The Myth of the Conqueror: Prince Henry Stuart: A Study of 17th Century Personation: 001

by J.W. Williamson

Dust jacket "Prince Henry was the son of James I of England and as Prince of Wales focused the hopes and imaginations of both English and Scottish Protestants on his own mythic role as future conqueror of European Catholicism. The book begins with an analysis of the personae Scots Presbyterians used at Henry's birth (1594) to describe his messianic role. Subsequent chapters show the development of the personations of Christian conqueror applied as the Prince grew older, especially by English writers. At the same time that his mythic presence was being shaped by these symbolic associations, the boy himself was conducting his life as though the trappings were literally true. By the time of his sudden and still unexplained death in 1612, Prince Henry Stuart was a potent threat to the peace of Europe, but this potency was purely the product of a myth which had become indistinguishable from reality. Throughout the book the author integrates biographical technique and the discipline o

219 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978