Hortense and Marie Mancini tried to make a place for themselves in 17th-century Europe, defying all kinds of conventions along the way. Their lives were full of adventure and daring, but they were also both stuck in abusive marriages.  

Research:

• "Jules Mazarin." Historic World Leaders, edited by Anne Commire, Gale, 1994. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1616000407/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=68d5e2f8. Accessed 11 Oct. 2022.
• "When lesbian passions stirred at court." Times [London, England], 7 Feb. 2019, p. 3. Gale In Context: Global Issues, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A572957931/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=8ab9535e. Accessed 11 Oct. 2022.
• Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Mancini sisters". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Dec. 2015, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mancini-sisters. Accessed 12 October 2022.
• Esslemont, Chloe. “Keeping up with the Mazarinettes.” Art UK. 1/17/2019. https://artuk.org/discover/stories/keeping-up-with-the-mazarinettes
• Ferguson, Donna. “Restoration influencer: how Charles II's clever mistress set trends ahead of her time." The Guardian.2/28/2021. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/feb/28/restoration-influencer-how-charles-iis-clever-mistress-set-trends-ahead-of-her-time
• Folger Library. “The Fabulous Mancini Sisters.” 3/13/2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sX30o5FX0Y
• Folgerpedia. “The Mancini Sisters.” https://folgerpedia.folger.edu/The_Mancini_Sisters:_Mistresses_and_Memoirists
• Goldsmith, Elizabeth C. “The Kings' Mistresses: The Liberated Lives of Marie Mancini, Princess Colonna, and Her Sister Hortense, Duchess Mazarin.” Public Affairs. 2012.
• Latour, Therese Louis. “Princesses Ladies And Adventuresses of the Reign of Louis XIV.” London. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. 1924.
• O’Rourke, John. “17th-Century Sisters the Kardashians Might Admire.” BU Today. 8/27/2012. https://www.bu.edu/articles/2012/17th-century-sisters-the-kardashians-might-admire/
• Porter, Linda. “Charles II’s last mistress.” Historia: Magazine of the Historical Writers’ Association. 4/16/2020. https://www.historiamag.com/charles-iis-last-mistress/
• Richard, Kristen. “How Italy’s ‘Runaway Duchess’ Changed How We Drink Champagne.” Wine Enthusiast. 2/11/2022. https://www.winemag.com/2022/02/11/hortense-mancini-runaway-duchess-champagne/
• Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts. “The Manuscripts of His Grace the Duke of Rutland: Letters and papers, 1440-1797 (v.3 mainly correspondence of the fourth Duke of Rutland). v.4. Charters, cartularies, &c. Letters and papers, supplementary. Extracts from household accounts.” Jan. 1889. https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=IgoRAAAAYAAJ&rdid=book-IgoRAAAAYAAJ&rdot=1