Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Mary of Modena: James II's Dazzling Queen

Mary of Modena: James II's Dazzling Queen

Brown, Justine

Hardcover

Biographies GeneralGeneral World History

Publisher Price: $44.95

ISBN10: 103611712X
ISBN13: 9781036117122
Publisher: Pen and Sword History
Published: Jan 30 2026
Pages: 208
Weight: 0.90
Height: 0.95 Width: 6.23 Depth: 9.30
Language: English
Mary Beatrice Beatrice learns governance, defies scandal, and becomes a steadfast beacon for Jacobite resilience amid a turbulent Restoration era.

The 1688 Glorious Revolution that toppled James II and VII also veiled his consort in propaganda. Mary of Modena: James II's Dazzling Queen reveals the extraordinary woman beneath. Lovely and spirited, Mary Beatrice Isabella d'Este is also England's sole Italian queen. Her father came from an ancient line, while her mother was one of Cardinal Mazarin's seven famed nieces (the Mazarinettes).

Mary Beatrice learned the rudiments of governance at her widowed mother's knee, and would one day act as regent of the Stuart court-in-exile--first for King James, then for their son, James Francis Edward. The Queen over the Water would shine as a beacon for the Jacobite cause.

Once, Mary Beatrice longed to be a nun. Instead, the young woman had to accept a different mission--marriage to James Duke of York, heir to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Although James's conversion to Catholicism made their marriage possible, it set off a firestorm of controversy in the mysterious northern realm.

The story of the British Isles was romantic, but the reality was jarring. Thrown into the frenzy of Restoration politics, Mary Beatrice met each fresh episode courageously. Charles II adored his sister-in-law, but MPs strove to annul the Italian match before it could be consummated. She and James fell in love, but his philandering nearly broke her.

Building on Este tradition, Mary Beatrice won over the common folk, inspired poets and painters, introduced Italian opera, and drew talented ladies to court. She also attracted her flamboyant Mazarinette cousin Hortense Mancini to England, where she joined King Charles's harem.

Ultimately, James and Mary Beatrice were coronated with great ceremony, but their troubles were only just beginning. For the first time in English history, it looked like the birth of a healthy prince might actually destroy the monarchy instead of strengthening it...

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