Daughters of the Winter Queen: Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots

· Weidenfeld & Nicolson · Narrated by Laura Kirman
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13 hr 58 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook

In a sweeping narrative encompassing political intrigue, illicit love affairs and even a murder mystery, Nancy Goldstone tells the riveting story of a queen who lost her throne, and of her four defiant daughters.

Elizabeth Stuart's (1596-1662) marriage to a German count far below her rank was arranged with the understanding that her father, James I of England, would help his new son-in-law achieve the crown of Bohemia. The terrible betrayal of this promise would ruin 'the Winter Queen', as Elizabeth would forever be known, imperil the lives of those she loved and launch a war that would last thirty years.

Forced into exile, the Winter Queen found refuge for her growing family in Holland, where the glorious art and culture of the Dutch Golden Age formed the backdrop to her daughters' education. The eldest, Princess Elizabeth (1618-80), counted the philosopher René Descartes as her closest friend. Louisa (1622-1709), whose lively manner would provoke heartache and scandal, was a gifted artist. Henrietta Maria (1626-51), the beauty of the family, would achieve the dynastic ambition of marrying into royalty, although at great cost. But it was the youngest, Sophia (1630-1714), a heroine in the tradition of Jane Austen, with a ready wit and strength of character, who would fulfil the promise of her great-grandmother Mary, Queen of Scots, a legacy which endures to this day.

Read by Laura Kirman
(p) Orion Publishing Group 2018

About the author

Nancy Goldstone is the author of Four Queens: The Provençal Sisters Who Ruled Europe; Joanna: The Notorious Queen of Naples, Jerusalem and Sicily; The Maid and the Queen: The Secret History of Joan of Arc and Yolande of Aragon, The Rival Queens and Daughters of the Winter Queen. She lives in New York.

Visit her website for more information: www.nancygoldstone.com.

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Narrated by Laura Kirman