The forgotten love story of England's virgin queen and the husband that was denied to her. Revealing Elizabeth, the woman behind the mask of monarchy, her desire to love and to be loved.
The forgotten love story of England's virgin queen and the husband that was denied to her. Revealing Elizabeth, the woman behind the mask of monarchy, her desire to love and to be loved.
16th century, Great britain, Western
Between the years 1579 and 1581, a courtship between Elizabeth I of England and François, Duke of Anjou took place. Though this courtship is often dismissed as a political tactic on Elizabeth’s part to create an Anglo-French alliance during the Wars of Religion, The Queen’s Frog Prince presents an alternative interpretation. In this book, David Lee pores over some of the surviving love letters exchanged between Elizabeth and Anjou, whom Elizabeth affectionately nicknamed “my frog.” Lee suggests that although the courtship suited Elizabeth I politically, it also blossomed into something much more complex, an affectionate bond, and that to understand Elizabeth I as a woman, she must first be seen for who she was beneath all the vainglory and iconography.
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Beautifully written and thought provoking, The Queen's Frog Prince brings vividly to life the woman behind the mask of monarchy. David Lee retells the story of the courtship of Elizabeth I and the Duke of Anjou in illuminating detail. An engrossing and moving read! ~ Natalie Grueninger
Lee has taken one of the lesser-known of Elizabeth I's suitors, the Duke of Anjou,and brought him to life in an immensely readable volume. His examination of the relationship between queen and suitor is illuminating and gives us a deeper understanding of the 'Virgin Queen'. A must read for readers of Tudor and Elizabethan non-fiction. ~ Sarah-Beth Watkins, Author of Lady Katherine Knollys: The Unacknowledged Daughter of Henry VIII
