Books
Mistress Peachum's Pleasure: The Life of Lavinia, Duchess of Bolton
Mistress Peachum's Pleasure (2006) is a biography of the eighteenth-century actress Lavinia Fenton, Duchess of Bolton.
The House with Blue Shutters
The House with Blue Shutters (2010) is a novel set in southern France in World War Two and the present day.
The Horror of Love
The Horror of Love (2011) tells the story of famous English novelist and socialite Nancy Mitford's relationship with Gaston Palewski. In contrast to most biographers of Mitford, Hilton believes this relation is crucial to understanding Nancy. [10] The Evening Standard found the style pedestrian but otherwise the book was "well-paced and informative". [10] The Independent praised its charm in bringing Mitford's world to life. [11] The Daily Express found it a good story, despite several minor errors. [12] It was also reviewed by Kirkus Reviews. [13]
Wolves in Winter
Wolves in Winter (2012) is a novel set in late 15th-century Italy. The central character, Mura, is sold as a slave aged 5, and eventually finds herself in the Florentine court. Red called it a "richly detailed page-turner" and compared it to Philippa Gregory. [14]
Elizabeth: Renaissance Prince - A Biography
Elizabeth: Renaissance Prince (2014) provides new insights into one of England's greatest monarchs. It uses new research in France, Italy, Russia and Turkey to present a fresh interpretation of Elizabeth as a queen who saw herself primarily as a Renaissance prince, delivering a very different perspective on Elizabeth's emotional and sexual life, and upon her attempts to mould England into a European state. Elizabeth I was not an exceptional woman but an exceptional ruler: Hilton redraws English history with this animated portrait of an astounding life. Her biography maps Elizabeth's dramatic journey from a timid, newly crowned queen to one of England's most successful monarchs. [15] The Independent praised it as 'an impressive balancing act; while eruditely analysing Renaissance ideas and Elizabethan realpolitik it retains all the sexiness we have come to expect from books about the Tudors. ... Hilton is particularly good at describing how Elizabeth created an immediately recognisable image and then presented it through portraits rich in allegory.' [16] It is dedicated to her daughter.
The Stolen Queen
The Stolen Queen (2015) is an historical novel set in 1199 amid the backdrop of the great political struggles of medieval Europe.
Fiction published as L.S. Hilton
As L.S. Hilton, she is the author of psychological thriller Maestra , the first of a trilogy published by Bonnier Zaffre, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and 42 other publishers worldwide in 2016. [17] Sony Pictures acquired the novel's film rights prior to publication: Amy Pascal is scheduled to produce the film through her Pascal Pictures production company, with the screenplay written by Erin Cressida Wilson. In June 2016 Hilton was named as Glamour Magazine's 'Writer of the Year' for Maestra . [18] Domina, [19] the sequel to Maestra , was published in April 2017. Ultima, [20] the Trilogy's conclusion, was published in April 2018.
Anne Neville was Queen of England as the wife of King Richard III. She was the younger of the two daughters and co-heiresses of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick. Before her marriage to Richard, she had been Princess of Wales as the wife of Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, the only son and heir apparent of King Henry VI.
Berengaria of Navarre was Queen of England as the wife of Richard I of England. She was the eldest daughter of Sancho VI of Navarre and Sancha of Castile. As is the case with many of the medieval English queens, little is known of her life.
Nancy Freeman-Mitford, known as Nancy Mitford, was an English novelist, biographer, and journalist. The eldest of the Mitford sisters, she was regarded as one of the "bright young things" on the London social scene in the inter-war period. She wrote several novels about upper-class life in England and France, and is considered a sharp and often provocative wit. She also has a reputation as a writer of popular historical biographies.
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but historically she does not formally share the king's political and military powers, unless on occasion acting as regent.
Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise of Montespan was the most celebrated maîtresse-en-titre of King Louis XIV, by whom she had seven children.
MonsieurPhilippe I, Duke of Orléans, was the younger son of King Louis XIII of France and his wife, Anne of Austria. His elder brother was the "Sun King", Louis XIV. Styled Duke of Anjou from birth, Philippe became Duke of Orléans upon the death of his uncle Gaston in 1660. In 1661, he also received the dukedoms of Valois and Chartres. Following Philippe's victory in battle in 1671, Louis XIV granted his brother the dukedom of Nemours, the marquisates of Coucy and Folembray, and the countships of Dourdan and Romorantin.
