Ladies in Waiting: From the Tudors to the Present Day

Ladies in Waiting: From the Tudors to the Present Day

by Lady Anne Somerset (Author)

Synopsis

Far from just being servants or decorative accessories in court, ladies-in-waiting competed for real positions of power. Many achieved both great success and great notoriety. Lucy, Countess of Carlisle, for instance, succeeded in acquiring the confidence of Charles I's French wife, Henrietta Maria, only to betray the Queen to her enemies in Parliament. Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, at one time Queen Anne's most intimate friend, destroyed herself by her relentless attempts to dominate the Queen. Other ladies-in-waiting became royal mistresses, such as the rapacious Lady Castlemaine, who amassed a fortune and flaunted her hold over Charles II; or the downtrodden Countess of Suffolk, mistress of George II, who was constantly humiliated by both her lover and his wife. Drawing on a wide variety of primary sources, this is the first full-scale study of its kind. Combining anecdote with searching analysis, it is social history at its most colourful and entertaining.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 352
Edition: illustrated edition
Publisher: Phoenix
Published: 02 Jun 2005

ISBN 10: 0753819872
ISBN 13: 9780753819876
Book Overview: Anne Somerset is one of the UK's top historians A popular subject - the role of women in history ELIZABETH I has sold 25,000 copies in paperback to date Unnatural Murder has been reprinted six times An enjoyable survey of 500 years on English history Combining anecdote with searching analysis, it is social history at its most colourful and entertaining

Media Reviews
'This is scholarly yet splendid stuff.' THE TIMES
Author Bio
Anne Somerset is the author of such best-sellers as ELIZABETH I and UNNATURAL MURDER. She read history at King's College, London, and for two years worked as a research assistant for historians such as Hugh Thomas, Antonia Fraser and Nigel Fisher. She lives in London.