Kings of the Boyne
Page 22
KING LOUIS XIV (1638-1715)
Louis’s reign of seventy-two years and one hundred and ten days is the longest of any monarch in Europe.
A devout and pious Catholic, Louis believed in expanding France’s – and, therefore, his – territory with war. Like William, his bitter enemy, Louis was a great patron of the arts and was known to have been a fine dancer in his younger days. He danced in forty major ballets and, in some of his portraits, those familiar with ballet steps might recognise certain poses that he strikes. It would appear he loved promoting his very image, commissioning vast amounts of art, including three hundred formal paintings of himself.
His health had never been strong and he kept his three physicians busy. They maintained a meticulous journal of his ailments and treatments. One operation left him with a wound that did not close for two months. He died of gangrene four days before his seventy-seventh birthday in September 1713 and was laid to rest in a basilica outside Paris.
OTHER BOOKS BY NICOLA PIERCE
DERRY, 1689.
An anonymous letter is read out saying that every last Protestant man, woman and child is to be murdered. Panic takes hold.
Two teenage boys, Daniel and Robert Sherrard, help close the city gates against the approaching Catholic army.
The siege has begun.
Bombs rain down. Behind the walls, tensions grow day by day.
Trapped, the people are injured, dying, starving.
But there is no going back
Daniel and Robert are drawn into a fight to the end.’
‘That calm, sunny day is one I’ll always remember … because the twentieth of April, in the year 1910, was the day I, Samuel Joseph Scott, died.’
Fifteen-year-old Sam plunges to his death whilst building his beloved Titanic. Now as the greatest ship the world has ever seen crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Sam finds himself on board – as a ghost. His spirit roams the ship, from the glamour of first class to the party atmosphere of third class. Sam shares the excitement of Jim, Isobel and their children − on their way to a new life in America.
Disaster strikes when Titanic hits an iceberg.
As Titanic sinks to her icy grave, Jim and his family are trapped behind locked gates …
Can Sam’s spirit reach out and save them as time runs out …?
About the Author
Nicola Pierce published her first book for children, Spirit of the Titanic, to rave reviews and five printings within its first twelve months. City of Fate, her second book for children, transported the reader deep into the Russian city of Stalingrad during World War II. The novel was shortlisted for the Warwickshire School Library Service Award, 2014. Behind the Walls, a rich emotional novel set in the besieged city of Derry in 1689, followed in 2015. To read more about Nicola, go to her web page, www.nicolapierce.com.
Copyright
This eBook edition first published 2016 by The O’Brien Press Ltd,
12 Terenure Road East, Rathgar, Dublin 6, D06 HD27, Ireland.
Tel: +353 1 4923333; Fax: +353 1 4922777
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Website: www.obrien.ie
First published 2016.
The O’Brien Press is a member of Publishing Ireland.
eBook ISBN: 978–1–84717–900–5
Copyright for text © Nicola Pierce 2016
Copyright for editing, typesetting, layout, design © The O’Brien Press Ltd
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or in any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Cover image: Shutterstock