Beloved daughter of the Regent, and her tragically brief life.
PLAY CARDS REGENCY STYLE Learn the game of Whist!
AND THE WINNER IS........ Two subscribers won a free book this month!
LINKS OF INTEREST Don't miss these great places to visit on the web
FREE DOWNLOAD: ("Learn to play Whist")
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PRINCESS CHARLOTTE AUGUSTA (7 Jan.1796--6 Nov.1817)
Imagine if Queen Victoria never came to the throne...because her cousin, Princess Charlotte Augusta, beat her to it. Of course this couldn't have happened; Despite being as wildly popular to the England of her time as Princess Diana was to ours, Princess Charlotte never became the Queen she might have been, and by birth, should have been, for the simple reason that she died before getting the chance to. Read on to catch a glimpse of Her Royal Highness, Princess Charlotte --passionate, a sometime pawn of her warring parents, and a beloved royal figure during the regency until her death in 1817. She was a romantic ideal to her subjects, (even Jane Austen loved her) but a doomed daughter. A future monarch who would never reach the throne.
In 1817 when Princess Charlotte, the only child of the Prince Regent and his estranged wife Caroline of Brunswick, died at the age of 21 (following childbirth), Britain went into mourning such as was not seen again until the death of Princess Diana.
The young princess was a national celebrity of the time, loved for her forthright and passionate nature and because she was seen as the best outcome of an upopular Regent and his even more unpopular and disastrous marriage. If mentioned in the papers, she was most often viewed sympathetically, even reverently. The people loved her. If the Regent was not worthy of the place Providence had seen fit to bestow upon him; if Princess Caroline his wife, was a well-known eccentric, with dubious standards of hygiene and even morals, the young Princess, at least, gave the populace hope.
She was perhaps the more loved for her contrast to both parents, the selfish, hedonistic (though intelligent) father, and her less-than well-esteemed mother. In her own words, the Princess once put it this way:
‘My mother was bad, but she would not have become as bad as she was if my father had not been infinitely worse.’
On my website this article includes a picture of the princess, and she appears, as it always seems to me, a sturdy picture of strength and health; all the more pity, then, that she fell victim to the medical practices of the day, dying after giving birth to a still-born son-- following a horrendous 50 hour labor--from post-partum hemorrhaging. (There is a train of thought which says she died of porphyria; the sickness that afflicted her grandfather, George III. This seems unlikely to me, but perhaps there is a form of acute porphyria that can rise up quickly to devastating effect?)
Whatever the case, her husband, the handsome, formal Prince Leopold, was greatly distraught. (Think of it--In one fell swoop he lost wife, son, and future as Prince Consort.) The nation joined his grief in a huge outpouring of sorrow. Poets immortalized the princess in poetry; the Regent had a large memorial built for her; but he fell under renewed attack by the press and his subjects, not least because it was rumoured he had refused to abandon his hunt, despite the report of his daughter being in labour, until it was too late. In truth, he went to bed the night she delivered fully exhausted himself, hearing that his daughter was doing well, even though his grandchild had not survived the birth. When he woke the next day to find that he had lost his only child as well, he was enormously affected, and took it very hard
The nation did, too. To the popular imagination, Princess Charlotte represented a new day, a new era, a reversal of the high and irreverent carrying-on of the upper classes during the unsettling years of war, rumoured madness in their king, and even, perhaps, invasion of their own shores. Having lived only to the age of 21, the young Princess doesn't get a great deal of press anymore. Most have forgotten her. Her memoirs (not autobiographical) reveal a generous, loving girl with a great deal of intelligence, a whip of a temper, but with a propensity towards kindness and propriety that was heartily attractive. I find it little wonder that England of her day loved her so well. I wish we could have seen what "Queen Charlotte" would have been like on the throne.
Following is a little anecdote regarding the Princess, from Sue Broadwater's Regency Library ( http://www.regencylibrary.com ):
ANECDOTE OF THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE
Reprinted from La Belle Assemblee June 1819
The late beloved Princess Charlotte was in her early youth somewhat warm,(note: warm as in 'hot-tempered) but always submitted herself to the mild injunctions of her reverend preceptor, who at length presented her with an essay on government of the passion of anger. A short time after, she was very indignant against one of her attendants, and on being surprised in the midst of her anger by the entrance of the prelate with the exclamation—"I fear you have not read the book I gave you, Madam, the other day!"she instantly replied, in a repressed tone of voice, "Yes, indeed sir, I have; and had I not, I am sure I should have knocked her down."—It is only doing justice to her reverend preceptor, and to the memory of his illustrious pupil, to say, that by his careful admonitions, and her watchful obedience, a complete triumph over a naturally warm temper was effectually ensured considerably previous to the period of her union with the man she loved.
NEW BOOK ABOUT PRINCESS CHARLOTTE
Learn more about the passionate and beloved princess--and her young husband, Prince Leopold, in this beautiful hardcover edition of, CHARLOTTE AND LEOPOLD: THE TRUE STORY OF THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE'S PRINCESS
"The romance between Charlotte, heir to the English throne, and Leopold, uncle of Queen Victoria and first King of the Belgians. A story that Jane Austen famously declined to tell, declaring: "I could no more write a romance than an epic poem."
