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Tragické osudy královen

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Stanout na trůnu a vládnout své zemi. Zní to velkolepě a lákavě, ale skutečnost byla mnohdy jiná, jak dokazuje Juliette Benzoni v této knize, za niž dostala Cenu Alexandra Dumase, která je udělována za nejlepší hostorická díla.
Zasvěceně, čtivě a s hlubokým zaujetím pro osud jednotlivých panovnic popisuje autorka životní peripetie dvaceti žen, které sice usedly na trůn, ale osud jim nedopřál, aby si své vysoké postavení mohly vychutnat. Počínaje egyptskou královnou Nitokris, jejíž milovaný manžel, faraon Mentesufis, byl krátce po svatbe zavražděn, přes Marii Anglickou, sestru Jindřicha VIII., která musela obětovat lásku státním zájmům, až po srbskou královnu Dragu, která v roce 1903 zahynula rukou vraha...
Autorka nás provádí čtyřiačtyřiceti staletími a zeměmi tří kontinentů a ve svém hluboce působivém vyprávění klade důraz především na touhu po obyčejném lidském štěstí, které život těmto slavným ženám upřel.

Obsah:
• Královna mstitelka: Egyptská královna Nitokret
• Královna, smířená s osudem: Balkis, královna ze Sáby
• Císařovna z bahna společnosti: Theodora Byzantská
• Královnou na jednu hodinu: Ildika, poslední Attilova manželka
• Královny – sokyně: Fredegunda proti Brunhildě
I. Bezvýznamná dívka
II. Osud jedné královny
• Krvavá královna: Wu-cu-ti, čínská císařovna
• Zbitá královna: Matylda z Flander
• Královna s ohnivým srdcem: Eleonora Akvitánská, dvakrát královnou
I. Královnou Francie
II. „Královnou Anglie z hněvu Božího!“
• Tři královna pro jednoho krále
I. Královna s věrným srdcem: Isabela z Hainaut
II. Odmítnutá královna: Ingeburge Dánská
III. Obětovaná královna: Anežka z Meránie
• Hlídaná královna: Markéta z Provence
• Zavražděná královna: Blanka Bourbonská, královna kastilská
• Šílená královna: Johana, královna španělská
• Zklamaná královna: Marie Anglická
• Popravená královna: Kateřina Howardová, pátá manželka Jindřicha VIII.
• Královna vražedkyně: Kristina Švédská
• Zajatá královna: Karolina-Matylda Dánská
• Masakr v královské rodině: Draga, královna srbská

Obálka: Radek Urbiš.

369 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1999

2 people are currently reading
48 people want to read

About the author

Juliette Benzoni

304 books155 followers
Juliette Benzoni, (Andrée-Marguerite-Juliette) was a French author and international bestseller in several genres, including historical romance, historical fiction, mystery and screenwriting. Named by the Media as the « Queen of History Novels » and « Daughter of Alexander Dumas».

Born 1920 in Paris and growing up in an upper-middle-class family. At the age of nine, she discovered her passion for history while looking at a photo of ‘Joan of Arc’. Benzoni studied at the Institut Catholique de Paris’, philosophy, law and literature. At the age of fifteen, her parents moved to Saint-Mandé where she lived until her death.

In 1941, she married a doctor from Dijon, and was soon mother of two children. During that period, she studied at the libraries of Dijon the History of the Dukes of Burgundy, where she stumbled on the Legend of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which would later inspire her for her Catherine series.

In 1950, her husband died and she went to Morocco, visiting relatives of her late husband and joined the editorial staff at a radio station and met her future husband, Colonel Count André Benzoni di Conza. They married in 1953, but because of the unstable political situation, she returned to Paris, while her husband was to join the 6th Regiment of Moroccan Spahis in Hué.

Back in Paris, she launched into journalism and worked for various Newspapers, Magazines and wrote for ‘Confidences’ historical articles and interviewed celebrities such as Jean Cocteau, Jean Marais, Erich von Stroheim and Maurice Chevalier.

In 1959, Gérald Gauthier, director of the Press Agency at Opéra Mundi, watched her in a popular television Quiz show and impressed by her historical knowledge about the Italian Renaissance asked her if she were able to write a historical romance series
in the style of Anne Golon's ‘Angélique’.

Benzoni affirmed, remembering her fascination for the ‘Order of the Golden Fleece’. Her research for that soon-to-become Bestseller took up three years and in 1963, 'Catherine, Il suffit d’un amour’ was published. The success was enormous and there followed in 1965, a Song called ‘Catherine, ma mie’ composed by Paul Amar, text by Juliette Benzoni.

The Catherine series was translated into 26 languages. Benzoni's Works includes: 3 Single Novels, 17 series, 18 self-contained short stories; 55 million Readers and 300 million books sold Worldwide. She was a huge fan of the books by Agatha Christie, Anne Perry and Ken Follet. In 1978 she received from the White House a letter by President ‘Ronald Reagan’ for the way she described in her Novel ‘The Lure of the Falcon’ the Independence War!

Four of her Bestsellers the ‘Catherine, Marianne, Le Gerfaut and La Florentine’ series were filmed for French television, for which she wrote the Screenplay, together with Jean Chatenet. Although her later works were not widely translated, in 1984, she was one of the top ten female French writers whose works were translated into English. Two weeks before her death in 2016, her last book ‘Le Vol du Sancy: Des carats pour Ava’? was published. It was the 15th adventure of her favourite hero Prince Aldo Morosini, a mystery series.

Her Awards and Honours:
1973 the Alexandre Dumas Prix, for the Catherine and Marianne series.
1988, the Prix Littéraire « Louis Barthou » Silver Medal from the Académie Française for Felicia au soleil couchant.
1998, the Chevalier of the National Order of Merit Medal, by Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.

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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Profile Image for Uaounutukkayat.
11 reviews
October 1, 2011
An interesting one from historical point of view, but author's manner to make it sound like a romance novel abates the degree of credibility.
Profile Image for Sonja L.M..
160 reviews1 follower
July 2, 2023
Juliette BENZONI (1920-2016) bekende Franse journaliste, scenariste en bekende schrijfster van historiche romans. Ze heeft nochtans geen vorming gehad als historica, maar had kennelijk bijzonder veel belangstelling voor de geschiedenis.

Ik had nog nooit van haar gehoord en heb dit boekje gevonden in een ruilboekenkastje. En aangezien historische verhalen mij altijd aanspreken, heb ik het meegenomen, ondanks de afgrijselijke kaft die het ergste doet vermoeden.

In dit boekje schetst ze het levensverhaal en het lot van 18 zeer uiteenlopende personages. Ze neemt ons mee op een reis in tijd en ruimte, gaande van de Egyptische koningin Nitocris (2390 a C) tot Draga, koningin van Servië (1864-1903), van wie ik nog nooit had gehoord. Ze werd samen met haar man, tijdens een staatsgreep vermoord en uit het raam in de tuin gegooid!

Deze 18 koninginnen zijn stuk voor stuk uitzonderlijke personages: ze zijn bewonderenswaardig, of wreed, gemene intrigantes, machtswellustelingen, verleidsters, sukkelaarsters of onschuldige slachtoffers, zoals Catherine Howard, de vijfde echtgenote van de wreedaardige Hendrik VIII.
Allen hebben ze een uitzonderlijk parcours afgelegd en een bijzonder levenslot gehad. En het zijn stuk voor stuk bloederige en tumultueuze verhalen.

De historische context is in orde: J Benzoni kan de tijdsgeest snel en accuraat weergeven.

Een minpunt : het is nogal geromanceerd en "de Liefde" (of soms de Begeerte) neemt een dominante plaats in. En de verhaaltjes zijn wel ZEER kort. Van mij had ze iets meer mogen uiteweiden.
Profile Image for Inês Montenegro.
Author 49 books150 followers
February 18, 2012
Debruçando-se sobre várias rainhas de diferentes épocas e regiões, cada capítulo é um conto, passível de ser lido individualmente, narrado num tom quase coloquial que não achei que se adequasse à perspectiva de um romance histórico.
Apesar de serem individualidades diferentes que efectivamente existiram, o facto de quase todas elas serem descritas como muitos belas e igualmente ambiciosas, acabou por colocar as personalidades “todas no mesmo saco” por assim dizer.
Fiquei um pouco desiludida com o livro, do qual esperava mais – não pela temática, mas pelo modo superficial como foi abordada.
Profile Image for Cátia.
6 reviews1 follower
March 8, 2014
Este livro está dividido por vários capítulos que correspondem, cada um deles, a uma histórias. As primeiras histórias são um pouco aborrecidas e confusas, mas depois o livro torna-se extremamente interessante. Foi possível "reencontrar" rainhas que figuravam de forma direta ou indireta em outros livros que li (da Philippa Gregory, por exemplo) e saber um pouco mais sobre elas. As três estrelas seriam quatro caso não existissem aqueles primeiros capítulos...
Profile Image for Mira15.
73 reviews10 followers
February 11, 2012
As primeiras histórias são muito confusas, cheias de nomes, mortos, amantes e intrigas, são muito parecidas umas ás outras e têm alguns erros/falhas históricas. A escrita é muito boa e faz a sua função de modo a contar uma história em 14 páginas. São histórias verídicas que se esquecem facilmente, embora uma ou outra levem a querer saber mais.
Profile Image for Irène Wadowski uliasz.
543 reviews22 followers
February 5, 2016
J'ai adoré ce livre. Découvrir le destin de toutes ces femmes était très instructif mais sans ennui. Ce livre porte bien son titre car toutes sont en effet tragiques soit dans leurs actes et/ou décisions ou soit par leur destinée .
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews