daughter with her and escape back to Granmuir.  Nicolas comes to visit with a letter from the queen saying she will help her divorce him; he had gone to the kirk in St Giles and complained that his wife had fled with his daughter and she needed to answer the charges.  Rinette goes back to court to see the Queen and to read her flowers for her.  The Queen had met a man named Darnley that she wished to know their future together.  Rinette sees darkness and destruction from the man and tries to warn the Queen but she does not believe her. 

While back in the city she hears Rannoch is there; while at a wedding everything happens all at once.  Rannoch with Blaise Laurentin take her daughters and come to attack Rinette.  She stabs Blaise and escapes with her daughters to find Nicolas- he helps her hide her daughters and they tell the Queen what has happened.  One of her men was killed in the attack to take her daughters and her ladies were injured.  While stabbing Blaise she noticed the dagger had a falcon, just like the one that had killed her husband.  The Queen orders for both him and Rannoch to be killed for being agents against the crown.  In a confrontation between Rannoch and Rinette and the queen and Nicolas, Rannoch shoots Blaise in the face and kills him in front of everyone.  To take up arms in front of the queen is a crime and the Queen desires him to be hanged for his crimes.  Rannoch is hanged the next day for killing Blaise, one of Rinette's men and for his rude comments to the queen. 

Finally Rinette is free of the evil man and her daughters are safe.  She goes back to Granmuir away from the intrigues of court and the queen who one minute is loyal and the next is not.  The queen marries this Darnley and Rinette predicts only danger for the future of Scotland.  Rinette discovers that Nicolas was a cousin of the queen's and that is why he was always so close to her.  He was also an agent of the Countess Antoinette and had the casket in his possession all along.  Rinette is angry for some time because the casket is what had caused the murder of her husband and many others.  Nicolas gives the casket to Rinette to present to the queen.  She reads the letter of Nostradamus then throws the rest in the fire.  Nicolas and Rinette marry while they settle at Granmuir with her children.  Most the characters besides the queen, her half brother and Darnley are fictional.  The casket was indeed real but what was inside is a mystery and served as the basis for the story.  Flower reading is what Rinette did but many called witchcraft.  There is a lot of content to the book and I hope I did it justice- it was a good book, full of twists and turns, love, lust, power, danger and murder.  I am happy Rinette has a happy ending after her many trials.  The Queen of Scotland is interesting because of her many mood changes and the husband she chooses to marry that does lead to her downfall.  It was common back then for children to be royal wards when their parents died or entered convents or served at court.  Children were most often brought up by other relatives than their own parents.  I highly recommend this book, very good.

The Sister Queens

I had to put this book on hold at the library- I heard about it coming out through an author friend on Facebook.  Michelle Moran was one of the reviewers of this book, in fact it's on the front of the book.  Once I heard about it I knew I had to read it.  Sophie Perinot writes about two sisters raised by their father the Count of Provence.  Both were destined for great marriages and Marguerite, the eldest, is to marry the King of France at only age 13.  Louis IX is very handsome and considered the greatest monarch of his age.  A few years later Eleanor is married off to Henry III, King of England.  The book follows the sisters as they are separated from each other but keep in touch with letters.

Marguerite is quite happy at first with her handsome husband, but soon his overbearing mother Blanche of Castile gets in the way of them being together often.  She soon realizes as well that Louis is extremely pious, and getting more so as time passes.  He eventually quits giving her the love and companionship that they had at the beginning of their marriages, and she finds herself lonely and unhappy.  Sent away from her family at such a young age, she was not able to keep her own ladies with her either.  It takes several years for her to have a child, and eventually they have 8 children together.  3 of them are born in the Holy Land while they are there on Crusade for several years- parted from her eldest children.  It is during this time Marguerite begins an affair with one of her husband's favorite men, Jean de Joinville the Seneschal of Champagne.  As Jean is the king's favorite, he is often nearby and so at first it is easy to meet together secretly, because it's common for them to be together.

