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First Reading

About Biographies of related people

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"The Beauties of the Court of Charles the Second: A Series of Memoirs Biographical and Critical" by Mrs. Jameson is a study of a series of plates and portraits by the famous artists of the day (predominately Lely). The memoirs include Queen Catherine of Braganza, the Duchess of Cleveland, the Countess of Grammont, the Countess of Ossory, Lady Denham, Nell Gwynn, the Duchess of Somerset, the Duchess of Richmond, Mrs. Lawson, the Countess of Chesterfield, the Countess of Chesterfield, the Countess of Rochester, Miss Bagot, Mrs. Nott, the Countess of Southesk, Lady Bellasys, the Countess of Sunderland, Mrs. Middleton, the Countess of Portsmouth, the Duchess of Devonshire and Miss Jennings. Mrs. Jameson, in her rather modest style is quick to note that both the moral and fine ladies of the day are presented alongside those who clearly lacked such a classification, but nonetheless were captured by the artist. Her biographical sketches need to be taken with a grain of salt, as she seems to have possibly relied on one major source for her information as opposed to checking multiple resources (ie. this is clear in Catherine of Braganza, where she uses the much disputed "death bed of Charles" rendition of Burnet which isn't always in synch with the facts reported by the people who were actually there when he died, as Burnet was not). That being said, she does manage to present an easy reading and enjoyable set of mini-biographies of her subjects and some very interesting anecdotes of the lives of the ladies captured in the art. One stricking note of character is in the memoir of the Countess of Ossary, which expands with a look at the character of the Ormonde family and that of Elizabeth Ormonde, her mother in law, whose maturity, forgiveness and grace upon some painfully surprising and shattering news is a noteworthy character study in itself (years before while courting her, her husband had fathered a child with her best friend, whom she had entrusted to deliver her letters back and forth~she truly is a lady of the highest class!)
Of note, if you are looking for this book, the original version does NOT have the actual plates (portraits), but some later versions do. It is worth tracking down a version with the plates as it's hard to read about art without actually seeing what is being refered to. This book has also recently been re-released on Amazon in the US and UK, but I have not been able to get confirmation that the plates are included in the newly released paperback. The Amazon UK link is http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obid… while the Amazon US link is http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obid… and for the collector the older versions are sometime available at http://www.usedbooksearch.co.uk/

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Richard Ollard's "The Image of the King" (or as it appears on Amazon in the US entitled "Phoenix: The Image of the King") is a phenomenal character study of Charles I and Charles II. Ollard relies on varied sources to present not the history of each king, but rather the details of the lives of each of these men and how those incidents, etc. shaped each one's character. For a father and son, these two had very little in common, except for an ability to be deceitful, as seen in the treatment and secondhand dealings behind the backs of faithful friends and ministers (ie. Ormonde, Hyde and many others). While Charles I is presented as a much more beloved, straight laced and moral individual, all stops are pulled out as Charles II is raked over the coals in the writings of the men of his time who captured their thoughts and documented his person. By following the contemporary writings of Clarendon, Burnet, Pepys, Evelyn,Ormonde,Halifax and others, Ollard manages to gather insight not only from diarists but from men that served the father as well as the son. In addition to the wit of these contemporary writers, some of the quotes and the conclusions that they draw are like a lethal blade--right to the heart of the matter. For instance, after the death of his son the Lord Ossary, Ormonde (who served under, greatly sacrificed for and was betrayed by both father and son)responds to some insincere condolences of a courtier as he wrote: "My loss, indeed, sits heavy on me and nothing else in the world could affect me so much: but since I could bear the death of my great and good master King Charles the First, I can bear anything else: and though I am very sensible of the loss of such a son as Ossary was, yet I thank God my case is not quite so deplorable as that nobleman's; for I had much rather have my dead son that his living one [Charles II]." (page 28). Available on Amazon in the US at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos… or in the UK at http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obid…

