A Woman's Life in the Court of the Sun King: Letters of Liselotte von der Pfalz, Elisabeth Charlotte, Duchesse d' Orléans, 1652-1722 Book

Elisabeth Charlotte, Duchesse d'Orleans (1652-1722), known in Germany as Liselotte von der Pfalz and in France as Madame or La Palatine, was a prodigious letter-writer. Married at the age of 19 to the only brother of Louis XIV, she spent 50 years at the French court, writing about 40 long letters a week, most of them to relatives in her native Germany. Much of this correspondence has been lost, but several major collections have been published. This current collection gives a greater emphasis on her German background and situates her development in a cross-cultural context. This additional dimension enriches the lively descriptions of the outward life of the French Court - its ceremonies, buildings, gardens, furnishings, clothes & political events. The Langwiesche selection stresses the duchesses' personal reflections on life and letters, human destiny, religion, the role of princes in society, the health of body and mind, and the education of children. It is a document of intellectual, social and even literary history. CONTENTS: Introduction * Cast of Principal Characters * Plates * Youth * Marriage * Widowhood * Mother of the RegentRead More