The King seems to suspect the affair but never openly does anything other than make some religious remarks and mild threats.  Eventually to keep her children safe, Marguerite stops the affair and they remain friends. The family she came from, the Savoyards, were celebrities in the High Middle Ages, known for their martial and political powers.  Their mother was related to the House of Savoy and had many powerful and handsome brothers.  They tried to travel with Marguerite when she married but were sent away.  Marguerite became a powerful woman through the advice of her uncles through letters and her own powers.  One of her sisters Beatrice is married to a relation of Louis's to keep him loyal, so she does have family with her, although not her favorite, Eleanor.  The two sisters keep in close contact through letters, only having a split in communication when their father passes away leaving everything to Beatrice, his favorite.  The living at Flamstead becomes an issue when her dowry will not be paid, so Marguerite works quickly to secure some lands for herself and marries Beatrice to Charles d'Anjou.  Although he is detestable they need his loyalty.  When Eleanor hears of this she feels betrayed for her sister and they do not write for some time. 

The siege of Damietta is a difficult time for Marguerite- the King had failed in his mission with the infidels against the Sultan of Aleppo; many of his men were captured or killed. The King himself was captured and many months went by without word of who survived.  Marguerite had to pay a heavy fine to have him released.  He seemed a changed man after this, becoming more emaciated and religiously obsessed.  At times he seemed to come back to Marguerite and paid her some attention, but then he went back to wearing his hair shirt, flogged himself and imposed strict punishments for petty mistakes or crimes.  She found herself not only out of love with her husband, but also a little scared of his devotion.  After being in Egypt and Jerusalem so long, she worries her three children back home have forgotten her.  During their time away, the Queen Mother passes away.  Eventually after 20 years of being parted, the sisters meet again for Christmas court.  The two sisters work together on a treaty between France and England, a treaty that was signed in 1259 and would see France and England as allies and not enemies.  The book does not cover the rest of the sister's long lives, but it seems they were quite productive and politically savvy.

Eleanor is passionate, strong willed and stubborn- as children she was often quite jealous of Marguerite and could fall into a rage easily.  She is to become Queen of England and when she meets Henry, he is older and not so handsome as she had hoped.  She met her sister's husband Louis and found him to be quite more attractive and younger.  The rivalry still existed in her mind at who was better at what.  Although it seems mismatched, they are quite happy together and he treats her very well.  She discovers over time though that he is not a very good King.  Where one sister is unhappy but has a great King for a husband, the other has true love but not the greatest King.  Eleanor ends up learning a lot from her uncles in how to help her husband rule.  She has a baby before her sister Marguerite and ends up having six or so.  Her sister Sanchia comes to her court and weds so she also has a sister nearby. In 1253 she is appointed regent while Henry travels to Gascony.  This was most unusual and shows how he truly loved and trusted in her abilities.  Eleanor's mother later complements her for being a wonderful mother and great leader.

I felt like Marguerite was written about more so perhaps that's why I wrote about her more or the fact I found her more interesting.  The letters from the sisters in the book are not actual letters but the author's idea of what they wrote to each other.  I find it interesting to read about their relationship, as sister relationships can often be quite complicated.  Just like Anne and Mary Boleyn were quite complicated, these two sisters seemed able to forge a respect and lively friendship throughout their lives.  I am interested to read about the rest of their lives.  Perhaps I was more interested in Marguerite's story because she saw more action on Crusade and was so unhappy with her husband.  It is interesting how neither sister could have both the handsome looks and a good King.  I believe Eleanor sounded more truly happy, especially as she did not sin and put her immortal soul in danger like she believes her sister did. 

The Stolen Crown

The Stolen Crown by Susan Higginbotham was a good book and an interesting read.  It follows Katherine Woodville at the time of King Edward IV's reign and his secret marriage to her sister Bess Woodville.  I have blogged in other posts about Edward IV and Richard III if you need some background history.  I like when the author writes the book from the point of view of someone we are not as familiar with.  Katherine, or Kate, was the youngest of the Woodville children when her oldest sister was secretly married to the King.  Once it was made public many were surprised and even angry at the match as she was a virtual nobody, a widow with 2 children.  The family's star was soon on the rise as they moved to Court with Bess, the new Queen.

