The Madness of Queen Maria: The Remarkable Life of Maria I of Portugal

The Madness of Queen Maria; The Remarkable Life of Maria I of Portugal is a book is a 2009 book written by Jennifer Roberts on Maria the Pious, otherwise known as Maria the Mad of Portugal.

On January 19, 1729, Infante Joseph of Portugal, eldest surviving son of King Joao V of Portugal and Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, married Infanta Mariana Victoria, the one time fiancee of Louis XV of France. After five years of marriage, Mariana Victoria gave birth to her first child, a girl. She was later christened, Maria Francesca Isabel Josepha Antonia Gertrude Rita Joana, and given the title of Princess of Beira by her grandfather. Joseph and Mariana Victoria would have a further four daughters. The Princess of Beira was raised in the incredibly religious Portuguese court, which was one of the strictest courts in Europe.

In 1750, Maria's grandfather died as a result of a series of strokes and her father became King Joseph I of Portugal. Whereas Joao took control of the government and made himself an absolute monarch, his son handed over his power to the Marquis of Pombal. The Marquis's aggressive policies and anti-religious laws made him so unpopular with the aristocracy that a conspiracy was hatched among the high nobility to murder the king and his adviser.When the plot was discovered, Pombal used this as an excuse to get rid of the Tavora family and to dispel the Jesuits. Plombal's control over the King was so great that even his eldest daugther's pleas were ignored.

In 1755, the Lisbon Earthquake hit Portugal, killing roughly 100 000 people. The Rebeira Royal Palace, Maria's birthplace, was destroyed in the quake. Afterwards, Joseph developed a severe case of claustrophobia and the court was moved to a new palace on the hills of Ajuda.

Maria was age 25 in 1760, high time for a Princess to be married but as heiress to the Portuguese throne she could not simply to married off to some foreign prince. A solution was found in Joseph's younger brother, Pedro. Maria married her uncle on June 6, 1760, her groom was 42. Despite the age gap, the couple experienced a happy marriage. Maria gave birth to her first child the very next year and it was named Jose after her father thus securing the succession. He was later created Prince of Brazil. They would have 5 further children: two Joao's born in two successive years that died a month after being born. A third Joao would be born in 1767 who did indeed survive childhood. His birth was followed by 3 daughters, only the eldest, named Maria Anna Victoria, survived infancy.

Following the example set by his Mother, the Prince of Brazil married his Aunt, Benedita, in 1777, when he was 15 and she was 30. The marriage was the express wish of his grandfather. King Joseph died only 3 days later. Maria was the undisputed queen of Portugal and although Pedro was also made King, it was in fact she that ruled. Her first act as queen was to rid the court of Plombal, a move that made her immensely popular. And so it was that for the first decade of Maria's reign, she was much loved by her people and regarded as a wise and good queen.

From 1785 onwards, things only went downhill for Maria. In this year, a double marriage by the Queen Dowager between Joao and Infanta Carlota of Spain and Maria Anna Victoria and Infante Gabriel. It was in 1786 that she began exhibiting the first signs of madness. It was also in this year that Pedro died. Poor Maria was devastated by her beloved husband's death and forbade court entertainments. Fate dealt the queen another hard blow when in 1788, her eldest son died of smallpox. He and Benedita did not have any children despite the Princess having 2 miscarriages. Maria Anna Victoria, her husband and her one of her two sons died of the same disease in that same year. Maria brought over Maria Anna Victoria's remaining child, Pedro Carlos, to live in Portugal and raised as a Portuguese Infante. His death and that of Maria Anna Victoria brought their mother further into the depths of insanity and by 1792 she was deemed incapable of ruling. Jose's successor, his younger brother, Joao, became regent for his mentally incapacitated Mother.

At the turn of the century, the threat of Napoleon loomed large on the Iberian Peninsula. After some antagonizing on the part of the Spanish with French backing and the urging of the British, the entire Portuguese fled to Brazil in 1808. Maria could be heard screaming the entire boat ride. In 1810, Pedro Carlos married Joao's eldest daughter, Teresa, Princess of Beira. They had one son, born in 1811. Pedro Carlos died the very next year. Carlota, wild and uncontrollable, would always be a source of trouble for the family. Maria I died in 1816 in Rio De Janeiro without ever having returns to Portugal. Her son became Joao VI of Portugal, Brazil and the Algraves.

The Braganza's returned back home in 1821 whereupon Carlota began stirring up trouble by supporting her second son, Miguel's, claim to the Portuguese throne.

