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Queens of the Age of Chivalry: England's Medieval Queens, Volume Three

Queens of the Age of Chivalry: England's Medieval Queens, Volume Three

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  • Create Date：2022-12-07 17:21:41
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Alison Weir
  • ISBN：1101966726
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Reviews

Shoshana ，

Alison Weir has earned a well-deserved reputation as a hard-working historian of medieval and early modern Britain。 Her books are uniformly well-researched， and read like novels。 I have read a number of her books and learned something from all of them。 N。B。 There is another woman of the same name who is an insufferable bigot; they are two different people。This book covers basically fourteenth-century England。 The queens of this period are not retiring ladies who kept their opinions to themselves Alison Weir has earned a well-deserved reputation as a hard-working historian of medieval and early modern Britain。 Her books are uniformly well-researched， and read like novels。 I have read a number of her books and learned something from all of them。 N。B。 There is another woman of the same name who is an insufferable bigot; they are two different people。This book covers basically fourteenth-century England。 The queens of this period are not retiring ladies who kept their opinions to themselves; they were basically tough-minded women who either supported or deposed their husbands。 This was a most interesting book。 I was actually familiar with a lot of the history， so I was fascinated by Marguerite of France， the second wife of Edward I。 I did not know about her political machinations attempting to break up her stepson's romance with his male lover。 If someone had succeeded in curbing Edward II's indulgences of his boyfriends how differently the fourteenth century might have played out！ Highly recommended。Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more

Tanvi ，

This was， as most history books tend to be， fairly boring， but incredibly well-researched and thoughtful。 I only rate it three stars because it's something I probably won't pick up again， but if you have any interest at all in the subject， it's a very good book to pick up。 This was， as most history books tend to be， fairly boring， but incredibly well-researched and thoughtful。 I only rate it three stars because it's something I probably won't pick up again， but if you have any interest at all in the subject， it's a very good book to pick up。 。。。more

Michelle Smith ，

Alison Weir is a pre-order author for me。 Her work is always meticulously researched and Queens of the Age of Chivalry is the latest example of this - a wonderfully lengthy tome that also happens to be extremely readable and engaging。 This book， detailing the lives of Marguerite of France， Philippa of Hainault， Anne of Bohemia， and Isabella of Valois - all women I enjoyed learning more about。 A recommendation for fans of Ms Weir， British royal history， and European history。 eARC kindly provided Alison Weir is a pre-order author for me。 Her work is always meticulously researched and Queens of the Age of Chivalry is the latest example of this - a wonderfully lengthy tome that also happens to be extremely readable and engaging。 This book， detailing the lives of Marguerite of France， Philippa of Hainault， Anne of Bohemia， and Isabella of Valois - all women I enjoyed learning more about。 A recommendation for fans of Ms Weir， British royal history， and European history。 eARC kindly provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley。 Opinions shared are my own。 。。。more