Kate was betrothed at married at age 9 to Harry, the Duke of Buckingham.  He was related to the Beauforts and Somersets, both who had served the previous deposed King mad Henry.  In the summer of 1460 the Earl of Warwick known as the Kingmaker and Ned, soon to be King, had taken the mad King and placed him in the Tower and was himself crowned as King.  It was about 4 years later that the King secretly married Bess her sister.  Her sister soon had given him three daughters in quick succession when there was an uprising in the land.  Warwick was angry at all the Woodvilles and how they had prospered so quickly because of their sister's marriage to the King.  He worked to put mad King Henry back on the throne, only to engage in battle with King Edward and lost.  When King Edward returned to his wife and children, who had sequestered themselves in an abbey during the tumult, he met his first son little Edward.  Soon things were put back to rest somewhat and mad King Henry was placed back in the Tower.  Not long after rumors spread that he had passed away, and some wondered quietly if the King had hastened his death.  Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick, was killed during the battle.  During this battle Warwick had ordered the deaths of Kate's father and brother John, so she gloated a little over the fact he was now dead himself.

Soon word arrived in London that Margaret of Anjou had landed in England when hearing the news of Warwick's defeat (her husband was the mad King Henry, now deceased).  Harry's uncle, Edmund Beaufort, led her army against King Edward's forces.  During the battle, John Beaufort along with the prince Edward of Lancaster, lay dead on the battlefield- the last of the Lancaster hope now destroyed.  Harry's uncle was put to death as well for aiding the wrong side.  After the battle, Margaret of Anjou was housed and imprisoned.  Harry had been a ward of the crown for a long time, but his loyalties were questioned on occasion because his entire family had been on the Lancaster side.  As his wife Kate was sister to the Queen, he had to serve King Edward faithfully while knowing that doing so, his mother's brothers were being killed.

As Kate grew to be a bit older, Harry and her became a true husband and wife.  They still lived at Court for a time, waiting for some of Harry's lands or jointures to be granted them.  He was never given military assignments because of his inexperience, and his impertinence sometimes led to the King being angry with him.  He was said to have a loud mouth.  Harry was good friends with Richard, the King's brother.  Kate was not fond of him and knew he didn't like the Woodville clan as many others.  The King had another brother, George, who joined with Warwick on occasion to overthrow him and plotted treason.  After so many incidents, the King finally had to order his death.  Living at Court, Kate was surrounded by all the intrigue and drama of the day.  Harry was soon granted some of his Bohun lands and they moved there together to start their family. 

As 1483 approached, the King was sitting nicely on his throne.  His trouble-making brother George was dead, Margaret of Anjou had passed away, Jasper Tudor and Henry were exiled in Brittany, and the Scots weren't too much trouble to maintain.  Quite suddenly, the King had passed away from a chill, he was only in his forties.  This is when things began to unravel quite quickly.  Richard, the King's brother, was to serve as protectorate to the young King Edward until he came to his majority, and would then rule himself.  A letter was received by Harry and Richard that the Queen was planning for her own kin to rule beside her son.  Harry and Richard felt they deserved it and so started working hastily to figure out what to do next.  They had Anthony Woodville, Kate's brother, imprisoned.  When she heard of this she was greatly upset her own husband would have a hand in this.  It seemed he had become Richard's creature.  Harry was made the chief justice and chamberlain of North and South Wales and constable of many castles.  His rise was meteoric and swift, since the late King Edward had been slow to grant him anything.

Soon Richard was grasping at straws and either heard or started a rumor that his brother, the late King Edward, had been a bastard.  Also that he may have been precontracted to another woman before the Queen, so his children were therefore bastards as well.  Now it was no longer about just taking the protectorate it was about taking the throne from his nephew.  The young King was never coronated and was put in the Tower.  The Queen took her children into sanctuary once again, and after many demands, released up her other son to be a companion to his brother in the Tower.  What no one expected was that the two boys would eventually just disappear.  Still to this day no one knows when or how they were killed or died.  Of course Richard was blamed along with Harry.  As things moved forward swiftly and men were put to death, including Anne's brother, she no longer felt like she knew her husband Harry.  After Richard's coronation, Kate stayed away from Court and away from Harry.  She joined her sister and her children in house arrest in the country.  Bess's two eldest daughters, Elizabeth and Cecily, went to Court.

