Guest Post by Rozsa Gaston: Passion and Politics in Early Renaissance France

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

France admired her but Brittany loved her. Just as Louis did.Anne, Duchess of Brittany, is the love of King Louis XII of France’s life. Too bad he’s already married.While his annulment proceedings create Europe’s most sensational scandal of 1498, Anne returns to Brittany to take back control of her duchy that her late husband, Charles VIII, King of France, had wrested from her.

France, 1498 

Charles VIII, King of France, has died in a freak accident at age twenty-seven. His queen, Anne of Brittany, is now sole sovereign ruler of Brittany as well as Europe’s most wealthy widow. When the new king, Louis XII of France, sues for her affections, she tells him he has one year to get an annulment or she will move on. The king’s annulment proceedings create Europe’s most sensational scandal of 1498, while Anne returns to Brittany to take back control of her duchy that her late husband had wrested from her. But can she maintain Brittany’s independence from France if she accepts Louis’ offer to make her queen of France once more?

Stained Glass Mosaic of Anne of Brittany and Louis XII, King of France
Hotel de Ville, Vannes, France
Photo courtesy of Thor Karlsen and ABP BZH Agence Bretagne Presse

Louis has admired Anne since meeting her as a young girl at the court of her father, Duke Francis II of Brittany. Even at the age of seven, the future duchess of Brittany held herself as the ruler she would one day become.

In return, Anne’s first girlish crush was on Louis d’Orléans, the twenty-one-year-old handsome and debonair friend of her father’s from the French royal house of Valois. The impression Anne and Louis made on each other was indelible, the threads of which were picked up many years later once Anne became the widow of Charles VIII and Louis ascended the French throne.

Anne of Brittany and Louis d’Orléans, 1491
Gravure from Secrets of History: Anne of Brittany
Courtesy of Stephane Bern

Louis must get an annulment to make Anne his bride. His wife resists, the hunchbacked, sterile Jeanne of France, whom he was forced to marry against his will as a youth of fourteen, by her father, known as the spider king for his devious machinations.

But Louis has an ace up his sleeve. He is aware that the most scandalous pope in the history of the Catholic church, Alexander VI, also known as Rodrigo Borgia, needs a title, land, and noble wife for his purported nephew, Cesare, whom everyone knows is his son.

While Louis offers a backroom deal to the pope in order to obtain his annulment, Anne returns to Brittany to make the Tro Breizh, a journey through her realm to reaffirm her political power as Brittany’s sovereign ruler. If the French king wants to marry her, he will have to come get her, but not without his annulment decree in hand.

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Map of the Tro Breizh (Tour of Brittany)
from Editions Coop Breizh, courtesy of Google Images

Finally, the annulment is granted. The decree is delivered by Cesare Borgia himself, a cocky peacock from the streets of Rome who is laughed at behind his back by the French royal court.

Louis leaves for Brittany immediately, there to wed Anne in Nantes at her father’s castle where they first met. This time, Anne’s marriage to the king of France is on her terms. Her marriage contract states that she is to remain sole sovereign ruler of her own duchy of Brittany, unlike her marriage contract with Charles, in which she was forced to cede sole sovereignty.

Louis respects Anne’s right to administer her own duchy. He knows she is determined to retain Brittany’s independence from France. One day he believes Brittany will come into the kingdom of France, but not under his wife’s watch.

Chateau of the Dukes of Brittany

Birthplace and ancestral home of Anne of Brittany

Nantes, France

It is not Brittany that the king of France covets, but Italy, just as Charles VIII did before him. Louis stakes a claim to the duchy of Milan and then to the kingdom of Naples.

Portrait of Louis XII, King of France
Artist Unknown, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Anne would prefer Louis to mind France’s affairs and stay out of Italy’s, but the king has other ideas. Two months before the birth of their first child together, Louis leaves for Milan, where he enjoys initial success in claiming its ducal throne. But after several months, Louis begins to realize the morass he has gotten himself into in Italy. Allies change sides, then change sides again. The age of chivalry is dead and in its place the Borgias lead the pack in poisoning their enemies and seizing power by unscrupulous means.

