Political Women, Vol. 1

Produced by Audrey Longhurst, Emanuela Piasentini and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net





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    |Transcriber's note.                                         |
    |                                                            |
    |The original punctuation, language and spelling have been   |
    |retained, except where noted at the end of the text.        |
    |The [oe] ligature has been rendered as oe.                  |
    |                                                            |
    |Alternative spellings:                                      |
    |Chateau: Chateau                                            |
    |Chateauneuf: Chateauneuf                                    |
    |Chatillon: Chatillon                                        |
    |Claire Clemence de Maille: Claire Clemence de Maille        |
    |Gondi: Gondy                                                |
    |Guemene: Guemenee, Guymene                                  |
    |heyday: heydey                                              |
    |Hotel, hotel: Hotel, hotel                                  |
    |Meilleraye: Meilleraie                                      |
    |Montresor: Montresor                                        |
    |Muenster: Munster                                            |
    |Orleans: Orleans                                            |
    |Scudery: Scuderi                                            |
    |Seguier: Seguier                                            |
    |Sevigne: Sevigne                                            |
    |strenuously: strenously                                     |
    |Tallemant des Reaux: Tallement des Reaux, Tallemant de Reaux|
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                            POLITICAL WOMEN.


                                   BY

                           SUTHERLAND MENZIES,

                   AUTHOR OF "ROYAL FAVOURITES," ETC.


                            IN TWO VOLUMES.

                                VOL. I.


                          HENRY S. KING & CO.,

             65, CORNHILL, AND 12, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON.

                                 1873.




                        [_All rights reserved._]




CONTENTS OF VOLUME I.


  PART I.                                                      PAGE

  INTRODUCTION                                                  vii


  BOOK I.

  CHAP.  I.--Anne de Bourbon (sister of the Great Conde)          3

        II.--The Duchess de Longueville                          12

       III. & IV.--The Duchess de Chevreuse                  17, 35


  BOOK II.

  CHAP.  I.--Anne of Austria's Prime Minister and his policy     43

        II.--The Duchess de Montbazon--Affair of the dropped
             letters--The Quarrel of the rival Duchesses         66

       III.--The _Importants_                                    77

        IV.--Conspiracy of the Duchess de Chevreuse and the Duke
             de Beaufort to get rid of Mazarin                   82

         V.--Failure of the plot to assassinate Mazarin--Arrest
             of Beaufort--Banishment of Madame de Chevreuse and
             dispersion of the _Importants_                      99

        VI.--Results of the quarrel between the Duchesses--Fatal
             duel between the Duke de Guise and Count Maurice de
             Coligny                                            110


  BOOK III.

  CHAP.  I.--The Duchess de Longueville and the Duke de la
             Rochefoucauld                                      121

        II.--La Rochefoucauld draws Madame de Longueville into
             the vortex of politics and civil war               131

       III.--The Duchess de Chevreuse driven into exile for the
             third time                                         143

        IV.--Fatal influence of Madame de Longueville's passion
             for La Rochefoucauld--The Fronde                   149

         V.--Madame de Longueville wins over her brother Conde
             to the Fronde                                      161

        VI.--The causes which led to the _coup d'etat_--The
             arrest of the Princes                              168

       VII.--Madame de Longueville's adventures in Normandy--The
           _Women's War_                                        178


  BOOK IV.

  CHAP.  I.--The Princess Palatine                              187

        II.--The young Princess de Conde conducts the war in
             the south                                          203

       III.--State of Parties on the liberation of the Princes  214

        IV.--The Duchesses de Longueville and de Chevreuse and
             the Princess Palatine in the last Fronde--Results
             of the rupture of the marriage projected between
             the Prince de Conti and Mademoiselle de Chevreuse  221

         V.--Conde, urged by his sister, goes unwillingly into
             rebellion                                          257

        VI.--Madame de Longueville coquets with the Duke de
             Nemours                                            262


  BOOK V.

  CHAP.