Publisher's Synopsis
Madame de Maintenon is a biography written by Maud Cruttwell that explores the life of Fran�����oise d'Aubign�����, better known as Madame de Maintenon. She was a French noblewoman who became the second wife of King Louis XIV of France. The book delves into her early life, her marriage to the playwright Paul Scarron, her time as a governess to the King's illegitimate children, and her eventual marriage to Louis XIV. The biography also explores Madame de Maintenon's influence on the King and her role in French politics and society during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The book provides a comprehensive look at her life, including her religious beliefs and her work in founding schools for girls. Overall, Madame de Maintenon is a fascinating account of a remarkable woman who played a significant role in French history. Maud Cruttwell's writing is engaging and informative, making this book an excellent choice for anyone interested in French history or women's biographies.1930. With sixteen illustrations in photogravure. The story of Madame de Maintenon who was born in a prison and raised to a Throne or next door to it. Freaks of fortune fantastic as a fairy-tale, contrasts of penury and magnificence which seem invented only to astonish and amuse. Yet the heroine of these incredible vicissitudes was no exotic enchantress dominating by superhuman beauty or intelligence. Her personality is singularly free from any abnormal characteristic. She was neither the femme fatale, the malevolent witch blasting all who offended her, of Saint-Simon's malignant invention, nor the all-powerful Dictatress, scourge of the Huguenots, of the Dutch Gazettes, nor finally the hypocritical religious despot of the biographers, austere governess ruling her nuns with a rod of iron when nothing else was left to rule. No personage of her importance in history has been so maligned, so misunderstood, so misrepresented. She, stigmatized as cruel, capricious, vindictive, fatal to France, was in reality a paragon of honesty, loyalty and magnanimity; very simple, very straightforward, supremely charitable; a saint, whose sole ambitions were to convert her King and alleviate the misery caused by his wars.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