About Fiction set in Pepys' time

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"The Loves of Charles II" by Cornelia Otis Skinner is an audio recording of the one woman play that Skinner wrote and presented around 1930. Skinner, an accomplished actress, biographer, essayist, dramatist and theatrical performer has created a remarkably clever recording where she takes on the persona of Henrietta Marie (Charles' mother), a Dutch Trollop (a non-named prostitute frequented by Charles during his exile), Lady Castelmaine, Louise de Queroalle, Nell Gwyn and Catherine of Braganza. Skinner has grasped the intricaies of each woman's personality with a sharp precision which is meshed into the history of the times and the conflicts/jealousies that these women faced as part of Charles' "harem". The scenes start with Henrietta Marie in France during Charles' exile, mourning the loss of her husband. The trollop, probably the least interesting personality tries to get Charles to provide her with either priviledge or money for the services she's provided. Lady Castelmaine reeks of low class, sharply caustic and overpowering greed, nasty jealousies and need for revenge as she faces the realities of her declining status in Charles' affections. Louise uses her sly and arrogant French manners to move Charles to sign the Treaty of Dover (not historically accurate)and to establish herself as his mistress in exchange for his pledge of loyalties to France. Nell brings her humor and bubbly street manners forth, but is not without a need to "get" something from Charles, either, in this case a title for her bastard son by Charles. Finally, the sad humble farewell between Catherine and Charles while he is on his deathbed is a depressing end to a life wasted. Catherine is lowered to the position of begging Charles' brother James for a moment alone with him. She thanks Charles for his kindness to her even though she knows that she has never been anything of value to him in his life. She humbly begs forgiveness for all that she is not. Catherine touches on the private melancholy that both she and Charles carry in their hearts, acknowledges the string of mistresses which had no other meaning than to be a moment's diversion to his pain and the public face he projected of the "merry monarch" behind which he hid.
Unfortunately this isn't an easy to find audio tape, but may be available in your local library or through the library loaner program. It is part of a 6 part audio tape set presented by "Spoken Arts" and entitled "Great Women Writers Read their Works" ISBN number 0-8045-0044-4.

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"La Belle Stuart" by Cyril Hughes Hartmann is the biogrpahy of Frances Teresa Stuart, a young lady who was a distant relative of Charles II and a beauty of his court. While her family sought refuge in France during the Cromwell period, she was a favorite of the French court and well regarded by both Charles' mother Henrietta and his sister Minette. Her family returned to England upon the Restoration when Frances was still a young girl of about 13 or so. She was incredibly beautiful, silly and childish in her manner, but her looks and frivolous nature caught the eye of Charles II. During the next few years of immature flirtation she led him to believe that someday she would be his mistress and thus managed to unseat Lady Castlemaine's "power" over Charles. (Pepys makes note of this in several places, starting around 1663 and revels in the related gossip).
Around the time that Queen Catherine became ill (Sept, 1663) it was believed by almost everyone that if Catherine died from her illness that Charles would wed Frances and Castlemaine would be gone for good.
What is most interesting is Hartmann's view of the "curious complexity" of Charles' character through his interactions with Frances. He states that "Charles was dividing between three women at the same time the love that an ordinary man would devote to one at different stages of his passion." For Frances he had a young romatic passion for her gaity and beauty. For Catherine " it was love growing old, a tenderness free from all passion, a placid affection which was a haven for all his better instincts" and with Lady Castlemaine both romance and tenderness were missing and all that remained were the basest physical element.
As Frances grew into womanhood she had to face the reality of her behavior which left 3 choices--mistress, convent or marriage to anyone who would take her. She threw herself at the Queen's mercy and Catherine guided her towards marriage to the Duke of Richmond. This mariage was an extreme insult and embarassment to Charles, who banished Frances and her husband from court. The fall out of this situation turned political as the parties in the court opposing Clarendon (Buckingham and Arlington)blamed the marriage on him. Charles, who clearly was struggling to soothe his ego and couldn't think that any woman would leave him for the Duke of Richmond without someone manipulating her to do so, fell for the bait and Clarendon was forced to exile himself to France.
Over time the wounds began to heal and Frances and her husband were welcomed back to the court. After her husband's death Catherine appointed her as a lady of her chamber and they had a sincere friendship. Frances never remarried, but she remained friendly with Charles who granted her financial support for her life. This is usually available used through a search at http://www.usedbooksearch.co.uk/c…

