My Coffee Pot Guest: Rosemary Hayes - The King’s Command

Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through worlds
real and fictional,
meet interesting people,
visit exciting places
and find good books
to enjoy along the way!

About the Book

Book Title: The King’s Command: For God or Country

Author: Rosemary Hayes

Publication Date: July 3^rd, 2023

Publisher: Sharpe Books

Page Length: 415

Genre: Historical Fiction

16 year old Lidie Brunier has everything; looks, wealth, health and a charming suitor but there are dark clouds on the horizon. Lidie  and her family are committed Huguenots and Louis XIV has sworn to stamp out this ‘false religion’ and make France a wholly Catholic country. Gradually Lidie’s comfortable life starts to disintegrate as Huguenots are stripped of all rights and the King sends his brutal soldiers into their homes to force them to become Catholics. Others around her break under pressure but Lidie and her family refuse to convert. With spies everywhere and the ever present threat of violence, they struggle on. Then a shocking betrayal forces Lidie’s hand and her only option is to try and flee the country. A decision that brings unimaginable hardship, terror and tragedy and changes her life for ever.

‘One of the very best historical novels I have ever read’ Sandra Robinson, Huguenot Ancestry Expert

BACKGROUND TO MY NOVEL ‘THE KING’S COMMAND’

by Rosemary Hayes

A carving above a French Church in London

I’d always known that I had Huguenot ancestors but had not given it much thought until a chance remark by a cousin – “you know they fled persecution” – sparked my interest and I decided to find out more. 

The facts

Many of those who try to trace their Huguenot roots find the process laborious and frustrating, coming across contradictions and going down blind alleys, but I was lucky. A lot is known about my Huguenot forebears, Lydia and Samuel La Fargue. They feature in the Annals of the Huguenot Society and some meticulous research was done on them by an Edwardian ancestor of mine, so I had a head start. 

I knew where they lived in France; in a small town in Gascony, not far from Bordeaux, originally called Castillon-sur-Dordogne and now called Castillon-la-Bataille. I knew what they did (they were predominately lawyers, physicians and minor nobles) and that they were friends with other prominent Protestant families in the region. The Edwardian ancestor states that they lived just outside the town centre in ‘the pleasant faubourg’ and, although I found no evidence of this, it seems likely to be true. They also owned land in the plains South of the town.

The remains of the city wall and of the Porte de Fer,
the ‘River Gate’ at the Southern entrance to Castillon

So, they came from the bourgeoisie, were committed Huguenots, following the teachings of Calvin, and their own ancestors had fought against the Catholics in the sixteenth century Wars of Religion. 

I also knew that Lydia, Samuel, their surviving children and Lydia’s widowed mother left Castillon and fled to Geneva in 1690. And also, intriguingly, that Samuel returned alone to Castillon in 1692 where he died, aged 32, on the very day on which he converted to Catholicism. He may, of course, have died from natural causes, but these were turbulent times, so who knows? I did discover from local documents that he had returned to try and reclaim forfeited property.

After his death Lydia, her children and her mother then left Geneva for London and settled in the pleasant village of Hammersmith where there was a small Huguenot community. Lydia’s only surviving child, Elias, became a Church of England vicar in Lincolnshire and is my direct ancestor.

Why did the Huguenots flee France?

The wars of religion between Protestants and Catholics raged in France during the second half of the 16th century where hatred ran deep, armies were raised and atrocities committed by both sides. These wars were finally brought to an end through the actions of King Henry IV. Henry, originally a Protestant, was a pragmatist. In a bid to unite the country he converted to Catholicism, reportedly saying “Paris is well worth a mass” and promulgated the Edict of Nantes (1598) which granted official tolerance to Protestantism, and for eighty years or so the Huguenots thrived. 

Henry IV of France

Henry’s successors, however, were far less tolerant of the Huguenots, destroying their strongholds and breaking up their military organisation and when the young Louis XIV  finally took control of his throne in 1661, he vowed to make France a wholly Catholic country and wipe out the ‘false religion’ of Protestantism once and for all. During his reign, the Edict of Nantes, which had protected Huguenots for so long, was revoked and their lives became impossible.

Unless they denied their faith, they would forfeit their property, be unable to practise their professions or trades and their children would be forcibly removed from them to be brought up as Catholics. They were banned from holding gatherings, even in private, and their temples were destroyed. Yet they were not allowed to leave the country; the King did not want to lose the skills of these hardworking and successful people.

