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The Kings' Mistresses

By Goldsmith, Elizabeth C

The Kings' Mistresses

By Goldsmith, Elizabeth C

0 - Default Title
Description
The Mancini Sisters, Marie and Hortense, were born in Rome, brought to the court of Louis XIV of France, and strategically married off by their uncle, Cardinal Mazarin, to secure his political power base. Such was the life of many young women of the age: they had no independent status under the law and were entirely a part of their husband's property once married. Marie and Hortense, however, had other ambitions in mind altogether. Miserable in their marriages and determined to live independently, they abandoned their husbands in secret and began lives of extraordinary daring on the run and in the public eye. The beguiling sisters quickly won the affections of noblemen and kings alike. Their flight became popular fodder for salon conversation and tabloids, and was closely followed by seventeenth-century European society. The Countess of Grignan remarked that they were traveling"like two heroines out of a novel.&rdquo Others gossiped that they"were roaming the countryside in pursuit of wandering lovers.&rdquo Their scandalous behaviour- disguising themselves as men, gambling, and publicly disputing with their husbands- served as more than just entertainment. It sparked discussions across Europe concerning the legal rights of husbands over their wives.Elizabeth Goldsmith's vibrant biography of the Mancini sisters- drawn from personal papers of the players involved and the tabloids of the time- illuminates the lives of two pioneering free spirits who were feminists long before the word existed.
Product details
Edition:
1
Number of Pages:
288
Release Date:
2012-04-03
Publication Date:
2012-04-03
Publisher:
PublicAffairs
Languages:
Original: English
ISBN10:
1586488899
ISBN13:
9781586488895
GPSR Manufacturer Reference:
[email protected]
Weight:
476 g
Height:
165 cm
Width:
236 cm
Thickness:
33 cm
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