The King's son passed away, and many felt it just treatment for killing his two nephews as well as many others.  Soon the Queen Anne passed away from a long illness, leaving him free to marry again.  Rumors spread that he wished to marry his niece Elizabeth, even though he had had her declared a bastard.  Along the way, Harry changed his mind about serving Richard.  He started to work with his aunt Margaret Beaufort to put her son Henry Tudor on the throne.  When word get out that he had turned traitor, it wasn't long before he was caught, put on trial, and beheaded.  Kate was now a widow along with her sister, imprisoned with all of their children waiting for the tides to turn.  Although King Richard did some good, his path to the throne had been bathed in blood.

Suddenly, the tides did turn.  Kate's two older brothers, still alive, came happily to visit her and Bess.  "Richard, Duke of Gloucester, usurper and murderer of innocents, late calling himself king of England, was slain in Leicestershire.  Long life to your new king.  King Henry!"  (page 350)
Kate met the new King and soon married Jasper Tudor his uncle.  Eventually the King married her niece Elizabeth Woodwillve.  Soon she was the last surviving Woodville, and her husband Jasper had passed away.  She went on to marry Richard Wingfield without royal license, and less than fourteen months later passed away at age 39.

Henry VII died in 1509, outliving his queen.  Their first son Arthur died in 1502, and their other son Henry became King Henry VIII.  There is so much plot to this book it is really hard to review it all.  As well as the lineage and genealogy of all the Yorks and Lancasters, etc.  I probably just added more confusion so I tried to only write about those main characters.  It was interesting to wonder if Kate ever loved Harry and if they were happy together.  What made him change his mind about serving Richard, was it because he believed he had killed his nephews?  And also, did Richard really have a hand in his nephew's deaths?

At The Mercy Of The Queen

This book caught my eye when I was at Barnes & Noble so I put it on hold at the library.  As always, anything from The Tudor period and Anne Boleyn fascinates me.  The author Anne Clinard Barnhill focused the novel on Anne Boleyn and her tumultuous reign as Queen.  She writes mainly from the viewpoint of Margaret Shelton, Anne's cousin.  She has appeared in other Tudor novels but she was quite prevalent in this one.  I like that the author chose to write about Margaret because not much has been written about her, other than the fact she served Queen Anne and was her cousin.  Even though I am fascinated by the Tudor period, it seemed there were no other viewpoints or details to cover. 

The author is related to the Sheltons and so took a special interest in Margaret Shelton.  I like that this book introduces a new voice with a new perspective.  Anne Boleyn is always fascinating to me, complex and controversial.  I don't know that I would like her in person, but she continues to fascinate readers centuries later.  Margaret serves Anne and so is privy to many of her private emotions and moments.  The novel shows a softer, sweeter side to Anne that many probably didn't see in her time.  She had to remain strong and passionate to keep the King and impress the courtiers.  After having Elizabeth, she lost two little boys in miscarriages and was never quite able to bring the King back to her affections.  Margaret is there to comfort and care for Anne during these hard times, when she begins to be abandoned. 

The King, also a complicated character, never the faithful one begins to fall for Jane Seymour.  This is where I believe Anne's fall began in earnest.  The King liked the thrill of the hunt but quickly tired of the woman after.  Anne was able to hold him a bit longer than most, but because of her inability to produce a male heir after everything the King had done to make her Queen (put aside his first wife Catherine and the new religion), his fuse was shorter.  He was no longer young and did not have the time to wait.  This worked against Anne as well as her own temper.  After suffering the loss of two children and knowing she was in danger, her temper flared more often and she was often railing at the King and getting mad instead of being sweet.  Unlike his first wife Catherine and Jane Seymour, Anne was willful and strong.  The passion the King fell in love with now was his annoyance and her downfall.  It was only time before Anne was to be put aside.

I found myself actually having sympathy for Anne even after her controversial rise at Court, because here she is basically abandoned at Court, her daughter far from her, with no one but her cousin to care for her.  She had to watch as the King fell in love with another woman and powerless to do anything.  Because of the King's age and declining health and weight gain, he wasn't able to be intimate as easily.  With all this working against Anne, who was of course blamed, the King's secretary began to find ways to get rid of her for the King.  So that he could remarry.  Anne was deeply religious which may be surprsiing, but she was opposed to the King's closing of the abbeys and monasteries and using the money for his treasury.  She often argued with him and Cromwell that they should use it for the poor, or at least keep the good ones still open.  Her passion for this worked agaisnt her as well and is what led to her friendship with Cromwell coming to an end.