About Movies set in Pepys' time

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"Charles II: The Power and the Passion (BBC Original Version)or "The Last King" (A&E US version -see note below) follows the life of Charles II (Rufus Sewell) starting with his father's death, through his exile, restoration and throughout his life. The history includes the political intrigues, religious intolerance, Dutch war, Plague, Great Fire, Treaty of Dover,Popish Plots and his ongoing see-saw of relationshps with his ministers. His friendships and loyalties follow ebbs and flows that track the political unrest of the times as his friend Buckingham, Clarendon and the rest come and go in their glory with the shifts of Charles' political agenda of the day.

His family relationships are also explored in detail including his cold hearted mother (Diana Rigg at her best), brother James wanting to maintain his rightful place as heir to the throne, his much loved sister Henrietta and his corrupted and traitorous son Monmouth.

And it wouldn't be Charles without his numerous and totally self-centered mistresses each vying for prestige, power and wealth, including the cut throat, conniving Barbara Villers (Helen McCrory), the well known actress Nell Gwyn & the most hated woman in England the cry baby French spy Louise de Keroualle.

His relationship with his simple and religously devoted wife, Queen Catherine of Braganza (heartbreakingly portayed by Shirley Henderson), whom history has always disregarded, has a quietly haunting effect as she is blatantly unwelcomed into his life and his licentious court, forced to humble herself to his mistresses, suffers silently in her friendlessness and childlessness and is nearly abandoned along the way. She remains the quietly moral, sincerely pious,loyal and dedicated "servant" who not only stands up to him but also stands by him throughout his life and death, always at peace with God and always holding an unconditional and forgiving love for Charles. Personally, I found her to be the most interesting person in Charles' life as she quietly managed to move through all of the disappointments, the plots against her, the raunchy chaos around her and still remain steadfast in her moral character. She learned to accept her sorrowfully diminished role in Charles' life and as she moved herself towards her God she managed to transform her relationship with Charles to a place where they came to a gentle spiritual understanding and connection.

This is a thought provoking portrayal which captures Charles at his best and his worst, a truly flawed human being, and leaves the viewer with mixed feelings about him as a man and a king.

Now to the DVD. Unfortunately there are several cuts of this and some lacking scenes which the others have. In the UK, the BBC version found on Amazon under Charles II:Power and the Passion found at http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obid…
is the best generally available. The US version by A&E cuts out an hour of the UK version and is poorly edited so it doesn't flow well.Unfortunately, unless you have a multi-region DVD player that's what the US buyers will be stuck with. It's marketed under "The Last King" at Amazon in the US at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/…

There is also a VHS and DVD version on ebay from time to time which is the cut for the Emmys (US TV Awards). This version has a few scenes that aren't in either the BBC or the A&E version and if available for your region these are a good find, and sold under "The Last King" as a 4 hour Emmy version. This includes a key husband - wife scene towards the end that shows the 2 opening up and connecting at an honest and spiritual level that is so unfortunately left out of the other UK and US versions.

