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Scourge of Henry VIII

The Life of Marie de Guise

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Scourge of Henry VIII

By: Melanie Clegg
Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
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About this listen

Mary, Queen of Scots continues to intrigue both historians and the general public-but the story of her mother, Marie de Guise, is much less well known. A political power in her own right, she was born into the powerful and ambitious Lorraine family, spending her formative years at the dazzling, licentious court of François I. Although briefly courted by Henry VIII, she instead married his nephew, James V of Scotland, in 1538.

James's premature death four years later left their six-day-old daughter, Mary, as queen, and presented Marie with the formidable challenge of winning the support of the Scottish people and protecting her daughter's threatened birthright. Content until now to remain in the background and play the part of the obedient wife, Marie spent the next 18 years effectively governing Scotland - devoting her considerable intellect, courage, and energy to safeguarding her daughter's inheritance by using a deft mixture of cunning, charm, determination, and tolerance. This biography, from the author of Marie Antoinette: An Intimate History, tells the story and offers a fresh assessment of this most fascinating and underappreciated of 16th-century female rulers.

©2016 Melanie Clegg (P)2019 Tantor Europe Politicians Politics & Activism Royalty Women Scotland Biography British History Celebrity Bio
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I enjoyed the informative story about Mary of Guise. I didn’t enjoy the way dates were read and the story was not about Henry Viii so no idea why he is in the title of the book other than to mislead people.

Misleading title

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Great story about an overlooked queen, but ruined by leaden narration which mangled english and French words with American pronunciation in an English accent. Not sure if this was an AI rendition or if the narrator was not a native speaker.

Ruined by narrator using American pronunciation and dating system.

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The book would have been interesting but was ruined by the poor narration and dating system.

Poor narrator

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I knew almost nothing about Marie DeGuise but this book was fantastic. Very informative and enjoyable to listen to. It took me a while to get used to the Narration, which I found a little grating at first, but so glad I persevered.

Very interesting

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A remarkable account of this extraordinary woman. I think the title’s emphasis on Henry VIII is necessary for marketing but Marie starts in her own path. Her story is one of heartbreak, strength and determination.

Fantastic

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