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The worlds of Milan, Rome and Naples through which Caravaggio moved and which Andrew Graham-Dixon describes brilliantly in this book, are those of cardinals and whores, prayer and violence. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn the streets surrounding the churches and palaces, brawls and swordfights were regular occurrences. 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At 19 she married a man more than twice her age, Sir William Cavendish, a senior auditor in King Henry VIII's Court of Augmentations. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eResponsible for seizing church properties for the crown during the Dissolution, Cavendish enriched himself in the process. During the reign of King Edward VI, Cavendish was the Treasurer to the boy king and sisters and he and Bess moved in the highest levels of society. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThey had a London home and built Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. After Cavendish's death her third husband was poisoned by his brother. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBess' 4th marriage to the patrician George, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, Earl Marshall of England, made Bess one of the most important women at court. Her shrewd business acumen was a byword and she was said to have \"a masculine understanding\", in that age when women had little education and few legal rights. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Earl's death made her arguably the wealthiest and therefore - next to the Queen - the most powerful woman in the country.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mary S. Lovell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54960748822901,"sku":"9780349115894","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0812\/4075\/2426\/files\/9780349115894.jpg?v=1738225639"}],"url":"https:\/\/sherlockandpages.com\/collections\/historic-biography-books.oembed?page=4","provider":"Sherlock \u0026 Pages","version":"1.0","type":"link"}