Henrietta Maria, the subject of this biography by Leanda de Lisle, was the French wife of Charles I and Queen until his death and the advent of Cromwell and his government. She was accused to turning the King Catholic and a lot of the suspicion of his faith came from those who suspected her and accused her of fermenting a Catholic revolution in England. It’s a very readable account of her life and informative for those of us, like me, who have a very limited understanding of the Civil War and the events that led up to it.
The first thing to say about this book is that the author has a purpose in writing it. She is trying to encourage people to rethink their views about Henrietta Maria, who is often depicted as stupid or inconsequential. This may cause the book to be biased slightly in favour of its subject but there are plenty of other books out there about this period that will give other opinions.
Henrietta Maria did not stand back from the events of her time. She was a woman who had a close relationship with her husband and firm views about people and issues that engaged him. She advocated for women, understood the political environment, and came into her own in speaking up for Charles and raising funds for him during the Civil War.
I thought that this was an excellent biography, although I now need to read some more about the time period to understand better the issues and fears of the time.
Anne Is Reading 