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The Life of Henrietta Anne: Daughter of Charles I Kindle Edition

by Melanie Clegg (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 48 ratings
This biography of the seventeenth-century English princess tells a sweeping tale of war and exile, marriage and scandal, and a triumphant reversal of fortune.
 
Henrietta Anne Stuart, youngest child of Charles I and Henrietta Maria, was born in June 1644 in the besieged city of Exeter at the very height of the English Civil War. The hostilities had separated her parents, and her mother was on the run from Parliamentary forces when she gave birth with only a few attendants on hand. Within a few days she was on her way to the coast for a moonlit escape to her native France, leaving her infant daughter in the hands of trusted supporters. A few years later, Henrietta Anne would herself be whisked, disguised as a boy, out of the country and reunited with her mother in France, where she stayed for the rest of her life.
 
But Henrietta’s fortunes dramatically changed for the better when her brother, Charles II, was restored to the throne in 1660. After being snubbed by her cousin Louis XIV, she would eventually marry his younger brother Philippe, Duc d’Orlans, and quickly become one of the luminaries of the French court—though there was a dark side to her rise to power and popularity when she became embroiled in love affairs with her brother-in-law Louis and her husband’s former lover, the dashing Comte de Guiche, giving rise to several scandals and rumors about the true parentage of her three children.
 
However, Henrietta Anne was much more than just a mere court butterfly. She also possessed considerable intelligence, wit, and political acumen, which led to her being entrusted in 1670 with the delicate negotiations for a secret treaty between her brother Charles II and cousin Louis XIV—which ensured England’s support of France in their war against the Dutch. This is the story of her remarkable life.
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  1. Print length
    294 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pen & Sword History
  4. Publication date
    September 30, 2017
  5. File size
    8.3 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Fascinated by history from a very early age, Melanie Clegg graduated from the University of Nottingham with a degree in History of Art. She originally turned to writing historical fiction and her women's history blog, Madame Guillotine, as a means of escaping from the dull admin jobs that she found herself doing, before becoming a full time writer and historian.

Fascinated by history from a very early age, Melanie Clegg graduated from the University of Nottingham with a degree in History of Art. She originally turned to writing historical fiction and her women's history blog, Madame Guillotine, as a means of escaping from the dull admin jobs that she found herself doing, before becoming a full time writer and historian.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B075WS6WTM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword History (September 30, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 30, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 8.3 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 294 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 48 ratings

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4.1 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Kathy Archambeau
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Duchess of Orleans and a Stuart Princess
    Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2023
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    A well told story about the life of an English born noble woman who lived her life mainly in France, in Louis the XIV ( The Sun King) married to his brother Philipe the Duc of Orleans, who treated her very badly as he had a favorite male lover.
    Henrietta loved her father Charles1 with all her loving devoted heart.
    A glimpse into Royal life in the golden era in the 1600s!
    A great read for any fan of Royal history!
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  • I read too much
    4.0 out of 5 stars Light reading about a little known historical character
    Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2019
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    If you like French history or really European history you've probably come across Henrietta-Anne a few times, but other than her being the granddaughter of Louis XIII, daughter of Charles I and sister-in-law of Louis XIV you may not know much more about her.
    I knew a bit. I knew her pedigree. I knew about her alleged affair with Louis XIV and her not so satisfactory marriage to his brother Philippe. I knew of her popularity at the French court, her early death, and the scandal it caused as well as the sorrow it caused a lot of people in France, and of course, the great funeral oration given to commemorate her death. I also knew that she had two daughters. One of which became a queen of Spain, and one of which was the grandmother of Marie-Antoinette. I knew that this unlikeliest of candidates out of the children of Charles I is the ancestress to most royal houses in Europe through her younger daughter.
    So, I liked this book because it put all of the facts I knew about Henrietta-Anne into one slim, easy to read volume that I could put on my bookshelf.
    It did not give me much new insight into her personality or her life. I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it is, and feel that it was high time that Henrietta-Anne had a book dedicated to her. She lived a brief life, but her life still affects the world hundreds of years after her death.
    Would recommend for not just the history enthusiast among us, but also for anyone who is a fan of the show Versailles. Henrietta-Anne plays a large role in season 1.
    One person found this helpful
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  • A Wisconsin Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Life
    Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2022
    Melanie Clegg, who as far as I can tell is an independent biographer, writes about interesting women. Henrietta Anne Stuart is a perfect subject for her. Henrietta Anne was born in Exeter during the civil war waged in Britain, and was smuggled out of England to her mother's native France where she spent the rest of her short life.

    Henrietta Anne shows up in many biographies of Louis XIV because she, poor thing, ended up married to the king's reprobate brother, Phillipe. The fact that he had boyfriends, some of them quite horrible, was not the problem in and of itself. Fidelity was not expected in royal marriages, and really, who cares if your husband's extramarital affairs are with men or women? The problem was that Phillipe was notoriously abusive to Henrietta Anne, and she had limited ways to defend herself.

