Reading about... Agnès Sorel, la Dame de Beauté

Some years ago, I had the chance to see “La Vierge et l'Enfant entourés d'anges”(The Virgin and the Child surrounded by angels), one of the most known works of Fouquet. I vividly remember being mesmerized by the lady in the portrait. She was like no other Virgin Mary depiction I ever saw before. The colors of the angels surrounding her, her expression and the face, that face I quite never forgot. Weeks later, I found in a bookstore Jeanne Bourdin's book about the lady of the painting: Agnès Sorel, also known as The Lady of Beauty (La Dame de Beauté). I bought it immediately.

Some months ago, I accidentally saw another book about her and I couldn't resist grabbing it right away. This brought back old memories and I couldn't stop thinking about her.

La Vierge et l'Enfant entourés d'anges by Jean Fouquet

Agnès Sorel was the first official royal mistress in France. She created a position that would be coveted by many other women through the centuries. When she meets Charles VII (Joanna d'Arc's king Charles), she's very young and a lady in waiting of Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine. Agnès was an educated, refined and fashionable woman who was very aware of her assets. Charles, in the other hand, was far from handsome and for many years was known for his indecision and lack of charisma. Certainly someone pleasant but far from being a strong leader and powerful king. When he reached his forties, Charles changed and became more sure of himself. Some historians claim it was Agnès doing but other are sure this transformation begin before they met.

Agnès Sorel by Jean Fouquet

A fair and lovely young woman and a newly self assured king. Before they knew it, they were living a passionate love story. But many resented Agnès and her influence over Charles. Her taste for fashion and finery made her the center of mockery and scorn of her peers and even the French people. Her habit of giving strategic positions to her family members and friends didn't help her reputation either. The Dauphin, Louis, hated her fiercely and didn't hide his feelings for her or even for his father's weakness, who he thought manipulated. He wanted to rule and impatiently waited for an opportunity to win the throne.

Charles VII by Jean Fouquet

Pregnant with her fourth child, Agnès decided to travel to be with her lover, away at war in Rouen. In her way home, while staying in a local manor at Jumièges (Normandy), she is seized by violent cramps in her middle section. A few hours later she dies in agonizing pain and her child follows some weeks after. She was twenty-eight years old.

A distressed Charles VII orders two magnificent tombs: one for her heart and the other for her body. And quickly, he replaced her by her cousin, Antoinette Maignelais, also a fair maiden who resembled Agnès...

La Dame de Beauté by Jeanne Bourin (slightly romanticized version of Agnès life)

Agnès tomb at Loches (click here to enlarge)

French books I read about Agnès Sorel:

• Agnès Sorel, la première favorite by Françoise Kermina (more focused on her death)

Other French books I heard about:

• Qui a tué Agnès Sorel by Henri Bontemps and Luc Portier (Amazon descibes it as a cross between an historical research and a police investigation)
• Agnès Sorel assassinée by René Maury (labelled as historical fiction)
• Agnès Sorel: Feminité et modernité by Pascal Dubrisay

English books I found after some research:

• A King's Mistress, or, Charles VII and Agnes Sorel and Chivalry in the XV. Century by Jean Baptiste Honoré Raymond

Agnès Sorel's death always seemed suspicious and if many looked at the Dauphin as the main suspect, nothing could be ever proved. And several other people had as many reasons to eliminate the royal mistress as the king's son...

In 2004 a team of French scientists decided to examine Agnès skeleton who survived all those centuries of church renovations and grave robbing. They could not prove if she was murdered or not, but one thing was sure, her body contained very high levels of mercury who was a perfect poison. The same product was also used for worms treatment those days. A dosage accident is considered but her doctor was one of the most renowned of the realm. Accident or murder? We'll never know...

Considered by many of her contemporaries as the most beautiful woman in the world, Agnès Sorel continues to fascinate. I for instance would love to see more of her in historical fiction.

The Queen's Dollmaker by Christine Trent *giveaway*

A young woman, struggling to expand her London dollmaking trade, finds a surprising customer in Queen Marie Antoinette, an avid doll collector herself.
This seemingly innocent exchange puts Claudette’s life in danger when she is lured to Paris under false pretenses. Money and jewels are being smuggled in dolls destined for the Queen, and have now been discovered by the fledgling revolutionary French government…

Paris, France. Claudette Laurent, the young daughter of a renowned dollmaker, and her best friend, Jean-Philippe, join the French people in welcoming their new princess, Marie Antoinette of Austria. They are determined to see her or die trying if need be. Treated with kindness by this lovely and gentle princess, Claudette never really forgets this day.

