Mark Hichens’s book, Queens and Empresses: From Cleopatra to Queen Victoria, is a fascinating look at the lives of reigning women throughout the world.

The book comes at an appropriate moment in royal history: the debate over the change in succession laws in the United Kingdom. Can a woman rule just as well as a man? Should she?

The queens’ lives and times span the globe. All are living in times of male domination, but within that they have their own dramas and struggles for power. Some are scheming; some are incompetent and vulnerable; some are respectable and august.

There are both familiar and not so familiar faces in Queens and Empresses. It is a treat to learn about the women with whom you may be unfamiliar. We all know Elizabeth I, but what about Maria Teresa, Queen of Hungary and Archduchess of Austria? The statesmen around her were of no use, and she herself lacked political experience. Yet Maria’s intelligence and sturdy backbone saw her through, and she reigned for 40 years.

The book also covers a large span of history, beginning with the reign of Cleopatra of Egypt and ending with the famous Queen Victoria. The breadth of history covered in the book may seem overwhelming, but once you begin to read you find that it is at once informative and engaging. It is written clearly without overpowering.

After reading Queens and Empresses, I guarantee that it will prompt you to investigate further into the lives of those Queens you may not have known as well as the others. In my case, I did not know much about Catherine de Medici nor Maria Theresa of Austria, but Hichens’ coverage has interested me so much that I am inspired to read more about them.

I bet you’ll do the same!

© 2011 M.L. Littlefield

Also by Mark Hichens:

West Downs: A Portrait of an English Preparatory School

The Troubled Century: British and World History, 1914-1993

The Inimitable P. G. Wodehouse: The Story of His Life and A Treasury of His Wit

For better viewing, visit my SlideShare profile to download this presentation:

Coming soon: The Coburg Conspiracy: Victoria and Albert – Royal Plots and Manoeuvres

At the dawn of the nineteenth century, the Duchy of Coburg, ruled by the Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield (later Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) family, was a small, impoverished German fiefdom with no political influence, and little prospect of improving its lot. Less than fifty years later, the family had transformed its position. Just how did they achieve this astonishing turnaround?

With Queen Victoria’s marriage to the Duchy’s Prince Albert, the formerly insignificant dukedom became intrinsically linked with the most powerful empire on earth. Victoria and Albert’s children were matched by Queen and Prince to the most eligible and politically viable royals throughout Europe. But who orchestrated Victoria and Albert’s marriage? Did those responsible realize what a royal powerhouse their matchingmaking would create?

Author Richard Sotnick was inspired to discover just that after a 1975 meeting with Lord Mountbatten. Sotnick studied German at the Goethe Institute and with a personal tutor so that he could understand crucial documents for his research for ‘The Coburg Conspiracy’. He will see the culmination of his work published May 20th.

Majesty Magazine says: ‘A fascinating, riveting tale based on ground-breaking research’.

Sarah Bradford, noted biographer of Queen Elizabeth II, writes: ‘Richard Sotnick’s book is an important addition to Victorian studies: illuminating the darker side of Prince Albert’s impoverished and ambitious family which Queen Victoria regarded as her own with the tragic tale of his rejected mother and the sexual intrigues of the Coburg court. Deploying new material from the Coburg archives, Sotnick convincingly explores the evidence for and against Albert’s illegitimacy. A fascinating book.’

Join me here for my review in May or early June.

“The Coburg Conspiracy” will also be reviewed by… http://ow.ly/1wJ8R

Janice writes: “Do you know if the tiara Emily Blunt wears [The Young Victoria] is a replica of the one … King George III gave to his wife Queen Charlotte? If so, do you know if Queen Victoria would have ever worn it?”

The tiara worn by actress Emily Blunt in the film is indeed a replica of that fringe tiara. The real Queen Victoria wore the George III tiara for the famous Winterhalter portrait (seen below).

Thanks to Andrew Cusack, who explains it beautifully.

Visit RoyaltyNow! for the latest! There’s a Majesty magazine review (April ’09) as well as Thrown To The Wolves nominees!

Update: RoyaltyNow! will also play host to Crowning Moments cartoons. The cartoons were originally shown at Photobucket, but that seems a trifle unprofessional. So, they shall henceforth be shown at RoyaltyNow! In their own posts. Thanks for joining me!

http://royaltynow.podcastpeople.com/posts/32095

Inspired by Robert Lacey’s Royal: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Chapter 1

The possibility of losing one’s monarch at the hands of a lunatic induces panic. So when a royal figure survives an attack, especially with sangfroid, there’s relief all around. There’s a surge of public sympathy and support for the royal family and people express amazement at how cool their monarch can be.

Then, there’s a bit too much of a good thing. The media and the public get bored with cool, steely resolve after a while and get cranky. Queen Elizabeth II has experienced both the praise and the pouts of the people because of her grace under fire. As it turns out, it’s an experience that’s all in the family….

Read more…

Born to Rule: Five Reigning Consorts, Granddaughters of Queen Victoria

Once there was Vicky, Alice, Helena, Louise, and Beatrice…

Now with Marie, Maud, Ena, Alix, and Sophie, we see the face of Europe change once more. Julia Gelardi’s book is a fascinating study of the lives of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters. It gets slightly difficult to read at times, because each woman’s life is chronicled along side the other. Winding is a good word for the style, but nevertheless, this book is a captivating look at another quintuple of royal kin. The first set was, of course, Queen Victoria’s own daughters, some of whom were the mothers of these powerful women…

Read more…