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Queen Victoria's Matchmaking
Queen Victoria's Matchmaking: The Royal Marriages that Shaped Europe | Deborah Cadbury
10 posts | 8 read | 15 to read
A captivating exploration of the role in which Queen Victoria exerted most international power and influence: her role as matchmaking grandmother In the late nineteenth century, Queen Victoria had over thirty surviving grandchildren. To maintain and increase power in Europe, she hoped to manoeuvre them into dynastic marriages. In her sights was royalty from across the world. Yet for all their seeming obedience, her grandchildren often had plans of their own, plans fuelled by strong wills and romantic hearts. Her matchmaking plans were only further complicated by their coinciding with tumultuous international upheavals; revolution and war were in the air and after her death, her most carefully laid plans fell to ruin. Queen Victoria's Matchmaking travels through the most glittering, decadent palaces of Russia and Europe, weaving in scandals, political machinations and family tensions, to enthralling effect. It is at once an intimate portrait of the royal family and an examination of the conflict caused by the power, love and duty that shaped the marriages that Queen Victoria arranged. At the heart of it all is Queen Victoria herself: doting grandmother one moment, determined manipulator the next.
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jlhammar
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Queen Victoria, the ultimate matriarch. Really interesting look at Queen Victoria‘s role in orchestrating marriages for her grandchildren to fulfill her (and Albert‘s) vision of a peaceful Europe ruled by family. Read this a few years ago and found it wholly absorbing.

#Matriarch #MayMoms
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Eggs Love royalty 👸🏻 history🧡 2y
LiseWorks I have been watching the TV series 2y
45 likes2 comments
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abbyreadz
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Mehso-so

Wow! This book was insane. Should Queen Victoria have done that? No. Was is super smart that she did? Yes. I had no idea how much influence royal marriages had over Europe and how they eventually led to WW1.

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PathfinderNicole
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My son got back from visiting my dad and stepmom‘s today and so we went to the park to play! I eventually got too hot playing in the sun so sat in the shade to read while he kept going.

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CGeorge
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Pickpick

I DEVOURED this book.

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Verity
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Panpan

Disappointing. More of a group biography than an analysis of her machinations. I didn‘t learn anything new and have alternative book recommendations that do the job better. See the comments.

Verity If you want Anglo-Prussian relations through the medium of mother and daughter: Hannah Paukula‘s biography of Princess Victoria. 6y
Verity If you want a group biography of the key granddaughters, then Julia Gelardi‘s born to rule is the book for you. 6y
Verity If you want more about Edward VII and his role as Uncle of Europe (with a side of sauciness) then Dirty Bertie 6y
See All 7 Comments
Verity If you want to be terrified by Imperial Russia, Simon Sebag Montefiore‘s Romanovs is what you‘re after. But you may have nightmares. 6y
Verity If you want fiction about one of the minor granddaughters, then try The Grand Duchess of Nowhere. 6y
LeahBergen There‘s something about Dirty Bertie that‘s just calling out to me. 😆 6y
Verity @LeahBergen 😂 it‘s the fun side of history for sure! 6y
19 likes7 comments
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Verity
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So far, I haven‘t actually learned a lot that I didn‘t already know. But then I had big Queen Victoria phase as a child (which mostly centred around her family and genealogy) so perhaps I‘m not the target market.

26 likes1 stack add
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Librarybelle
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Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match...new hold in at the library today!

[DELETED] 3803335244 Find me a find, catch me a catch! Sorry I had too 🌹 6y
69 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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EmG
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I love anything about Queen Victoria - heard #DeborahCadbury on .@HistoryExtra podcast & couldn't wait for this book. Loved #PrincesAtWar and this is even better!

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annalibris
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Pickpick

Even though I love the subject matter, I was afraid that this would be dry and dull. But it isn‘t at all, it was a wonderful, personal story about cousins caught up in political situations they couldn‘t control and falling in love with the wrong people. Fascinating, informative stuff.

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Emmalibby
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Pickpick

I picked this up as a birthday present for myself and I loved it. It focuses on seven of Queen Victoria's grandchildren and their marriages and it's not a huge book so doesn't go into too much detail but it was a very easy read and it did leave me wanting to know more. Would recommend for anyone interested in this period of history.

1 like1 stack add