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Reviews
Kirkus Reviews:
IN TRIUMPH'S WAKE;
Royal Mothers, Tragic Daughters, and the Price They Paid for Glory
Uniquely conceived, well-argued comparison study of three epochal matriarchs -- Queen Isabella of Castile , Empress Maria Theresa and Queen Victoria -- and the daughters who didn't measure up.
Three sad stories make it clear that anxiety of influence made it impossible for the offspring of these great lady monarchs to meet their mothers' standards. Catherine of Aragon was the youngest daughter of Queen Isabella and Ferdinand, who united Spain and consolidated their power by expelling the Jews and the Arabs, instigating the Inquisition and funding Columbus 's journey to America . Their well-educated daughter was just 15 when she was sent to England to wed Arthur, Prince of Wales, who died so soon after the nuptials that she was promptly married off to his brother. Her marriage to Henry VIII might have endured happily if an heir had survived. Though Henry was determined to marry Anne Boleyn, Catherine proudly refused to agree to an annulment, dying unbending and in banishment as England 's once-strong relations with Spain and Rome lay in tatters. Marie Antoinette was a perennial disappointment to Empress Maria Theresa, resolute defender of Hapsburg territories against Prussian encroachment and a prolific matriarch (she gave birth to 16 babies in 19 years). The empress hoped the alliance of her youngest daughter with the Dauphin of France would bring Austria closer to the Bourbons. In fact, it did the opposite: The pretty teenager, who preferred diversions to intellectual pursuits, was soon detested as l'Autrichienne and later blamed for provoking the French Revolution. Vicky, Queen Victoria's firstborn and favorite child, was more intelligent and accomplished than her brothers. She made a love match with Prince Frederick Wilhelm of Prussia , and prospects seemed good for a further extension of England 's influence, but she was thwarted by Bismarckian intrigue and resentment of her liberal sympathies. Using royal progeny as pawns on the foreign chessboard turned out to be a dicey proposition in all three cases.
Bending over backward to make a sympathetic case for the underachieving offspring, Gelardi (Born to Rule: Five Reigning Granddaughters of Queen Victoria , 2005) delivers substantial, accessible European history.
Publishers Weekly:
In Triumph's Wake: Royal Mothers, Tragic Daughters, and the Price They Paid for Glory Julia P. Gelardi.
Historian Gelardi (Born to Rule) focuses on the fates of three pairs of royal mothers and daughters: Isabella of Castile and Catherine of Aragon, Maria Theresa and Marie Antoinette, and Queen Victoria and Empress Frederick. The unusual melding of Spanish, English, Austrian, French and Prussian history into one sweeping project is done with remarkable clarity and verve. Excerpts of her subjects' letters are integrated flawlessly into the sequence of events. Gelardi is also skilled in placing actions within the larger historical framework of international relations, as well as genetics—Gelardi traces the devastating effects of hemophilia on royal families in one of her most interesting tangents. The personal relationships portrayed are layered and complex, and tidbits regarding fashion and Queen Victoria's childhood love of dolls are not to be missed. Gelardi's incessant need to justify connecting the three monarchs and their daughters through similarities in personality, political accomplishments and unusually loving relationships is annoying, but she still produces an excellent, comprehensive study of six fascinating women and the troubled times that shaped their lives. 16 pages of color photos. (Dec.)
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