Years later, the young girl loses all she has in a fire that ravages her neighborhood. Her beloved parents, the doll shop, her life, everything suddenly disappears. Even her sweetheart, Jean-Philippe is nowhere to be found. Desperate and alone, she decides to embark on a new adventure, London, leaving her country and everything she knows behind. On the boat that takes her to her new home, she meets Beatrice and her daughter, Marguerite.

With the help of a local priest, she finds work as a maid in an English household with her new friends. They work hard but are constantly the target of the other servants who look at them with suspicion. During a dinner at her mistress' house, she meets William Greycliffe and we immediately feel something will happen between these two.

Through many trials and hard work, Claudette builds a life for herself with the help of Beatrice and finally achieves her dream, to become a renowned dollmaker, just like her father. Her fame and beautiful work arise the interest of many high placed people, among them the French queen, Marie-Antoinette, who asks her for a special doll. But the French Revolution is slowly approaching...

From the first moment I opened this book, I simply couldn't let it go. Even making a pause over dinner was almost a sacrifice. The vivid descriptions of the dollmaking world grabbed my attention from the very first instant. The scenes at the London shop were entrancing. I could almost smell the wax and imagine the workroom as if I was there. I knew next to nothing about this art and since then I've been searching all over the internet to find as much as I can about the subject.

Claudette is a very realistic character who knows her strengths and her faults. Her father was a famous artist and she tried to learn as much as she could from him. Talented and hardworking, she was not a young miss who spent her days lazily. Her future and success lies in dollmaking and her goal is clear, open her own store and continue her father's work. A woman artist in the 18th century who doesn't need a man to run her business and never backs down to achieve her dreams is certainly someone I would admire. It's quite refreshing to read a story about a self-made woman.

William Greycliffe is quite the mysterious man all along the story. Even when we find out more about his life, a part of him always remains in the shadows. His attitude towards Claudette's profession is immediately remarkable. A man who admires his wife's independence and work is after my own heart.

I also enjoyed how the author describes the unstable post-revolutionary Paris. The cruelty of those times was gut wrenching reaching his peak with the execution of some historical figures like the attrocious murder of the Princess of Lamballe.

The Queen's Dollmaker is one of the most original books I read in 2009 and I have only one thing to say to Christine Trent: I crave for more! After reading the author's post Why I Love Unusual Historical Professions, I truly hope she will continue to share with us these unexplored worlds. Her next novel The Wax Apprentice is schedule to 2011 and I'm anxiously waiting for the release.

Grade: 4.5/5

_______________________________

GIVEAWAY:

To celebrate the release of her novel Christine Trent is offering a copy of The Queen's Dollmaker not only autographed but also personalized for the winner.

The rules:

- Open Worldwide
- One entry per person
- Leave your email adress
- The giveaway ends 25/01/10

Good luck everyone!

Guest Post by Ana O. - Flaunting, Extravagant Queen

At the age of fifteen, Marie Antoinette, beautiful and charming bride to the impotent Dauphin, is plunged into the intrigue of Versailles. Frivolous and reckless, she flouts the strict and demanding etiquette of the glittering court, and discovers the true nature of love, hate and jealousy. But the clouds of revolution are overhead, and Marie Antoinette, who only wishes to enjoy life, learns too late that the price of her enjoyment is very high...

Browsing through the extensive list of Jean Plaidy’s books I decided to read Flaunting, Extravagant Queen, about the life of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France from 1774 to 1792. I have to confess that my knowledge regarding French history is sadly lacking, which was one of the reasons that made me choose this book, plus the other day I saw a documentary about this fascinating and misunderstood woman and have been wanting to learn more about her ever since.

When the story begins, Marie Antoinette is a fourteen-year-old careless child somewhat neglected by her mother, Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria, being the youngest girl in a long line of brothers and sisters (her mother had 11 girls and 5 boys, 10 of whom reached adulthood), her education was slightly deficient, which resulted in a preference for music and dancing instead of languages and mathematics.

Wanting to strengthen the alliance between the two old enemy countries, Maria Theresa, managed to arrange the marriage between her youngest daughter and Louis Auguste, Dauphin of France. Due to the fact that Marie Antoinette was used to leading a relaxed court life in Austria, after the alliance was settled, her mother tried to educate her on French etiquette and rules. And from the start we notice that she finds it all a bit too much and even a little ridiculous!

