Ravenous: A Life of Barbara Villiers, Charles II's Most Infamous Mistress (ePub)
Imprint: Pen & Sword History
File Size: 2.5 MB (.epub)
Pages: 272
ISBN: 9781526769114
Published: 31st July 2024
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Barbara Villiers was a woman so beautiful, so magnetic and so sexually attractive that she captured the hearts of many in Stuart-era Britain. Her beauty is legendary: she became the muse of artists such as Peter Lely, the inspiration of writers such as John Dryden and the lover of John Churchill, the future great military leader whom we also know as the 1st Duke of Marlborough. Her greatest amorous conquest was King Charles II, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, with whom she had a tempestuous and passionate relationship for the better part of a decade.
But this loveliest of Stuart-era ladies had a dark side. She hurt and humiliated her husband, Roger Palmer, for decades with her unashamedly adulterous lifestyle, she plotted the ruin of her enemies, constantly gambled away vast sums of money, is remembered for the destruction of the Tudor-era Nonsuch Palace, and was known to unleash terrible rages when crossed. Crassly lampooned by John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, and subjected to verbal and written assaults, she was physically abused by a later, violent spouse.
Barbara lived through some of the most turbulent times in British history: civil war, the Great Plague of London, which saw the deaths of around 100,000 people, the Great Fire of London, which destroyed much of the medieval city, and foreign conflicts such as the Anglo-Dutch Wars, the Williamite wars, and the War of the Spanish Succession.
An impoverished aristocrat who rose to become a wealthy countess and then a duchess, taking her lovers from all walks of life, Barbara laughed at the morals of her time and used her natural talents and her ruthless determination to the material benefit of herself and her numerous offspring. In great stately homes and castles such as Hampton Court Palace, her portraits are widely seen and appreciated even today. She had an insatiable appetite for life, love, riches, amusement, and power. She was simply ‘ravenous’…
This book is an important introduction to Villiers and Zuvich's love letter to the women of the Stuart court discussed. I would recommend it to those interested in learning more about: the Stuart monarchy, women's history, and general English history.
NetGalley, Shana Needham
This was a really fun non-fiction book! I was delighted by the scandalous life Barbara lived, she was a legendary beauty who captivated kings and nobles. She was so complex, using her charm and determination to amass wealth and power. This was an entertaining biography, educational but written in a delightful way that made you want to keep on reading all the amazing and sometimes absurd details of her incredible life!
NetGalley, Parker Rogers
This was one of the juiciest, most scandal-filled non-fiction books I've enjoyed! It's written in an academic style but also quite fun and entertaining, and sent me down several wikipedia rabbit holes as I learned about various aspects of courtly life and British history.
NetGalley, Melissa Stordahl
I wish there had been photography during Barbara Villier's lifetime, because I don't think the paintings of her do justice to the beauty that Zuvich writes of, the kind that caused men to be obsessed with her for years. Her most famous lover was of course Charles II; they had a passionate affair that went on for a decade and resulted in several children. Barbara openly took lovers from all walks of life, gambled voraciously, influenced politics, survived scandals that probably would have sent a lesser person off to exile in a convent.
There is so much interesting history in this book: politics, disease, violent revenge, the Great Fire of London.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Andrea Romance
A legendary beauty in Stuart-era Britain, Barbara Villiers captivated kings and nobles alike with her stunning looks and magnetic personality. But behind her captivating exterior lay a complex woman who used her charm and determination to amass wealth and power, navigating a life of scandalous affairs, political intrigue, and personal turmoil amid the backdrop of tumultuous historical events.
This entertaining biography offers an informative look inside the court of Charles II. Barbara Villiers lifted herself from poverty and lived on her own terms, providing for her children and making her mark on the world.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Natalie Lomako
Another great Stuarts book from Andrea Zuvich!
Truly in keeping with #KeepItStuart, Andrea brings to life one of the most beguiling and yes, ravenous characters from the whole of the 17th century.
Understanding Barbara Villiers is important in order to understand the Stuart era.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Emma P
I really enjoyed this book as I already knew versions of many of the stories featured in here through a previous job at Hampton Court.
However, this book not only puts things into context, but it tells the correct versions.
I found it easy to read and well researched with new information that sheds new light for me on who Barbara was as a person.
That being said, even the author can't justify some of the things Barbara did.
Delightfully scandalous and extremely well-written. History lovers, gossip fanatics, behind-the-scenes junkies should get a kick out of this one!
NetGalley, Tristan Davis
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Elizabeth Schmit
A great overview of Villiers life. She was a very interesting person, and the author does a wonderful job of teaching us about her.
History is one of my greatest interests, and interesting women in history is a specific interest of mine. This book about Barbara Villiers was very interesting and I really enjoyed reading about her. The late 1600s is such a fascinating time in European history.
