#marguerite de valois
Margaret of Valois (1553 – 1615) was Queen of France and of Navarre during the late sixteenth century. A royal princess of France by birth, she was the last of the House of Valois. She was the daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de Medici and the sister of Kings Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III and of Queen Elisabeth of Spain. She was queen twice for she had married King Henry III of Navarre who finally became King Henry IV of France.
Margaret, among other political manipulations, was subjected to an arranged marriage and being held prisoner (albeit at a castle) for many years. However, her life was anything but passive. Aside from being twice a queen—first of Navarre (1572), then of France (1589), Margaret was famous for her beauty and sense of style. She was one of the most fashionable women of her time, influencing most of Europe’s Royal Courts with her clothing. She was also a gifted poet and writer, notable for both her own scandalous behavior and for revealing that of others. Margaret took many lovers both during her marriage and after her annulment. The most well-known were Joseph Boniface de La Môle, Jacques de Harlay, Seigneur de Champvallon and Louis de Bussy d’Amboise.
When imprisoned by her brother Henry III for eighteen years, she took advantage of the time to write her memoirs, which included a succession of stories relating to the disputes of her brothers Charles IX and Henry III with her husband Henry IV. The memoirs were published posthumously in 1628.
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Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Day
We all know that love isn’t always convenient. Nor does it always go smoothly–especially if your mother is Queen Catherine de Medicis!
This Valentine’s Day why not indulge in a tale of INTRIGUE and FORBIDDEN LOVE, 16th century style? Or give it as a Valentine?
MÉDICIS DAUGHTER is available on Amazon, B&N or wherever books are sold.
IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN VALOIS FANS … time for my holiday gift-giving special! This year’s price will be $11.00 per SIGNED hardcover, shipping included :)
Have yourself a VERY VALOIS Christmas. Ask Santa for Médicis Daughter by Sophie Perinot. Or give the book to someone on your list! But HURRY–QUANTITIES OF SIGNED COPIES AT SPECIAL HOLIDAY PRICING ARE LIMITED! And orders MUST be placed by December 10th for pre-Christmas delivery!
Offer is limited to the USA only and payment must be by paypal. To order your copy, please message me through the official Médicis Daughter Facebook page.
This is the 446th Anniversary of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre…
In the pre-dawn hours of AUGUST 24th 1572, Marguerite de Valois’ POST-WEDDING CELEBRATIONS BECAME A MASSACRE—THE ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S DAY MASSACRE TO BE EXACT.
Before the bloodshed was over, 3,000 men, women and children would be dead in Paris alone and the violence would spread to province after province. The Seine was so full of bodies at one location that it was possible to cross it without wetting one’s feet. People urged their children to throw the infants of neighboring families into the river. Many who died were, of course, persecuted Protestants. But the rage at its root has much to do with socio-economic jealousy and personal grudges as well, as people took the opportunity during the on-going violence to settle grudges of many sorts.
Within the walls of the Louvre men who had sat down at wedding banquets together only days before became murders and victims. And Margot’s husband the King of Navarre was hunted to the apartment of his brother-in-law the King of France.
Margot would be forced by the events of the massacre to make a choice between loyalty to her family and the dictates of her own conscience. Fortunately for the history of France, she chose the later.
“Drawing a deep breath I step out of my apartment, glad of the dagger I clutch.
At first I see no one and the noises I hear, while dreadful, are distant. Then the shrieking comes. Ahead of me a man emerges from a chamber. He runs, full speed, in my direction, screaming. Behind him three archers come into view. They pause, take aim, and down the gentleman goes, not ten steps from me, arrows in his back. Yet the shrieking does not stop.
Holy Mary mother of God am I screaming? I must be. But this fact has no effect on the archers, they merely lower their bows and run past, barely pausing to see that that fallen gentleman is dead. I close my eyes. Surely this is a nightmare. But even before I open them again I know that the body of the gentleman will remain—the odor of blood fills my nostrils.”
–Médicis DaughterbySophie Perinot
OnAMAZON, or wherever books are sold.
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Thank you Ukrainian readers for making MEDICIS DAUGHTER a best seller. I love the Ukrainian edition–particularly it’s use of the Clouet portrait of Princess Margot as a child. I am also way into the sewn-in ribbon book mark. Have to admit I would never have recognized my name in the Cyrillic alphabet :)
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Discover the Novels of Sophie Perinot, an award-winning author of female-centered historical fiction.The Sister Queensdelves into the compelling bond between sisters Marguerite and Eleanor of Provence, 13th century queens of France and England. While Médicis Daughter takes readers to the intrigue-riven French court, to consider issues of conscience and independence within the complicated mother/daughter relationship between princess Marguerite de Valois and the dangerous, powerful Queen Catherine de Médicis.
