Новинки Нэнси Голдстоун

Епоха хрестових походів і розквіту середньовічного лицарства, боротьби впливових феодалів і монархів, вірності слову і підступних зрад, амбіцій і кохання. Оповідь про життя чотирьох дочок графа Провансу, які отримали чудову освіту й виховання, а після одруження не залишились у тіні, а навпаки, дуже активно втручалися у політику, надихали своїх вінценосних чоловіків на подвиги і за потреби заступали їх, виховували наступників престолу і без перебільшення впливали на хід історії. Книжка буде цікавою й корисною не лише для фахівців і любителів історії, а й для прихильників пригодницької літератури.

The extraordinary story of a seventeenth-century queen who lost her throne, and her four defiant daughters.

In a sweeping narrative encompassing political intrigue, illicit love affairs and even a murder mystery, Nancy Goldstone tells the riveting story of a queen who lost her throne, and of her four defiant daughters.

Elizabeth Stuart's (1596-1662) marriage to a German count far below her rank was arranged with the understanding that her father, James I of England, would help his new son-in-law achieve the crown of Bohemia. The terrible betrayal of this promise would ruin 'the Winter Queen', as Elizabeth would forever be known, imperil the lives of those she loved and launch a war that would last thirty years.

Forced into exile, the Winter Queen found refuge for her growing family in Holland, where the glorious art and culture of the Dutch Golden Age formed the backdrop to her daughters' education. The eldest, Princess Elizabeth (1618-80), counted the philosopher Rene Descartes as her closest friend. Louisa (1622-1709), whose lively manner would provoke heartache and scandal, was a gifted artist. Henrietta Maria (1626-51), the beauty of the family, would achieve the dynastic ambition of marrying into royalty, although at great cost. But it was the youngest, Sophia (1630-1714), a heroine in the tradition of Jane Austen, with a ready wit and strength of character, who would fulfil the promise of her great-grandmother Mary, Queen of Scots, a legacy which endures to this day.

The extraordinary lives of two formidable 16th-century queens: Marguerite de Valois and her mother Catherine de' Medici.

'A gripping tale of royal feuds and divided kingdoms' - AMANDA FOREMAN

Set in Renaissance France at the magnificent court of the Valois kings, THE RIVAL QUEENS is the history of two remarkable women, a mother and daughter driven into opposition by a terrible betrayal that threatened to destroy the realm.

Catherine de' Medici, the infamous queen mother of France, was a consummate pragmatist and powerbroker who dominated the throne for 30 years. Her youngest daughter Marguerite, the glamorous 'Queen Margot', was a passionate free spirit, the only adversary whom her mother could neither intimidate nor fully control.

When Catherine forces the Catholic Marguerite to marry her Protestant cousin Henry of Navarre she creates not only savage conflict within France but also a potent rival within her own family. Treacherous court politics, poisonings, international espionage and adultery form the background to a story whose fascinating array of characters include such celebrated figures as Elizabeth I, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Nostradamus.

An exceptionally dramatic life of Joan of Arc and her previously unchronicled mentor, Yolande of Aragon.

How did an illiterate seventeen-year-old peasant girl manage to become one of histories most salient females? It is almost 600 years since Joan of Arc heard the voices of angels that would change her life for ever: in a breathtaking story her quest saved France from English domination and restored France's hereditary monarchy.

Just thirteen when her life was turned upside down, Joan's holy guidance led her on an arduous eleven-day journey into the unknown, restoring the Dauphin back to his original birthright in an official coronation, allowing him to resume his rule as France's legitimate king. Joan summoned and led an impressive army of French loyalists against the English; the siege at Orleans was an exhilarating English defeat that liberated the city. The following year witnessed Joan's capture by the enemy.

After a series of heroic endeavours to escape cruel adversaries, she was subjected to trial by inquisition and then in Rouen, the heart of France, Joan's courageous journey came to a heartbreaking conclusion. This is the story at the core of centuries of myth-making.

But what if we no longer accept this tale? What if we question whether the Heavens and their angels were truly Joan's only source of strength and power? What if we demand a different narrative? This revisionist biography unearths the secular and verifiable basis for Joan's heroic exploits: Yolande of Aragon, a forgotten mentor. This is a story of not one life, but two; two lives that together were intertwined in the restoration of France's greatness.

ХIII век. Эпоха расцвета рыцарства и Крестовых походов Людовика Святого, борьбы феодалов с монархами и изощренных интриг папского двора. Эпоха четырех красавиц, ставших самыми знаменитыми женщи-нами своего времени. Маргарита, Элеонора, Санча и Беатрис. Дочери графа Прованского, вышедшие замуж за блестящих европейских монар-хов, но не пожелавшие вечно оставаться в тени венценосных супругов. Королева Франции, королева Англии, королева Германии и королева Сицилии. Они правили наравне с мужьями — а зачастую и оттесняли их на задний план. Они рисковали и воевали, заключали опасные поли-тические союзы и одинаково свободно чувствовали себя на…

Four beautiful sisters whosed brilliant marriages made them queens of France, England, Germany and Sicily. The four beautiful, cultured and clever daughters of the Count and Countess of Provence made illustrious marriages and lived at the epicentre of political power and intrigue in 13th-century Europe. Marguerite accompanied her husband, King Louis IX of France, on his disastrous first crusade to the Holy Land, where straight from childbirth she ransomed him from the Mamluks. And with her sister Eleanor, queen of England, Marguerite engineered a sturdy peace between France and England. Ambitious Eleanor walked a narrow line while she…