NetGalley, Sarah Matsson-Klingzell
The book is full of contemporary accounts of both Barbara and the happenings around her which really gives something extra to the book. Having the actual accounts to reference gives this feel like you’re there witnessing the events.
Barbara Villiers lived an extraordinary life, and this books highlights her life and her drive to make a name for herself in the world.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Ink Reads
Ravenous: A Life of Barbara Villiers, Charles II's Most Infamous Mistress by Andrea Zuvich is a highly compelling, utterly fascinating read about a woman who defied every social convention in the immensely tumultuous Stuart Era to get everything she desired, using the desires of men as her primary weapon of choice.
Barbara Villiers was most famous for being the lover of Charles II, however, her road to Royal courtesan is extensive, dark and deeply scandalous. Despite being married to Roger Palmer, Barbara Villiers used her looks and magnetism to commit countless acts of adultery, to become a muse, a lover and ultimately the mistress of a King.
Vindictive, spiteful, a gambler, both a victim and purveyor of violence and destruction, gluttonous for every piece of power, pleasure and riches she could get her hands on, Villiers defied convention and lived her life her way, even as society bore the brunt of the most tumultuous times in British history.
Absolutely fascinating and very well written.
As featured in Historia magazine
Historia magazine
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Shaylah Coogan
This was a fascinating and titillating historical read about the "ravenous", "scandalous", unapologetically sexual, and undoubtedly successful Barbara Villars. Author, Andrea Zuvich has infused these passions and characteristics of Barbara into the historical events of the day, bringing it all to life for the reader.
Barbara was quite the lady for her time! While many called her anything but a lady, she most certainly lived life on her terms and created a world for herself (and her children) in which she held so much power and influence, even at such an incredibly young age. She had King Charles II wrapped around her finger in all manners of court business, finance, politics, and even his marriage and other mistresses.
Almost all court and country drama surrounded Barbara. Newspapers, poets, and authors couldn't write enough about her, men wanted to be with her, and women wanted to look and dress like her. Not to say she didn't have her enemies, she had many. But it seems as though Barbara has the last laugh on them all, as her bloodline carries on even today through Prince William, Prince of Wales as one of her and King Charles II's descendants.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Nicholas Artrip
When I think of the Merry Monarch the first thing that comes to mind (aside from the particularly delicious Rufus Sewell in Charles II: The Power and the Passion) is sex! Mistresses! Uncontrollable lust! Zuvich’s book focuses on Barbara Palmer (née Barbara Villiers), 1st Duchess of Cleveland, Charles II’s longest, and perhaps most influential, mistress. Charles may have had the appetite of a king, but Barbara Villiers was ravenous!
The volume opens with a foreword by the lovely Gareth Russell as he invites us to discover Zuvich’s text which isn’t necessarily seeking to “rehabilitate” Barbara Villier’s image, but to give a more full understanding of her character and circumstances. This is something Zuvich certainly delivers in her book. She presents Barbara Villers’ life without judgment or without trying to sanctify her, instead offering a nuanced view of a complex and endlessly interesting woman. Perhaps this detail has escaped me from my other readings, but I thought it was fascinating that Barbara Villiers was so closely aligned with Henrietta Maria (who I am always eager to learn more about!) From beginning to end, this was a thoroughly entertaining look at a complicated woman lived life on her own terms, occasionally to her detriment.
I also wanted to mention some technical aspects of this book that I found to be very delightful. Zuvich makes the most of her sources to create a captivating portrait of her subject. The tone is both academic and fun, inviting you to learn, while also allowing you to delight in the scandalous and occasionally absurd details that emerge (still obsessed with Barbara Villiers sending her Madonna & child portrait to a convent.) I enjoyed that there were so many chapters and that they never felt cumbersome or difficult to finish in one sitting. This allowed me to absorb the information while also encouraging me to press onwards.
Oh man, Barbara.
NetGalley, Kate Cedras
She was fascinating, notorious, beautiful and definitely lived an exciting life. I enjoyed reading and learning more about her life and how she lived it, her loves, and her impact and influence during that time period.
A well written non fiction read that I am so glad I had the opportunity to pick up (and not put down!).
About Andrea Zuvich
Andrea Zuvich is a seventeenth-century historian specialising in the House of Stuart (1603–1714), as well as a historical advisor and author of historical fiction. She is the host of the popular ‘The Seventeenth Century Lady’ blog and has degrees in History and Anthropology from the University of Central Florida. Zuvich has appeared on television and radio discussing the Stuart period and gives lectures on the Stuart dynasty throughout the UK. She was one of the original developers of and leaders on the Garden History Tours at Kensington Palace. Zuvich, a Chilean-American born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, now lives in England with her family. This is her sixth book.
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