Entertaining the Braganzas

When Queen Maria of Portugal visited William Stephens in 1788

Biography & Memoir, Royalty, Nonfiction, History
Cover of the book Entertaining the Braganzas by Jenifer Roberts, Pen and Sword
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jenifer Roberts ISBN: 9781526715234
Publisher: Pen and Sword Publication: October 30, 2018
Imprint: Pen and Sword History Language: English
Author: Jenifer Roberts
ISBN: 9781526715234
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Publication: October 30, 2018
Imprint: Pen and Sword History
Language: English

Maria I of Portugal was a monarch with absolute power. William Stephens was the illegitimate son of a Cornish servant girl; he sailed for Lisbon at the age of fifteen to become one of the richest industrialists in Europe. The contrast between these two people could not have been greater – they were poles apart in every facet of their lives – yet they formed an unlikely friendship in the stifling formality of the Portuguese court.

William, a man of genius, built up a thriving glass factory in a small village seventy miles north of Lisbon. Maria, the reigning queen of Portugal, spent three days here in the summer of 1788, sleeping for two nights in the house of an Englishman, a man who was not only low-born and illegitimate, but also a Protestant, a heretic in the eyes of the Portuguese.

Entertaining the Braganzas is the story of this unique event in royal history, an intimate glimpse into the world of absolute monarchy, a snapshot of court life in the old Europe, just one year before the French Revolution began to change the face of the continent. It is also the story of two extraordinary people whose very different lives came together at a time of great upheaval in European history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Maria I of Portugal was a monarch with absolute power. William Stephens was the illegitimate son of a Cornish servant girl; he sailed for Lisbon at the age of fifteen to become one of the richest industrialists in Europe. The contrast between these two people could not have been greater – they were poles apart in every facet of their lives – yet they formed an unlikely friendship in the stifling formality of the Portuguese court.

William, a man of genius, built up a thriving glass factory in a small village seventy miles north of Lisbon. Maria, the reigning queen of Portugal, spent three days here in the summer of 1788, sleeping for two nights in the house of an Englishman, a man who was not only low-born and illegitimate, but also a Protestant, a heretic in the eyes of the Portuguese.

Entertaining the Braganzas is the story of this unique event in royal history, an intimate glimpse into the world of absolute monarchy, a snapshot of court life in the old Europe, just one year before the French Revolution began to change the face of the continent. It is also the story of two extraordinary people whose very different lives came together at a time of great upheaval in European history.

More books from Pen and Sword

Cover of the book Commando Despatch Rider by Jenifer Roberts
Cover of the book Lady Under Fire on the Western Front by Jenifer Roberts
Cover of the book The Tudor Murder Files by Jenifer Roberts
Cover of the book The Germans in Flanders 1915–1916 by Jenifer Roberts
Cover of the book Discovering Classical Music: Wagner by Jenifer Roberts
Cover of the book Watford and South West Herts in the Great War by Jenifer Roberts
Cover of the book Birmingham Pals by Jenifer Roberts
Cover of the book The Victorian Guide to Sex by Jenifer Roberts
Cover of the book Omar Al-Bashir and Africa's Longest War by Jenifer Roberts
Cover of the book Discovering Classical Music: Monteverdi by Jenifer Roberts
Cover of the book The Attack on Troy by Jenifer Roberts
Cover of the book Hitler's Secret Commandos by Jenifer Roberts
Cover of the book Cruise Ships The Small Scale Fleet by Jenifer Roberts
Cover of the book Letters from the Horn of Africa 1923 – 1942 by Jenifer Roberts
Cover of the book Tynedale in the Great War by Jenifer Roberts
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy