I am beyond thrilled to have Sophie Perinot, author of Medicis Daughter, on A Literary Vacation today! She has shared a delightful post about the splendid (and long!) royal progress of Charles IX. I'll be sharing my review of Medicis Daughter on Wednesday (hint: it's awesome!) but in the meantime I hope you enjoy her post as much as I did and be sure to continue for more information about Medicis Daughter and the rest of the blog tour!
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Around the Kingdom in 829 Days: Charles IX’s Royal Progress
Given the name of this blog—A Literary Vacation—I couldn’t resist
talking about one monster of a trip. In
the spring of 1564, the Valois Court began travel through France that would
last more
than two years.
A brainchild of Catherine de Médicis,
this grand Royal Progress was intended to build unity between Charles IX and
his scattered nobles. The sight of the young
king riding through the countryside or entering a far-flung city in great splendor
was also meant to revive his subjects’ loyalty—a loyalty damaged by a religious
civil war. The King and his mother hoped
that the fighting which had concluded the previous year would be last of its
kind. They could not know as they set
out on their journey that eventually the war ended by the Edict of Amboise would
be merely the first of eight French Wars of Religion.
In addition her domestic agenda,
Catherine de Médicis intended to use the Royal Progress for a bit of important
foreign diplomacy—a rendezvous with her son-in-law Philip II of Spain. Relations between Spain (where Catherine’s
eldest daughter, Elisabeth was queen) and France were strained because the
Spanish King felt the French had been too soft on Protestant rebels, and too
lenient in their peace terms. Catherine
believed such hard-feelings would be more easily smoothed over face-to-face. She was greatly disappointed and angered when
Philip declined to come to the eventual meeting at Bayonne.
With all these lofty goals in mind, the
Valois entourage departed from the Château of Fontainebleau approximately
fifteen-thousand strong. The royal train
was so large that sometimes the first riders reached a new destination before
the rear members of the party had departed from the previous one. It included horses and beasts of burden, a veritable
army and, of course, household furnishings.
Needless to say, this Royal Progress did not progress rapidly! By modern standards it crawled. The average distance between stops was a mere
twelve miles, and the maximum was thirty-six miles. Imagine traveling over 2,700 miles at such a
pace! The speed of travel was affected
by weather. But also by the King’s
health (Charles was ill twice during the journey), outbreaks of plague along
the planned route, road conditions, and even Catholic feast days.
The traveling party was as fluid as it
was large. Individuals took short cuts and
freely came and went from the train as it moved through the kingdom. Perfect attendance awards, were they to be
give, would have been few. For example,
while the royals made the entire journey, only two foreign dignitaries (the
Papal Nuncio and the Spanish Ambassador) managed the whole trip. Many of the chief nobles of the Court,
including for example the Prince de Condé, were absent for chunks of the
journey.
Social status dictated mode of travel. The royal family went by litter, coach or
horseback. Most of the nobles of the
Court went on horseback as well. A large
mass of “lesser” travelers walked. Where
navigable rivers were available, boats were employed and who got a seat on
which boat (or any boat at all) was based on royal favor and who out-ranked whom. The task of maintaining discipline over the
whole of this city-on-the-move, and making sure everything was in order to
receive the King at various destinations fell to Anne de Montmorency, Constable
of France. This was an honor but also a
herculean task, and Montmorency was not a young man—in fact he was seventy-one
as the Royal Progress began. Definitely
NOT a pleasure trip for the Constable.
All in all the Royal Progress lasted 829
days, 201 of which were spent traveling.
That was a long time to be away from the center of Valois power, and Catherine,
ever worried about keeping control of matters in Paris, was in close contact with
those left behind. Of the more than
four-hundred letters she sent during the trip, one-hundred-and-ten went to
Parisians, including the Governor of the city, the Prévot des Marchands and the
Parlement of the city.
If you are interested in exhaustive
details of the French Royal Progress, a cook who traveled with the Valois
chronicled the trip. Check out The Royal Tour of France by Charles IX and
Catherine de’ Medici. Festivals and
Entries, 1564-6 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1979).
If you are interested in getting a
flavor for the trip without committing to 829 days, I promise you glimpses in Médicis Daughter including: the exotic
gift the city fathers of Troyes gave their king (which, incidentally did not
impress Princess Marguerite); a boat trip with His Majesty down the Saone from
Chalon-sur-Saône to Lyon; and theatricals performed on the Isle of Aiguemeau to entertain and
impress the Spanish.
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Publication Date: December 1, 2015
Thomas Dunne Books
Hardcover & eBook; 384 Pages
Thomas Dunne Books
Hardcover & eBook; 384 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Eager to be an obedient daughter, Margot accepts her role as a marriage pawn, even as she is charmed by the powerful, charismatic Duc de Guise. Though Margot’s heart belongs to Guise, her hand will be offered to Henri of Navarre, a Huguenot leader and a notorious heretic looking to seal a tenuous truce. But the promised peace is a mirage: her mother’s schemes are endless, and her brothers plot vengeance in the streets of Paris. When Margot’s wedding devolves into the bloodshed of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, she will be forced to choose between her family and her soul.
Médicis Daughter is historical fiction at its finest, weaving a unique coming-of-age story and a forbidden love with one of the most dramatic and violent events in French history.
Advance Praise
“This is Renaissance France meets Game of Thrones: dark, sumptuous historical fiction that coils religious strife, court intrigue, passionate love, family hatred, and betrayed innocence like a nest of poisonous snakes. Beautiful Princess Margot acts as our guide to the heart of her violent family, as she blossoms from naive court pawn to woman of conscience and renown. A highly recommended coming-of-age tale where the princess learns to slay her own dragons!” –Kate Quinn, Bestselling author of LADY OF THE ETERNAL CITY
“The riveting story of a 16th century French princess caught in the throes of royal intrigue and religious war. From the arms of the charismatic Duke of Guise to the blood-soaked streets of Paris, Princess Marguerite runs a dangerous gauntlet, taking the reader with her. An absolutely gripping read!” –Michelle Moran, bestselling author of THE REBEL QUEEN
“Rising above the chorus of historical drama is Perinot’s epic tale of the fascinating, lascivious, ruthless House of Valois, as told through the eyes of the complicated and intelligent Princess Marguerite. Burdened by her unscrupulous family and desperate for meaningful relationships, Margot is forced to navigate her own path in sixteenth century France. Amid wars of nation and heart, Médicis Daughter brilliantly demonstrates how one unique woman beats staggering odds to find the strength and power that is her birthright.” –Erika Robuck, bestselling author of HEMINGWAY’S GIRL
Buy the Book
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | INDIEBOUND
About the Author
Falls, Virginia with her three children, three cats, one dog and one husband.
An active member of the Historical Novel Society, Sophie has attended all of the group’s North American Conferences and served as a panelist multiple times. Find her among the literary twitterati as @Lit_gal or on Facebook.
Medicis Daughter Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, November 16
Review at The Mad Reviewer
Review at Peeking Between the Pages
Tuesday, November 17
Review at Just One More Chapter
Wednesday, November 18
Review at The Maiden’s Court
Thursday, November 19
Review at The Eclectic Reader
Friday, November 20
Review at The True Book Addict
Monday, November 23
Review at Broken Teepee
Guest Post at A Literary Vacation
Tuesday, November 24
Review at Book Lovers Paradise
Wednesday, November 25
Review at A Literary Vacation
Friday, November 27
Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection
Monday, November 30
Review at leeanna.me
Tuesday, December 1
Review at To Read, Or Not to Read
Wednesday, December 2
Review at Bibliophilia, Please
Thursday, December 3
Review at The Book Binder’s Daughter
Friday, December 4
Guest Post at Bibliophilia, Please
Monday, December 7
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Tuesday, December 8
Interview at Flashlight Commentary
Wednesday, December 9
Review at Curling Up By the Fire
Thursday, December 10
Review at The Readers Hollow
Friday, December 11
Review at Reading Lark
Monday, December 14
Review at A Book Geek
Tuesday, December 15
Review at The Lit Bitch
Wednesday, December 16
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews
Friday, December 18
Review & Interview at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book
Monday, December 21
Review at Bookish
Tuesday, December 22
Spotlight at Passages to the Past
Wednesday, December 23
Review & Guest Post at Historical Fiction Obsession
Monday, December 28
Review at Unshelfish
Tuesday, December 29
Interview at Unshelfish
Thursday, December 31
Review at The Reading Queen
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