I give this book a 2/5. I finished the book in one reading, it is a rather short book. I feel the book was rather empty and that it had about as much information as what I would find in a compilation of a bunch of wikipedia articles (although no doubt it might contributed to said articles). For a book on the "madness" of Queen Maria it does not go into any depth about what might have been the cause of Maria's insanity. It simply dates the time and place things happened which might have been why it was quite dull to me.

Princesse of Versaille: The Life of Marie Adelaide of Savoy

Princesse of Versailles: The Life of Marie Adelaide of Savoy is a 1992 biography, written by Charles Elliot, on the life of Marie Adelaide, Duchess of Bourgogne.

In 1684, King Louis XIV of France arranged a marriage between his 14 year old niece, Anne Marie of Orleans, Victor Amadeus II of Savoy. Anne Marie fell madly in love her husband upon their first meeting but he would always be cold distant towards his wife, himself having many mistresses.Anne Marie's first child was born on December 6. 1685 and named Marie Adelaide. Anne Marie disliked the hedonistic lifestyle of the Savoy court and instead opted for a more relaxed environment with Marie Adelaide and her younger sister, Maria Luisa, at Vigno di Madama.

As a result of the Treaty of Turin in 1696, Marie Adelaide became engaged to Louis XIV's grandson. The Treaty of Turin was an agreement by Victor Amadeus and the Sun King for the former's support in the Nine Years' War. The Duke of Savoy was famous for his perpetual shifting in allegiances. It was decided that Marie Adelaide would come to France, despite her younger age, in order to transition from a Princess of Savoy to a French one.  Louis XIV and his secret wife, Madame de Maintenon, became enraptured with the darling Princess the moment they laid eyes on her. Marie Adelaide was educated at the Maison Royale de Saint-Louis, a girl's school founded by Madame de Maintenon.

Marie Adelaide's intended was Louis, Duke of Bourgogne, the son of the Grand Dauphin and Marie Anne Victoria of Bavaria. As a child, the Duke was incredibly difficult with no respect for anyone whatsoever. It was thanks to his tutor Francois Fenelon that he was able to become the serious minded heir that France needed. Marie Adelaide and Louis married on December 7,1697, when the bride was 12. Because of the Princess's young age, the marriage was left unconsummated for 2 years, very much like it was before they were married. But the limited time that they had together was enough for Louis to become smitten. He nicknamed his wife "Draco", the latin word for Dragon.

The Duchess of Bourgogne's presence at court was like a breath of fresh air as she was able to bring happiness and mirth to the aged King. She developed a love for theater and did a few amateur productions where her husband even chimed in. But her great love was gambling. Again her husband joined in on the fun but after Marie Adelaide fell deathly ill, his conscience kicked in and he abstained from the gambling tables henceforth. Despite Bourgogne's intense love for his wife, Marie Adelaide did not necessarily reciprocate his feelings because she found his piety rather boring. Both husband and wife had a deep love of practical jokes and unfortunately for the husband, he was sometimes be his wife's poor victim.

 Because of his deep piety, Bourgogne, with all of his amorous Bourbon tendencies, never strayed from his wife and in fact had a terror of his wife's ladies-in-waiting. One night Marie Adelaide announced loudly to the court that she was set to retire for the night. Her husband followed close on her heels. Once inside the room, Marie Adelaide had a friend of hers jump into the bed with the covers of her head while the Duchess hid behind the curtains. When the Duke of Bourgogne entered the room, he blew out the candle and quickly went to work. When things were getting heated, Marie Adelaide jumped out from the behind her curtains and accused him of cheating on her. The Duke was at first flabbergasted but soon after that became very mad and began to beat the hapless lady in his bed. All the while his wife laughed in the background.

After a previous pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, Marie Adelaide gave birth to her first child, given the title of the Duke of Brittany, in 1704.The short lived younger Louis died a year later of convulsions. His death devastated his parents and the Duke and Duchess of Bourgogne became closer as a result. The next Duke of Brittany was born in 1707 much to France's joy. Another son was born in 1710, given the title of the Duke of Anjou, and he would prove to be his Mother's favorite. With two boys in the stray, the Bourbon dynasty seemed secure far into the future.

In 1700, the Duke of Bourgogne's younger brother, Phillip, whom Bourgogne was especially close with, became King of Spain. Another contender for the Spanish throne was Archduke Charles of Austria (later Holy Roman Emperor). The ensuing battle for the Spanish crown would be known as the War of Spanish Succession. In 1708, Bourgogne was given command of the army in Flanders. His command left him in conflict with Louis Joseph, Duke of Vendome, one of the greatest French commanders of all time, whom Bourgogne later brought disgrace too.

 It was the longest of their many separations and Bourgogne wrote faithfully to his wife daily. And at first, Marie Adelaide replied with equal earnest (She once wrote a letter to him in her blood which delighted him beyond belief) but it was during this time that the Duchess of Bourgogne began intriguing with two separate gentlemen. Her relationship with said men probably never progressed beyond flirting but none the less tongues began to wag. Even Bourgogne noted that something was wrong when her letters to him became less and less frequent. The affair ended when things got out of hand at the intervention of Madame de Maintenon. One of the gentlemen she was involved with would later commit suicide.

The Duke of Bourgogne's return from the front caused the relationship between the couple to change. Now Marie Adelaide began to appreciate her husband's steadfastness and soon she returned his feelings for her with full force. The couple and their young family was happy. In 1711, le Grand Dauphin died, aged 49. making Bourgogne and his wife only a step away from the throne. As the new Dauphine, Marie Adelaide began to settle down on her wild gambling and partying lifestyle, trying to set a good example for the court. The court traveled to Fontainbleau in early 1712. It was there that Marie Adelaide became ill. It turned out to be the measles. She succumbed to the disease on February 12, 1712. Her husband was absolutely distraught. He had already caught the disease and died less than a week later. The Duke of Brittany soon followed his parents to the grave. Only little Anjou survived because his governess had locked him in a room to spare him from the doctors. If Bourgogne was devastated by Marie Adelaide's death, it was nothing compared to The Sun King's reaction. The bright light of his life was gone now and for the next two years Versaille was in despair.

Anjou became Louis XV of France on September 1, 1715.

I give this book 4.5/5. I've already made a Youtube Video on Marie Adelaide but I still didn't know that much about her. This book really opens my eyes to who this wonderful woman really was. I'm a sucker for royal romances and while I was glad to share their love in my video, I don't think I properly captured the couple's dynamics. It wasn't just a boy meets girl and they fall in love (although it certainly was that way for Bourgogne), it was more complicated than that and that's what made it beautiful to me. While the book starts off a little boring and the Treaty of Turin lasted roughly a chapter when the books starts exploring Marie Adelaide's relationship with her husband that's when it hits its stride. I must admit that by the end the book had me tearing up a little.  

Clisson and Eugenie

Clisson and Eugenie is a 1795 romance novella by Napoleon Bonaparte. 

Clisson is a revolutionary war hero brought down by his enemies. Leaving the hustle and bustle of the capital, he takes a trip to a public bath where he meets two sisters, Amelie and Eugenie. Clisson becomes infatuated with the beautiful Amelie but it is ultimately Eugenie's inner beauty that conquers his heart. The two marry and start a family. Clisson is at peace with his Eugenie.

The war resumes and Clisson is compelled to fight for his country. He is wounded in battle and his friend, Brenville, is sent to reassure Eugenie of Clisson's love and speedy recovery. The two take comfort in their love for Clisson but slowly they fall in love. Heartbroken at his wife's betrayal, Clisson sends one final letter to Eugenie before dying in battle.

I give this story 3/5. The Peter Hicks translation of Clisson and Eugenie is  86 pages long: 30% is the introduction, 40% is the explanation and only 30% is the actually story. The story is rather bland but it had its moments - the ending was especially touching. You don't need to read between the lines to realize the connections in this story to Napoleon's own life (especially his relationship with Desiree Clary). If you're a Napoelon fan, this is the book for you. Otherwise, for the average reader, it won't satisfy your romance sweet-tooth.

Crowned in a Far Country

Crowned in a Far Country; Portrait of Eight Royal Brides is a 2007 book by Her Royal Highness, Princess Michael Kent on eight royal princess who had to leave their country of birth upon marrying and take up life in a foreign court.

Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, Catherine the Great of Russia

Archduchess Maria Antonia, Queen Marie Antoinette of France

Archduchess Maria Carolina, Queen of Naples and Sicily

Archduchess Maria Leopoldina, Empress of Brazil

Eugenie de Montijo, Empress of the French

Victoria, Princess Royal, Empress Frederick III of Germany

Princess Alexandra and Dagmar of Denmark, Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia

I give this book a 2/5. I have read HRH Princess Michael of Kent's other book The Serpent and the Moon before and I did not particularly like her writing style - this book in no way changes my mind. The research was shallow and riddled with contradictions - i.e. she says that Empress Eugenie only had one true love and then later talks about how she had two admirers or that Alexandra learned her intense dislike for Germany through her Father and then later says that the Princess of Wales got it from her Mother. HRH also says rather far fetched things such as "the Prince Imperial went on a noble mission to conquer a few troublesome African tribes". Shallow and superficial, the connection between these eight women are a loose as the construct of this book.