Stained glass image of Louis XII, King of France
By Jean Perréal, c. 1500
Walters Art Musuem, Baltimore, Maryland
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Anne is concerned that her good-hearted husband is like a lamb led to slaughter in Italy. When, finally, he returns, they are visited by diplomatic envoys from Florence, the junior of whom is the young Niccolò Machiavelli. Instantly, Anne sees that Machiavelli is sizing up the king, to report back to Florence. She arranges for the young envoy to be sent back soon, distrusting his motives at the French court.

Beggar’s Meeting with Anne of Brittany and Louis XII
By Adrien Thibault
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Both Anne and Louis have high hopes that a dauphin for France will soon be born to Anne to join their daughter Claude. Meanwhile, Louis, confident that he still holds Milan, is determined to try to take the kingdom of Naples, to which he has a much more flimsy claim. Knowing that he lacks the resources to take and hold Naples alone, he enters into a secret alliance with Ferdinand of Spain. They decide to carve up southern Italy between France and Spain, with Louis getting Abruzzi and the Campania, including the city of Naples, and Ferdinand getting Apulia and Calabria in the south.   

All is harmonious between Anne and Louis, a couple temperamentally suited to each other and with deep affection planted between them from the days of Anne’s childhood. Where Anne is fierce, Louis loves a challenge. Anne is lavish in her tastes, but also in her care of her husband; Louis is somewhat parsimonious and relies on Anne to add splendor and lustre to the French court.

But when Anne proposes that their daughter Claude one day marry the heir to the Habsburg throne, Louis secretly wishes their daughter to marry the heir to the throne of France. Neither worry overmuch as Claude is just a babe of one. Besides, once Anne has a son, he will ascend the French throne and Claude will one day rule Brittany as her mother’s successor.

Yet no son arrives…

Close up of figures reputed to be Anne of Brittany and Louis XII
from The Unicorn Tapestries thought to be commissioned by Anne of Brittany for Louis XII, c. 1498-1505
The Met Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
 Photo by R. Gaston

ANNE AND LOUIS excerpt:

“Ma Brette, you know I must go. The moment is right. With the pope’s support I will sweep Milan clean of Sforza and claim my inheritance for France,” Louis reasoned to Anne. As usual, she was not having it.

            “Why must you fall into the same trap that Charles did? Do you really think there is something on the other side of the Alps so much better than what we have here?” Anne balled her fists at her side, containing the urge to beat some sense into her husband’s head. What was with these men and their harebrained dreams of conquest in foreign lands?

            “’Tis not the same trap at all. Milan is mine through my father’s mother. And Borgia has given his word that he will support me in sweeping Sforza from the city. His son will ride at my side as soon as I can wrap up his affairs here.” Louis looked frustrated. He was no matchmaker like his wife and without her support Cesare’s marriage aspirations were going nowhere.

            “Get rid of him as soon as possible, then stay here and wait for the birth of your child, husband. Is not your duty to manage the affairs of your country and not interfere in the affairs of another?”

            “This is an opportunity ripe for the picking. And you know the Borgia won’t leave unless I personally accompany him over the border.” Louis rolled his eyes. “We just need to get your princess to agree to marry him.”

            “She will never agree.”

            Louis looked closely at his wife. Usually Anne didn’t put too fine a point on whether her maids of honor agreed with her marriage choices for them or not. She just insisted on their obedience. What his Brette really meant was that she herself would never agree to handing over Charlotte of Naples to such a man.

            Louis sighed, wondering how he could get her to change her mind. His wife’s motto was ‘Non mudera, I will not change.’ Well did he know.

Cesare Borgia (1475-1507)
Portrait of a Gentleman Thought to be Cesare Borgia
by Meloni Altobello (1490-1543)
Museum Accademia Carrara, Italy
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

“I have arranged for Cesare to come to dinner tonight. Have Charlotte come, too, and we will excuse ourselves so that they may dine alone and get to know one another.” Louis tried to sound authoritative. He was king, but he had never arranged a private dinner for two unmarried people to meet. He had no idea how to manage it.

