Tag: Royalty: Both Fictional and Historical

Lust, Lies and Monarchy: The Secrets Behind Britain’s Royal Portraits by Stephen Millar

Lust, Lies and Monarchy: The Secrets Behind Britain’s Royal Portraits by Stephen Millar

Stephen Millar examines British royal portraits and artwork created about royalty throughout history. In examining the small details and the context around the art, he shines the light on so many moments of forgotten history.

Through the strategic use of art, royals have controlled their images and used those images to maintain or increase their power. Take, for example, how the famous portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger affected viewers:

“Strategically placed in the Palace of Whitehall and measuring three metres by four, the wall painting dominated the privy chamber where it was located. The effect on visitors was dramatic, one writing it was so ‘lifelike that the spectator felt abashed, annihilated in its presence.'” loc 444, ebook

Millar examines postures, costuming, setting and more so readers feel as if they have a new appreciation of these classic works of art. We’re also given an insider’s view and able to appreciate nuances that we might otherwise have missed.

“Why was Holbein’s depiction of Henry so influential? The stance taken by the king in the painting was radical, unashamedly masculine and defiant, with Henry staring directly at the viewer in a way that was highly unusual in royal portraiture in the early 16th century.” loc 457, ebook

My favorite of the art discussions is “The Rainbow Portrait” of Elizabeth I by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger or Isaac Oliver. There is so much symbolism packed into one portrait. It’s fun to take it all apart.

Plus, Elizabeth I is one of my favorite historical figures. I go on about that in my review of Elizabeth I by Margaret George.

Millar helpfully includes the family tree of the royals every couple of chapters so its easy to keep track of who is who. And after the art, there’s a whole section of walking tours through London. At first, the two parts of the book seem unrelated, but when you go through the tours, you notice that he brought forward some of the history from the art and tied it to real world locations.

Talk about making history come alive.

Highly recommended for fans of history, especially forgotten history. Though some of the figures and events are well known, this book contained a few I had never heard of, which is always exciting to discover.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook.

Doomed Queens: Royal Women Who Met Bad Ends, From Cleopatra to Princess Di by Kris Waldherr

Doomed Queens: Royal Women Who Met Bad Ends, From Cleopatra to Princess Di by Kris Waldherr

doomedqueensA quirky yet educational list of Doomed Queens that is organized by time period. I learned a lot and was entertained- everything that I look for in a non-fiction book.

“While kings were also vulnerable to political upheaval… for the most part men pulled the strings at court. Therefore any woman blocking the way to power was a threat to be eliminated. Common ways to bump off an inconvenient consort included beheading, burning, drowning, poison, stabbing, strangling, starving, and forcing suicide.” pg 8, ebook. Shocking, isn’t it. One would think that a queen’s power would afford her a measure of protection, but it didn’t.

Here’s one of the facts I learned: “Arsinoe’s story has been overlooked in the face of her more successful older sister, Cleopatra… But in death, Arsinoe was buried with the queenly honors that had been denied her in life. Her remains were interred in a tomb in the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.” pg 31, ebook. If you’d like a historical fiction book about Arsinoe, may I suggest The Drowning King.

I also learned the Roman viewpoint of the fury of Boudicca, queen of the Iceni: “Dio Cassius later wrote, “All this ruin was brought upon the Romans by a woman, a fact which in itself caused them the greatest shame.”pg 37, ebook. Silly Romans. Here’s a historical fiction about Boudicca if you’re interested: The Eagle and the Raven.

Doomed Queens includes plenty of puns and amusing witticisms. Take this passage from the chapter about Brunhilde: “… the queen of Austrasia incited a forty-year war between her realm and Neustria that made the Hatfields and the McCoys seem downright Merchant-Ivory. “ pg 44-45, ebook.

Or in Sibyl of Jerusalem’s entry: “Sibyl’s marital history took on Liv Taylor proportions as she became engaged, married, widowed, and annulled in varying combinations. pg 53, book. Burn.

Recommended for readers interested in royal stories and unfortunate yet powerful females. Reluctant readers may enjoy Doomed Queens because of the short chapters and light-hearted delivery of some seriously sad history.

Thanks for reading!