She was soon brought before the Court, charged with treason and adultery on several counts.  Margaret asked the King to serve the Queen in her last weeks and he let her.  I don't know if this was indeed a fact, I've heard several names of ladies that stayed with her until the very end.  Not all were her supporters either.  The men that were accused with her were put to death, including her own brother.  Anne left the world bravely, dignified and poised.  The King extended one last service to her and ordered for a French swordsman to do the deed as it would be less painful and messy.  Margaret goes on to marry and have several children away from Court, keeping the memories of the Queen close to her heart.  You also feel for Margaret in this book, because the Queen asks of her a favor.  In between her miscarriages, while the Queen is still trying to gain back the King's love and favor, she asks Margaret or Madge her nickname, to sleep with the king for her.  The Queen believed she had more control this way by putting her own kin before the King, someone she could trust and that could possibly tell the King good things about her.  This is the main thing Margaret is known for in history, is her affair with the King.  Some still conjecture whether Anne put her up to it or not- it would seem to make sense if the two had a good relationship and were trying to help one another.

My conclusion is that this book was very entertaining, interesting and provided a refreshing outlook.  Of course it has sexual scenes and references, but overall I recommend it for history lovers.

The Heretic Queen

It has been almost three months since I lost blogged, life has been so crazy I haven't read anything until the last week or so.  When I don't have time to read I really feel like something is missing from my life.  I love to read.  I'm sure i'll have another big gap until the next post because I am having a little girl in less than 6 weeks.  So please be patient for those that follow my blog, which I hope there are at least a few.

I chose to blog about The Heretic Queen since I just re-read it and love it.  I did blog about it once before but only a short paragraph.  This is the sequel to Nefertiti which is also a fabulous book.  It is 1283 B.C. in Thebes known as Upper Egypt.  I will briefly tell you what happened before this time- Nefertiti and her husband Akhenaten ruled Egypt and removed the gods that had been worshipped for over a thousand years, and in its place raised up the deity Aten (the sun) in its place.  They built their own city and were deemed heretical because of their policies and beliefs.  Akhenaten died of the plague and Nefertit was later stabbed to death by some priests.  Nefertiti's daughter Tutankhamun reigned until she died of an infection at age 19, and her grandfather Ay took the throne.  He passed away a few years later, with only one last link to the royal family, Nefertiti's sister Mutnodjmet.  Not one to want the crown, the general Horemheb took her as wife by force (we assume although there is no evidence).  Mutnodjmet passed away in childbirth and Horemheb passed the throne to his general, Ramesses I.  This began the Ninteenth Dynasty.  Ramasses was old when he began and the crown then passed on his death to his son, Paroah Seti.

All that remains of Nefertit's family line is the daughter of Mutnodjmet, Nefertari.  She is an orphan alone in the court of Seti, branded a heretic herself because of her family.  Nefertari is not for sure related to Nefertiti, but because of her age it could be possible.  She was a princess at court and was taken care of by her nurse Merit, who had also been with her mother and lived during the heretic's reign.  Nefertari was best friends with Ramasses, the prince, and Asha, son of a general.  She was very bright in school and knew over six languages, proficient in cuneiform and heiroglyphics.  When the time came for Ramasses to wed and start ruling as coregent in the Audience Chamber with his parents; Nefertari was devestated that her lifelong friend would no longer be with her in school.  Ramasses was wed to Iset, the daughter of a harem wife.  Many were surprised at his choice of wife, but the sister of Parahoah Seti, Henuttawy, had used her influence to push the marriage forward.  Soon Asha left as well to begin training as a soldier and Nefertari was left friendless at school.  Pharoah Seti's other sister, Woserit a high priestess, took aside Nefertari to begin telling her what her options were.  With no family if she did not marry Ramasses and eventually become Chief Wife as was her destiny, she would end up a priestess or even worse, abandoned in a harem somewhere.