A queen dowager or dowager queen is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is clear from the two words from which it is composed: queen indicates someone who served as queen consort, while dowager indicates a woman who continues to hold the title from her deceased husband. A queen mother is a former queen consort, often a dowager queen, who is the mother of the reigning monarch.
Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire was an English noblewoman, noted for being the mother of Anne Boleyn and as such the maternal grandmother of Elizabeth I of England. The eldest daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and his first wife Elizabeth Tilney, she married Thomas Boleyn sometime in the later 15th century. Elizabeth became Viscountess Rochford in 1525 when her husband was elevated to the peerage, subsequently becoming Countess of Ormond in 1527 and Countess of Wiltshire in 1529.
A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom she attended. Although she may either have received a retainer or may not have received compensation for the service she rendered, a lady-in-waiting was considered more of a secretary, courtier, or companion to her mistress than a servant.
Matilda was Countess of Boulogne in her own right from 1125 and Queen of England from the accession of her husband, Stephen, in 1136 until her death in 1152. She supported Stephen in his struggle for the English throne against their mutual cousin Empress Matilda. She played an unusually active role for a woman of the period when her husband was captured, and proved herself an effective general who managed to force the Empress to release Stephen. Under the agreement that settled the civil war, the Queen's children did not inherit the English throne; however, her three surviving children ruled Boulogne in turn as Eustace IV, William I, and Marie I.
The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. Formerly responsible for the queen consort's/regnant's clothes and jewellery, the post had the responsibility for arranging the rota of attendance of the ladies-in-waiting on the queen, along with various duties at state ceremonies. In modern times, the mistress of the robes was almost always a duchess. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this role often overlapped with or was replaced as first lady of the bedchamber.
A royal mistress is the historical position and sometimes unofficial title of the extramarital lover of a monarch or an heir apparent, who was expected to provide certain services, such as sexual or romantic intimacy, companionship, and advice in return for security, titles, money, honours, and an influential place at the royal court. Thus, some royal mistresses have had considerable power, being the power behind the throne. The institution partly owes its prevalence to the fact that royal marriages used to be conducted solely on the basis of political and dynastic considerations, leaving little space for the monarch's personal preferences in the choice of a partner.
In the Royal Household of the United Kingdom the term Woman of the Bedchamber is used to describe a woman attending either a queen regnant or queen consort, in the role of lady-in-waiting. Historically the term 'Gentlewoman of Her Majesty's Bedchamber' was sometimes used. In addition to the Women of the Bedchamber, queens have Ladies of the Bedchamber, and a Mistress of the Robes who is the senior female member of her household. The Women of the Bedchamber are usually in regular attendance, but the Mistress of the Robes and the Ladies of the Bedchamber are normally only required for major events and occasions.
Alison Weir is a British author and public historian. She primarily writes about the history of English royal women and families, in the form of biographies that explore their historical setting. She has also written numerous works of historical fiction.
The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I of England is the name of any of three surviving versions of an allegorical panel painting depicting the Tudor queen surrounded by symbols of royal majesty against a backdrop representing the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Louise Françoise, Duchess of Bourbon was the eldest surviving legitimised daughter of Louis XIV of France and his maîtresse-en-titre Françoise-Athénaïs, Marquise de Montespan. She was said to have been named after her godmother, Louise de La Vallière, the woman her mother had replaced as the king's mistress. Before her marriage, she was known at court as Mademoiselle de Nantes.
Gabrielle de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marchioness of Thianges was a French noblewoman. A great beauty and wit, she was the older sister of Françoise de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Madame de Montespan.
Marie Christine de Pardaillan de Gondrin was the eldest legitimate child of Françoise de Rochechouart de Mortemart and her husband, the Marquis of Montespan. She died in her teens and never married.
Aveline de Forz, Countess of Aumale and Lady of Holderness was an English noblewoman. A great heiress, in 1269 she was married to Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster, the second son of Henry III of England. She died five years later, and the marriage produced no children.
Maestra is a 2016 erotic thriller novel by L.S. Hilton, the penname of British author Lisa Hilton, and the first book in a trilogy consisting of Maestra (2016), Domina (2017) and Ultima (2018). The book was first published in the United Kingdom on 10 March 2016 through Zaffre Publishing and was released in the United States on 19 April of the same year, through G.P. Putnam's Sons, who also re-released Maestra in the UK.
