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A well written and interesting biography of Henrietta Howard... A fine book
--BBC History Magazine --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
--BBC History Magazine --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Book Description
First biography of the remarkable Henrietta Howard - royal mistress and bluestocking in the court of George II
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Henrietta Howard (1688 - 1767), was the daughter of Sir Henry Hobart, a Norfolk landowner who was killed in a duel when Henrietta was still a child. Having become the ward of the Earl of Suffolk, she married his youngest son, Charles Howard, in 1706. The marriage was a very unhappy one as Charles was violent, a drunkard and squandering the few resources of the couple. She was able to acquire the respect to Princess Caroline of Ansbach, wife of the Electoral Prince George and future princess of Wales and Queen Consort. On the accession of George I she became a Woman of the Bedchamber and her husband was appointed to the household of the new king. Very unusual Henrietta managed to secure a legal separation, not a divorce, in 1723, but lost her only son to her husband. In June 1718 she became the Prince of Wales mistress and remained in this position for near 20 years, a position held with the approval of the Queen who tightly controlled the King and any influence on him. Being in the service of the Queen did leave Henrietta not much room for manoevre. After her husband had become quite unexpected the Earl of Suffolk and Henrietta the countess of Suffolk, in spite of being separated from him, she was appointed mistress of the robes of the Queen. However that signaled the slow end of her career at court. In 1734 she left the court, settled in her house at Twickenham, Marble Hill, married George Berkeley, younger son of the Earl of Berkeley in 1735, and lived the live of well to do countess, with a wide circle of influential friend like Alexander Pope or Horace Walpole. She was a well respected lady and a model of decorum.
Royal mistresses have always been a favorite subject for biographies or novels. Many royal mistresses are still well known and their scandalous antics are still well known and their semi-royal off-springs feature prominently in the peerage. Well Henrietta Howard, later to be the Countess of Suffolk, was in many ways different.
First she is not one of the very well known royal mistresses, maybe because her royal lover, King George II is equally not well known. He seems to have been one of the most boring royal ever to sit on the British throne. His reign seems to be a "forgotten one" and with him his mistress. But her position of a royal mistress was hardly attached to notion of scandal. It was known, but conducted with tact and under the tight control of Queen Caroline herself.
This excellent biography is a great study of the court life under George I and George II. It is a biography as well on George II and his Queen Caroline as much as on Henrietta. I value most how Tracy Borman clearly explains the position of women at this time and the inferior treatment they received in life, in the legal world. It is pure discrimination and one of the many reasons why the "good old times" where not as good as some want us to believe. Henrietta managed to escape the clutches of her husband, rather the exception than the rule. The book is written with a great flow, knowledge, sympathy but the necessary distance to the subject.
Alison Weir said "This is a delightful entertaining book". Yes, she is absolutely right. I hope you will enjoy as much as I did to meet this extraordinary woman, a royal mistress of much decorum.
Royal mistresses have always been a favorite subject for biographies or novels. Many royal mistresses are still well known and their scandalous antics are still well known and their semi-royal off-springs feature prominently in the peerage. Well Henrietta Howard, later to be the Countess of Suffolk, was in many ways different.
First she is not one of the very well known royal mistresses, maybe because her royal lover, King George II is equally not well known. He seems to have been one of the most boring royal ever to sit on the British throne. His reign seems to be a "forgotten one" and with him his mistress. But her position of a royal mistress was hardly attached to notion of scandal. It was known, but conducted with tact and under the tight control of Queen Caroline herself.
This excellent biography is a great study of the court life under George I and George II. It is a biography as well on George II and his Queen Caroline as much as on Henrietta. I value most how Tracy Borman clearly explains the position of women at this time and the inferior treatment they received in life, in the legal world. It is pure discrimination and one of the many reasons why the "good old times" where not as good as some want us to believe. Henrietta managed to escape the clutches of her husband, rather the exception than the rule. The book is written with a great flow, knowledge, sympathy but the necessary distance to the subject.