            “Why should a princess of Naples and Aragon get to know a man with no title and no lineage, other than one he cannot claim?” The accepted story was that Cesare was the pope’s nephew. Not a single soul in Europe believed it.

            “Wife, do you not understand that the Borgia’s support is vital for me to claim Milan?”

            “Husband, do you not understand that claiming Milan gains you and your kingdom nothing?”

            “Of course, it does. It would be a gem in the crown of France.”

            “A gem that will fall out at the first push. The moment you leave Milan you know what will happen, just as it did with Charles in Naples. The Italians will re-form their alliances and push you out. Do you not know them well enough by now after suffering so horribly at Fornovo?” Louis and his troops had endured terrible losses in 1495 at the battle of Fornovo, due to the treachery of Ludovico Sforza. Initially France’s ally, Milan’s powerful ruler had switched sides to the League of Venice at the last moment.

            “It was a terrible time, but this will be different.”

            “Men! When will any of you understand that war is never different? It always ends badly, and none of you ever learn that it is best not to go where one is not invited.”

            “And that is precisely the difference. The pope has made it clear that the people of Milan want Sforza out. They’ve had enough of him. With the pope’s help, and his son at my side, they will welcome the king of France, great grandson of Giangalezzo Visconti, their very first duke!” Louis pulled himself up, looking almost Italian for a moment, handsome and glowering.   

            “For how long do you think they will welcome you? You will be greeted in glory, welcomed for a month or two, then slowly resented and ultimately booted out. Has not recent history taught you this, husband?”

            “I know that if ever there was a chance to claim Milan for France, it is now. Bid the princess of Naples to join us for dinner, so that Cesare can work his magic and we can wrap up this marriage business so I can get to Milan.”

            “Husband, you are in a dream, and I would have you wake from it soon.”

            “Wife, I am in a hurry. Deliver the princess tonight and I will write to her father to request permission for Cesare to proceed with his suit.”

            “I will not deliver Charlotte into the hands of such a ruffian.”

            “This is dinner, m’amie. Not an engagement.”

            “I will never deliver her to such a man.”

            “Then he will never leave France.”

            Anne paused a moment, looking as if she had swallowed a bag of lemons. Finally, she spoke. “If her father says no, this cannot proceed.”

            “Of course, m’amie. Just dinner is all I ask.”

 Images of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany atop their tomb
Basilica of Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis, France

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

For further reading, discover Anne of Brittany in the Anne of Brittany Series.

The gripping tale of a larger than life queen

http://lrd.to/anneofbrittanyseries

Available for pre-order now is my new short story The Least Foolish Woman in France. Readers might be interested to learn the true tale of how Anne of Brittany’s second husband was sexually harassed in young adulthood by his sister-in-law Anne de Beaujeu, France’s most powerful woman at the time. This story is short but riveting, a surprising twist on the #MeToo movement.

On pre-order now, it comes out April 12, 2019. Post a short review on Amazon by the end of April and receive an eBook edition of any of my other books for free. 

Rozsa Gaston

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About the Author

Rozsa Gaston writes playful books on serious matters, including the struggles women face to get what they want out of life. She studied European history at Yale, and received her Master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University. She worked at Institutional Investor, then as a hedge funds marketer. Entirely unsuited to the world of finance, she was happy to give it up to become a full-time novelist. Gaston lives in Bronxville, New York with her family and is currently working on Anne and Louis: Middle Years, Book Three of the Anne of Brittany Series. If you read and enjoy Sense of Touch, please post a review at http://lrd.to/SENSEOFTOUCH to help others find this book. One sentence is enough to let readers know what you thought. Drop Rozsa Gaston a line on Facebook to let her know you posted a review and receive as thanks an eBook edition of any other of Gaston’s books: Anne and Charles, Anne and Louis, The Least Foolish Woman in France, Paris Adieu, or Black is Not a Color. Visit her at www.rozsagaston.com or at https://www.rozsagastonauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rozsagastonauthor Instagram: rozsagastonauthor and on Twitter: @RozsaGaston

See Also:

Anne of Brittany? Raised to rule, she knew how to lead: Guest Post by Rozsa Gaston, Author of Sense of Touch 

Happy Birthday Katherine Willoughby, Tudor Duchess

Katherine Willoughby was born on the 22nd March 1509.  Although that's five hundred years ago, as she is the subject of my current work-in-progress I've been living with this fascinating woman for the past two years and feel I know her well.

