Tag: Stuart

Book Review: “The Tudor Theatre: 1576-1642” by Nicholas Fogg

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When we think about the world of the Tudor theatre, we often think about the greatest playwrights of the age. Kit Marlowe, Ben Jonson, Thomas Kyd, and of course, William Shakespeare. We think of the Globe Theatre and the grand plays and masques that were performed for the rich and the poor alike. But this is only a small glimpse into the world of the Tudor theatre scene. Nicholas Fogg explores the beginnings and the end of this period in theatrical history in his book, “The Tudor Theatre: 1576-1642.”

I would like to thank Pen & Sword Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. I am not very well-versed in theatre history, so I was hoping for something that would be easy for me to follow along, yet also very informative.

Fogg begins in the year 1576 with the opening of The Theatre, which was a passion project of James Burbage. It was the first location dedicated solely to plays and acting, but it will not be the last. Over sixty years, we see the explosion of the theatrical arts from the great playwrights to lesser-known figures. Fogg takes the time to analyze the popular plays and those that don’t get enough attention. We also get to see how politics, the Puritans, and the plague affected the theatre scene. We witness the rise and fall of actors, playwrights, and theatres until the Puritans finally decided to close theatres for good in 1642, once the Stuarts fell for a time.

Fogg is an expert in this field of study, and he shows it on each page, but sometimes, as a novice, I felt a bit lost. The amount of information in this book was a bit overwhelming for someone like me, who is not too familiar with the theatre world. However, if you are someone who loves the Tudor theatre and wants an in-depth look at this period of theatrical history, you might enjoy “The Tudor Theatre: 1576-1642” by Nicholas Fogg.

Book Review: “Charles II’s Portuguese Queen: The Legacy of Catherine of Braganza” by Susan Abernethy

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Throughout English history, a colorful cast of queens has left their marks in their distinct ways. While the Plantagenet and Tudor queens are more well-known, the Stuart queens and the mistresses of the Stuart kings were dynamic in their unique ways. One of the lesser-known queens was the wife of King Charles II. Though Charles II is known for his numerous mistresses, his wife Catherine of Braganza is not discussed much in England, but in her native Portugal, she is famous. So who was Catherine of Braganza, and what is her legacy in England and Portugal? Susan Abernethy tells the story of this almost forgotten queen in her book, “Charles II’s Portuguese Queen: The Legacy of Catherine of Braganza.”

I would like to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I am someone who is dipping her toes into the Stuart dynasty, so I wanted to explore a story about someone new to me. When I saw the title and subject of this book, it piqued my curiosity because I have heard of Catherine of Braganza, but I know nothing about her.

Before we dive into the actual life of Catherine of Braganza, Abernethy takes the time to explore the relationship between Portugal and England, which culminated in the union of King Charles II and Catherine. I didn’t know much about the history of Portugal except for the aspect that is included during the life of John of Gaunt, so I was excited to learn more about how Portugal became a trading and exploration powerhouse. It was the rise of the House of Braganza that propelled Catherine into a position to marry the King of England.

As the daughter of King John IV of Portugal and Queen Luisa de Guzman, Catherine was destined to marry a member of royalty, but the issue was a matter of faith. Catherine was a devout Roman Catholic, whereas Charles II was a Protestant who was trying to restore his kingdom after the reign of the Protector Oliver Cromwell. Catherine also had to deal with the numerous mistresses of Charles II, like Barbara Villiers, Lucy Walter, Louise de Keroualle, and Nell Gwyn, who were able to give Charles children while Catherine remained barren. Throw in a few anti-Catholic plots, and you can start to understand the strain Catherine was under while living in England. Eventually, after the death of Charles II, Catherine decided to return to her native Portugal, where her life took an unexpected twist with the War of the Spanish Succession until she died in 1705.

I found Catherine of Braganza such a fascinating figure. She did so much in her lifetime, and it is a shame that Catherine does not get more attention. Abernethy does an excellent job of telling the story of this queen who is often in the shadow of more boisterous figures of the age and integrating the history of Portugal into this book. If you want to learn more about a Stuart queen who is often forgotten and her impact on two nations, I highly recommend you read “Charles II’s Portuguese Queen: The Legacy of Catherine of Braganza” by Susan Abernethy.