Alison Weir said "This is a delightful entertaining book". Yes, she is absolutely right. I hope you will enjoy as much as I did to meet this extraordinary woman, a royal mistress of much decorum.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this on the strength of the other reviews and I have to say that this is one of the best-flowing biographies I have read for a while. Tracy Borman tells the interesting story of Henrietta Howard in a straightforward way - she does not pepper the page with reference numbers (the times I've read a book and come to the end abruptly, only to find that almost half the pages are actually taken up with notes!), and she also does not commit the cardinal sin of jumping around with the time lines, wandering off to cover the stories of other people, only to pop back about 20 years and you find you have literally lost the plot! Nor does she refer to people by various titles, but keeps to a consistent name. (I appreciate that the nobility can start as one thing and then become a Count or a Duke, or be Madame this, Lady that and then Princess the other ... but I have sometimes become confused and had to turn back several pages or chapters to be certain!) Therefore I read this book straight through and understood and enjoyed it.
It certainly helps if the subject has a straightforward career - but it cannot be said that Henrietta Howard led an ordinary life. Orphaned early, she was married to an absolute bounder who spent all her money and deprived her of her only son. She might have been a King's mistress but there is not much suggestion that she got anything out of it other than a secure job and living quarters...she was certainly no Anne Boleyn with an eye on the main prize.
This is an area of history that I have not previously delved into, but the court intrigue of the time is quite fascinating, even if the kings are not made of the flambouant stuff of the Tudors.
Tracy Borman deals with Henrietta sympathetically, and I will certainly be on the look out for any other biographies by her.
It certainly helps if the subject has a straightforward career - but it cannot be said that Henrietta Howard led an ordinary life. Orphaned early, she was married to an absolute bounder who spent all her money and deprived her of her only son. She might have been a King's mistress but there is not much suggestion that she got anything out of it other than a secure job and living quarters...she was certainly no Anne Boleyn with an eye on the main prize.
This is an area of history that I have not previously delved into, but the court intrigue of the time is quite fascinating, even if the kings are not made of the flambouant stuff of the Tudors.
Tracy Borman deals with Henrietta sympathetically, and I will certainly be on the look out for any other biographies by her.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was delighted to find this book after reading Courtiers by Lucy Worsley earlier this year, which had whet my appetite for finding out more about Henrietta Howard, by all accounts a most interesting woman, who did not have an easy life but who certainly made the most of what she had.
Henrietta seems to have been faced throughout life with having to make choices which were not necessarily the best for her, but made the best of the circumstances in which she found herself. Her marriage, which she seems to have felt at first was one of mutual affection, was also a means by which she could attempt to help her family, left without both father and mother and several surviving siblings who all needed support in the world. Her sheer determinedness to make the best of her chance to get a position with the Hanoverians is quite remarkable, and she attempted to use her position at Court to remain secure in a world which was not forgiving to women who lived apart from their husbands, and particularly women who were of an independent mind and who lived by their wits.
While her life was not always easy, it's also interesting to see how much of her life was touched by scandal (both hers and her family members), and also by long-lasting, loving friendships with some remarkable people. In all, a most interesting story of a life, and of times, which remain fascinating. Highly recommended.
Henrietta seems to have been faced throughout life with having to make choices which were not necessarily the best for her, but made the best of the circumstances in which she found herself. Her marriage, which she seems to have felt at first was one of mutual affection, was also a means by which she could attempt to help her family, left without both father and mother and several surviving siblings who all needed support in the world. Her sheer determinedness to make the best of her chance to get a position with the Hanoverians is quite remarkable, and she attempted to use her position at Court to remain secure in a world which was not forgiving to women who lived apart from their husbands, and particularly women who were of an independent mind and who lived by their wits.
While her life was not always easy, it's also interesting to see how much of her life was touched by scandal (both hers and her family members), and also by long-lasting, loving friendships with some remarkable people. In all, a most interesting story of a life, and of times, which remain fascinating. Highly recommended.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
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In a world where any Thomasina, Dick or Harriet thinks they can write a book merely because they have a job giving them access to behind-the-scenes historical material, Tracy... Read more
Published 14 months ago by History Girl
The dependency of women in 18th century western society
I must admit my knowledge of the early Hanoverian Kings was rather sketchy. Since the State or Electorate of Hanover was quite small I was surprised to learn how George I and II... Read more
Published 15 months ago by G. Swain
Disappointing
I bought this partly on the strength of the reviews and feel I must have been reading a different book. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Salmagundi
How did I NOT know about Henrietta Howard?!?
After reading this well written and fascinating account of Henrietta Howard's intrigueing life, I had to wonder how I had never heard of her before. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Hannah94
Fascinating
I found this a fascinating biography of a very interesting character. Before reading it I had hardly heard of her, but the author brought her character to life very well.
Published on 8 Oct 2009 by Ms. Sem Horsham
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