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Mary of OrangeJuly 02, 2012
At the Mercy of Kings Author Linda Finlayson, wife of Westminster Director of Library Services Sandy Finlayson, recently released a new book for youth on Mary of Orange. Order your copy today from the Westminster Bookstore! From the Author:Most people who have heard of Mary of Orange only know her as the second part of William and Mary. There’s a vague notion that she was a queen, but no one seems to know much about her. So I thought it was time that children have a chance to meet this quiet but important young woman. Mary was born into the Stuart royal family just after the English civil war. She was not expected to ever inherit the throne but God had plans to place her there. Raised as a Protestant even though her parents were Catholic, she made a profession of faith at 14. She grew steadily in her Christian faith despite the fact that she was allowed very few choices in her life. As she grappled with the providence of God, she learned to use her power and wealth to reach out to others. Notably she and her husband took a personal interest in helping the Huguenot refugees that flooded into Holland from France. Once Mary and William were proclaimed monarchs in England, she continued her work with the Huguenots, as well as setting up hospitals, schools and caring for orphans. In a court that had little use for Christian living, she lived her faith and promoted laws for social reform. She died young, at 34, and all of England mourned. One historian compared the reaction to Mary’s death to be on the same level as that for Diana, Princess of Wales. I hope that my book will reintroduce children to a faithful Christian woman who served her Lord wherever He placed her in life. “Linda Finlayson has written, with her usual flair, another fascinating and gripping biography. Mary Stuart, the female half of William and Mary, was a shadowy figure of some significance in English history. Her story provides helpful insights into the position of women of class in the Seventeenth Century and how Britain’s Protestant identity was maintained. Mary’s was a life early marked by tragedy and death, faced with unusual courage. This biography tells her story in a convincing and gripping style.” Order your copy today from the Westminster Bookstore! |
