Daughters of Ireland: The Rebellious Kingsborough Sisters and the Making of a Modern Nation

Daughters of Ireland: The Rebellious Kingsborough Sisters and the Making of a Modern Nation
ISBN-10
0307414930
ISBN-13
9780307414939
Category
History
Pages
368
Language
English
Published
2007-12-18
Publisher
Ballantine Books
Author
Janet Todd

Description

They were known as the Ascendancy, the dashing aristocratic elite that controlled Irish politics and society at the end of the eighteenth century—and at their pinnacle stood Caroline and Robert King, Lord and Lady Kingsborough of Mitchelstown Castle. Heirs to ancient estates and a vast fortune, Lord and Lady Kingsborough appeared to be blessed with everything but marital love—which only made the scandal that tore through their family more shocking. In 1798, at the height of a rebellion that was setting Ireland ablaze, Robert King was tried for the murder of his wife’s cousin—a crime born of passion that proved to have extraordinary political implications. In her brilliant new book, Janet Todd unfolds the fascinating story of how this powerful Anglo-Irish family became entwined with the downfall not only of their class, but of their very way of life. Like Amanda Foreman’s bestselling Georgiana, Daughters of Ireland brings to life the world of a glittering elite in an age of international revolution. When her daughters, Margaret and Mary, were at their most impressionable, Lady Kingsborough hired the firebrand feminist Mary Wollstonecraft to be their governess, little realizing how radically this would alter both girls’ beliefs and characters. The tall, striking Margaret went on to provide crucial support to the United Irishmen in the days leading up to the Rebellion of 1798, while soft, pleasing Mary indulged in an illicit, and all but incestuous love affair that precipitated multiple tragedies. As the Kingsboroughs imploded, the most powerful and colorful figures of the day were swept up in their drama—the dashing aristocrat turned revolutionary Lord Edward Fitzgerald; the liberal, cultivated Countess of Moira, a terrible snob despite her support of Irish revolutionaires; the notorious philanderer Colonel George King, whose sexual debauchery was matched only by his appalling cruelty; Britain’s cold calculating prime minister William Pitt and its mad ruler King George III. With irresistible narrative drive and richly intimate historic detail, Daughters of Ireland an absolutely spellbinding work of history, biography, passion, and rebellion.

Get the book

Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Search the book
eBay.com
eBay.com
Search the book

Other editions

Similar books

  • The Daughters of Ireland
    The Daughters of Ireland
    By Santa Montefiore

    But life will never be the same... "Everything Santa Montefiore writes, she writes from the heart,” says JOJO MOYES. See why in this unforgettable story of love, loss, and life, perfect for fans of DOWNTON ABBEY and KATE MORTON.

  • Daughters of Castle Deverill
    Daughters of Castle Deverill
    By Santa Montefiore

    Previously published in the US as The Daughters of Ireland. The second book in the #1 international bestselling series about the powerful ties between three women and their determination to...

  • Daughters of Ireland: Pioneering Irish Women
    Daughters of Ireland: Pioneering Irish Women
    By Debbie Blake

    Drawing from original material and unpublished writings, this work explores their fascinating and inspiring stories.

  • Small Things Like These
    Small Things Like These
    By Claire Keegan

    Longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize "A hypnotic and electrifying Irish tale that transcends country, transcends time." —Lily King, New York Times bestselling author of Writers & Lovers Small Things Like These is award-winning author ...

  • Daughter of Ireland
    Daughter of Ireland
    By Juilene Osborne-McKnight

    Daughter of Ireland continues Juilene Osborne-McKnight's exploration of Irish history, combining fine historical research with skillful storytelling.

  • The Daughters of Morrigan
    The Daughters of Morrigan
    By Annie Cosby

    Will the old walls of the castle be enough to keep the Doyle sisters safe, or will they be forced to flee? The Daughters of Morrigan is the first in a contemporary YA fantasy series steeped in Irish legend.

  • Songs of Love and War
    Songs of Love and War
    By Santa Montefiore

    Previously published in the US as The Girl in the Castle. The #1 international bestseller about the enduring bond between three women and the castle they will never forget. Their...

  • A Passion Redeemed (The Daughters of Boston Book #2)
    A Passion Redeemed (The Daughters of Boston Book #2)
    By Julie Lessman

    Incredible! I loved Julie Lessman's A Passion Most Pure from the second I picked it up until the very last moment I stopped reading." --Armchair Interviews "I devoured this book and loved every single page. . .

  • Daughter of the Forest: Book One of the Sevenwaters Trilogy
    Daughter of the Forest: Book One of the Sevenwaters Trilogy
    By Juliet Marillier

    Daughter of the Forest is a testimony to an incredible author's talent, a first novel and the beginning of a trilogy like no other: a mixture of history and fantasy, myth and magic, legend and love.

  • Shanty Gold
    Shanty Gold
    By Jeanne Charters

    In 1849's famine-ravaged Ireland, thirteen-year-old Mary Boland is found lying mostly dead on the side of the road to Cork Harbor, Queenstown, Ireland.