On This Day in Valois History–May 1572:
Jeanne d’Albret is at the French Court negotiating the marriage of her son, Prince Henri of Navarre, to Princess Marguerite de Valois, proposes Henri be married by proxy and that after the ceremony she will conduct her son and his wife to Pau. Queen Catherine de Médicis has very different ideas— she wants Henri of Navarre to attend a Paris ceremony in person and wants couple to reside for at least a portion of every year at the French Court.
Jeanne gathers a number of Huguenot nobles and notables to advise her on resolving this discrepancy, leading to perhaps one of the most prescient pieces of advice in French history when François de Béthune, Baron de Rosny, declares:
“Believe me, Madame, that if these nuptials are ever celebrated in Paris, the liveries worn will be blood-colored.”
Of course the wedding was celebrated at Paris only to be followed by one of the bloodiest massacres in French history—a massacre that the Baron’s own son barely survived by disguising himself as a catholic.
[the picture above is a depiction of the young Maximillian confronted in the streets of Paris during the massacre from a picture that hangs in his chateau—Sully sur Loire]
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What do you give the 16th Century Queen who has everything? Hey we all know the mother-daughter relationship can be perilous. Just be glad YOUR mother isn’t Catherine de Médicis!
MEDICIS DAUGHTER: the coming-of-age tale of the youngest Valois princess, Marguerite who must decide where her duty lies–with her powerful mother’s commands or with her how conscience.
OnAmazonor wherever books are sold.
SPRING, SEASON OF LOVE … AND PERIL!
Every woman knows the Mother-Daughter relationship is perilous. Now imagine your mother is Catherine de Médicis—a powerful Queen who views independence as disloyalty. That is the situation Marguerite de Valois, finds herself in. Margot knows she will be married off to forge an alliance for the French crown. She doesn’t anticipate falling head-over-heels for the charismatic Duc de Guise …
MEDICIS DAUGHTER on AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/M%C3%A9dicis-Daughter-Novel-Marguerite-Valois/dp/1250072093
Or wherever books are sold.
The hours are winding down on my EXTRAORDINARY HOLIDAY SPECIAL offering SIGNED COPIES of MÉDICIS DAUGHTER for just $10 each (including shipping). Books have been wending their way across the USA but I still have a few copies left.
Orders MUST be RECEIVED by midnight tomorrow. So the choice is yours—two turtle doves under the tree or a pair of desperate lovers trying to outsmart Queen Catherine de Médicis?
DETAILS:https://www.facebook.com/DaughterofdeMedici/posts/890711184431765
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I don’t know about you, but come late October I WANT a little wicked in my reads … some cunning, some conniving and most definitely things that go bump in the night. Well when it comes to WICKED nobody does it like the VALOIS ;)
ON THIS DAY IN VALOIS HISTORY …
September 13th 1569: On this day the Protestant leader Admiral Coligny was sentenced to death (specifically to be strangled and hanged on the Place de Grève) by the Parliament of Paris and a price of 50k écus was put on his head.
No one would have guessed that within a few years the Admiral would be not the King’s enemy but one of his closest advisors and companions. But favor at the Court of France was as fickle as infamy and ultimately even the King’s sudden violent affection for Coligny did not save him.
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AUGUST 22ND 1572 … The Attempted Assassination of Admiral Coligny.
Basking in his King’s favor (much to a jealous Catherine de Médicis’ displeasure) Coligny was returning to his residence at the rue de Béthisy after visiting with Charles IX when an assassin fired at him breaking his arm and severely wounding but not killing the Admiral. The bullet that struck him was from an Arquebus and was fired from the first floor of a house in the cloisters of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois.What saved the Admiral from more serious harm was the fact that he bent to adjust his shoe at the precise moment of the shot.
Coligny’s companions found the gun (smoking) but the shooter was gone—galloped off through the Porte Saint-Antoine on a horse he had ready behind the house. One of these same companions immediately rode to the Louvre to tell the King.
Was the jealous Queen Mother behind this crime?
Read my novel MEDICIS DAUGHTER for my take on this delicate question.
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