Mistress of Beauty

Mistress of Beauty

Mistress of Beauty is the story of Agnes Sorel, a

demoiselle at the court of Isabelle of Lorraine

who subsequently became a mistress of Charles VII

of France  was given the Castle of Beauty, also the city of

Vernon and other beautiful estates.  I enjoyed

reading this book for the wonderful descriptions of life

at the French court during the Valois era and the magnificent

pageantry of the knights and the colourful royal processions

in which even the horses were richly caparisoned in the colours

of the owners with rich braid threaded through their manes and tails.

This story is quite unique in its telling with the majesty of the royal

castles of the time, the story of Good King Rene and his mother, Queen

Yolande of Aragon, who lived at the Castle of Saumur and the various

members of the royal court and the courts of Lorraine and Anjou.  Styles

of dress, entertainments, jousting and the politics of the time are all

included in this epic story.

 Charles VII’s son, the Dauphin, who later became Louis XI

is a character in the book as is the well known merchant, Jacques Coeur, who

had his beautiful palace at Bourges.  The story of Agnes Sorel is quite poignant and

told from a unique perspective.  It is quite a beautiful story.  The King, Charles VII,

became a more assertive and stronger king more sure of himself from earlier times.

He also became successful and claimed territories from the English with

his new found confidence.

Mistress of Beauty is the second novel in a renaissance trilogy written by

Princess Michael of Kent.  The first book is the Queen of Four Kingdoms

the story of Yolande of Aragon, which I have not read as yet.  I have previously

read The Serpent and The Moon by Princess Michael of Kent which was set during

the time of Henri II of France and is the story of Diane de Poitiers and the king  and also

Katherine de Medici.  This book is also gives wonderful detail of renaissance France and

the life-style of the time.

The Red Rose of Anjou by Jean Plaidy

The Red Rose of Anjou is a wonderful story of the life of Margaret of Anjou who marries King Henry VI of England.

 

 It gives a fascinating account of the life of Margaret in her early years at the castles of

Saumur and Angers and her visits to the French Court during the reign of Charles VII of France. The story of Charles VII, his life as the Dauphin and his subsequent crowning at Rheims Cathedral by Joan of Arc all comes alive in this wonderful story of the times. As a Dauphin, Charles VII lacked confidence but gradually he became a strong king over time.

Margaret was the daughter of Isabelle of Lorraine and King Rene of Naples and Sicily and grand-daughter of Yolande of Aragon. Margaret did receive the title of princess which was beneficial for her when arragements for her marriage were being made. Her parents were a king and queen in title only and not in possession of their kingdom. Her mother was the daughter of the duke of Lorraine but because of the Salic law she was unable to inherit her father's castle or title and the dukedom went to a male relative. This did not occur without hostility from both sides of the family and whilst in battle King Rene was taken prisoner.

The Duke of Burgundy, who was a powerful ally for the Vaudemont family which was claiming the inheritance and title of the duchy of Lorraine, had disapproved of Rene and Isabelle succeeding to the duchy of

Lorraine. They were already in possession of the castle and duchy which greatly improved their standard of living and Margaret's childhood had been quite impoverished. Rene (subsequently known as Good King Rene, who had a love of painting, poetry and the arts) had shown himself to be loyal to King Charles VII of France previously and not shown his loyalty to the Duke of Burgundy. After a lengthy time of imprisonment, in which he had occupied himself by painting beautiful portraits and stained glass at Dijon Castle, he finally was granted his freedom on the condition that he allow his elder daughter, Yolande, to marry a son of the family,

whom Yolande ended up growing up with, befriending and eventually wishing to marry. It was very sad for all concerned when Rene's daughter, Yolande, left the family home. Rene always stalled the marriage until at the time of Margaret's wedding, of which the celebrations were arranged by Charles VII, that Yolande and Ferri de Vaudemont made it be known that they did wish to marry.

The processions through France and the magnificent pageantry are described in great detail when

Margaret eventually makes the journey to England to become the new queen. An English party come to France to escort her on her journey and she befriends the Marquess and Marchioness of Suffolk,

who become loyal allies for her and the king. It is interesting to read of the customs at the time and what was expected of a queen on a royal procession.i.e. to look like a queen and to give dresses and shoes away for the number of years of her age in one town as was a tradition. Margaret was grateful for the kindness and assistance shown her by the Marchioness of Suffolk in these matters.