Nataliya ，

It’s customary for the medieval history to be presented through the viewpoint of men， as it was a time of even noble and royal women being little but chattel， men’s property， and the wombs to propagate dynasties。 They were who history happened to， not the makers of it。 In Queens of the Age of Chivalry， however， Alison Weir tries to bring them from the shadows behind the throne into the spotlight， with varying success。 Out of five queens — Marguerite of France （wife of Edward I）， Isabella of Fran It’s customary for the medieval history to be presented through the viewpoint of men， as it was a time of even noble and royal women being little but chattel， men’s property， and the wombs to propagate dynasties。 They were who history happened to， not the makers of it。 In Queens of the Age of Chivalry， however， Alison Weir tries to bring them from the shadows behind the throne into the spotlight， with varying success。 Out of five queens — Marguerite of France （wife of Edward I）， Isabella of France （wife of Edward II）， Philippa of Hainault （wife of Edward III）， Anne of Bohemia and Isabella of Valois （first and second wives of Richard II） — only Isabella of France really succeeded in leaving a strong mark on history as anything but a wife and mother but as a power in her own right。 So no wonder that it is Isabella’s story （and the tumultuous years of history of that part of the world during her reign） that takes up the bulk of the book and its most interesting pages。 I admit I was also primed to like Isabella’s story even before this book， as once upon a time I used to be a preteen obsessed with Maurice Druon’s The Accursed Kings book series — the seven-book epic chronicling the events that lead to a 100-year conflicts between England and France， the end of the Capet dynasty and the riee of the Valois dynasty in France， the end of Edward II reign in England， supplanted by his unhappy wife Queen Isabella， and the start of Edward III reign。 Isabella and both Edwards， the Despensers， Roger Mortimer — all those names to me already felt familiar and I was invested from the beginning。 But as for the other four （well， maybe with the exception of Philippa of Hainault， Isabella’s daughter-in-law）， I was a bit more lukewarm as their stories were just less interesting and impactful and they remained mostly relegated to the shadows of men throughout their lives。 At least they seemed to have happy marriages， unlike Isabella， so at least there’s that。This book took me a while to get through， being very long and quite dense — although still enjoyable。 Weir does not skimp on details or historical background， and why the sheer amount of details/names/events binging on it was pretty much impossible as we saw one Plantagenet succeeded by another and another and another， and another。 But Weir still manages to keep it interesting， avoiding dry and stuffy tone， and does something that I quite appreciated — giving equivalents to the 14th century sums of money in modern amounts of money， which certainly underscored the disgustingly lavish lifestyles of royalty。 I feel much better versed in the English royalty of the 14th century now。 Maybe I still have a chance at being erudite enough？4 stars。——————Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review。——————Also posted on my blog。 。。。more

Kaye ，

I’ve previously read at least seven books from Alison Weir。 Weir writes about British royal history and she and Philippa Gregory are my two favorites sources writing both non-fiction and fiction books。 This book covers five queens from 1299 to 1399。 They were the wives of four kings。 Marguerite of France （wife of Edward I）， Isabella of France （Edward II）， Philippa of Hainault （Edward III）， Anne of Bohemia （Richard II）， and Isabella of Valois （second queen of Richard II）。 Weir makes history reada I’ve previously read at least seven books from Alison Weir。 Weir writes about British royal history and she and Philippa Gregory are my two favorites sources writing both non-fiction and fiction books。 This book covers five queens from 1299 to 1399。 They were the wives of four kings。 Marguerite of France （wife of Edward I）， Isabella of France （Edward II）， Philippa of Hainault （Edward III）， Anne of Bohemia （Richard II）， and Isabella of Valois （second queen of Richard II）。 Weir makes history readable and accessible。 I can always count on her books to be well researched with sources documented。 There is a lot of information to absorb from how money was spent on clothing and entertaining to alliances during turbulent times。 These are not familiar queens like Elizabeth I but they all played a part in shaping England。 This is the third in Weir's Medieval Queen series。 Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group， Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Courtney ，

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。 Another solid installment in Weir’s nonfiction “Queens” series。 I love how it explores a time I know a little about from the different women’s perspectives。 While some were influential， like Edward II’s Queen Isabella， there are others， like the Queens of Richard II， whose stories get lost in the chaos that was his reign， or Philippa， who was a steadying influence on Edward III。

Anne Morgan ，

This was a good and well researched book covering Marguerite of France， wife of Edward I; Isabella of France， wife of Edward II; Philippa of Hainault， wife of Edward III; Anne of Bohemia， first wife of Richard II; and Isabella of Valois， the second wife of Richard II。 Of all the women， I found Isabella of France the most fascinating- she worked to raise armies， fight to put her son on the throne over her husband， and was incredibly strong against most conventions of the day， which is probably wh This was a good and well researched book covering Marguerite of France， wife of Edward I; Isabella of France， wife of Edward II; Philippa of Hainault， wife of Edward III; Anne of Bohemia， first wife of Richard II; and Isabella of Valois， the second wife of Richard II。 Of all the women， I found Isabella of France the most fascinating- she worked to raise armies， fight to put her son on the throne over her husband， and was incredibly strong against most conventions of the day， which is probably why contemporary chroniclers disliked her so much。 You get the chance to learn a great deal about the time period these women lived in: what society was like， what role religion played in daily life as well as politics， the politics of the time， etc。 An interesting book that will fascinate readers， an excellent continuation of Weir's Medieval Queens series。I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more