I first began researching the known facts of her life when I was writing about her husband, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, for my last book Brandon Tudor Knight. Even by the very different standards of the day, Katherine must have been surprised by his decision to break her engagement to his son and marry her himself.

This presented me with the challenge of understanding the complex relationship between a fourteen year old girl and a man of forty nine. I've had plenty to write about, as Katherine knew all six of King Henry VIII's wives, as well as his son Edward - and even Lady Jane Grey, (daughter of her step-daughter Frances Grey).

This means my new book about her life includes an astounding nine Tudor queens (if you count Jane Grey) and two kings, taking me right up to the coronation of Elizabeth I and my next project, the Elizabethan Series. 

I'm now planning a visit to Katherine's family home at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire, which was granted by Henry VIII in 1516 to Katherine's father, the 11th Baron Willoughby de Eresby, when he married her mother, Maria de Salinas, lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine of Aragon. (Amazingly, Grimsthorpe is still occupied by Katherine's de Eresby descendants.)

My new book, Katherine - Tudor Duchess will be out in autumn this year.

Tony Riches

Why you should create your own bookmarks #AuthorToolboxBlogHop

Bookmarks are a wonderful marketing tool as, unlike a business card, readers will use them and be  (subconsciously?) reminded of your books every time.  The don't cost much to produce to a high standard and are easy to carry and post.

A few years ago I ran an Amazon free promotion weekend and watched as hundreds of books were downloaded in return for two or three reviews (which I probably would have had anyway).  

These giveaways can have their place in your overall 'awareness raising strategy' but after putting over a year of hard work into each of your books, it doesn't feel right to give them away for nothing. 

It can prove particularly expensive with paperback or hardback giveaways, once you take into account international postage and other costs. I used to offer free Goodreads givaways, but now their 'standard' package costs $119 to give away up to 100 copies and the 'premium' package is $599.

I design my bookmarks with a template in Photoshop, upload them to an online printing company (I recommend (Solopress for UK and GotPrint for the US) and they arrive in the post a few days later, so it couldn't be easier.  

Tony Riches

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Do you have more ideas and suggestions for raising awareness of your books? If so, please feel free to add a comment below

The #AuthorToolboxBlogHop is a monthly event on the topic of resources and learning for authors. Feel free to hop around to the various blogs and see what you learn! The rules and sign-up form are HERE below the list of hop participants. All authors at all stages of their careers are welcome to join in.

Guest Interview with Rob Shackleford, Author of Traveller Inceptio

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

If you were sent a thousand years into the past, would you survive?

With the accidental development of the Transporter, university researchers determine that the device sends any subject one thousand years into the past.

Or is it to a possible past?

I'm pleased to welcome Rob Shackleford, Author of Traveller Inceptio, to The Writing Desk:

Tell us about your latest book

Traveller Inceptio is a mix of science fiction and historical fiction that examines how members of 21^st Century Western society could survive the world of the 11^th Century.

I was inspired one day when I sat on a beach imagining how the location would have looked 100, then 200, then 1000 years in the past. Fortunately I lived close to the beautiful beaches of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia and the exercise of imagining the location before resorts, powerlines and phone towers brought to mind a very different world. 

The next step in the tale was to imagine how modern humans would survive ‘back then’. Then – how was this leap of imagination possible?

Traveller Inceptio (Latin for Beginning) examines what could happen if such an accidental discovery was not hidden from public view. How would a device that takes one back a thousand years be used? Where would one go? In a world where historians are not like Indiana Jones, who would be sent?

I took every effort to thoroughly research any role the military might play, the consequences of inevitable bureaucratic and political interference, and the world of the Saxons in 11^th Century England. England was chosen because of the interests of the nations involved in the research that developed the device, called the Transporter, and the attempt to access a place that might be safest for the Travellers, the title of the researchers involved.

Traveller Inceptio examines the interactions of the Travellers with local Saxons and their efforts to integrate into the village of a people of the great forest. This was the time of the Viking invasions, an unsettled time of conflict.

Through it all I tried to make the Saxons human and examine how they would interact with a highly trained soldier from the 21^st Century. 

The reviews of Traveller Inceptio have been overwhelmingly positive. For those of you who delve into this tale, I thank you and hope you enjoy.

What is your preferred writing routine?

I start my day with a walk with my lady love, then write for a few hours. Because I have dedicated my life to writing for the past years, if we are not travelling I try to write for at least four hours each day. There is also research of course, which is my excuse to travel.  Morning is my best writing time, though I do tend to write whenever the desire grabs me.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

That is tough, because much in writing is about your own personal confidence and desires.

My first piece of advice is to start writing, no matter what. Too many believe they must have the whole story before writing starts, while I find the story develops as I write. It’s like painting, or weaving a rich tapestry with words. Like a journey, it starts with the courageous first step.

Second is to not worry about what everyone else thinks. Writing is like running: you have to practice to get good at it. I find the process of writing and rewriting allows me to get better. Just go for it and let your creativity shine.

Third: Never be happy with the first draft. I always go back through the story, the words, the creative writing many, many times. It might feel like an OCD thing, and that is what makes writing so personal. My format will be different to everyone else. Find your way and follow it.

Fourth – and the hardest. Be prepared to be disappointed at criticism. As my first book, Traveller Inceptio was self-published, critiqued, then edited. My first British editor metaphorically tore off my arm and beat me over the head with it. Wiping away my tears I followed his advice in most areas, reduced the draft by 50,000 words, sent it out for review and received positive response and 5 star reviews. My head still hurts though.

Fifth – have a market in mind. Writing is a creative art, but selling books is strictly a marketing endeavour. I aim to become an author that sells. That is my goal. For any writing to sell it must appeal to a market, to a slice of humanity who likes what you produce. Publishers only seek what will sell and then leave it to you to create the market for them. Gone are the days of offering a new author a million dollar contract. Yes, it’s a tough gig.

What ways have you found to raise awareness of your books?

I have a publisher who is engaged in publicity, but my efforts are as follows:

1.     I have given my book to interested parties who read and spread the word because they enjoyed what they read. Readers love the gift of a book.

2.     Social media – I hate social media, but you have to repeatedly tell the world what you are doing, what your book is doing, and become a specialist on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more. Not my favourite thing as I am not a great self-promoter when it comes to the trivial. But the world loves it, so I must get better at it!

3.     Contact Bloggers and try to connect with people who like reading my style of books. By connecting with like minds, we can support each other. It is a very large global community.

4.     Submit my book to be reviewed by Book Reviewers. This is scary!

5.     Submit Traveller Inceptio to Sci Fi magazines and other publications.

This is a movable feast! If anyone has any more helpful, great ideas, please feel free to let me know. I am making this up as I go along.

Tell us something unexpected you uncovered during your research

I found that with Traveller Inceptio I had to research extensively about the relevant subject matters: the Special Forces of Australia, Great Britain, the USA and Canada, the Saxon people, and the great forests of England. Once I immersed myself into the subject matter, sometimes odd things happened.

On more than one occasion I found the story running in a direction I didn’t expect, where I would go, “Wow, I didn’t know that was going to happen!” While this is probably a creative process many might experience, I found that most surprising. It was only possible for me when I had the material assembled by research.