I love the descriptions of old towns of England where the sense of history gives an added measure to the story, as for example, the descriptions of Coventry, which was an old town named for a convent which had been destroyed before the time of William the Conqueror and the Norman conquest. However the earl of Leofric and Lady Godiva had founded a Benedictine monastery. Henry VI enjoyed and loved this city and was responsible for various of the buildings there, as for example, St Mary's Hall with its fascinating style of carvings and figures and a beautiful coloured tapestry. There was also a St Michael's Church which had dated to the time of the first Henry and had been given to the monks of Coventry by Earl Randulph. It was a wonderful peaceful time at Coventry in which Henry VI recovered from his debilitating illness. His

new born baby, Prince Edward of Wales, was also brought to him at the castle of Coventry.

The book gives vivid and compelling descriptions of the times, the politics and the family of Richard, Duke of York and his wife, Cecily, the Duchess of York, the parents of the future Edward IV. The characters represented in the story are quite fascinating in themselves and the author has written of riveting times. The story flows with characters of history written as though the writer had an inside knowledge. Many of the chracters are likeable in their own way and the story is set amongst a background of conflict and aspirations, belief of a true claim to the throne of England which of course causes controversy, resulting in the wars of the Roses.

For aficionados of the genre of historical fiction this book is a gem.

The stories of kings, the history of the conflicts in France, the wars of the Roses and settings in historical towns of England make for a fascinating tale. In all of this Margaret is a compelling character of strength and tenacity in her role as the queen, often having to take matters into her own hands when the need arose because of the recurring illness of Henry VI. In this she had her role models in her own mother and grand-mother who were also strong women. The story is quite compelling and well recommended.

The Maid

The Maid by Kimberly Cutter

Statue of Joan of Arc in Paris from wikipedia:

(of gilt bronze)

A powerful and beautifully scripted story

of Joan of Arc. Magnificent in its scope

and also an inspirational story of an inspirational

young woman who inspired thousands of soldiers

to follow her.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is as though the reader

travels with Joan of Arc through her tumultuous life,

relating to her sadness and also her joy of life.

This book is descriptive and evokes a time in France of

the early fifteenth century when life was very different with

the English and Burgundy in opposition to the Holy Kingdom

of France, as Joan of Arc at the time believed the kingdom was

and that she had been sent on a holy mission from God to

free France and crown the king, Charles VII, at Reims Cathedral,

where all previous kings had been crowned.

The story is quite extraordinary as Joan of Arc was a young peasant

girl without material support or influence initially,

but who showed true faith, strength in opposition and determination.

Unfortunately, there are also gruesome battle accounts in the story

however the author does portray the times authentically and is most

likely reflecting the harsh reality of some of those more distant battles

in the past. Also, sometimes perhaps the harshness of life.

The sword of Charles Martel, who had freed France from the Saracens

was also carried by Joan of Arc. In her magnificent armour and splendid

war horse she must have presented quite a spectacle, a radiant vision, leading her soldiers on to

battle and riding with the wind across the beautiful fields of France holding her

white satin banner aloft with the inscription of Jesu Maria on both sides

and a picture of Jesus on the globe and two winged angels with golden lilies

in the background and was also trimmed with golden fringe.

Joan of Arc showed bravery and was a fearless

warrior. She also had many loyal supporters. She became quite the heroine

after the siege of Orleans.

This book gives an incentive to read more of

Joan of Arc. There is a site “Maid of Heaven” of poetry written by a

contemporary poet of the time, Christine de Pisan who wrote of Joan of Arc.

“The Maid” is a wonderful story to read with magnificent settings in the Valley

of the Loire and the castles where Joan of Arc often stayed with the king and

his courtiers.

The depiction of the characters surrounding Joan of Arc, her supporters and fellow

soldiers, including the The Duc D'Alencon, who had been a prisoner of the English

for five years, gives a personal perspective.

The dialogue is crisp and clear and the story flows from the pages.

A wonderful story to behold! Beautiful.