Huguenot temple

Hardly surprising then, that many converted and many fled despite the penalties if they were caught.

Huguenot women in prison

The fiction

It has been an intriguing journey finding out about my ancestors and, more generally, about the circumstances which forced Huguenots like them to flee France. My book ‘The King’s Command’ is based, very loosely, on their experience. I have set the story in Castillon, called the main character Lydia (or Lidie, as she was known by her family) and her husband Samuel, but a lot of the other characters are fictional, as is the account of Samuel’s death and Lidie’s escape. I know nothing of the family’s actual escape to Geneva but night travelling was common. There were ‘Huguenot Trails’ known only to those within a trusted network, safe houses along the escape routes, false identities adopted and bribes paid. There were also plenty of financial rewards offered to those betraying Huguenots and to soldiers finding stowaways, with spies and informers everywhere, so any escape would have been fraught with danger.

In my story, I have made Lidie stay in Castillon and then escape not from nearby Bordeaux, which was heavily guarded, but from a little port called La Tremblade a good way up the West coast. Many Huguenots did escape from here and I used, as background, a contemporary account of one such escape, cranking up the tension as the family tried to avoid detection. 

To add to the tension, I made the King’s dragoons visit Castillon to try and force unconverted Huguenot households to abjure. I don’t know if this is true, but certainly there were plenty of reports of this happening in the region.

a dragoon forcing a Huguenot to sign
abduration papers

I also made Samuel die a violent death as a direct result of his association with Claude Brousson, a Protestant lawyer and preacher who fought tirelessly for justice for the Huguenots. Brousson had to flee for his life to Switzerland and then, very bravely, returned in secret to become part of the Church of the Desert, in the wild and mountainous region of the Cevennes, where he preached and gave succour to his fellow Protestants. He died a martyr and hero but he is largely forgotten now and I felt he merited some recognition.

a preacher in the Cevennes

In reality, once Lidie reached London, it seems that she led a very quiet and worthy life, centred on the French church in Hammersmith, but I decided to make her lively and vivacious with a strong character and a love of fashion and of the new silks being made in Spitalfields. I also invented for her a naughty surviving daughter, a new romance and another child from a (fictitious) second marriage. 

In her will, Lidie left the bulk of her estate to her son Elias and the rest to the French church in Hammersmith and the French poor of London. It seems that she was still relatively well off and it is known that she brought with her from France some family portraits (presumably taken out of their frames and rolled up), some small pieces of family silver and the La Fargue seal.

The Huguenots were hardworking and talented people and they integrated so seamlessly into their adopted countries that, generations on, it is easy to forget the circumstances which forced them to flee their native France in the 17th century. 

This title is available to read with #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/bW6zGG

Amazon UK: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CB4RH68S

Amazon US: 

https://www.amazon.com/Kings-Command-God-Country-ebook/dp/B0CB4RH68S/

Amazon AU: 

https://www.amazon.com.au/Kings-Command-God-Country-ebook/dp/B0CB4RH68S/

Amazon CA: 

https://www.amazon.ca/Kings-Command-God-Country-ebook/dp/B0CB4RH68S/

 

About the Author:

Rosemary Hayes has written over fifty books for children and young adults. She writes  in different genres, from edgy teenage fiction (The Mark), historical fiction (The Blue Eyed Aborigine and Forgotten Footprints), middle grade fantasy (Loose Connections, The Stonekeeper’s Child and Break Out)  to chapter books for early readers and texts for picture books. Many of her books have won or been shortlisted for awards and several have been translated into different languages.

 

Rosemary has travelled widely but now lives in South Cambridgeshire. She has a background in publishing, having worked for Cambridge University Press before setting up her own company Anglia Young Books which she ran for some years. She has been a reader for a well-known authors’ advisory service and runs creative writing workshops for both children and adults.

 

Rosemary has recently turned her hand to adult fiction and her historical novel ‘The King’s Command’ is about the terror and tragedy suffered by the French Huguenots during the reign of Louis XIV.

