Queen Catherine’s Court

Emma — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

‘A good story, embracing character, emotion and drama… refreshing.’ THE TIMES’A splendidly sympathetic and sparky portrait… Wittily written and rich in detail’ Miranda SeymourCatherine of Braganza – Boring? Plain? Ineffectual? Think again.Charles II’s wife was a trouser-wearing tastemaker who introduced tea drinking, popularised card games and championed baroque fashion and art. Her salon culture was infamous for its parties, theatricals and frequent trips to the pub. A Catholic queen in a strictly Anglican country, she was the diplomatic bridge between an unstable Britain and the European mainland, and carefully navigated the treacherous political landscape of Restoration England.In this illuminating portrait historian Sophie Shorland brings Catherine vividly to life for the first time, revealing a woman who defied the limitations imposed upon her to have a profound impact on the world around her.Previously published as The Lost Queen.

The lost queen

Emma — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

‘A good story, embracing character, emotion and drama… refreshing.’ THE TIMES’A splendidly sympathetic and sparky portrait… Wittily written and rich in detail’ Miranda SeymourDespite Catherine of Braganza’s crucial place in British history, and that of its Empire, she has since been overshadowed by stories of the king’s many mistresses and forgotten as Charles’ boring, powerless wife. This could not be further from the truth. In an absorbing narrative, historian Sophie Shorland not only tells the full story of this long-overlooked figure and her difficult relationship with Charles II, but also reveals how Catherine changed the country in ways both large and small: part of her dowry was Bombay, Britain’s first territory on the Indian subcontinent; she also popularised trousers for women, Baroque art and music, and – perhaps most long-lastingly – tea drinking.

Shorland, Sophie – The Bell Bookshop

Queen Catherine’s Court

The lost queen