Royal Romances: Titillating Tales of Passion and Power in the Palaces of Europe
Read Royal Romances: Titillating Tales of Passion and Power in the Palaces of Europe Online
Authors: Leslie Carroll
P
RAISE
FOR
L
ESLIE
C
ARROLL
’
S
N
ONFICTION
Royal Pains
“For those who enjoy reading about the scandals of the noble class and want to learn more about the darker side of various royal families, this is a thoroughly enjoyable, quick read.”
—
Booklist
“If you love history and you love scandal, give
Royal Pains
a go. Between shaking your head at some of the antics and feeling glad Ivan the Terrible never picked you to be his Czarina of the Week, you’ll learn the odd bit of history. Or you could watch the non–Moogles and Googles shows on the History Channel, but those are few and far between. Stick with Leslie Carroll; her bank account and history majors everywhere will thank you.”
—Book Slut Gwen
“This installment in Leslie Carroll’s ‘Royal’ series is as thought-provoking as the first two.”
—Historical-Fiction.com
Notorious Royal Marriages
“For those who tackled Hilary Mantel’s
Wolf Hall
, and can’t get enough of the scandal surrounding Henry VIII’s wives, [
Notorious Royal Marriages
is] the perfect companion book.”
—
The New Yorker
“Carroll writes with verve and wit about the passionate—and occasionally perilous—events that occur when royals wed…. Carroll’s fascinating account of nine centuries of royal marriages is an irresistible combination of
People
magazine and the History Channel.”
—
Chicago Tribune
(5 stars)
“Sex! Intrigue! Scandal! Carroll’s newest offering chronicles well-known matrimonial pairings among European royals during the last nine hundred years. With a breezy and lively narrative, she gives the dirt on a parade of often mismatched couples.”
—
The Historical Novels Review
“Carroll is a sharp and amusing writer…. You’ll be entertained like a tabloid would entertain you, but you’ll also learn as much as you would in a European studies course in college…a perfect marriage of a book!”
—Examiner.com (Pittsburgh)
Royal Affairs
“Carroll…has a true talent for weaving fascinating narratives. Her entertaining writing style makes this one book you do not want to put down. Entertaining, impeccably researched, and extremely well written, it will appeal to all readers with an interest in British history.”
—
Library Journal
“There are lots [of] royal romps cataloged in this entertaining, enormously readable book.”
—
Las Vegas Review-Journal
“Carroll offers…insight behind the closed doors of the last thousand years of England’s busiest bed-hopping and head-lopping kings and queens.”
—Book Fetish
“This book is a historical work, but because of Leslie Carroll’s strong writing and her own personal voice, it comes off like a delicious novel.”
—Examiner.com (Pittsburgh)
A
LSO
BY
L
ESLIE
C
ARROLL
Royal Pains
Notorious Royal Marriages
Royal Affairs
Royal
ROMANCES
T
ITILLATING
T
ALES
OF
P
ASSION
AND
P
OWER
IN
THE
P
ALACES
OF
E
UROPE
L
ESLIE
C
ARROLL
NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY
N
EW
A
MERICAN
L
IBRARY
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
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Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
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Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue,
Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, November 2012
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Copyright © Leslie Carroll, 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:
Carroll, Leslie, 1959–
Royal romances: titillating tales of passion and power in the palaces of Europe/Leslie Carroll.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN: 978-1-101-60712-1
1. Europe—Kings and rulers—Paramours. 2. Queens—Europe—Paramours.
3. Favorites, Royal—Europe. I. Title.
D107.C294 2012
940.09’9—dc23 2012007790
Set in Sabon
Designed by Patrice Sheridan
Printed in the United States of America
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet addresses and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
| ALWAYS LEARNING | PEARSON |
For my late grandparents
Carroll and Norma Carroll,
whose unflagging love and support inspired me to take their name professionally, and who introduced me to the glamour and magic of Europe’s royal courts;
and to Lazarus and (the wisest woman in the world) Sylvia Goldsmith, whose English roots continue to inspire me to rediscover my own, even as I wonder whether I may be distantly related to the Duchess of Cambridge.
I grew up with the best of role models: my grandparents’ lengthy and happy marriages taught me to believe in romance and the concept of an enduring love.
Contents
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Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, marquise de Montespan (1641–1707)