Rob Shackleford

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About the Author

An English-born Australian, Rob Shackleford has lived in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, with a varied career that has included Customs Officer, Scuba Instructor, College Teacher and management roles in too many places. With degrees in the Arts and Business, he is mad keen on travel, Scuba diving, Family History, martial arts, astronomy, and playing Djembe and Congas. Rob is father of two and lives on the Gold Coast, where he likes to scuba dive, play the djembe, look at the stars, and play in the surf. Find out more at http://robshackleford.com/ and find Rob on Facebook and Twitter @robshackleford

Book Launch: Louis XIV: The Real King of Versailles, by Josephine Wilkinson

New on Amazon UK

Louis XIV’s story has all the ingredients of a Dumas classic: legendary beginnings, beguiling women, court intrigue, a mysterious prisoner in an iron mask, lavish court entertainments, the scandal of a mistress who was immersed in the dark arts, and a central character who is handsome and romantic, but with a frighteningly dark side to his character.

Louis believed himself to be semi-divine. His self-identification as the Sun King, which was reflected in iconography of the sun god, Apollo, influenced every aspect of Louis’s life: his political philosophy, his wars, and his relationships with courtiers and subjects.

As a military strategist, Louis’s capacity was debatable, but he was an astute politician who led his country to the heights of sophistication and power – and then had the misfortune to live long enough to see it all crumble away. As the sun began to set upon this most glorious of reigns, it brought a gathering darkness filled with the anguish of dead heirs, threatened borders, and a populace that was dangerously dependent upon – but greatly distanced from – its king.

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About the Author

Dr Josephine Wilkinson is an author and historian. She received a First from the University of Newcastle where she also read for her PhD. She has received British Academy research funding and has been scholar-in-residence at St Deiniol's Library, Britain's only residential library founded by the great Victorian statesman, William Gladstone She now lives in York, Richard III's favourite city. She is the author of The Princes in the Tower, Anne Boleyn, Mary Boleyn, and Richard III (all published by Amberely), and Katherine Howard (John Murray). You can find Josephine on Twitter @Jo_History 

Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI, by Lauren Johnson

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

A thrilling new account of the tragic life and troubled times of Henry VI.

First-born son of a warrior father who defeated the French at Agincourt, Henry VI of the House Lancaster inherited the crown not only of England but also of France, at a time when Plantagenet dominance over the Valois dynasty was at its glorious height.

And yet, by the time he was done to death in the Tower of London in 1471, France was lost, his throne had been seized by his rival, Edward IV of the House of York, and his kingdom had descended into the violent chaos of the Wars of the Roses.

Henry VI is perhaps the most troubled of English monarchs, a pious, gentle, well-intentioned man who was plagued by bouts of mental illness. In Shadow King, Lauren Johnson tells his remarkable and sometimes shocking story in a fast-paced and colourful narrative that captures both the poignancy of Henry's life and the tumultuous and bloody nature of the times in which he lived.

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“Lauren Johnson has done something extraordinary. The Shadow King is the best life of Henry VI now in print: a triumph of elegant and spirited biography, deeply researched and beautifully written.”
- Dan Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Plantagenets

“Vivid, absorbing, and richly detailed, The Shadow King is an intriguing account of a monarch who has often seemed no more than a cypher, putting him back at the heart of his own dramatic reign.”
- Helen Castor, author of She-Wolves

About the Author

Lauren Johnson is a historian and costumed interpreter with a first-class degree from Oxford University. Her debut novel The Arrow of Sherwood, an origin story of Robin Hood rooted in a real, brutal medieval world, was named one of Medievalists.net’s books of the year. Lauren has appeared on Channel 4, BBC4, BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Radio Somerset. Lauren is co-founder of Untold, a theatre company that creates ensemble-driven devised work and new writing to tell stories that have been marginalised in history and the modern day. Lauren has worked in live costumed interpretation since 2008, based at major heritage sites including the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. She has also worked with Historic Royal Palaces, the charity who administer Hampton Court Palace, the Tower of London, the Banqueting House, Kensington Palace and Hillsborough Castle, chairing historical debates and creating on-site digital missions for families and schools. Find out more at Lauren's website and find her on Twitter @History_Lauren