Last time, I had the pleasure of reviewing The Queen's Scribe by Amy Maroney. Now she's here on the blog to introduce a remarkable women of history whom few might know:
The Queen’s Scribe by Amy Maroney
A broken promise. A bitter conflict. And a woman’s elusive chance to love or die.
I discovered Queen Charlotta of Cyprus while doing research for the Sea and Stone Chronicles, a collection of novels about ordinary people living under the rule of the Knights Hospitaller in medieval Rhodes, Greece. As I studied books and articles about the knights, I learned they had a long history in Cyprus, too. In fact, one of the historical figures who intrigued me most, Grand Master Jacques de Milly, had spent part of his career in Cyprus. Curious, I dug deeper.
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| Archbishop's Palace, Nicosia |
I was astonished to learn a teenaged, widowed queen had ruled Cyprus for a moment in time during the exact era of my research. In 1458, Queen Charlotta took the throne alone, held off her power-hungry half-brother’s massive siege and—when her second husband Louis of Savoy proved a weak leader—sailed around the Mediterranean entreating allies to help save her crown. Furthermore, she was in Rhodes visiting Jacques de Milly when he died in the summer of 1461.
When I learned that Queen Charlotta had her infant son interred in Jacques de Milly’s tomb several years later, I became even more intrigued. Though the histories don’t reveal much about either of these leaders’ personal lives, this detail resonated with me. Whatever their relationship had been like, she chose to bury her only child alongside him. I imagine her husband, King Louis, had no say in the matter. He was not in Rhodes at the time.
I was amazed by this courageous queen’s story, and I resolved to bring her to life.
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| Queen Eleni and her Daughters |
Though King Jean and Queen Eleni’s daughter Charlotta grew up for all intents and purposes a Greek girl in her mother’s apartments, she had to communicate with her husbands and potential allies in French. By all accounts, her French was terrible. The need for trusted interpreters only grew stronger as civil war loomed between the queen and her half-brother. This is why I developed the concept of a fictional French heroine who serves the queen as a trusted scribe and interpreter.
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| Kyrenia Fortress |
After the murder of her husband, Prince João of Portugal, Charlotta faced a new betrothal. This time, her fiancé was her first cousin, Louis of Savoy. In the Greek Orthodox tradition of the era, the marriage of first cousins doomed the bride and groom to hell. Charlotta’s mother, a proud Greek, naturally opposed the union with every fiber of her being. But as soon as she died, the marriage was on.
To everyone’s surprise, King Jean died just a few months after his wife (the sheer number of mysterious deaths and outright murders in the Lusignan Court was staggering). Thus, at fifteen, Charlotta ascended the throne. Her half-brother, Jacco, vowed he would seize it from her. His plan: gain the favor of the Sultan of Egypt, raise an army, and attack his sister’s kingdom.
I chose to tell Queen Charlotta’s tale through the eyes of fictional Estelle de Montavon, daughter of a falconer. I first wrote a story starring her in an anthology a few years ago, and she plays a minor role in my novel Island of Gold.
Estelle, a talented scribe, develops a knack for languages once she arrives in Rhodes from France with her family. As a French-born person, she offers unique value to the Lusignan court of Cyprus, which steadily lost touch with its French roots all through the late medieval era. This became especially apparent in the mid-fifteenth century after King Jean married Queen Eleni Palaiologina, who turned the court rapidly Greek.
In The Queen’s Scribe, Estelle’s language skills become as valuable as gold when the royal court retreats to Kyrenia Fortress and a civil war looms between the queen and Jacco. When the queen crosses the Mediterranean Sea beseeching allies for help, Estelle is at her side, witnessing every triumph and disaster along the way.
I hope that by illuminating this extraordinary queen whose ambition and courage burned bright for a few short years in the fifteenth century, The Queen’s Scribe builds awareness of a woman of power whose story has been lost in the mists of time.
[You can read Annie's review HERE]
Author Bio:
The Queen’s Scribe is available from Amazon UK: https://mybook.to/TheQueensScribeUK
and Amazon US: https://mybook.to/QueensScribe
Social Media Links:
Website: https://www.amymaroney.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/wilaroney
Facebook: www.facebook.com/amymaroneyauthor
Instagram: www.instagram.com/amymaroneywrites/
