Francis I - Libroj.org

Poŝlibro, 384 paĝoj

Eldonita je 26-a de marto 2019 de Harper Perennial.

ISBN:: 978-0-06-156311-9

(1 recenzo)

Catherine de Medici's father-in-law, King Francis of France, was the perfect Renaissance knight, the movement's exemplar and its Gallic interpreter. An aesthete, diplomat par excellence, and contemporary of Machiavelli, Francis was the founder of modern France, whose sheer force of will and personality molded his kingdom into the first European superpower. Arguably the man who introduced the Renaissance to France, Francis was also the prototype Frenchman--a national identity was modeled on his character. So great was his stamp, that few countries even now are quite so robustly patriotic as is France.

5 eldonoj

Stephanie Jane recenzis Francis I de Leonie Frieda

Lots of wars

3 steloj

I won a lovely hardback edition of this book when it was first published, two years ago, and I am slightly embarrassed to admit that it has sat on my bookshelf ever since, looking impressive, but unread until now. Unfortunately, I can't say that it was worth the wait!

Leonie Frieda certainly packs a lot of information into her book, but I was disappointed that most of the pages are taken up with details of yet another cash-strapped army setting off to invade their neighbours, again and again and again. I had expected some warmongering being, as we are, also in the time of Charles V in Spain and Henry VIII in England, but I had hoped for a bit more to the story. It was interesting to see renowned events such as The Field of Cloth of Gold from the French perspective, but this book's subtitle - The Maker …

I won a lovely hardback edition of this book when it was first published, two years ago, and I am slightly embarrassed to admit that it has sat on my bookshelf ever since, looking impressive, but unread until now. Unfortunately, I can't say that it was worth the wait!

Leonie Frieda certainly packs a lot of information into her book, but I was disappointed that most of the pages are taken up with details of yet another cash-strapped army setting off to invade their neighbours, again and again and again. I had expected some warmongering being, as we are, also in the time of Charles V in Spain and Henry VIII in England, but I had hoped for a bit more to the story. It was interesting to see renowned events such as The Field of Cloth of Gold from the French perspective, but this book's subtitle - The Maker Of Modern France - had led me to expect a discussion cultural innovations that led to the France I know today. Other than perhaps the arrival of the Mona Lisa, I didn't feel that the subtitle was justified.