Compiled by art historians, literary scholars, musicologists, and historians, this essay collection is an innovative and interdisciplinary study of Queen Henrietta Maria and her multi-faceted roles and responsibilities. Elements of the queen's popular biography - her European identity and devout Catholic faith - are only a part of the backdrop against which Henrietta Maria is re-considered. Drawing on the expertise of an international group of scholars from different disciplines, these essays explore and shed new light on the Queen's various roles: a patron of performing and visual arts with taste and influence comparable to her husband's, her salient political position between the French and English courts, and her political sentiments at the outbreak of the English Civil War. Through cutting-edge archival research that includes investigations into household accounts and personal correspondence, this collection ultimately presents a new assessment of female power and influence at the early modern court. What becomes strikingly evident is that Henrietta Maria had a distinct and profound influence on material and political culture that deserves the attention of art history, literature, theatre, and musicology scholars.
Biography
Erin Griffey is Senior Lecturer in Art History at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
'This timely essay collection complements studies whose agenda have been predominantly literary, offering a convincing, holistic account of early Stuart court culture... an open-minded and original contribution to the current scholarly debate.' Barbara Ravelhofer, Durham University, UK
’...this is an illuminating and impressive collection that makes an excellent contribution not only to the plethora of Henrietta Maria scholarship produced in recent years, but also to the increasing body of work lately devoted to early modern queenship in general.’ H-Albion
’These stimulating and beautifully illustrated essays, which are firmly anchored in original research, are warmly recommended and fully succeed in Griffey’s aim for the collection: not to downplay King Charles I but to bring Queen Henrietta Maria back onto the stage.’ Catholic Historical Review