Charlotte was the only legitimate royal child of her generation, and her death in childbirth resulted in a public outpouring of grief the like of which was not to be seen again until the death of Diana, over 150 years later. Charlotte's death was followed by an unseemly scramble to produce a substitute heir. Queen Victoria was the product.
James Chambers masterfully demonstrates how the personal and the political inevitably collide in scheming post-Napoleonic Europe, offering a vivid and sympathetic portrait of a couple whose lives are in many ways not their own. From the day she was born, Charlotte won the hearts of her subjects and yet, behind the scenes, she was used, abused, and victimized by rivalries-between her parents; between her father (the Prince Regent, later King George IV) and (Mad) King George III; between her tutors, governesses, and other members of her discordant household;and ultimately between the Whig opposition and the Tory government.
Set in one of the most glamorous eras of British history, against the background of a famously dysfunctional royal family, Charlotte & Leopold: The True Story of The Original People's Princess is an accessible, moving, funny, and entertaining royal biography with alluring contemporary resonance.
JAMES CHAMBERS is a professional historian and author of many books on British and colonial history, including The Daily Telegraph History of the British Empire, which sold over 250,000 copies. He has also written extensively for television and made countless BBC TV and radio appearances." (Amazon editorial review) -------------------------
PLAY CARDS REGENCY STYLE! LEARN TO PLAY WHIST
"Whist evolved in the eighteenth century from an earlier game called 'Triumph.'* During the Regency it was a highly popular game, and nearly everyone played it. Most card playing was innocent fun, particularly for women and young ladies; for men in gaming houses, "flash houses," and even the poshest gentlemen's clubs, it was another matter. Fortunes were lost at cards, though Whist was not usually the game responsible. For serious gaming (gambling) men played faro, loo, euchre, piquet, and others.
For some innocent fun, here are the rules for Whist; Don't be fooled by the seeming simplicity of the game, by the way. It's a game of intelligence and takes skill if one would excel. The version given here is for two teams.
In the book BEFORE THE SEASON ENDS, Mrs. Bentley and Mr. Pellham engage in two-player whist, their favorite card game, to help pass the time while the unfortunate man is recovering from an injury. Ariana is called upon to play as well, since even Mrs. Bentley, a great card player, gets weary of the game. Earlier, at a card party, Mr. Mornay (the Paragon) asks Miss Forsythe (Ariana) about card playing, to which she responds "I do not play for wagers, sir, upon any occasion.
"And what is your reason? I feel you must have a particular reason, by your manner of stating it."
"Yes;It is against my principles. Card-playing is innocent enough, but, when combined with gaming, it is ruinous. You know, sir, that fortunes are lost at cards."
"There are those," with the briefest look in Lady Sherwood's direction,"who would say that fortunes are won."
She answered slowly, trying not to be distracted by his dark good looks."At the expense of those who lose."
He studied her with the hint of a smile. "Certainly I agree that one shouldn't play unless one can afford to lose."
"And there lies the problem." Her eyes flashed, a quick spark of bluish-green was in them, and then was gone. "Those addicted to gaming always think they can afford to play; and if not, no longer care. I submit that gaming at cards is ruinous, and should never be encouraged." He bowed politely, and turned away.†
(ENGLISH) WHIST: HOW TO PLAY†
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PDF HERE ( http://www.LinoreRoseBurkard.com/Cards_April08.html )
†Excerpt taken from, BEFORE THE SEASON ENDS, Harvest House edition, coming December 2008
†Rules of Whist taken from,The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Card Games
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AND THE WINNERS ARE....
Two lucky subscribers won a copy of Before the Season Ends!
The first winner (picked from among all the entries in a coffee can by my eleven-year-old) is:
MS. L. FURY, NY, NY
The second winner, from a contest extension for my newest subscribers:
(picked from the same can by my five-year-old) is:
MS. J. RYAN, N.PLATTE, NEBRASKA
Congratulations, winners! (Please note: winners are contacted privately to make mailing arrangements) Also, Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest. I appreciate you! -------------------------
SPONSOR: AUSTENTATION
Regency Accessories: Hats, Bonnets, Reticules and Information
Laura Boyle: Milliner Visit: today ( http://www.austentation.com ) -------------------------
LINKS OF INTEREST
Preparations for the Ball: Regency Style (from the April 2008 Jane Austen Centre Online Magazine)
A Regency Timeline from Author Candice Hern's website (fascinating!) ( http://www.candicehern.com/timeline.htm )
Join an online book discussion group with hundreds of readers who love to read! ( mailto:acfwbookclub-subscribe@yahoogroups.com )
Find Your Favorite Authors--Where are they appearing, speaking, doing signings, etc.? (This is my page) ( http://booktour.com/author/linore_rose_burkard ) -------------------------
FREE DOWNLOAD:
Rather than put the rules of the game of Whist into this newsletter, for your convenience I made a short pdf
which you can pick up (if you haven't already)
HERE--How to Play Whist ( http://www.LinoreroseBurkard.com/Cards_April08.html )
That's it for April! See you next month,
Warmly,
Linore
http://www.LinoreRoseBurkard.com
"Inspirational Romance for the Jane Austen Soul"
Upon My Word! is published monthly by Linore Rose Burkard PO Box 674 Waynesville, OH 45068 513 897 3282 email: admin(@)LinoreRoseBurkard(dot)com
