Scandalous Liaisons
eBook - ePub

Scandalous Liaisons

Charles II and his Court

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Scandalous Liaisons

Charles II and his Court

About this book

Scandalous Liaisons tells the story of the most hedonistic, loose-living court in English history, from Charles II's youthful years and mistresses in France, to his tempestuous relationship with the hot-tempered, sexually and financially voracious Barbara Villiers. Of Charles's mistresses, everybody's favourite was the perky Cockney actress, Nell Gwyn. Nell and the French aristocrat (and not-sovery secret agent) Louise de Keroualle were the two women he would remember on his deathbed. The court, a world of extravagant displays of wealth, was also a sexual merry-go-round of flirtation, cuckoldry and betrayals, occasional unwanted pregnancies and fierce duels, as ordinary people looked on, fascinated and appalled. Filled with flamboyant men and women and astonishing incidents, this book draws on a wealth of writing by contemporary observers, such as diaries and memoirs (from Pepys and the French Comte de Gramont), letters, gossip, biting satires and bawdy lampoons directed at everyone from bishops to promiscuous court beauties and poxed swaggerers. All this is set in the context of Restoration libertinism and political events such as Charles's secret deals with Louis XIV, the wars with the Dutch, court political intrigues and popular anti-Catholic feeling. Based on contemporary sources and modern historical studies, Scandalous Liaisons provides a richly varied and entertaining picture of a most extraordinary time.

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Yes, you can access Scandalous Liaisons by R. E. Pritchard in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & European Renaissance History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Introduction: New Rants and Raptures
  3. 1 - Before Dover: The First Buttered Buns
  4. 2 - The King, the Quean and the Queen
  5. 3 - James, the Married Man
  6. 4 - The Glorious Court of the Prince d’Amour
  7. 5 - Buckingham: The Wanton Hours
  8. 6 - The King and the Lady of Pleasure
  9. 7 - La Belle Stuart: The One Who Got Away
  10. 8 - Portsmouth but not Plymouth: Nell and Louise
  11. 9 - The New Pretender: Mazarin
  12. 10 - Love and Value: Louise and Nell
  13. 11 - After All This Vanity
  14. Picture Section
  15. Notes
  16. Bibliography