Historical Note
Before we go any further, I want to introduce you to the “real” Marie of Cleves. This is a portrait painted by prolific court painter of the French court, Francois Clouet.
Marie of Cleves, Princess de Conde, by Francois Clouet
As much as I wanted to use this image of Marie for the cover, the dimensions are so small that it wasn’t possible. Like most portraits by Jean Clouet and his son, Francois, the portraits were not meant to be large and hung on a wall. They were closer to today’s yearbook photos, made to be exchanged by friends or other social uses. One of the most interesting uses for these portraits was a parlor game during which courtiers removed the name of the sitter and tried to correctly guess the name of the subject.
Marie’s short life meant that her sto