At only age 13 she began to realize she needed to take a hand in shaping her destiny.  She needed to make Ramasses see that she was not just his little friend or sister, but a woman.  Taking Woserit's advice, she left the school to join Woswerit at the Temple of Hathor to become a priestess for at least a year.  Iset had already taken over her chambers and many at court had snubbed her aside as a useless princess from a heretical family.  Over the year she was with Woserit, she was not allowed to see Ramasses and was schooled in more languages, the harp and courtly manners.  When she returned to court for the Feast of Wag, Ramasses was very happy to see her.  She had grown more beautiful and wise and he had missed her greatly.  He desired for her to be his wife and soon proclaimed to the court, with his father's permission who adored Nefertari, that they would be wed.  The day after their wedding, Pharoh Seti and his queen Tuya set off for Lower Egypt because it was time for Ramasses to rule Upper Egypt alone since he was 18.

Nefertari joined Ramasses and Iset in the Audience Chamber, and soon earned the respect and admiration of many courtiers and petitioners.  With her skill in languages she was able to take most of the harder petitions and was useful to Ramasses.  Her came to her every night, even when it was his time to be with Iset, for her to interpret letters for him.  Iset was very beautiful but not very bright and complained often.  It became clear who was the favorite although many still called her the Heretic.  Iset lost her first son and many at court began complaining that it was Nefertari who had taken her baby's life.  She had to constantly battle the judgements of the people and try to prove herself.  Even after giving birth to twin boys, the people were still hesitant towards her.  Nefertari joined Ramasses during his crusade of the Nubian rebellion.  Soon people cheered her as the Warrior Queen for her bravery.  Now she was not only useful in the Audience Chamber but also in battles.  The Nile was very low and drought was spreading- again the people began blaming Nefertari.  Fortunately a solution was found and the rice from the temples was distributed to the people.

Pharoah Seti passed away shortly after they arrived at Lower Egypt and it was said his heart was too weak.  Nefertari overheard Henuttawy whispering with Iset about the poison they had given him to drink to hasten his death. With him out of the way they were hoping that Ramasses would finally decide and make Iset Chief Wife.  A few months after pharaoh's passing, the court moved into Lower Egypt known as Avaris.  Pharoah Ramasses decided to keep his father's last wish and go to war with Kadesh.  Nefertari and her sons joined Pharoah Ramasses on his war against Kadesh, along with Merit her nurse and Iset and her son.  Instead of ending in victory it ended in a peace treaty- the document still survives in the United Nations building in New York as an example of one of the earliest peace treaties.  Ramasses made Nefertari Chief Wife and they ruled together for over 25 years before her death.  Theirs was known as a love match and on the wall in her burial chamber, which is one of the most exquisite tombs to survive today, reads:
"My love is unique and none can rival her...Just by passing, she has stolen away my heart." 

Hennutawy was finally found out that she had hastened Pharoah Seti's death with poison, and her lover Rahotep the high priest stabbed her to death.  He was Iset's father and also the one that had killed Nefertiti and started the fire that killed the rest of the family.  Merit, the nurse, had known all along but kept it secret until the time was right.  Rahotep was killed for his crimes.  Woserit was finally free to marry her love Paser, the tutor, now that her evil sister was gone.  The serpents in the court were finally gone, where Ramasses could rule with Nefertari and their children.  Because Ramasses outlived most his children and lived into his nineties, generations grew up and died only having known him as Pharoah.  Ramasses is remembered as a great warrior and builder, and poems still survive of his love to Nefertari.  She bore him six children but none lived long enough to become Pharoah- in fact, Iset's son Merenptah succeeded after his death. 

I like this book because of the rich historical detail, the people, the story mingled with fact and fiction, the drama.  You feel happy for Nefertari because she overcomes her family's dark past and is made Chief Wife to the man she loves.  She was able to build a temple to her family where they would be remembered for all time.  Again, her paternity is not definite but it is possible she came from Nefertit's family.  An interesting thing is that after the Heretic's reign, Akhenaten and Nefertiti, the general Horemheb had all their images and their city destroyed so the gods or people wouldn't remember them.  So Nefertari believed unless she became Chief Wife, the gods would not remember her family.  If a person was buried without any kind of token identifying them, it was believed they would be cast out and forgotten by the gods after this life.  With important deeds and works they would be remembered and stand out to the gods.  That is why their images were drawn everywhere possible so they could be remembered.  I recommend this book because it's so interesting and rich in detail.