Henrietta Maria, Queen of the Cavaliers

[Prince_Lieven]

Here's Henrietta Maria's reaction when told of Charles's execution:

'She stood motionless as a statue, without words and without tears . . .' reported her confessor, Cyprien de Gamache. 'To all our exhortations and arguments our Queen was deaf and insensible. At last, awed by her appalling grief, we ceased talking and stood around her in perturbed silence.'

[bell_the_cat]

I'm interested in different and opposing views of historical personages - it says a lot about changing times. I'm thinking about the ups and downs personages in the current windsor family have had in recent years. Some think saint and some think not!

Henrietta Maria is one of those figures, who due to the changing times in her own lifetime had more ups and downs in public opinion than most. In the 1650s her name was mud and she wasn't even welcome in France.
In 1660 she was suddenly queen mother and the widow of a saint.

This was noted by Samuel Pepys at the time, when he bought the latest hagiography (25th October 1660):

"To Westminster Hall, and bought among other books , one of the Life of our Queen, which I read at home to my wife; but it was so sillily writ, that we did nothing but laugh at it: among other  things it is dedicated to that paragon of virtue and beauty, the Duchess of Albemarle [ i.e. the wife of General Monck who had been instrumental in the Restoration - my note]".

After such adulation it wasn't long before the equivalent of the tabloid press got started - the rumour mill. Hence the stories about secret marriages and so on. This wasn't helped by the behaviour of her sons and the general atmosphere of licentiousness which surrounded the court.

Could this be the reason why Henrietta left England again? I'll try and find the exact date. but I know she died in France in 1669. There's a family portrait of Louis XIV dressed as gods from the 1660s with Henrietta hovering around in the back dressed as Flora. Can anyone post it?

[bell_the_cat]

She left England for the last time in 1665.

I've just looked at the picture - it's easy to find on the net. Henrietta is sitting next to Philippe and Minette. It's Minette (standing) who is Flora. Henrietta (looking incredibly young!) herself is dressed as some kind of sea goddess, complete with triton.

[Prince_Lieven]

It was not a matter of 'sending' I'm afraid. Charles, the Prince of Wales, had to flee England himself, and Minette was smuggled out by her governess. Mary was already in Holland and James escaped by dressing as a girl.

By the time Charles was allowed to see Elizabeth and Henry regularly, they were firmly in Parliament's power, and Parliament were keen to keep the children in England, especially Henry, a prince of the blood.

[palatine]

Henrietta returned to France during the reign of Charles II for several reasons.  One was the fact that she had never liked England to begin with, and the English didn't like her either.  

Another reason was the fact that Henrietta spent a lot of time moping, so she wasn't much fun to be around.  Charles II wanted to keep up a real court, and was depending on his mother to help him since his wife, Catherine of Braganza, was more or less useless.  Henrietta's depression meant that Charles's mistresses became the true social leaders of the Court.

Henrietta may also have returned to France out of guilt over the unhappy marriage she had arranged for Minette.  There had been many good offers for Minette after the restoration of Charles II, but Henrietta helped persuade Charles II to accept the Duke of Orleans's offer.  The marriage was very unhappy, since Minette consoled herself elsewhere for her husband's homosexuality, which led to scenes and fights.

Henrietta left during a bad outbreak of plague, and promised Charles II to return.   Both of them knew she was lying.  

As for Charles II's children and their grandmother:

Henrietta helped raise the Duke of Monmouth, but unfortunately, she left Monmouth to be raised by servants in her household.  As a result, Monmouth was not well-educated, and in adulthood, was easily persuaded to believe that he was legitimate and so forth.

[bell_the_cat]

Henrietta left during a bad outbreak of plague, and promised Charles II to return.  

Yes this was the Great Plague of 1665. It was the last big outbreak in England, and so is remembered to this day! The following year 1666, large parts of London were burnt to the ground in the Great Fire.

[palatine]

Over the last seventy-five years, a new generation of historians began writing about powerful women, and in time, Henrietta Maria was written about.   Carola Oman wrote one of the best biographies of Henrietta Maria in the 1930's, blazing a trail for later writers.  Oman's biography is very sympathetic, alas, but worth a read.  

I think the shifts in Henrietta's popularity come when someone who has only read Henrietta's biographies takes a look around at the biographies of Charles I, Charles II, etc., and reappraises Henrietta in light of the new information.  

I think it is rather humorous that Henrietta is called the Intrepid Queen.  I suppose it is fair to say that Henrietta was intrepid at hopping from the frying pan into the fire.  Henrietta caused most of her own problems, as well as many of the problems of her husband and children.  In my opinion, Henrietta Maria was a bad wife, bad mother and bad queen.  

[bell_the_cat]

In her defence, Henrietta herself had a bad mother, Marie de' Medicis, and she was born too late to come under the possibly more favourable influence of her father.

On the whole I agree with your interpretation, Palatine, though it does seem a bit unchivalrous! .

I've read Oman's book on Nelson. Much later I was surprised to learn that Maria Carolina of Naples wasn't totally beloved by the Neapolitans, as one might think from Oman's account!

[palatine]

I can see why Henrietta has her admirers, and its not just the sympathetic biographies.  Henrietta had a lot of will and determination.  She did have a bad upbringing and poor education to overcome.  She also had a lot of charm.  

I agree that Carola Oman does tend to glorify and whitewash her subjects a bit, but I believe her books are too valuable to be dismissed for that somewhat common failing of biographers.  For those who like Henrietta, you should definitely try to read Oman's biography of her.

[Prince_Lieven]

IMO, Henrietta was not a bad wife - she gave bad advice, but she did not see it as such. I respect her as a woman who 'made it in a man's world' but no, I don't like her. For me, it was trying to force Henry to become a Catholic that did it.

[bell_the_cat]

Yes she seems to have been able to be the wife Charles wanted her to be. I don't think he was very good at relationships: his parents had been really indifferent to him as far as I can see, and like his son James he had an inner lack of self-confidence.

I think when he noticed his wife had some affection for him, he was perhaps surprised but in the end very grateful.

[Prince_Lieven]

When Henrietta was ill in (I think) 1644, Charles wrote to his personal physician with the famous line - 'For the love of me go to my wife'. I think they were certainly a loved up couple.

[bell_the_cat]

Here's a picture of Henrietta Maria at the french court  in about 1666, chilling out after a toga party:



back row:
the younger daughters of Gaston of Orleans, as the three Graces

middle row (left to right):
HM as a sea goddess
Philippe of Orleans as Pluto
Minette as Flora with their daughter Marie Louise

Anne of Austria as ?

Louis as Jupiter
La grande Mademoiselle, Louis' cousin as Diana

in front:
Marie Thérèse as Juno
Le grand Dauphin as Apollo
with his sister Marie Thérèse (1667-1672) as ?

two children of the royal couple who had died in infancy are shown in the picture frame. The children with wings are angels.

[Prince_Lieven]

Great pic Bell!!!  

[aron]

Henriette Marie bore Charles I nine children and had a few miscarriages. Anyone more details about when these miscarriages took place?
So far i know, Charles I loved Henriette Marie dearly and he never took a mistress.