The Serpent and the Moon: Two Rivals for the Love of a Renaissance King

Princess Michael Of Kent

ISBN 10: 0743251040 / ISBN 13: 9780743251044

Published by Touchstone, United Kingdom, 2004

About this Item

hardback, octavo, a very good tightly bound copy in a well preserved pictorial dust jacket. Signed to the foot of the title page by the authoress, the body of text unmarked and clean. Illustrated with colour plates, map, pedigree, xiii + 405pp.

Seller Inventory # 294658

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Serpent and the Moon: Two Rivals for the Love of a Renaissance King
• Publisher: Touchstone, United Kingdom
• Publication Date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0743251040
• ISBN 13: 9780743251044
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

An intriguing study of a royal love triangle captures the complex relationships that existed between King Henri II of France, his wife Catherine de Medici, and his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, examining the impact of the love story on the history of Renaissance France. 75,000 first printing.

Reviews

One scene sums up a major shortcoming of this otherwise impressive account of the life and times of King Henri II of France: Henri's queen, Catherine de' Medici is peering through a hole in the floor of her palace bedroom to watch her husband make love to his mistress, and Princess Michael writes, "A knife must have pierced fat little Catherine's heart." This is one of dozens of often cruel references to the physical attributes of Catherine and others at court. Fortunately, the author devotes more energy to creating a compelling image of Henri's mistress, Diane de Poitiers, 18 years his senior, who emerges as a fascinating character. Princess Michael is descended from both Diane and Catherine, but her sympathies appear to lie with Diane. Catherine is generally described as jealous, scheming and vindictive, while Diane is beautiful and well bred. Yet, as Princess Michael shows, Catherine was a quiet, dutiful wife who endured the indignity of his infidelity. Still, the author's comprehensive research ensures that readers will get a solid picture of the three main players and the complex negotiations required by life at court. 70 b&w and 16 pages color illus.
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