Kitty McIntosh ，

‘Queens Of The Age Of Chivalry’ by Alison Weir is a masterpiece。 I have read many of her fiction books on the lives of royal women， and those in the royal courts， but this is the first non-fiction account I have come across。 Alison Weir， through meticulous research， brings us the lives of five Queens who lived through England’s Age of Chivalry。 Covering the years 1299-1409， we meet five remarkable women， whose stories have never been told in such great detail and with such passion。 She shows us ‘Queens Of The Age Of Chivalry’ by Alison Weir is a masterpiece。 I have read many of her fiction books on the lives of royal women， and those in the royal courts， but this is the first non-fiction account I have come across。 Alison Weir， through meticulous research， brings us the lives of five Queens who lived through England’s Age of Chivalry。 Covering the years 1299-1409， we meet five remarkable women， whose stories have never been told in such great detail and with such passion。 She shows us that they were remarkable women in their own right， and not just mere appendages to the Kings， or pawns in political games。 We meet Marguerite of France， Isabella of France， Phillipa of Hainault， Anne of Bohemia and Isabella of Valois。 Alison weir is an excellent storyteller in her fiction books， and brings that flair to this non fiction account of the Queens。 She gives us an insight into the daily lives of the queens。 We learn how they spent their money， where that money came from and the strength they needed to live in turbulent times。 Her descriptions of the the palaces made me feel as if I was there。 I was astounded at that vast sums the women spent on clothes， food， trips and impressing foreign dignitaries。 Most of all， I found it fascinating reading about queens I had previously heard little about。 There is so much detail about each one， and I take my hat off to Alison Weir at the work that goes into every book she writes。 My interest was especially piqued at a theory she posits regarding Edward II。 But you’ll have to read the book to find out what that was！I was given this book to review。 。。。more

Heidi Malagisi ，

When we think of the title “medieval queen，” a few things come to mind。 They were seen as mere trophy wives who were only suitable for making alliances and giving birth to children。 It may be a cruel assessment for a modern audience， but that was the reality of the medieval world。 However， the late Plantagenet queens decided to step outside the socially acceptable path for their lives and forged a new one。 In Alison Weir’s latest nonfiction book， “Queens of the Age of Chivalry: England’s Medieva When we think of the title “medieval queen，” a few things come to mind。 They were seen as mere trophy wives who were only suitable for making alliances and giving birth to children。 It may be a cruel assessment for a modern audience， but that was the reality of the medieval world。 However， the late Plantagenet queens decided to step outside the socially acceptable path for their lives and forged a new one。 In Alison Weir’s latest nonfiction book， “Queens of the Age of Chivalry: England’s Medieval Queens，” she explores the lives of five Plantagenet queens who had to adapt quickly to the ever-changing world of late medieval England。 Thank you， Ballantine Books and Net Galley， for sending me a copy of this book。 I have read and enjoyed the previous books in England’s Medieval Queens series， and I wanted to see which queens would be included in this book。 The years covered in this book are 1299-1399， a time of turmoil， change， and the plague。 During that time， five queens forever left their marks on England: Marguerite of France， Isabella of France， Philippa of Hainault， Anne of Bohemia， and Isabella of Valois。 Their royal husbands were Edward I， Edward II， Edward III， and Richard II。 Since these queens were foreign brides， it was a balancing act between what their home country expected of them and what England expected their new queen to do， which was， in most cases， to give birth to heirs and to stay out of politics。 We begin with Marguerite of France， who was the second wife of Edward I and the step mother of Edward II; her most extraordinary claim to fame was to try and prevent her son from ever seeing Piers Gaveston， which sadly did not last long。 Isabella of France had to deal with Edward II’s favoritism to not only Piers Gaveston but to Hugh Despenser the Younger。 This led her to join Roger Mortimer and rebel against her husband。 This decision would create a black cloud around her reputation for centuries。 As part of the rebellion， Edward III married Philippa of Hainault， who was the closest of these five queens to be the ideal medieval queen。 She gave Edward III many heirs that would help define future generations。 Richard II’s first wife， Anne of Bohemia， was the essence of sophistication， but her death sent him reeling， forcing him to take a child bride named Isabella of Valois。 Being a queen in the late medieval period was not easy， especially with the Black Death， the Hundred Years’ War， the Peasants’ Revolt， and internal struggles were constantly in play， but the five queens mentioned in this book were able to navigate this tumultuous time to create their legacies。 Weir once again weaves fun facts and compelling tales of each queen to give her readers her perspective on their true legacies。 If you have enjoyed the previous books in “England’s Medieval Queens” series， I would highly recommend you read “Queens of the Age of Chivalry: England’s Medieval Queens” by Alison Weir。 。。。more

