Author: Hilton, Lisa
Publisher: Little Brown & Co
Year: 2002
ISBN: 0316084905
Binding: Hard Cover
Book Condition: As New
Jacket Condition: Very Good
Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall
Description:
New book, slight shelf wear to cover, 358 pages. Athenais De Montespan reigned as official mistress to Sun King Louis XIV during the most glorious period of "the splendid century." Athenais quickly rose to far greater prominence then the King's own spouse. It was Madame de Montespan who was known as "the real Queen of France." As a lover, she risked the disgrace of adultery to conduct an affair that scadalised Europe; as a patron, she supported many of the leaders of the cultural renaisance; as a mother, she is the ancestor of most of the royal houses of Europe. Throughout the "age Montespan," Athenais used her wit and beauty to stave off the intrigues of courtiers, the machinations of Versailles's clerics, and the wiles of lovely young pretenders to the King's heart - all doggedly seeking to unseat her.