Book Review: “Crown and Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II” by Tracy Borman

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England’s history is centuries old, full of colorful characters and change galore. What truly defines the history of England is the monarchy, which has lasted over a thousand years. Over 40 kings and queens left their distinct marks on the history of this proud island nation. While some could maintain the crown with no issues, others had to fight to earn the crown, and a few even died for the crown. While there has been a plethora of books and novels written about individual monarchs and their impacts on the history of England, only a select few have chosen to take the arduous task of telling the story of the British Monarchy from its origins to the modern-day. One such historian who has chosen the latter is Tracy Borman in her book, “Crown and Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II.”

I have been a fan of Tracy Borman and her writing for many years now. She has a way of making history come alive, so when I heard about this book, it was something I knew I wanted to read. I usually don’t read books like this because in the past, I have not been interested in the Stuarts and Hanoverians, but as I have begun to dive more into the Stuarts, I think it was the perfect time to read this book.

Borman begins with a brief introduction to the early kings of England, the Anglo-Saxon kings, to show how different it was from the Norman kings. She has divided the book into sections to highlight the different dynasties; Norman, Plantagenet, Lancaster, York, Tudor, Stuart, Hanoverian, and Windsor. Within each section is a mini-biography of each ruler during that dynasty. While there is not a whole lot of new information, it does give the reader a taste of what each reign was like.

As someone who usually reads about the Normans, Plantagenets, and Tudors, it was a nice review of the basic facts of the kings and queens during this span of history. Reading about the Stuarts, Hanoverians, and Windsors was something different for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It made me interested in studying the Stuarts and the Windsors, but I am on the fence about the Hanoverians. What is remarkable about the story is that the monarchy of England could have toppled at any point and did for a few years before it was restored, and continues to this day for over a thousand years.

Overall, I found this an interesting introductory read into the different dynasties that have shaped the English monarchy and the history of England. If you want new research about the individual monarchs, this might not be the book for you. However, if you want a great introductory book on the history of the British monarchy, I highly suggest you read, “Crown and Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II” by Tracy Borman.

Book Review: “Normal Women: Nine Hundred Years of Making History” by Philippa Gregory

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Normal WomenThe field of history for centuries has been focused on men and the struggles that mankind has had to endure for society to survive. We tend to get only a mere glimpse at the lives of women when they are next to powerful men. Some will write about women, mostly royal women, who lead extraordinary lives and left an imprint on the past. But what about those who lived ordinary lives? What about the women who lived daily, fighting to survive every obstacle? What can we learn about history through the eyes of ordinary women? Philippa Gregory has taken on the mammoth task of trying to answer these questions and more with her tome, “Normal Women: Nine Hundred Years of Making History.”

I would like to thank Harper Collins and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I have had an interesting background regarding Philippa Gregory’s books. When I was in middle school/ high school, I started reading novels by Gregory and I became fascinated with the stories that she was weaving. It was only when I read other books that disproved some of the things that Gregory had included in her novels that I stopped reading them. When I saw this book and its praise, I decided to give Gregory another shot because, in the end, I enjoyed her writing style.

As the title suggests, Gregory covers over nine hundred years of English women’s history, from the Norman Conquest to the modern day. It is a daunting undertaking, but the way Gregory presents the information is so easy to follow that it allows the depth of the subject material to sink in without it being too overwhelming. Each part of this book focuses on a different era in the history of England and has segments that highlight important developments during the era when it comes to women’s roles in society. As readers, we can see changes in society like how the church accepted women, how society accepted women, what kind of rights women had, what jobs women could do for money, how women viewed relationships with men as well as other women, and how men viewed women’s nature.

Unlike Gregory’s previous books and novels, the focus of this book is not the women who wore crowns, but women who lived everyday lives and survived whatever life handed them. Mothers, wives, daughters, soldiers, protesters, doctors, factory workers, Suffragettes, guild widows, pirates, highwaywomen, and women husbands are all represented in this book. By including small snippets of stories from women of every walk of life over centuries, Gregory allows her readers to discover more about these women for themselves, which is an exciting prospect.

I am so glad I read this book and gave Philippa Gregory a second chance. This book was fresh, innovative, challenging at times, and overall a fascinating read. By letting the facts and the stories of these women speak for themselves, Gregory presents the past in a way that is both inspirational and heartbreaking, raw and real. If you want to learn more about English women’s history or you are a fan of Philippa Gregory, I highly suggest you read, “Normal Women: Nine Hundred Years of Making History” by Philippa Gregory.