Karen D ，

I've really enjoyed learning so much about the women of Medieval England and the role they play in politics and royal rulings。 This is no exception， and I look forward to continuing with the series。 *This tells of England's queens between 1299 and 1399， five women spanning four kings。 I did not know much of their stories before reading this and learned a lot through the meticulous research and details provided。 *The one that fascinated me the most was Isabella， the wife of Edward II。 That relati I've really enjoyed learning so much about the women of Medieval England and the role they play in politics and royal rulings。 This is no exception， and I look forward to continuing with the series。 *This tells of England's queens between 1299 and 1399， five women spanning four kings。 I did not know much of their stories before reading this and learned a lot through the meticulous research and details provided。 *The one that fascinated me the most was Isabella， the wife of Edward II。 That relationship sounds like a disaster， but it was so interesting to see how much of a role she had in his fate。 Also included in this timeframe: the genesis of the Black Death， Geoffrey Chaucer and the stories that inspired The Canterbury Tales， and the seeds of the War of the Roses。 *I will say， this is dense and not a fast read， but if you're interested in getting really into the weeds of Medieval Queens， this will do it！ 。。。more

Jo-anne Atkinson ，

Alison Weir is a great writer of history， both non-fiction and more recently fiction。 This is the third in a series of potted biographies of medieval queens and covers the fourteenth century。 From Edward I's second wife， the unheralded princess from France， through to the second wife of the deposed Richard III， each woman is placed in her context and her actions and motivations explored。 Of course most detail is given to Isabella and her revolt against Edward II， strongly backed up with Philippa Alison Weir is a great writer of history， both non-fiction and more recently fiction。 This is the third in a series of potted biographies of medieval queens and covers the fourteenth century。 From Edward I's second wife， the unheralded princess from France， through to the second wife of the deposed Richard III， each woman is placed in her context and her actions and motivations explored。 Of course most detail is given to Isabella and her revolt against Edward II， strongly backed up with Philippa of Hainault and the generally obscure Anne of Bohemia， Richard II's first wife。 It's a brilliant and detailed insight into politics and royal life in a busy century。 。。。more

Shereadbookblog ，

The final book in a trilogy， it is the only one that I have read。 The author was recommended to me by a fellow Bookstagrammer。 This book recounts the stories of five queen consorts of Plantagenet period， during the age of chivalry in the fourteenth century 。 They are Marguerite of France， wife of Edward I， Isabella of France （Edward II）， Philippa of Hainault （Edward III）， Anne of Bohemia， first wife of Richard II， and his second wife， Isabella of ValoisIn this meticulously researched tome we lea The final book in a trilogy， it is the only one that I have read。 The author was recommended to me by a fellow Bookstagrammer。 This book recounts the stories of five queen consorts of Plantagenet period， during the age of chivalry in the fourteenth century 。 They are Marguerite of France， wife of Edward I， Isabella of France （Edward II）， Philippa of Hainault （Edward III）， Anne of Bohemia， first wife of Richard II， and his second wife， Isabella of ValoisIn this meticulously researched tome we learn not only of these five women， but also quite a bit about their royal spouses。 and the importance of these unions。 Although there is a lot of information， no stuffy nonfiction chronicle is this。 Rather it reads more like a novel。 I really liked that when Weir cited money， she gave the equivalent in today’s price; this provided a meaningful perspective on the costs。 If you are interested in English royal history， particularly medieval， this will be a very satisfying read。 Thanks to #netgalley and #randomhouse #Ballantine books for the ARC 。。。more

