Der Alltag im Mittelalter 352 Seiten, mit 156 Bildern, ISBN 3-8334-4354-5, 2., überarbeitete Auflage 2006, € 23,90
"... Decio Azzolino, a native of Fermo, small-built, dark-haired, strong of feature though not handsome, a subtle, witty man, his personality markedly warm, with a machiavellian twist. He was aged just 32 [als Christina und er sich kennenlernten] and of unquestioned ability, but his reputation was somewhat mixed, his name having been tarnished by 'certain amorous liaisons less than decent, and some other defects'. ... Azzolino was thus an exceptional man, in more ways than one, and predictably, Christina fell in love with him. Less predictably, perhaps, Azzolino fell in love with her, whether for her intelligence, her emotional intensity, her beautiful blue eyes, or even her political usefulness. His visits to the Queen quickly exceeded the call of duty, and indeed became so frequent and so prolonged that by the end of March he was obliged to write a letter of reassurance to officials at the Vatican. It was preceded by his own reputation, however, and the Pope decided to take no chances; he dispatched the Cardinal to the country for a few weeks' solitary reflection. Azzolino went, reflected and returned unchanged. His devotion to the Queen, and hers to him, began a long, intensifying climb. Christina's dormant femininity was awakened. She abandoned her manly clothes and took to wearing décolleté gowns - so deeply décolleté, in fact, that they drew a rebuke from the Pope. She kept wearing them, but added a rich pearl necklace to conceal, or to accentuate, the obvious. It is impossible to know whether or not Christina and Azzolino were physically lovers. Gossip sheets and memoirs declare that they were, and even that the Queen bore the Cardinal a child. Certainly they fell in love, and remained in love for many years. Both were passionate by nature, and Azzolino at least had had love affairs before ... [aber] She regarded the act of sex as an act of submission of woman to man, and this, as she stated many times, she would not endure. ... There was in Christina a curious squeamishness with regard to sex, 'a delicacy so very fine' that a sexual relationship between herself and Azzolino, or any other man, seems unlikely. ... they [Christina und Azzolino] built a 'romantic friendship', intimate and, in the early years at least, heightened by sexuality denied. But their love deepened, and it was to last their lifetime, in the end not less for never having touched its own physical core." (in: Veronica Buckley: Christina - Queen of Sweden, id., pp. 264-269).
als Buch
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Zeitreise 1 – Besuch einer spätmittelalterlichen Stadt
als Buch, Independently published, 264 Seiten, 93 SW-Bilder, € 12,54, ISBN 978-1-5497-8302-9
und als E-Book
Neu: Wer ist Mona Lisa?
Wer ist Mona Lisa? – Identifizierung einer Unbekannten mit Hilfe historischer Quellen
als Buch bei amazon.de: 172 Seiten, mit Stammtafeln und 136 Bildern (130 Bilder in Farbe), Independently published, 1. Auflage, ISBN 978-1-9831-3666-5, € 29,31