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Richard Ollard's "Cromwell's Earl" brings Pepys "My Lord" , Edward Mountagu the Earl of Sandwich into the spotlight through a much different view than Sam has given us. Ollard, who should be noted is also a biographer of Pepys, has dedicated himself to the research of the journals of Sandwich. Ollard commends Sandwich for his brillance as an admiral and career as an ambasador. Sandwich was genuinely liked and respected by both Cromwell and Charles II and wholeheartedly admired by Clarendon, a rarity in itself. Sandwich's journals, much different than Sam's in their factual but non-judgemental recording of his travels also have some interesting drawings of the various things he saw along the way ranging from jewels, to irrigation systems, to tools and maps. Sandwich has the same level of interest in life as a Pepys noting scientific discoveries, notations on political protocal and the arts. Of interest to Sam's followers--when Ollard pits Sam and Sandwich at odds with each other it is usually Sandwich who comes out on top. Ollard only lightly touches on Sandwich's family and relations but cleary presents him as a loving, devoted family man, a humanist and a loyal friend, which is not always the view presented by Sam in his diary entries. Also, don't expect the writing style of a Claire Tomalin or the excitement of Sam's diary-- Sandwich is a different breed and Ollard is a different writer. Available at http://www.usedbooksearch.co.uk/

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"My Dearest Minette", edited by Ruth Norrington is a collection of the correspondence between Charles II and his younger sister Henrietta ("Minette") the Duchesse d'Orleans, who was married to Philippe d'Orleans, the younger brother of Louis XIV. Philippe and Minette originally married for love but the marriage quickly deteriorated and turned into a spiteful and hateful relationship with Philippe (a practicing bisexual) becoming cruel and violent with his constant sway of jealousies towards Minette. As the marriage fell apart Minette became more embroiled in the intrigues of the French court. The letters follow the time period of 1659 through her mysterious death in 1670. Charles and Minette are close confidants and exchange everthing from family news, court gossip, fashion,politics and foreign policy. Their correspondence leads up to the Treaty of Dover, where Charles acting through Minette as the intermediary basically "sold himself" to Louis. Usually available at Amazon or also at http://www.usedbooksearch.co.uk/

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"The Life and Loyalties of Thomas Bruce" by the Earl of Cardigan explores the "most famous footnote" the "Ailesbury" that was a much quoted source of the later life and death of Charles II. Cardigan chooses to explore what he calls an "individual of the second rank" who never entered the limelight as other well known ministers and servants to Charles, but entered into his service when he was a young and impressionable man and Charles was about 50 or so. Of note, Bruce was also a friend of Monmouth as a child, a relationship that would prove troubling to him as he saw the friction between Monmouth, Charles, James, etc. The impressions left on Bruce by Charles II as a young man stuck with him throughout his life and he remained steadfast in his loyalties to the Stuarts, as he states "with my steady principles...I could not change Kings as one doth a suit of clothes". He truly paid a price for that loyalty as he rose up with the Stuarts as a courtier, member of Parliament, a peer and a revolutionary, but also ended up a prisoner and a foreign exile for many of his remaining years. Bruce also paid dearly in personal terms as his political alliances cost him the ability to remain with his family. The role that Bruces' extended family took in raising his children and making amends for Bruce's horrible financial decisions is interesting to note as Bruce, the eldest son, had the "rank" but clearly did not have the abilites of his younger siblings to provide. This book explores the life of a more mid-range but priveledged person whose life touched and was thereafter influenced by the Stuart kings. Usually available at http://www.usedbooksearch.co.uk/

About Non-fiction about Pepys' time

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Antonia Fraser's "The Weaker Vessel" explores the varying roles of women in the 17th century from the period of Queen Elizabeth through Queen Anne. The Comwell-Charles II time offers interesting insights as the roles of women tended to change with the Restoration. Fraser covers the spectrum of roles --heiress, dairymaid, holy women, prostitutes, midwives, criminals, educators, mothers, heroines, courtesans, businesswomen, ladies of the court and the actress. Elizabeth Pepys gets a few highlights and Sam's Diary plays into quite a few of the quotes, etc. The span of emotions covers such topics as the heartbreaking perils of childbirth and the far too many associated deaths, to the "bartering" of ones daughters for better social status right up to the rare loving wives and happy unions. Fraser explores where women were seen as the "Weaker Vessel" mostly in areas where they were denied "access to entrance", like education, etc. but horribly placed in terms of protection under law. The one thing that is clear is that the best status a women could hope for was that of a wealthy widow-- the only place with the "loophole" where she was not "owned" by either her father or her husband and was given the protection of law, the ability to make decisions for herself and the respect of society.