Ashley ，

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley。com。First line: In September 1299， the Princess Marguerite of France， found herself on a ship crossing the English Channel， with the white cliffs of Dover drawing ever nearer as she sailed to England to marry its King， Edward I。Summary: In the third installment of the Queens of England series， Alison Weir covers the lives of Marguerite of France， Isabella of France， Philippa of Hainault， Anne of Bohemia and Isabella of Valois。 Some of these women caused t I received this as an ARC from Netgalley。com。First line: In September 1299， the Princess Marguerite of France， found herself on a ship crossing the English Channel， with the white cliffs of Dover drawing ever nearer as she sailed to England to marry its King， Edward I。Summary: In the third installment of the Queens of England series， Alison Weir covers the lives of Marguerite of France， Isabella of France， Philippa of Hainault， Anne of Bohemia and Isabella of Valois。 Some of these women caused turmoil during their lifetimes but all of them experienced years of change including the Black Death， revolts and the start of the Hundred Years War。My Thoughts: With each book in this series I learn so much about the people and the time they lived in。 Life was completely different than anything I could imagine but I find it fascinating。 As I read along I kept checking out the photos of the tombs or sites mentioned in the book。 It is a shame that so many items have been lost or destroyed over the years and at the same time that we still have items belonging to some of these queens。 I cannot wait for Alison Weir’s final two books in the series even though I know more about the upcoming women but I am hoping to learn even more about them。FYI: Book 3 of 5。 。。。more

Chip （C。A。） Printup ，

Did not finish。 I am a huge Alison Weir fan， she has a natural talent for breaking down very dense history materials。 However I feel this is one that she just bit off more than she could finish or that readers can finish。 While I am all for showcasing lesser people from history， I feel like this book has too many lesser known queens to keep track of outside of any setting that isn't academic。 I know this seems childish， but I feel like this book would benefit greatly from pictures whether it be Did not finish。 I am a huge Alison Weir fan， she has a natural talent for breaking down very dense history materials。 However I feel this is one that she just bit off more than she could finish or that readers can finish。 While I am all for showcasing lesser people from history， I feel like this book has too many lesser known queens to keep track of outside of any setting that isn't academic。 I know this seems childish， but I feel like this book would benefit greatly from pictures whether it be tapestries that depict their deeds or relics that have been passed down that we know belongs to them， just so we could identify more with these very obscure women who seem to blend into each other a lot。 。。。more

Vanessa ，

WoW Queens of the Age of Chivalry by Alison Weir was one excellent book from start to finish and I loved it。 I have enjoyed all Alison's books I have read but this book was just excellent！ This is the third and final book in Weir's queens trilogy and another five star book。 I always find with Alison's books as well they are so beautifully written and well researched and detailed as well I always found books like this boring but never with her books。 I highly recommend all Alison Weir's book。 Jus WoW Queens of the Age of Chivalry by Alison Weir was one excellent book from start to finish and I loved it。 I have enjoyed all Alison's books I have read but this book was just excellent！ This is the third and final book in Weir's queens trilogy and another five star book。 I always find with Alison's books as well they are so beautifully written and well researched and detailed as well I always found books like this boring but never with her books。 I highly recommend all Alison Weir's book。 Just Brilliant！ 。。。more

Vanessa ，

WoW Queens of the Age of Chivalry by Alison Weir was one excellent book from start to finish and I loved it。 I have enjoyed all Alison's books I have read but this book was just excellent！ This is the third and final book in Weir's queens trilogy and another five star book。 I always find with Alison's books as well they are so beautifully written and well researched and detailed as well I always found books like this boring but never with her books。 I highly recommend all Alison Weir's book。 Jus WoW Queens of the Age of Chivalry by Alison Weir was one excellent book from start to finish and I loved it。 I have enjoyed all Alison's books I have read but this book was just excellent！ This is the third and final book in Weir's queens trilogy and another five star book。 I always find with Alison's books as well they are so beautifully written and well researched and detailed as well I always found books like this boring but never with her books。 I highly recommend all Alison Weir's book。 Just Brilliant！ 。。。more

Helen Carolan ，

The third and final book in Weir's queens trilogy and for me her best。 Set during the age of courtly love and troubadours， this excellent read shows that at times there wasn't much love shown to some queens。 Isabella of France is forced to align with Roger Mortimer to overthrow her husband's favourite。 Most queens of this period took much more control within their realms than ever before but were still bound to the conventions that dictated a queen was still subordinate to her king。 Excellent re The third and final book in Weir's queens trilogy and for me her best。 Set during the age of courtly love and troubadours， this excellent read shows that at times there wasn't much love shown to some queens。 Isabella of France is forced to align with Roger Mortimer to overthrow her husband's favourite。 Most queens of this period took much more control within their realms than ever before but were still bound to the conventions that dictated a queen was still subordinate to her king。 Excellent read。 。。。more

