#guises

[heather123fan-blog]

The Serpent Queen Season 1 +2

I finally finished the final episode of The Serpent Queen on STARZ today. My thoughts: I ending up enjoying it more than I thought I would. The storyline was fun and entertaining. The writers were clearly going for a more comedic depiction of their characters. Almost all of them were over the top, exaggerated and slightly insane.

Minnie Driver as Elizabeth I was hilarious. There were parts of her character I didn't like but for the most part she worked. Her true personality was usually there right beneath the surface. Loved Queen Jeanne d'Albret, Henri of Navarre, and Marguerite de Valois. Most of Catherine's children came across as very sympathetic which is probably why I enjoyed Season 2 more than Season 1. No Diane de Poitiers in Season 2 either another good thing. I can't stand her lol! The Guises and the Bourbons were scheming, foolish and not very likable but entertaining to watch. I really liked Montmorency he was sympathetic right up until his end. Mary Queen of Scots was a fanatical Catholic and overly villainous. Something I haven't seen before.

I had mixed feelings about the Duke of Florence and Rahima. It seemed like they were trying to give characters of color a storyline in a historical drama, which I can appreciate but considering they weren't real people their story seemed to be shoved into the plot in a way that felt clunky. I wish the writers had tried to include black people or people of color who actually lived in France at that time. It would've been more respectful. Rahima felt a lot like Lina in The Spanish Princess. I liked her character but thought her storyline could've been handled better. Same with Sister Edith she reminded me of Anne Aschew particularly the way Anne is portrayed in Firebrand preaching to the people and stirring them up.

The main problem I had with the series is the way Catherine de Medici herself is depicted. She starts out very sympathetic but becomes more ruthless and evil as the show goes on. Committing one act after another in order to survive. The writers blamed her for too many bad things that happened that can't be proven. The death of her husband and oldest son Francis. The St. Bartholemew's Day Massacre. Sigh I'm sad The Serpent Queen isn't getting renewed but at the same time I'm glad we don't have to watch her character get assassinated anymore. Hopefully, someday another movie or TV series will do Catherine justice and not lean into the dark legend so much.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Evil is easy, and has infinite forms.

Blaise Pascal

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

From Henri’s vantage, the only ray of light in the deepening gloom was the failure of Philip II’s great Armada to achieve its objectives. Instead of conveying Parma’s troops to England, it had been outsailed and outfought by Elizabeth’s sea captains and scattered by fierce Atlantic gales. By late August, the news of its failure had reached France. Henri III, it was believed, also quietly rejoiced. The connection between the Armada’s defeat and Henri III’s subsequent actions is still debated, although at least one contemporary commentator, Agrippa d'Aubigné, believed that the news emboldened the king to work secretly to thwart the Guises.

Vincent J. Pitts, Henri IV of France: His Reign and Age

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

“Catherine’s principal concern was to restore peace to the kingdom. As she explained to her envoy in Spain, religious persecution over two or three decades had merely served to fuel religious division. She was being advised to try to win back those who had erred by ‘honest remonstrances, exhortations and preaching’, while punishing severely those who were guilty of ‘scandals and seditions’. On 28 January 1561 Catherine issued lettres de cachet, confirming, but also modifying the Edict of Romorantin. She ordered the release of all religious prisoners and suspended all cases of heresy, even those involving people who had taken up arms or contributed funds to the recent commotion. In other words, she pardoned those who had taken part in the Tumult of Amboise, except the leaders. (..)

On 19 April a new edict banned the use of the words ‘huguenot’ and ‘papist’, thereby echoing sentiments which L'Hôpital had voiced in his opening address to the Estates-General. The right to enter houses in search of assemblies was restricted to magistrates, and the edict of 28 February was confirmed. This measure, however, far from pouring oil on troubled waters, caused more trouble, for it was sent to the local authorities without first being submitted to the parlements for registration. Catholics feared that Catherine was becoming a Protestant. Philip II warned her not to allow the ‘new ideas’ which had arisen in France to make further progress, while his ambassador, Chantonnay, watched her every move like a hawk, bombarding her with reproaches. She justified her policy of ‘clemency for past deeds’ by pointing to the need to bring peace to the kingdom and to assure it of a better future. She blamed the Guises for spreading lies about her in Spain and condemned their effort to marry their widowed niece, Mary Stuart, to Philip II’s son, Don Carlos. Such an alliance would threaten all that she was trying to achieve. She suggested her own daughter, Marguerite, as a possible bride for Carlos. Catherine also proposed a way of detaching Navarre from the Huguenot cause: let Philip give him back Spanish Navarre or some other territory in Italy, perhaps Siena or Sardinia.”

R. J. Knecht, Catherine de’ Medici

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

… Francis II was a mere boy of fifteen and a sickly one at that. Under an ordinance of King Charles V, he was old enough to rule, but lacked experience and judgment. Yet, because of his age, Catherine could not be regent. It is wrong, therefore, to assume, as historians, have often done, that she was responsible for the change of regime after Henry II’s death. (..) What happened in 1559 was a coup d'état by the Guises. They quite simply seized power while Catherine was grieving the loss of her husband and Montmorency was occupied standing guard over his body.

R. J. Knecht, Catherine de’ Medici

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

Lorraine certainly became a powerful figure at the French court following his return from Trent and was regarded by Protestants everywhere as one of their principal foes. He was also the senior member of the house of Guise following the assassination of the second duke. This gave him a personal reason for hating Admiral Coligny, whom the Guises continued to regard as the instigator of the duke’s assassination. Lorraine was also the uncle of Mary, Queen of Scots, who had a claim to the English throne. For all these reasons, he was a particular bête noire of the Protestants and of the English. He was thus singled out for particular attention by English diplomats in France.

R. J. Knecht, Catherine de’ Medici

[scarlethott]

The many #guises #faces @jordanlukegage Best start to #lockdown2 Thank you @stagedoorldn for hosting #theshowmustgoon #theatre #stagelife20 https://www.instagram.com/p/CHQw542nXns/?igshid=1sug2fmd37sq6

[scrtsolstice]

"We are bits of #energy #floating about in #various #guises, and when we #die we rejoin the #big #cosmic #soup of the #universe." - #BatforLashes // #Last26of26 #sickday #homemade #eggdropsoup