On May 7th, 1770, Marie Antoinette is officially passed on to the French, on neutral territory, in a ceremony where for the first time she is humiliated and made to feel like a foreigner. Comtesse de Noailles, her first lady-in-waiting, later nicknamed Madame Etiquette by the Dauphine, made her undress and remove all of her Austrian clothes, not even a small ring which had been a present from her mother, was allowed, everything from head to toe had to be French, before she entered their country. We almost feel like this ceremony is an omen for what destiny holds in store for Marie Antoinette.

Louis Auguste, Duc de Berry and Dauphin of France, was a fifteen-year-old boy who was never much interested in politics or court life, being shy and indecisive he felt more at ease spending his time with manual labour and playing with his locks. In the beginning he acted somewhat distant and cold towards his Dauphine, he almost seemed to be scared of her, and the marriage was never consummated because he thought he was impotent. With time they became a little closer and seven years later, with the help of her brother Joseph, Emperor of Austria, the couple figured out that the King only needed corrective surgery to be able to consummate the marriage.

On May 10th, 1774, Louis XV, King of France, died from an attack of the smallpox and his grandson, Louis Auguste finally acceded the throne as Louis XVI, Le Désiré. Despite his best intentions Louis XVI was never cut out to be King, he lacked the necessary backbone to lead the kingdom and its people. France at the time was having serious financial problems and the people were starving in the streets, and instead of blaming the right person, everyone turned against the Queen, the foreigner, the Autrichienne, as she was called.

Everything she did was observed, criticised, she was accused of spending too much money on clothes and jewellery while the people were starving, slandering publications were passed around portraying the Queen in the most shameful scenes, she was said to have lovers, men and women, in sum, she was an easy scapegoat, only because she was a foreigner, everything got blamed on her. The situation escalated with the affair of the necklace, a piece of jewellery said to cost 2.000.000 livres, which was stolen by Jeanne de Valois, who managed to involve the Queen in her plot. And even though the culprit had been found and imprisoned, there were those who said everything had been planned by Marie Antoinette and that she kept the necklace stored in a locked box.

On July 14th, 1789, one of the most important events of the French Revolution took place, the Storming of the Bastille. That was one of the first steps in the decline of the King and Queen, leading four years later to their death by the guillotine.

What I most liked about this book was the author’s objectivity, most of the time Marie Antoinette is portrayed as an airhead, a shallow woman and even a harlot, it usually depends on who’s telling the story, but Jean Plaidy tells us the facts and lets us draw our own conclusions. I don’t think that this is an easy book though, fans of light historical romance might be disappointed, the language is accessible, the story never gets boring but I’d recommend it to more hard core history fans who enjoy tons of details. There are certain scenes that had to be understandably abbreviated, nevertheless she managed to pack a lot of history in 482 pages.

As I said before, I’m far from an expert in French history, but I didn’t notice any huge flaws or anachronisms, and even one of the most polemic issues was lightly approached, Marie Antoinette’s affair with Count Fersen. Many say she was her lover and others say she wasn’t, so Plaidy chose to never really reveal her opinion, she described their common attraction, said how much they loved each other but apart from one or two scenes at the end (that to me can be interpreted both ways), the affair wasn't the focus and you can almost dismiss it from your mind. Which I thought was very smoothly done!

I liked it so much that I’d continue on writing about the details indefinitely, that’s a sure sign of enjoyment, sometimes I get stumped with what to say or criticise, with this book I just had to restrain myself not to write more. In the meantime I discovered that there’s one more book featuring Marie Antoinette, it’s The Queen of Diamonds. I’ll surely be looking out for it!

I have to thank the ladies at the Historical Tapestry for inviting me to review a book by this author, I probably wouldn’t have gotten to it at this time without their invitation, and I would surely be missing out.

Rating: 4.5/5

***

Ana O. can be visited at Miss Picky's Column, her newly revamped blog.

Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland

Rich Details and Decadence of 17th-Century Court

This is the story of real life Louise de la Vallière, mistress to France's King Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King. At a young age, Louise, lovingly nicknamed Petite by her father, uses bone magic to tame a wild stallion.

