Where would a good Renaissance era Catholic be without a good prayer book, also known as a Book of Hours? I’ve looked at Henry IV of France’s prayer book earlier, but let’s not forget his illustrious predecessor, Francis I. The British and French began fighting over it (of course they did) as soon as it
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The third and final division of the King of France’s household was that of the Chapelle, or chapel. For a man who held a mystical position in concert with the Catholic church, the chapel was an integral part of his royal duties. The men assigned to the chapel looked after the king’s spiritual needs. Like
Today might be my birthday but I’m feeling generous. I have a present for you: an excerpt from The Valois Mistress, coming in 2018 As I walked across the courtyard, I barely caught myself before I tripped over a pair of muddy boots. “Going somewhere, Mademoiselle?” a jaunty voice called out at my
There are so many theories floating around about what really drove Henri III of France. Was he really gay? Was he as incompetent as later historians claimed? Did he really torture his sister and her friends as much as I and other writers have portrayed? Martha Walker Freer wrote exhaustive biographies of French monarchs