I really loved the worldbuilding in this book. She really thought through all the implications of having deepsmen blood being the marker for royalty and I found it just fascinating. I loved the history of the Venetian deepswoman coming out of the sea and establishing European royalty.
I did not think there was a direct correspondence between the characters in this book and specific members of the British royal family, but after reading your review I started to think about it. Henry VIII did marry Anne Boleyn, but there is not a lot of correspondence otherwise. There may be a better match with James II's two daughters Mary and Anne. You may know of them from William and Mary College and Queen Anne's lace.
James II was a closet Catholic in a Protestant country. Howevere, his two daughters were raised as Prostestants and everything was fine because everyone knew a Prostestant would succeed James. After the girls were adults though, James married a second wife who was Catholic. They had a son, Charles. The English nobility was deeply concerned about a Catholic Charles coming to the throne. Mary had in the meantime married William of Orange, a staunch Protestant. William invaded England with the help of the nobles and overthrew James, putting William and Mary jointly on the English throne. Anne succeeded William and Mary after they died.
The Bonnie Prince Charlie of Braveheart fame is the Charles who should have been the king after James.
I don't actually think there is an exact parallel between this history and the book, but the similarities are really interesting. I think Kit Whitfield really caught the flavor of the actual history.
It's not exact, no. There's no way it could be, given what sparks the alternate history, you know? Making it align too closely with real history would've been wasting the premise. :)
But in my spotty research, I did learn that Anne Boleyn had a sister named Mary. :) That was fun.
I did not think there was a direct correspondence between the characters in this book and specific members of the British royal family, but after reading your review I started to think about it. Henry VIII did marry Anne Boleyn, but there is not a lot of correspondence otherwise. There may be a better match with James II's two daughters Mary and Anne. You may know of them from William and Mary College and Queen Anne's lace.
James II was a closet Catholic in a Protestant country. Howevere, his two daughters were raised as Prostestants and everything was fine because everyone knew a Prostestant would succeed James. After the girls were adults though, James married a second wife who was Catholic. They had a son, Charles. The English nobility was deeply concerned about a Catholic Charles coming to the throne. Mary had in the meantime married William of Orange, a staunch Protestant. William invaded England with the help of the nobles and overthrew James, putting William and Mary jointly on the English throne. Anne succeeded William and Mary after they died.
The Bonnie Prince Charlie of Braveheart fame is the Charles who should have been the king after James.
I don't actually think there is an exact parallel between this history and the book, but the similarities are really interesting. I think Kit Whitfield really caught the flavor of the actual history.
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But in my spotty research, I did learn that Anne Boleyn had a sister named Mary. :) That was fun.
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