What Is The Historical Background To Thackeray’s “Henry Esmond”?

"The History of Henry Esmond, Esquire," published in 1852, is set in the 18th century in the days of Queen Anne. Esmond is the (he thinks) illegitimate son of Viscount Castlewood, and is brought up (with her own children, Frank and Beatrix) by Castlewood's neglected wife, whom the boy adores. Later Castlewood is killed in a duel. Lady Castlewood is furious with Esmond for helping him (he is also imprisoned for this); she doesn't know that her husband confessed on his deathbed that Esmond, not Frank, is the true heir. He never tells her; instead, he joins the army, comes back much later and falls in love with Beatrix. Headstrong and ambitious, she refuses him, but enlists his help in a plot to restore Catholic James Stuart (the Old Pretender) to the throne when Queen Anne dies. In the end the plot fails because James is more interested in Beatrix than the throne.
In a surprise ending, Esmond marries his adoptive mother, Lady Castlewood, and they go to America, to found a dynasty whose fortunes are followed in "The Virginians."

Add Comment

Report