A place for friends to meet... with reflections on politics, history, art, music, books, morals, manners, and matters of faith.
A blog by Elena Maria Vidal.
"She was not a guilty woman, neither was she a saint; she was an upright, charming woman, a little frivolous, somewhat impulsive, but always pure; she was a queen, at times ardent in her fancies for her favourites and thoughtless in her policy, but proud and full of energy; a thorough woman in her winsome ways and tenderness of heart, until she became a martyr."
"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."
"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."
~Edmund Burke, October 1790
A Note on Reviews
Unless otherwise noted, any books I review on this blog I have either purchased or borrowed from the library, and I do not receive any compensation (monetary or in-kind) for the reviews.
While 17th century theologians were still wondering whether women had
souls capable of apprehending God, scores of young women were risking
everything to join Mary Ward’s Institute, drawn by her charismatic
personality and deep faith.
Three centuries later, one of her followers, Mother Teresa of Calcutta said she was “God’s gift to the Church and society”, while Pope Pius XII described her as “that incomparable woman, whom England, in her darkest and most sanguinary hour, gave to the Church” and Pope John Paul II praised her in his encyclical on women, Mulieris Dignitatem.
She was one of the great female travellers of the 17th century,
journeying on foot over the Alps a number of times amid the Thirty Years
War to meet Pope Gregory XV and Urban VIII in Rome and answer the
Church’s criticisms of her Institute.
As one of her followers, Sr MM Littlehales, CJ, wrote in her book, ‘Mary Ward: Pilgrim and Mystic’:
In
the Elizabethan era – that age of outstanding personalities – she was
exceptional. She was among the great 17th century travellers.
Indefatigable, she went on foot from Liege to Rome, thence to Naples and
Perugia more than once, twice from Rome to Munich and back, to Vienna
and to Bohemia – the very borders of Islam. Besides other journeys, she
crossed the sea ten times between England and Flanders. Her last and
most remarkable journey, from Rome to England, ended in Yorkshire. All
these travels were undertaken with the scantiest resources and in poor
health – 6 times over the Alps in the depth of winter, through the
occupying armies of the Thirty Years War and usually on foot except on
two occasions when she was carried in a litter, apparently dying.”
Mary Ward and her companions, who came to be known as ‘the English
Ladies’, founded religious communities and schools throughout Europe
from St Omer and Liège in Flanders, via Cologne, Trier, Munich,
Bratislava and Vienna to Perugia, Rome and Naples.
She strove to educate in and for society, not apart from it, and to
educate young women in the Christian virtues and liberal arts so that
they would be able to undertake more fruitfully their vocations in
life. In her view, education was an advantage not a danger. (Read more.)
Marie-Antoinette "en gaulle" by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun
#1 in Kindle Biographies of Royalty!
Marie-Antoinette, Daughter of the Caesars: Her Life, Her Times, Her Legacy
An Audible Bestseller
Marie-Antoinette, Daughter of the Caesars: Her Life, Her Times, Her Legacy
An Amazon Bestseller
Trianon: A Novel of Royal France
My Queen, My Love: A Novel of Henrietta Maria
Available from Amazon
The Saga of Marie-Antoinette's daughter, Marie-Thérèse of France
A Novel of the Restoration
In Kirkus Top 20 for 2014! And #1 in Kindle Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction
"In every Eden, there dwells a serpent . . . ."
#1 in Kindle History of France!
The Night's Dark Shade: A Novel of the Cathars
Listen to Tea at Trianon Radio
All about Marie-Antoinette!
Join me on Facebook!
Elena Maria Vidal Author Page
Join me on X!
@emvidal
Visit My Tumblr!
East of the Sun, West of the Moon
St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us!
"...Bud forth as the rose planted by the brooks of waters. Give ye a sweet odor as frankincense. Send forth flowers, as the lily...and bring forth leaves in grace, and praise with canticles, and bless the Lord in his works." —Ecclesiasticus 39:17-19
The fact that a link is provided here in no way constitutes an endorsement of everything on the other end of the link.
Comments Policy
Comments are moderated. If a comment is not published, it may be due to a technical error. At any rate, do not take offense; it is nothing personal. Slanderous comments will not be published. Anonymity may be tolerated, but politeness is required.
I would like to respond to every comment but my schedule renders it impossible to do so. Please know that I appreciate those who take the time to share their thoughts.
No comments:
Post a Comment