Courtiers: The Secret History of the Georgian Court - Softcover

Worsley, Lucy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0571238904 ISBN 13: 9780571238903

Publisher: Faber & Faber, 2011

Synopsis

Ambitious and talented people flocked to court in search of power and prestige, but Kensington Palace was also a gilded cage. While its inhabitants were cocooned in comfort and splendour, successful courtiers had level heads and cold hearts; their secrets were never safe. Among them, a Vice Chamberlain with many vices, a Maid of Honour with a secret marriage, a pushy painter, an alcoholic equerry, a Wild Boy, a penniless poet, a dwarf comedian, two mysterious turbaned Turks and any number of discarded royal mistresses. An eye-opening portrait of an enthralling group of royal servants, Courtiers also throws new light on the dramatic life of George II and Queen Caroline: a lover murdered, babies snatched, horrific illnesses and tearful deathbed reconciliations

About this title

Review:

'A stylish courtier's-eye view of the reigns of George I and George II ... reveals the complexity, anxiety and pathos behind the facade of those caught up in the golden circle of the Court.' --Sunday Telegraph, Books of the Year

'We have a fine modern historian to guide us through the dreamlike maze of palace life.' --The Times

'Taking the sixteen courtiers represented in William Kent's Grand Staircase painting, Worsley herds them through the glittering confusion of the court so vividly that one can hear them scheming.' --Independent on Sunday Books of the Year

'We have a fine modern historian to guide us through the dreamlike maze of palace life.' --The Times

'Taking the sixteen courtiers represented in William Kent's Grand Staircase painting, Worsley herds them through the glittering confusion of the court so vividly that one can hear them scheming.' --Independent on Sunday Books of the Year

'Those who attended court have typically been painted as sycophants seeking to improve their station, but here a more nuanced picture emerges ... there are also detailed portraits of court life, and some compelling characters.' --Sunday Business Post

'Taking the sixteen courtiers represented in William Kent's Grand Staircase painting, Worsley herds them through the glittering confusion of the court so vividly that one can hear them scheming.' --Independent on Sunday Books of the Year

'A vivid portrait of courtly politicking.' --The Times

'Rich, amusing gaze at the courts of George I and II ... because it engages immediately with its small and large plots and its wonderful characterisation, the work, though strictly history, reads as a novel ...but this is no giddy read. At the end you're left with a sympathetic and informed sense of the transition from Stuart to Hanoverian public life.' --Irish Times

'Taking the sixteen courtiers represented in William Kent's Grand Staircase painting, Worsley herds them through the glittering confusion of the court so vividly that one can hear them scheming.' --Independent on Sunday Books of the Year

'A sparkling compendium of Georgian gossip.' --Independent

'Taking the sixteen courtiers represented in William Kent's Grand Staircase painting, Worsley herds them through the glittering confusion of the court so vividly that one can hear them scheming.' --Independent on Sunday Books of the Year

Book Description:

An eye-opening portrait of an enthralling group of royal servants, Courtiers by Lucy Worsley throws new light on the dramatic life of George II and Queen Caroline and their court at Kensington Palace.

About this edition

• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0571238904
• ISBN 13: 9780571238903
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432