A Catholic princess who grew up in France and married King Charles I of England, Scotland

and Ireland, Henrietta Maria has traditionally been reviled.

She was, we're told, a seductress who dominated Charles, she promoted Popus tyranny and she

encouraged Royal absolutism.

In this guise, the Queen Consort has been made to shoulder the blame for much of Charles's

behaviour, behaviour that led to the English Civil War and even his execution.

But there's much more to Henrietta Maria.

Today's guest argues that she deserves to be lauded.

The daughter of King Henri IV of France, Amarie de Medici, both his names she carried.

Before Henrietta Maria had even turned 16 she had experienced the assassination of her

father.

Her father arresting their mother, Exa, to marry a foreign Protestant King and the expulsion

of her friends and servants from her new country of England, within a year arriving.

She then endured and overcame significant challenges during the Civil War and its aftermath,

including the death of some of her children and her beloved husband.

It's no wonder that you'll hear her today described as a warrior and a phoenix.

To teach us about the life of this remarkable woman, I'm joined today by a bestselling author

and historian, Leander de Lyre.

Leander is the author of After Lisbeth, the death of Lisbeth and the coming of King James.

The New York Times bestselling biography, The Sisters Who Would Be Queen, the tragedy

of Mary Catherine and Lady Jane Gray, Tudor, the family story and White King, Charles

the First Traitor.

...