Though of minor nobility, her family doesn’t have enough money for her dowry to marry, let along to get into a convent. Thus she starts a new chapter in her life, that of maid in waiting to a princess of a bit higher nobility than herself. After the princess moves away, Louise moves to the court of the Sun King and is maid of honour to a high nobility princess. Soon after she becomes mistress to the king.

Set against the breathtaking background of France, this enchanting piece of historical fiction displays the extravagant opulence of the time of King Louis XIV’s reign.

Sandra Gulland has made me crave more of King Louis XIV. She must have suspected that this would be the case with some readers, as she suggests a book to learn more ‘Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King’ by Antonia Fraser. I have added this to my TBR (to be read).

This is the first book I have read by Sandra Gulland but it won’t be the last! I look forward, with great anticipation to reading her Josephine B. trilogy.

4/5

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Angelique by Sergeanne Golon

I am not quite sure how I managed it, but some how I have managed to spend the last twenty five years of my reading life in complete ignorance about the Angelique series, and yet having just finished reading the first book (well actually first two books) in the series, I am confident in saying that this book has everything that I love in a book.

The first I remember hearing about the series is when Ana did an Author Spotlight about Serge and Anne Golon at Historical Tapestry.

Somewhat unusually this book doesn't have any kind of synopsis at all on either the inside or back cover so I hope that I can do justice to the plot without giving too much away.

Young Angelique is born into a noble but impoverished family in the mid 1600's. One of several children, Angelique is high spirited, and lives her life amongst the villagers and in the marshlands around her home. Her best features are her green eyes and her beautiful hair and is growing into quite the beauty, quite in danger of falling prey to young men. After becoming involved in a dangerous situation that enables her father to have a little more money, it becomes apparent to her family that she is in danger of becoming out of control so she is packed off to the convent for her education, and even the nuns have trouble controlling her.

Angelique is forced to return from the convent to be married to a man she has never met, Comte Joffrey de Peyrac de Morens, Lord of Toulouse. He is a man with a fearsome reputation. He is scarred and lame, but richer than the king (allegedly) and reputed to be a wizard. Angelique is determined that she will not give herself to Joffrey and he is patient. What she did not know about her new husband is that he is devoted to the art of love, and has the voice of an angel. He is also devoted to his young wife and once he manages to convince Angelique of his love, the couple have a period of happiness. But this is the middle ages and with lots of intrigue and jealousy between the Church and the Royal Court, a man who apparently has the skills of witchcraft that enable him to cause many women to fall in love with him despite his physical infirmities as well as to be able to magically conjure gold out of rocks where there is no gold present is always going to be in danger.

With Joffrey capturing the attention of the King (Louis XIV) for all the wrong reason, a new time starts in Angelique's life, where she must do whatever it takes to save her husband on very limited resources and knowing that she herself has become person non grata in the Royal social scene. And yet for Angelique this is just the start of her downward slide, but being the head strong and resourceful young lady that she is she most assuredly find a way to climb out from the depths of her experiences and back up the social chain.

At nearly 800 pages long, this book is action packed and filled with details such as the excesses of life in Louis XIV court and the squalor and danger for life of the normal Parisian. There are many real life historical figures populating the book. From the comparative poverty of her childhood, to her beautiful home in Toulouse as Joffrey's bride, to the depths of the Paris underworld in her place as the queen of the Court of Miracles, to the kitchen of the restaurant where she starts to rebuild her life, to the role of business woman as she introduces chocolate to the masses, Angelique undergoes a tremendous journey. In some ways, she reminded me of Amber from Kathleen Winsor's historical fiction classic Forever Amber, but Angelique is less cunning and manipulative and more concerned with just doing what she has to do to survive, even if some times that means that she makes decisions which may have been seen as immoral by some. She doesn't necessarily always make smart decisions, but she has her own code of behaviour which she adheres too. And yet there are times within the novel where she does seem to lose her sense of who she is, but if that happens she is always strong enough to draw herself out of the situation that she is in.

As for the men of the book, well the standout has to be Joffrey. He is a man who has been maimed and scarred, and yet lived life to the fullest, undertaking journeys to strange lands and learning everything he could, and then applying those lessons to his own life. He is a student of the principles of courtly love and shares those with the few chosen to spend time at home, and he is apparently a wonderful lover. Yet when fate delivers him into the hands of the prosecutors who have decided he must be done away with he is eloquent in his defence, courageous in the face of his own death, and we know without being told that he is totally in love with his beautiful wife and family. What a really great hero!