    This book, like all of Melanie Clegg's books, is well-researched and well-written, I thoroughly enjoyed it. So often one reads about the major figures of history, but wonders about some of the lesser players. Henrietta Anne is someone I have always wanted to know more about; she is always described as charming and knowing just what to say, much like her brother, King Charles II. And stuck in that horrible marriage,

    I am glad that Clegg wrote this book and I read it. I thought that she sounded like someone of whom I wanted to know more, and this biography was it.

    Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
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  • Donna P
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very pleasing biography. Easy to read and entertaining.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2022
    I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley.com. . I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express are my own.

    Fabulous read! This author just added herself to my favorites list! Can't wait to read more by her.
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  • Lisa
    5.0 out of 5 stars Recommend
    Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2018
    Wonderful read. I didn't know much about Henrietta Anne, but do now. Recommend.
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  • afc
    2.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK OFFERS NOTHING NEW
    Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2018
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    An outrageous price to pay for a simplistic recitation of historical facts without any insights into the personages the author is discussing..
    5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Mr Tim Cole
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Life of Henrietta-Anne: Daughter of King Charles I By Melanie Clegg
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 31, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This is the new book from popular historian Melanie Clegg and tells us the tragic story of Princess Henrietta-Anne the youngest daughter of King Charles I and Queen Henrietta-Maria. She was born during the Englsh Civil War at Exeter in 1644, however she was destined to spend all of her short life in France. Here Henrietta lived with her exiled mother and they were perilously short of money as the Stuart cause slipped to defeat and regicide. The long years of exile were tempered by her close relationship with her brothers and her intense faith which comforted her in these years of uncertainty. Henrietta-Anne's' positioned changed dramatically with the restoration of her eldest brother Charles 1n 1660. Suddenly she went from being a penniless princess into one of the most desirable brides in Europe. She enjoyed visiting England but her visit was overshadowed by the death of her eldest sister Mary and youngest brother Henry from smallpox! She returned to France where shortly afterwards she married Philippe Duke of Orleans and the younger brother of French King Louis XIV. The couple went on to have three children but the marriage was a unhappy one with constant arguments, jealousy and petty quarrels. Philippe was homosexual and Minette found this with her deeply religious faith unacceptable! Known affectionately as Minette she was highly-strung and suffered mental anxieties and severe depression. Her husband was also extremely jealous and antagonistic largely because of his wife's' infidelity with the king. Minette took comfort from the love of her mother and the constant correspondence with Charles II her favorite brother whom she wrote too almost every day. In 1669 the death of her mother devastated Minette, but she was enabled to forgot her grief when she acted as an agent for the Secret Treaty of Dover in 1670 between Charles II and Louis XIV in which Louis wanted more toleration for Roman Catholics in exchange for substantial aid for war-ravaged England in return. Sadly, Minette became ill after her husband became increasingly paranoid and jealous over her involvement in the Dover treaty. Never physically strong Minette became ill and took to her bed where she died a few days later in considerable pain aged just 26. She had been popular in France for her beauty and elegance but the excessive mental strains of her vindictive husband and the death of her beloved mother pushed Minette to breaking-point and into an early grave. She was a charming, eloquent lady with considerable talent and charm whose sad passing blackened the French court and certainly made it a less attractive place to be in the ensuing years. There were rumours of poison circulated at court about her death but these were inconclusive and could never be proved against Philippe. In this well written biography Minette's' extraordinary life is revealed in a sympathetic, but accurate depiction of her exciting but all-too brief life! It also illuminates a royal princess largely forgotten in England and tells her story in a humane and compelling fashion. It is a book you will want to read from beginning to end!
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  • Miss Samantha J. Morris
    4.0 out of 5 stars A lovely book. Very well written and a biography ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 11, 2017
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    A lovely book. Very well written and a biography of Henriette that will appeal to both newcomers to C17 history and those with a lot of knowledge on the era.
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  • jake watson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Favourite history read of the year
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I've always been immensely fascinated by all things historical and royal, so when I saw this book advertised I took the opportunity to buy it (at a fairly reasonable price given the dearth of books on the subject in question). Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the read - it was accessible, informative and self-evident that the author was herself deeply invested in the story she was telling. Not only was the life and times of Charles II's favourite sister thoroughly explored, this author has done well to restore Madame's reputation from the travesty of that uninspired BBC drama. The possible downside? For anyone who's wanting more than popular history at its best, this will not be the best biography for you - but with an extensively researched bibliography, it's a great starting point for a volatile period not too unlike our own.
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 4, 2018
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    Informative and interesting
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  • Imelda
    5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended for History Buffs
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    A well written, interesting and well researched book on an almost forgotten figure in history - the youngest sister of Charles II

    Recommended
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