About Biographies of related people

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The Friendship of John Evelyn & Margaret Godolphin "Transformations of Love" by Frances Harris (available at Amazon).
This book,which is beautifully written, explores the controversy of the very passionate and "seraphic" friendship that a 49 year old John Evelyn develops for 19 year old Margaret Blagge, a maid of honor at Charles II court(note:she later marries Sidney Godolphin). It follows the emotional sways of their relationship as Margaret struggles with her desire to serve God in a truly dedicated and spiritual manner and her growing love for Sidney Goldophin. Evelyn moves back and forth from fatherly figure, to friend, to jealous influencer, and from the reader's perspective, to someone who has truly fallen in love, although he is the last to know.
Also, of interest is Evelyn's work "The Life of Mrs.Godolphin" which he penned for Margaret's friend and husband as a private tribute to her after her death. Another view on this subject is found in the W.G. Hiscock book " John Evelyn and Margaret Godolphin" which takes a more Freudian perspective on the relationship and the friendship. Of note: Hiscock did not have the letters between Margaret and Sidney to round out the situation as does Harris. Finally as a follow up related to the subject is Sir Tresham Lever's book "Godolphin -His Life and Times" which tracks the third part of this triangle, Sidney Godolphin, the man that Margaret loved. In any perspective what is truly clear is this young woman had an impact on both of these men which lasted througout their lives. In the US books were available on either Amazon, your local library (reference dept loaners) or sometimes through the used book market http://www.usedbooksearch.co.uk/

About Edward Mountagu (Ned)

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In Richard Ollard's book on Lord Sandwich entitled "Cromwell's Earl" there are 2 interesting notations about his cousin Ned which may provide some food for thought about his "closeness" to the Queen (which cost him his job). After his death at sea, Clarendon sends Lord Sandwich a letter dated August 28, 1665 stating "Were poor Ned Mountagu to be lost I am gladd the circumstances of it were much to his advantage. I do not meane his dying a Romanist if that be soe, that is reported" (page 135). Ollard later reports that in 1668 Sandwich "paid several calls on a daughter of the Duke of Menina Sidonnia, Donna Maria, a nun at Alcantara. She told him of the secret conversion of 'my cosen Mr. Ed. Mountagu, sonn of Ed. Lord Mountagu of Boughton, who was after killed at Bergen'... Apparently it [the conversion] had taken place when he was in Rome at the age of 18 or 19 and the Pope had so far interested himself in the matter as to give him personal leave to conceal it and deny his change of religious allegiance. Donna Maria claimed to have heard this from Edward [Ned] himself when he came to Lisbon in Sandwich's retinue on the voyage that brought over the Queen to England." (p.203).
If Ned truly had converted to Catholicism, this may shed some light on Ned's relationship with the Queen (who was also a Catholic) and his over-zealous actions to "protect" her. It is also interesting that Ned was permitted by the Pope to hide and deny his change in religion ~ a further statement about the strength of the hatred and bigotry which the English had for Catholicism.

About Catherine of Braganza (Queen)

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Biographies on Catherine

I was able to locate 3 of the actual "Biographies" on Catherine, which are rare and out of print, but only 2 are worth the read.