Royal Babylon: The Alarming History of European Royalty

Royal Babylon: The Alarming History of European Royalty is a 2001 book written by Karl Shaw on the scandalous lives of European Royalty from the Romanovs of Russia to the Hanovers of Great Britain.

I give this book 1.5/5. You must forgive me, my little Duckies, for not writing a formal review but the book does not have a particular narrative in which to follow. Which was one of its many, many faults. Now this is not the first time I've read a book on the naughtier bits of Europe's past royals (I greatly enjoyed reading Eleanor Herman's Sex With Kings) but this book left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Does EVERY king need to be mentally incapacitated? If a king had an interesting hobby, then that is obviously a sign of mental illness. Apparently there is no such thing as a beautiful royal bride, they all must be hideous, both inside and out. The British Royal family are all a bunch of inbreeding, hicks. Now do not get me wrong, I understand that being royal does not automatically make you an angel beyond reproach but he doesn't need to be so disrespectful! He also makes claims which are loosely supported and might infuriate some i.e. George V of the United Kingdom was actually a bigamist and embarked on many affairs while married to Mary of Teck! This is not the way you want go if a little monarchist fun is what you're looking for.

Princess Victoria Melita: Grand Duchess Cyril of Russia (1876-1936)

Princess Victoria Melita: Grand Duchess Cyril of Russia 1876-1936 is a 2004 biography on Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by the Rhine and then later Grand Duchess Cyril of Russia by John Van der Kiste.

Born on November 25, 1876, Victoria Melita was the second daughter of Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, only daughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia and Marie of Hesse and by the Rhine. She was named Victoria after her grandmother and Melita because she was born in Malta. In the family she was known as "Ducky". Only a year younger than her elder sister, Marie "Missy", many mistook Victoria Melita to be elder of the pair because she was taller and more serious of the two. Both sisters were opposites in both appearance and personality. Marie was blonde and care free while Victoria was dark haired and broody. Both remain devoted to each other for the rest of their lives.

Victoria Melita's parents marriage was unhappy, the only happiness in Maria Alexandrovna's life was children. She was a strict parent who raised her children with an iron fist but it was apparent to all that they were the joy of her life. In 1889, the family moved to Coburg where Alfred was heir to his childless uncle, Ernest, (he would eventually succeed in 1893). Maria Alexandrovna, who blamed all her woes in her marriage on Great Britain, became a complete Germanophile and forced her beliefs on her daughters. None of her daughters appreciated it. Maria Alexandrovna decided to marry her daughters off while they were young before they could "properly think". After marrying Missy off to Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania, it was decided the Ducky should marry her first cousin, Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse and by the Rhine.

The marriage started off harmoniously and the couple managed to produce a daughter, named Elisabeth. The couple threw magnificent parties and their household was the considered the merriest house in Europe. But it was all a facade. Ducky and Ernest fought continuously about her inattention to duty and his lack of affection., the fights often becoming violent in nature. The couple did try to rekindle the earlier happiness of their marriage but the result was only a stillborn son. Queen Victoria felt bad for the unhappiness of the couple but refused to grant them a divorce for Elisabeth's sake. The old Queen's death in 1901 but an end to any opposition to the divorce. Elisabeth, who was devoted to her Father, had a dislike of her Mother saying, "Mama says she loves me, but you [Ernest] do love me". Elisabeth's death in 1903 severed any link between Hesse and Victoria Melita.

Ducky had first met Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovna of Russia in 1891 while attending the funeral of Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia. It was there that they fell in love and after her divorce, she began visiting him regularly. His parents disapproved of the whole affair and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna told her son to end it. In 1904, during the Russo-Japanese war, Cyril was on active service when his ship was blown up at Port Arthur. He was one of the few survivors and the experience made him more determined than ever to have Ducky. Against the expressed wishes of the Tsar, whose wife, Alexandra, was the sister of the Grand Duke of Hesse, he married Victoria Melita on October 8, 1905. Cyril subsequently lost his place in the succession and his rights and property in Russia. Their two daughters, Maria and Kira, were born during their exile in France.

Nicholas II was eventually forced to reinstate Cyril in the line of succession, who became third in line for the throne upon his return in 1910. Ducky was now Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of Russia. Ducky held great parties in St. Petersburg and eventually formed a rival court to that of the Tsarina. When the first World War broke out in 1914, Victoria Feodorovna worked as a nurse for the Red Cross. As the war began to turn south for Russia, Ducky joined a movement to have the Tsarina dealt with and to save the monarchy. It was too late; the Russian Revolution broke out in 1917 and a year later Tsar, his wife and five children were murdered at Ekaterinburg. The then pregnant Victoria Feodorovna fled with her family abroad - escaping that terrible fate.

Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia was born on August 30, 1917, while his family was staying in Finland. The family of five would have difficulty finding a home for the next decade. In 1923, Cyril suffered a mental breakdown. To get him out of his stupor, Victoria supported him in claim for the Russian throne, it was met with a cold reception by the rest of the Romanov family. Still, the couple remained devoted to each other and were happy in their family unit. Then in 1933, Ducky discovered that Cyril had had an affair while in Paris. She was heartbroken and never forgave him for it. Victoria Melita died in 1936 after suffering her stroke. While her husband had been unfaithful, he was devastated by her loss. He died only 2 years later.

I give this book a 2/5. This book was not one of John van der Kiste's best. The book hardly touches on Ernie's alleged homosexuality and it marginalizes little Ella (which might actually be how Victoria Melita truly did feel about her daughter from her first marriage). I can't say much to this book whether for or against it. All in all, rather dull and plain, something hardly worth noticing.

Kings of the Hellenes: The Greek Kings 1863-1974

Kings of the Hellenes: The Greek Kings 1863-1974 is a book by John van der Kiste on the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg dynasty that ruled Greece for nearly 100 years; from the first King of the Hellenes, George I, to the last, Constantine II.

In 1821, having just gained independence from the Ottomen Turks, the fledgling nation of Greece reached out to the European powers for a King. Prince Otto of Bavaria, King Otho of Greece, was chased out by 1862 and the nation was again looking for a ruler. Many in Greece wanted Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Queen Victoria, but he was already designated as the future Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The crown fell into the hands of the Danish Prince, William, who took the name of George upon his ascension.

George's reign would prove to be a successful one when compared to his predecessor. While Otto believed that the King's power was absolute, George was a constitutional king who signed documents before he even reads them. Another aspect where George succeeded and Otto did not was in producing a dynasty. In 1867, George married Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia. The happy marriage produced 8 children. During George's long reign, he expanded the nations borders by winning wars against the Turks in the first Balkan War  and then defeating Bulgaria in the second Balkan War. On March 18, 1913, 2 weeks short of his being on the throne for 50 years, George was assassinated by Alexandros Schinas.

George's eldest son, named Constantine after the last Byzantine Emperor, ascended the throne 44. A studious man, Constantine had already won the hearts of the Greek people during the Balkan Wars. In 1914, the first World War broke out across Europe. Constantine wished for Greece to remain neutral putting him in conflict with his minister,Venizelos, who was pro-German. The Kings neutrality also put him at odds with the Allies who repeatedly threatened him to join their cause and slandered his wife, Queen Sophie, for being the German Kaiser's sister. In 1917, King Constantine and Queen Sophie left Greece after the Allies threatened to bombard Athens, leaving their second son, Alexander, as king (his elder brother, George, was deemed too German for the government's tastes).

Alexander was a puppet King and his reign was a short one. In 1919, he married Aspasia Manos, the daughter of the Master of the Horse. All of Greece was scandalized, not least his parents, but he was happy and months later she was pregnant. Alexander died after infection set in from a monkey bite. Despite his parents pleading, the government would not let them see their son before he died on October 25, 1920. Alexander's daughter, Alexandra, was born 5 months after his death.

Constantine was brought back to Greece, welcomed back with open arms. His popularity soon waned as the Greece continued its disastrous war in Asian Minor against the Turks. After an army revolt in 1922, Constantine left Greece for the second time. He died of a broken heart in 1936 in Palermo, Italy, having never returned to Greece. George II was married to Elisabeth of Roumania, while his sister, Helen, was married to King Carol II of Roumania. Neither marriage was happy and George's marriage was childless. During the second World War, George left Greece after an increasingly intolerable communist republican government and his brother, the third son of Constantine I and Sophie of Prussia to wear the crown, Paul, succeed him in 1947. The republican kept growing as King Paul and Queen Frederica, born Princess Frederica of Hanover, were criticized for meddling too much. Paul died of cancer in 1964 and was succeeded by his eldest son.

Constantine II would be the last Greek King. He was forced to leave Greece in 1974 after a failed coup against putschist government. He and his wife, Anne Marie of Denmark, currently reside in London.

I give this book a 2/5. The book focuses heavily on George I's reign and how the kingdom was born while neglecting Paul and Constantine II's and how the monarchy was abolished. John van der Kiste's odd usage of names do not help this book at all. He will say "Alice said this" without ever having mentioned her before. It didn't matter too much to me seeing as I had some knowledge of the Greek royal family but to a beginner they would have certainly been lost. With not enough information for a season historian but too specific for the proverbial "noob", this book is rather lack luster.