Courtesan

Courtesan (2006), a historical romance novel by author Diane Haeger, is a fictionalized telling of the life of Diane de Poitiers, a famous courtesan who lived in 16th-century France. Poitiers's romance with the much younger Henry I of France caused a scandal at the time. Haeger's well-researched novel, peopled almost entirely with historical figures, attempts to explain the backstory that led to the unlikely May-December romance. It has been criticized, however, for its morally simplistic depictions of its characters, including Diane and her rival, Anne, who are often portrayed, flatly, as fully good or fully evil characters, depending on their relation to Diane (who is a classic heroine). Haeger has a master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University and a bachelor's degree in English Literature from UCLA. Her unplanned turn to historical fiction purportedly happened after a chance encounter with writer Irving Stone.

At only 15, Diane de Poitiers had been married to Louis de Brézé, a wealthy man 39 years her senior, the grandson of King Charles VII of France and courtier of King Francois I. After his death, Diane ended up in the court of Queen Claude, wife of King Francois I. As the novel opens, Diane is returning to King Francois's court after a five-year exile. Diane is anxious about her place; she wears her trademark black and white—the black expected of widows, Louis having died; the white representing the moon, the symbol of her namesake, Diana, goddess of the hunt. The mother of two daughters, she does not expect to catch the King's eye, though her presence ruffles the feathers of his current favorite, Anne d’Heilly, Duchesse d'Etampes. Anne immediately plots to send Diane away, leveraging her considerable influence as the King's favorite to turn court opinion against Diane.

Nevertheless, Diane finds an unlikely protector in Henri of Valois, the King's neglected younger son. As the youngest of his father's sons, Henri means little to his father, since he will not be necessary for the perpetuation of the royal line. King Francis lavishes his attention upon the Dauphin. Almost 20 years younger than Diane, Henri remembers her kindness to him on his return from being a hostage in the court of Charles V of Spain. In his first jousting tournament, he shows up, to everyone's surprise, in her colors, black and white. The moody teenage prince clumsily pursues Diane, but the court’s scapegoats, they repeatedly find themselves with no one but each other to depend on amid the court's heady and swirling mixture of gossip, flirtation, deceit, and danger. Feelings begin to stir between them, but Diane holds back.



A wrench is tossed in Henri's plans when the King notifies him that he is to be married to Catherine de Medici. The Medicis are nouveau riche—a powerful Italian family to whom the King wants to be connected. Henri marries Catherine, but despite her attempts to win his affection, he remains devoted to Diane. When the Dauphin unexpectedly dies, and Henri becomes King, Diane's place in court is still not secure; there are many, including those attached to Catherine, who shun her. However, by now, she has given in to her love and lust for the young king, and she remains by his side. Diane comes to be Henri's most trusted confidante; throughout his marriage and occasional dalliances, he never truly loves any woman except his “uncrowned Queen,” Diane. Diane remains his companion and advisor until his untimely death, which precedes hers.

A typical example of the historical romance genre, Courtesan is well researched, its major plot rooted in history, and peopled almost entirely by historical figures. However, the events in the novel are fictionalized. Arguably, Haeger's plot doesn't do justice to the historical Diane de Poitiers, portraying her as continually conflicted over her role as courtesan—an unlikely regret, given that she had spent her entire life as a court figure (in several courts), and that such a position was a common aspiration for courtiers. Indeed, Diane's court connections, along with her own early marriage, endowed her with considerably more wealth and power than most women enjoyed. In fact, as a titled widow, she enjoyed more freedom than even most noblewomen did.

There is also something to be said against Haeger's romanticization of Diane engaging in a sexual relationship with a teenage boy; although young women were frequently wed to older men, as Diane had been, the reverse was not conventional. In either case, portraying an adult and adolescent as equals in a love affair strains credibility, and some would argue, decency, even despite the historical accuracy of their having had an affair. Haeger does not seem to entertain the possibility that the intelligent, worldly Diane might have knowingly manipulated Henri to secure her own position. Though it is impossible to know what really went through the mind of any figure from the past, Haeger's sugarcoating of the significance of Henri and Diane's age difference will undoubtedly strike a sour note with many readers.