The first, by Lillias Campbell Davidson, called "Catherine of Braganca, infanta of Portugal & queen consort of England" is referenced in almost all other books and biographies about her since it came out in 1908. It is very thorough (500+ pages), kind hearted yet factual in it's approach to both Catherine and Charles and includes about 80 or so of her letters back and forth to her brother Pedro, and her last will and testament, which give a feel for her "voice" --something which all of the other books about her seem to lack. The dedication itself is lovely and reads "To the people of Portugal who gave their princess throughout her life love, loyalty, devotion and by who in her death she is not forgotten". An interesting quote from one of her letters to Pedro (page 467)starts out "Supposing God is everywhere, yet He is as much forgoten here as if that were not so"...which sums up most of her life experience in England.

The second by Janet Mackay is "Catherine of Braganza" published in 1937. Not as long as the other biography but factual and not open to too much "poetic license" or biased interpretation. It covers a lot of key points that other authors (historical fiction) have obviously drawn on in their writings about Catherine.

The third by Hebe Elsna, "Catherine of Bragana" seemed more like a historical fiction as there was more interpretation of character, etc. On this I'd pass.

Finally as mentioned above in an earlier note, the books by Manual Sousa "Catherine of Braganza: Princess of Portugal Wife of Charles II" and the Agnes Strickland series "Lives of the Queens of England from the Norman Conquest" (volume numbers vary) are worth searching for too.

In the US these and other books about Catherine, (some in Portugese, which I can't read myself), are available through the Library of Congress Online Catalog at http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pw…
If you do a keyword search on her name, it will pull up listing of the biographies and the fiction. From there I took the listing to my local town library and had the reference librarian do her magic thing ~~ she was able to take the information and find all 3 books I was interested in through a local search tool. The 3 books were all in different local university libraries. They then send for them. A little work, but worth the effort AND FREE!

In the UK the British Library at http://blpc.bl.uk/ has a service where you can search and then either have the book sent to your local library or the London reference room (depends on the book). If you are interested, they have a department called articles direct that will actually copy a book and send it to you for a fee--please note, the copying costs won't kill you, but the copyright costs, assessed per chapter, possibly could --so get a quote before hand if you go this option.

Happy reading!

About Catherine of Braganza (Queen)

Jeannine  •  Link

Thanks to Pedro for the poems and the commentary about the controversy, which still exists today. I've read several articles or book excerpts that basically rip Catherine apart. A section on Edward Montague in "The Way of the Montagues" by Bernard Falk was EXTREMELY mean spirited and "The King's Wife" by Robert Gray was also quite negative, while "Royal Survivor" by Stephen Coote practically made her invisible.

On the flip side, Antonia Fraser's "King Charles II", Derek Wilson's "All the King's Women", Manual Sousa's "Catherine of Braganza..." ( a biography)along with Agnes Strickland's "Lives of Queens" (another biography)presented a more factual, kinder and dignified picture.

What is true in all writing about her (good or bad)is that Catherine was pious, unquestionable faithful (which can not be said about ANY of his mistresses), simple in nature and totally unprepared for the morally depraved husband and court that he surrounded himself with and forced her to live with. She was basically imprisioned, ridiculed, neglected and alone.

Also of interesting character note is that she was the ONLY person in Charles's life that NEVER betrayed him or carried a hidden agenda in her dealings with him(like his friends, mistresses or even his beloved sister Henrietta who had conflciting ties with Louis XIV). Even after years of neglect when she did have the chance to return to Portugal (during the Popish polts) she stood behind him,risking her own life in doing so, which was to HIS benefit politically, while Nell and Louise (his mistresses) openly betrayed him (and were of course forgiven).

The only light hearted and uplifting book is by Count de Gramont who actually lived during this time. His "Memoirs of the Courts of Europe --Court of Charles II" recorded the soap opera antics around him and painted a pathetically comical picture of Charles and his court, which although it would have been wonderful reality TV today, must have been awful for any person with even the slightest intelligence and/ or moral character to survive. After reading this it made the thought of moving into a exile (ie. Catherine's solo move to Somerset from about 1671-1678 about 10 years into her marriage) look pretty appealing.