It is the fictionalized story about the life the queen that changed Portugal, written by journalist Isabel Stiwell.
The reasons that led me to suggest this book are very simple, first, because it is one of the few books that cover the life, though partly fictionalized, of a queen of Portugal. Fortunately, the publishers have discovered the fountain of financial bliss with the romanticized portraits of women who marked the history of our country. There are hundreds of publications on the market that delve into the doings of the Portuguese kings and until recently, never spoke of the importance of sovereign and princes, who also had a leading role in national growth. Today, the scenario is different and in good time. The second reason obeys the illogic of a mere sentimental reasoning and a very Portuguese feeling also. It is a novel that addresses one of the golden periods of the history of Portugal, the sea voyage that changed the known world, is right in its infancy, and this period of history has a great fascination to me, since school. Isabel Stiwell describes the life of Philippa Lancaster, an English princess, the eldest of a king, coming from a long line of nobles, who come to our country, in order to marry John I, King of Portugal. The book is divided into two parts, which I also found very interesting and surprising; the first is the story of childhood and youth of the princess in the land of his majesty, England. In a second phase, describes her new life as a queen of country planted by the sea. The investigation of the journalist was fruitful, the description of the Portuguese and English courts is very interesting, and the differences in customs, education and the protocols impose in the royal houses. I liked most of all the portrait she did of the queen, who was not confined to the role of productive offspring, Philippa is an educated, erudite and sensitive woman though she did not demonstrated due to the rigidity of her upbringing. Also indirectly, I like the profile of the master of Avis, which after all was one of the few rulers who knew how to take advantage of the capabilities of his wife and all the men who helped him build a nation with wide eyes looking towards the future. Happy reading!
