The Pleasures of Love [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

The marriage of Catherine of Braganza, who was from Portugal, to the newly restored King of England, Charles II, was a purely political alliance. Catherine was the daughter of King Juan IV of Portugal, who had previously been known as the Duke of Braganza, a vassal of Spain, as Spain had invaded Portugal in his father's time. When Catherine was five, after sixty years under Spanish rule, her father drove out the Spaniards and assumed his rightful role. His rule was a tenuous one, however, as the only foreign countries that recognized Juan IV as King of Portugal were France and England, countries that were enemies of Spain, at the time. The Pope, however, under the thumb of the Spaniards, did not, and other countries followed suit.

When Catherine, the Infanta of Portugal, was about eighteen years of age, her father died, leaving her mother, Donna Luiza, Queen Regent of Portugal, as her brother, Alfonso, was only thirteen years old. Shortly thereafter, in the year 1658, Cromwell died, and within two years, Charles II of England was restored to his throne. Donna Luiza sought the marriage of her daughter, Catherine, to Charles II, as a way of being able to shore up her defenses against the ever-pervasive threat of Spanish subjugation. By the time Catherine was twenty-two, she was married to the thirty year old King of England.

Catherine was a Catholic Queen in a Protestant England that had never forgotten the cruelties of their last Catholic ruler, Mary Tudor, also known as "Bloody Mary", for her excesses againt those of the Protestant faith. Consequently, the English were cool in their reception of Catherine. Moreover, she was married to a King who was a natural philanderer and whose amorous escapades with the beautiful, though notorious, Lady Castlemaine, as well as with the cockney actress, Nell Gwynne, among others, would cause her much heartache.

When Catherine failed to produce an heir, and it became clear that she was barren, there was much political intrigue in hopes that Charles II would divorce her and marry someone with whom he could beget an heir. That the King was capable of doing so was evident from the number of children he begat with his mistresses. Still, this merry monarch, much beloved by his people who viewed his amorous escapes with amusement, refused to discard his faithful and loyal wife, despite the fact that the public reviled her.

The author weaves a compelling, first person narrative of a Queen whose personal travails are little known. Against a backdrop of historical events, political intrigues, and well-known personages, her story artfully unfolds, capturing the imagination of the reader. Hers is a story all too familiar. It is the story of a young noblewoman whose personal happiness was subjugated to matters of state. Well-written, it is a somewhat romanticized account of a life lived in the shadow of political expediency, and its pathos will keep the reader turning the pages.

The marriage of Catherine of Braganza, who was from Portugal, to the newly restored King of England, Charles II, was a purely political alliance. Catherine was the daughter of King Juan IV of Portugal, who had previously been known as the Duke of Braganza, a vassal of Spain, as Spain had invaded Portugal in his father's time. When Catherine was five, after sixty years under Spanish rule, her father drove out the Spaniards and assumed his rightful role. His rule was a tenuous one, however, as the only foreign countries that recognized Juan IV as King of Portugal were France and England, countries which were enemies of Spain, at the time. The Pope, however, under the thumb of the Spaniards, did not, and other countries followed suit.

When Catherine, the Infanta of Portugal, was about eighteen years of age, her father died, leaving her mother, Donna Luiza, Queen Regent of Portugal, as her brother, Alfonso, was only thirteen years old. Shortly thereafter, in the year 1658, Cromwell died, and within two years, Charles II of England was restored to his throne. Donna Luiza sought the marriage of her daughter, Catherine, to Charles II, as a way of being able to shore up her defenses against the ever-pervasive threat of Spanish subjugation. By the time Catherine was twenty-two, she was married to the thirty year old King of England.

Catherine was a Catholic Queen in a Protestant England that had never forgotten the cruelties of their last Catholic ruler, Mary Tudor, also known as "Bloody Mary", for her excesses againt those of the Protestant faith. Consequently, the English were cool in their reception of Catherine. Moreover, she was married to a King who was a natural philanderer and whose amorous escapades with the beautiful, though notorious, Lady Castlemaine, as well as with the cockney actress, Nell Gwynne, among others, would cause her much heartache.

When Catherine failed to produce an heir, and it became clear that she was barren, there was much political intrigue in hopes that Charles II would divorce her and marry someone with whom he could beget an heir. That the King was capable of doing so was evident from the number of children he begat with his mistresses. Still, this merry monarch, much beloved by his people who viewed his amorous escapes with amusement, refused to discard his faithful and loyal wife, despite the fact that the public reviled her.

The author weaves a compelling, first person narrative of a Queen whose personal travails are little known. Against a backdrop of historical events, political intrigues, and well-known personages, her story artfully unfolds, capturing the imagination of the reader. Hers is a story all too familiar. It is the story of a young noblewoman whose personal happiness was subjugated to matters of state. Well-written, it is a somewhat romanticized account of a life lived in the shadow of political expediency, and its pathos will keep the reader turning the pages.