Palace politics
New Zealand Listener|May 27 - June 2 2023
A rich portrayal of the tempestuous lives of three powerful women bonded by their time together in the French court.
SUE COPSEY
Palace politics

YOUNG QUEENS: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power, by Leah Redmond Chang (Bloomsbury, $39.99) is out now in ebook and audiobook, in print on August 1.

Young Queens is the latest in a recent flurry of books by female historians seeking to highlight significant but often overlooked women in history: queens and consorts, wives and mothers, who for centuries have been relegated to the footnotes while male historians wrote of kings and battles.

The three queens highlighted by Leah Redmond Chang are Catherine de' Medici (1519-89), Queen of France and mother of two kings, who "changed the face of France", ruling for 30 years in all but name; Catherine's eldest daughter, Elisabeth de Valois (1545-68), who became Queen of Spain; and Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87), whose chaotic reign ended in her long imprisonment and eventual execution. All were queens during the Renaissance, "an unprecedented era of female rule... women pushed the limits of their political power far beyond what was normally expected of them". The ties formed during the years the three women lived at the French court, while often sorely tested, would bond them together throughout their lives. Mary described Elisabeth as "the best sister and friend that I had in this world".

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 27 - June 2 2023 من New Zealand Listener.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 27 - June 2 2023 من New Zealand Listener.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من NEW ZEALAND LISTENER مشاهدة الكل
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 mins  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024