Website: 

https://www.rosemaryhayes.co.uk

Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/HayesRosemary

Amazon Author Page: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosemary-Hayes/e/B00NAPAPZC

Goodreads: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/80106.Rosemary_Hayes

 Follow the tour:

Twitter Handle: @HayesRosemary @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #Huguenots #LouisXIV #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page:  

https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/08/blog-tour-the-kings-command-by-rosemary-hayes.html

My review

We start by meeting the 'heroine', sixteen-year-old Lidie Brunier on her birthday. She is from a wealthy family, seemingly has everything and is delighted with her new (expensive) silk dress. Equally, she is delighted by the prospect of her birthday party held at a best friend and neighbour's house, and although a little dubious on learning that there will be some strangers present she soon changes her mind, especially when she meets young Samuel. And... I wasn't sure if this novel was quite for me. A young girl, somewhat spoiled because she seems to have it all, but then things start to happen and the horror of the events of history start to unfold.

I think, had this been a purely fictional novel, depicting purely fictional events it might have passed me by as an over-dramatised Tv soap-type story - but although, yes, it is fiction it is firmly based on very real events and in this instance, very real people - the author's Huguenot ancestors. And that reality makes all the difference, for these people might have started out as seemingly rich and spoiled but it soon becomes apparent that Lidie especially is to develop into a strong, brave and competent woman.

This was not an easy read because of that reality. Throughout, I was reminded of the horrors of the Jewish holocaust, where because of intense prejudice (in this case Catholic against Protestant) people, ordinary people in their thousands, suffered terribly. 

The author's research and details are to be applauded, (although perhaps in a few instances there was slightly too much detail, which slowed some scenes a little - but this is a minor personal opinion.) I especially liked Isaac, the doctor. What a wonderful character!

I knew of the Huguenots of course, and that they were persecuted by command of the French king, Louis XIV, and that many of them fled to England and elsewhere, but I didn't know just how horrifically the were treated because of religious bigotry.

What I particularly enjoyed (although enjoy isn't quite the right word!) is not knowing how the secondary characters were going to do or react. Lidie herself, we knew 'escaped' (although not how or through what circumstances) but what of her friends, family and the servants? Were they to flee, did they endure, did they convert? Did they survive - or did they betray the others? Naturally, I cannot tell you here, for that would spoil the entire novel.

Read it, you'll not regret it - but have a box of tissues to hand.

***** 5 stars

< PREVIOUS POST

*** *** 

You might also like 

books written by Helen Hollick 

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 

* * *

THE SAXON SERIES

the events that led to 1066

the Battle of Hastings

1066 - the events that led to the
Battle of Hastings
from Amazon
Harold the King  (UK edition)
I Am The Chosen King (US/Canada edition)
1066 Turned Upside Down -
an anthology of alternative stories

*

Amazon: FREE ebook!

www.helenhollick.net

~ ~  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Have you ever thought of saying 'thank you'?
https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/08/summertime-history-say-thank-you.html?fbclid=IwAR0aS4fWJXlQ70RLhyopReb1dIu5n-aL80R9q7w8MelmC_28mnBdMdttKNY

 

* * * 

https://www.devonwritingretreats.com/

Fellow writers, you know creating a story requires a mix of craft and graft that many of us find a lonely business that tests commitment and tenacity. So, wise words from published authors and conversations with other writers can be the boost we need to begin our story, take it to the next stage or reach The End.

If you’re invested in a writing project, at the concept stage or a work in progress, then DEVON WRITING RETREATS offer time and space to develop your writing guided by published authors who share your passion for your genre. Each residential retreat includes workshops, one-to-one tutorials and guest speakers with plenty of time to write, enjoy the company of your peers, and our fully catered, locally sourced meals.

So, writing community, reTREAT yourself!

UPCOMING RETREATS

November 2023 to April 2024 writing retreats include Writing Crime Fiction (with guest speaker, Helen Hollick) Writing Romantic Fiction and Writing Psychological Suspense and Thrillers with a dazzling array of bestselling authors and guest speakers in their genre.

Throughout Summer 2024 Writing for Wellbeing and Writing Memoir will focus on the personal benefits of writing and the joy of sharing work with others and writers on our Writing Historical Fiction retreat will explore the past in a house steeped in history (hosted by Helen Hollick and Annie Whitehead)

Our unique Grade Two listed property is the perfect place to immerse yourself in your writing in the peace and beauty of the Devon countryside. 

Do come and join us!