| Description |
x, 417 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), portraits (some color), genealogical tables ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 381-394) and index. |
| Contents |
Part one: Countess. A town of palaces -- Succession -- The House of Hanover - Maid of honour -- "The English Casanova" -- The clandestine marriage -- Pretender -- Marriage redux -- Iphigenia -- The rivals -- Part two: Duchess. "The handsomest man in England" -- A woman of property -- Fireworks -- A grand tour -- Marriage a la mode -- A duchess meets a king -- Thoresby -- The last duke -- Conversazioni -- The Crown against Elizabeth -- Prelude to a trial -- In Westminster Hall -- Part three: Duchess Countess. Courting and empress -- Hervey vs Hervey -- Diamonds and ice -- Chudleigh on the Baltic -- Chudleigh on the Seine -- Battle of wills. |
| Summary |
This work "explores the adventurous life of the stylish and scandalous Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of Kingston—a woman whose infamous trial was bigger news in British society than the American War of Independence—and provides a clear-eyed and fascinating look into the sumptuous Georgian Era. As maid of honor to the Princess of Wales, Elizabeth Chudleigh enjoyed a luxurious life in the inner circle of the Hanoverian court. With her extraordinary style and engaging wit, she both delighted and scandalized the press and public. She would later even inspire William Thackeray when he was writing his classic Vanity Fair, providing the inspiration for the alluring social climber Becky Sharp. But Elizabeth’s real story is more complex and surprising than anything out of fiction. A clandestine, candlelit wedding to the young heir to an earldom, a second marriage to a duke, a lust for diamonds, and an electrifying appearance at a masquerade ball in a gossamer dress—it’s no wonder that Elizabeth’s eventual trial was a sensation. Charged with bigamy, an accusation she vehemently fought against, Elizabeth refused to submit to public humiliation and retire quietly." --publisher's website |
| Subject |
Bristol, Elizabeth Chudleigh, Countess of, 1720-1788.
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Kingston, Evelyn Pierrepont, Duke of, 1711-1773 -- Relations with women.
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Countesses -- Great Britain -- Biography.
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Nobility -- Great Britain -- Biography.
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Mistresses -- Great Britain -- Biography.
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British -- Europe -- History -- 18th century.
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Scandals -- Great Britain -- History -- 18th century.
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Trials (Bigamy) -- Great Britain -- History -- 18th century.
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Great Britain -- History -- 1714-1837.
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| Genre |
Biographies.
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| Added Title |
Woman who scandalized eighteenth-century London |
| ISBN |
9781982179731 |
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1982179732 |
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