Overview

Packed with dramatic true stories from one of European history’s most romantic and turbulent eras, this epic narrative chronicles the five Plantagenet queens of England between 1299 and 1409, from the New York Times bestselling author hailed as “the finest historian of English monarchical succession writing” (The Boston Globe). “A thorough and illuminating survey of the Plantagenet dynasty.”—Publishers Weekly The Age of Chivalry was an era of the Middle Ages dominated by the social and moral code of knighthood that prized noble deeds and the game of courtly love between aristocratic men and women. A period of high drama in English history, the fourteenth century witnessed the toppling of two kings, the Hundred Years War, the Black Death, and the Peasants’ Revolt. Feudalism was breaking down, resulting in social and political turmoil. Against this dramatic milieu, Alison Weir recounts the lives and reigns of five queen consorts: Marguerite of France was twenty when she married sixty-year-old King Edward I. Isabella of France, later known as “the She Wolf,” dethroned her husband, Edward II, and ruled England with her lover. In contrast, Philippa of Hainault was a popular queen to the deposed king’s son Edward III. Anne of Bohemia was queen to Richard II, but she died young and childless. Isabella of Valois became Richard’s second wife when she was six years old, only to see him violently overthrown. This was a chaotic and brutal age, despite its chivalric color and ethos, and it stands as an arresting setting for the extraordinary stories of these queens’ lives. Don’t miss any of Alison Weir’s fascinating England’s Medieval Queens series: QUEENS OF THE CONQUEST • QUEENS OF THE CRUSADES • QUEENS OF THE AGE OF CHIVALRY • QUEENS AT WAR

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9781101966723

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Reviews

Praise for Queens of the Crusades This meticulous group biography . . . brushes away long-standing legends. . . . [Alison] Weir skillfully documents the political, religious, and cultural issues of medieval England and France. -Publishers Weekly Aimed at the general reader, this rich and robust account will appeal to readers interested in medieval England and some of its most fascinating royal women, whose stories are often left out of the history books. -Booklist Queens of the Crusades [is Weir's] latest in an impressive canon of more than two dozen historical biographies and novels. . . . [A] brilliant, compelling and meticulously detailed revelation . . . In its abundant detail about real lives lived amid the broad political strokes of medieval kings, Queens of the Crusades captures a rich sensory impression of how five brilliant yet fallible women managed their subject societies in a precarious and dangerously changeable world. -Bookreporter The latest massively detailed British royal history/biography from the prolific historian and novelist . . . In this hefty follow-up to Queens of the Conquest, Weir focuses on the period from 1154 to 1291, offering a meticulous tapestry that will appeal most to students of that and other medieval eras. . . . As in previous books, the exceedingly knowledgeable author's prodigious research is impressive. . . . Another treat for Weir fans. -Kirkus Reviews The author writes clear and entertainingly of the rich history of the Plantagenet queens of England and for an audience unfamiliar with the subject. . . . At appropriate places, Weir gives needed background to explain the lives of these legendary women. -New York Journal of Books

Praise for Queens of the Crusades: England's Medieval Queens, Book Two This meticulous group biography . . . brushes away long-standing legends. . . . [Alison] Weir skillfully documents the political, religious, and cultural issues of medieval England and France. -Publishers Weekly Aimed at the general reader, this rich and robust account will appeal to readers interested in medieval England and some of its most fascinating royal women, whose stories are often left out of the history books. -Booklist Queens of the Crusades [is Weir's] latest in an impressive canon of more than two dozen historical biographies and novels. . . . [A] brilliant, compelling and meticulously detailed revelation . . . In its abundant detail about real lives lived amid the broad political strokes of medieval kings, Queens of the Crusades captures a rich sensory impression of how five brilliant yet fallible women managed their subject societies in a precarious and dangerously changeable world. -Bookreporter The latest massively detailed British royal history/biography from the prolific historian and novelist . . . In this hefty follow-up to Queens of the Conquest, Weir focuses on the period from 1154 to 1291, offering a meticulous tapestry that will appeal most to students of that and other medieval eras. . . . As in previous books, the exceedingly knowledgeable author's prodigious research is impressive. . . . Another treat for Weir fans. -Kirkus Reviews The author writes clear and entertainingly of the rich history of the Plantagenet queens of England and for an audience unfamiliar with the subject. . . . At appropriate places, Weir gives needed background to explain the lives of these legendary women. -New York Journal of Books

Author Information

Alison Weir is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous historical biographies, including Queens of the Crusades, Queens of the Conquest, The Lost Tudor Princess, Elizabeth of York, Mary Boleyn, The Lady in the Tower, Mistress of the Monarchy, Henry VIII, Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Life of Elizabeth I, and The Six Wives of Henry VIII. She is also the author of historical novels including The Last White Rose and the Six Tudor Queens series about the wives of Henry VIII. She lives in Surrey, England, with her husband.

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