Henrietta Maria: Charles I's Indomitable Queen

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Summary: The Catholic Queen of the English Revolution
Review: Henrietta Maria, Princess of France, is known to history as the very Catholic Queen of Charles 1st of England. She came to England as a teenager and married a man dominated by his favourite, the Duke of Buckingham. It looked like a marriage doomed to years of unhappiness. However, that all changed when the Duke was killed and Charles transferred his affections to his wife. They formed a bond of friendship and love that was to last the rest of their lives. In a fairy tale this would be the "happily ever after" scenario.

However, reality took a turn of the worse eventually and Henrietta's staunch and very public Catholicism in a deeply Protestant country was to cause the royal couple much anguish in the years to come as England descended into a civil war where Henrietta lost nearly everything she loved.

This book chronicles a life of great changes and a watershed in English history. At times the snippets of letters quoted between Charles and Henrietta are strangely reminiscent of those of Nicholas and Alexandra in the Russian Revolution. Plowden has produced a biography that is easy to read, but not especially academic in tone. It sticks to the subject of Henrietta and does not get diverted into other lives except as they impacted on hers. If you are after an accessible, modern history of Henrietta's life then this is probably the book you are after. However, if you are after an academic book quoted entirely from sources within Henrietta's lifetime you will probably be disappointed.