Tea at Trianon: The Turbulent Life of Henrietta Maria of France, Queen of England

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"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."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"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

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

The Turbulent Life of Henrietta Maria of France, Queen of England

From All About Royal Families:

Recently I read a splendid book My Queen, My Love: A Novel of Henrietta Maria written by Elena Maria Vidal about Henrietta Maria of France. Who was she? Who was this French princess who became Queen of England? So, time to make up another Royal History post.
Henrietta Maria was born on 25 November 1609 in the Louvre Palace in Paris. Her parents were Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici. She was thus a member of the House of Bourbon. Of course Henriette Maria had other siblings. Among them were King Louis XIII of France and Elisabeth, who became Queen of Spain. Henrietta Maria was trained, along with her sisters, in riding, dancing, and singing, and took part in court plays. (Read more.)

Thanks to Kathleen for her wonderful review. To quote:

Due to my interest for royal history, I was very keen to read My Queen, My Love: A Novel of Henrietta Maria written by Elena Maria Vidal. The book didn't let me down, it captivated me from the beginning to the end, although I knew how the story continued...The author wrote this book very well and she painted a perfect picture from the 17th. century. It was very nice to read. So without no doubt, I recommend this book to all royal history lovers. I hope to read more books written by Elena Maria Vidal. I'm very pleased to give a 5 star rating for this captivating novel. (Read more.)

My Queen, My Love is available HERE.