Der Alltag im Mittelalter 352 Seiten, mit 156 Bildern, ISBN 3-8334-4354-5, 2., überarbeitete Auflage 2006, € 23,90
Bilder-Galerie
Karl II. Stuart "first met the actresses Nell Gwynne and Moll Davies at Tunbridge Wells in 1668 ... it was to begin for Charles a relationship which lasted until his death. Other mistresses came and went, but Nell remained, her combination of wit, charm, vivacity and coarseness alternately enchanting and shocking even Charles's tolerant court. Nelly's origins were of the humblest kind [she was illiterate], graduating from bawdy houses where she served drinks to the customers to Drury Lane where she sold oranges to the theatregoers. By the time she attracted the King's attention she was established as one of the leading actresses of the day; especially in the comedy roles, so much admired by Pepys, who wrote ...: 'But so great a performance of a comical part was never in the world before as Nell do this, both as a mad girl, then most and best of all when she comes in like a young gallant; and hath the motions and carriage of a spark the most that ever I saw any man have. It make me, I confess, admire her.' Despite the august nature of her new position - and the £4,000 a year and freehold property in Pall Mall that went with it - Nelly never adopted airs and graces foreign to her character ... She remained unspoiled, undemanding and completely faithful to her royal lover. She called him 'My Charles the Third' because she had had two previous lovers, both called Charles, and was quite open about the relationship. 'Charles, I hope I shall have your company at night, shall I not? she would call out." (in: Christopher Falkus: The Life and Times of Charles II, id., p. 133).
"Physically, Nell was tiny, with, it was said, the littlest foot in England as well as perfect legs.The King [Karl II. Stuart], who had a penchant for good legs, indulged his passion to the extent of paying for some of her theatrical costumes, including some 'Rhinegraves' - short, wide, divided skirts, guaranteed to fly up provocatively as the wearer danced. Nell certainly did not have the classical looks admired at the time: her nose turned up, unlike the aquiline noses of the conventional Stuart beauties. But everything about her was charmingly rounded, including her plump cheeks, where two dimples appeared when she smiled. ... It was no wonder that the King, at the height of his desire, paid frequent visits to Lely's studio, where he was painting Nelly naked. Like Charles himself, Nell had natural wit, although hers was the wit nurtured in Madam Gwynn's [ihrer Mutter] bawdy-house rather than the courts of Europe." (in: Antonia Fraser: King Charles II, id., p. 288).
"... like all Charles's mistresses, she [Nell Gwynn] was extremely mercenary and demanding. By the end of 1674 she had acquired at least eight servants, a French coach needing six horses, satin window curtains, sky-blue shoes, other shoes of silver, green, gold and scarlet, all as befitted the grand lady she sought to be. Nell also coveted some kind of rank, to acknowledge her position. It seemed odious and unfair to her that she should not be rewarded on the same handsome scale as the other ladies, simply because she was an actress - considering she performed the same services. In 1675, for example ... Nell received £1,000 from the Secret Service account, but Louise [de Kéroualle] received £2,000 in the same period. ... Just as Nell was about to be created Countess of Greenwich - the other 'ladies' were all made Duchesses - the King died. ... she remained 'Nelly' ..." (in: Antonia Fraser: King Charles II, id., p. 289).
"Nell Gwynne died - of a stroke two years after her royal Charles. She was only thirty-five. The King's death had plucked from her at the last minute the coveted title of Countess of Greenwich. She also had endured the common struggle of the late King's pensionaries to secure those payments she had been promised." (in: Antonia Fraser: King Charles II, id., p. 461).
Nell Gwynne brachte ihrem königlichen Liebhaber Karl II. Stuart zwei Söhne auf die Welt: Charles Beauclerc (1670-1726), seit 1676 Baron Heddington und Earl of Burford und seit 1685 Herzog von St. Albans, und James Beauclerc (1671-1681), der jedoch das Erwachsenenalter nicht erreichen sollte.
als Buch
als Buch und als E-book
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
als Buch
Die Lieblingsrezepte meiner Familie – Liebe geht wirklich durch den Magen (3. Auflage)
bei amazon.de:126 Seiten mit farbigen und schwarz-weißen Bildern, Independently published, ISBN 979-8-7648-5958-3, € 13,28
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
Neu: Caterina Sforza
Die Frauen der Sforza II: Caterina Sforza - Die Amazone der Sforza und die Muse von Botticelli
nur als Buch (Farbband), bei amazon.de: 320 Seiten, mit Stammtafeln und 153 Bildern, Independently published, 1. Auflage 2021, ISBN 979-8-7119-9157-1, € 44,73