There are others too that are interesting in that they are not really one dimensional characters. Angelique's childhood friend Nicholas who plays such a key role in Angelique's life, to her cousin Philippe whose coldness and cruelty just leaps from the page, and to the lawyer Desgrez whose fate seems destined to be intertwined with that of Angelique and her family, some are men that Angelique loves and others are protectors and friends, but all of them are part of the excellent experience of reading this book.

There is no doubt in my mind that I am going to be reading as much of this series as I possibly can. Or maybe reading is too gentle a word. I am going to be devouring the rest of this series and am very much looking forward to going on my next adventure with Angelique.

I should say that this hardcover version of the book that I read includes two books that were issued separately in paperback - Angelique, The Marquise of the Angels and Angelique: The Road to Versailles. The other books in the series that have been translated into English are:

Angelique and the King
Angelique and the Sultan
Angelique in Revolt
Angelique in Love
The Countess Angelique
The Temptation of Angelique
Angelique and the Demon
Angelique and the Ghosts

There are a couple of other books in the series that have not yet been translated. Given that the first book in the series came out in 1956, it is remarkable to think that Anne Golon is still working on this series, with a view to finishing off the series.

With the book currently being out of print, I would definitely suggest that it is worth the effort to try and track down as many of these books as you possibly can and then make the effort to enjoy this truly remarkable adventure.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Mistress of The Revolution by Catherine Delors

This was a difficult review to write. I enjoyed the book very much and I wanted to do it justice but sometimes there are so many things you appreciate that you get overwhelmed when it comes to writing the review.

This book reads like a memoir, the heroine is looking back on her past and telling us about her life. There are only a few occasions in which we are brought back to the present and actually know her as an old woman.

This is a book about a very sensitive period in history. The French Revolution gave us the ideals we still live by today but at the same time it was a period of such blood shed that sometimes, when I read about it, the good parts pale in comparison.

The book starts as Gabrielle de Montserrat is brought to her family to live after a few years living with a nurse and then a few more in a convent completing her education. Her family belongs to the impoverished aristocracy and it is understood that she will be expected to marry well. However Gabrielle ends up falling in love with a young commoner - Pierre Andre Coffinhal - and to prevent them from being together her brother marries her to a man thrice her age when she is only 15. Said husband will mistreat her before finally dying and leaving her penniless and with a little daughter. Without any other options she accepts to go to Paris and live with an old relation. There she will be in touch with the court life and the last moments of the Old Regime. Her story is not uncommon when it comes to the history of women in general. Dependent on men to provide for her, as due to her status work can't be considered, she becomes the mistress of a rich men. Her position as Lady In Waiting to the Countess of Provence will allow her to get to know the most important personalities in the political scene. After the monarchy is abolished she is reduced to a "ci-devant" (an ex) Baroness and in a world where titles are no longer tolerated she finds herself imprisoned and in constant danger of being tried and killed just because she was an aristocrat. As the situation collapses she asks for the help of Pierre-Andree who has risen to be an important member of the Revolutionary Tribunal and a close friend of Robespierre. The relationship that they develop will allow Gabrielle and us to follow the period of the Terror and its political changes especially it what concerns civil rights. From its beginning till the moment when the leaders of the revolution end up being led to the guillotine themselves.

I found it strange at first that Gabrielle could mention so many horrifying things in a detached manner. But then it struck me that she is looking back into the past, some events are long gone and we are watching them through her eyes. The first person point of view also helps with that. It’s an interesting way of telling the story and I also found it important in a different level. She manages to convey both the old world and the new society that comes out of the revolution without being judgemental. It’s through Pierre-Andre’s character that we have most of the analysis and condemnation of the old regime and the defence of the new order. Gabrielle has a more feminine approach to reality with worries about family and friends which make her observations very interesting in a different way. I felt that last part of the book was the stronger one and why I ended up loving it so much.

The romantic element is strong but this is Gabrielle's story, not a romance, and in the end she survives and becomes stronger. When she reaches the end of her story she is in London and thinks about how twenty three years later the émigrés are returning to France as the Bourbons were restored to the throne. She, however, will never be able to go back…

The characters are interesting and I felt that the more I knew them the more I wanted to know. The historical background is really well done. We get a true feeling of the period without it taking centre stage.

One final note to say the book is populated by real people, who actually existed – starting with Coffinhal - and I really liked that.

Grade: A