Andrea ，

Queens of the Age of Chivalry is an excellent example of a book that benefits those who are familiar and not so familiar with the Plantagenet Queens presented。 The presentation of the material， though non-fiction， read like a story， which I believe makes for an enjoyable read and makes it easier to absorb all the details of these interesting Queens。 Though I know Weir has written books about many other non-fiction books about English monarchs， I hope and look forward to see and read many more es Queens of the Age of Chivalry is an excellent example of a book that benefits those who are familiar and not so familiar with the Plantagenet Queens presented。 The presentation of the material， though non-fiction， read like a story， which I believe makes for an enjoyable read and makes it easier to absorb all the details of these interesting Queens。 Though I know Weir has written books about many other non-fiction books about English monarchs， I hope and look forward to see and read many more especially after reading this book！ 。。。more

Gayle Noble ，

Like， I suspect， many lovers of English royal history， I'm pretty good up until Richard the Lionheart & King John， then things get a bit hazy until the Tudors arrive。 I'd heard of some names: Edward II supposedly killed by a hot poker somewhere unmentionable， Richard II。。。。Peasants' Revolt。。something。。。something。。。， Henry Bolingbroke。。。not a scooby。 So this was an ideal book for me， & the fourteenth century makes much more sense now。 It's taken me just over a week to finish this， but it wasn't b Like， I suspect， many lovers of English royal history， I'm pretty good up until Richard the Lionheart & King John， then things get a bit hazy until the Tudors arrive。 I'd heard of some names: Edward II supposedly killed by a hot poker somewhere unmentionable， Richard II。。。。Peasants' Revolt。。something。。。something。。。， Henry Bolingbroke。。。not a scooby。 So this was an ideal book for me， & the fourteenth century makes much more sense now。 It's taken me just over a week to finish this， but it wasn't because it was struggling to keep my interest， it was due to the fact that there is just so much information packed into these pages。 I had to keep recapping family trees in my head to ensure I had the 'who was who/who was related to who' correct， & I spent some time in merry diversions such as looking at re-creations of medieval dress - chin barbes， anyone？As the title suggests， this book examines the reigns of Edward I， Edward II， Edward III， & Richard II via their marriage partners。 In order: Marguerite of France， Isabella of France， Philippa of Hainault， Anne of Bohemia & Isabella of Valois （last two both married to Richard II， at different times of course）。 At a time when most important marriages were arranged for strategic & alliance purposes， the majority of these marriages seemed to have been genuinely happy。 Most of them tended to live as Queen Consorts were expected to， but the standout was Isabella of France， wife of Edward II。 Not content to be sidelined by a royal favourite， Isabella schemed to replace her husband with their eldest son， & actually succeeded。 Her alliance & （rumoured but probably true） love affair with Roger Mortimer has earned her the scorn of historians for many years， but perhaps Isabella felt she had no option but to do what she did。 Weir also notes that the deposing of a reigning monarch had repercussions down through the years culminating in Charles I's execution & the eventual loss of complete monarchical power in England。 The poker thing though - probably not true。 In fact there is some evidence to suggest Edward II may not have died in England at all， but fled overseas。 I haven't read the previous two books in this series （Queens of the Conquest， & Queens of the Crusades） but they are definitely on my TBR list now。 Overall， it's a fantastic read， it never gets academically dry， there's lots of information， & I actually have a much better understanding of this time period now。 Absolutely recommended。 5 starsMy thanks to NetGalley & publishers， Random House UK/Vintage Digital， for the opportunity to read an ARC。 。。。more

Leanne Neale ，

Informative， thoroughly researched resource detailing the lives of the queen consorts of Edward I to Richard II。 Fabulous， just fabulous！

Nancy ，

Very well-researched book about some of the lesser known English queen consorts of the 14th century。

Soozee ，

This is a real tour de force dealing with a very complex period of English history， which the author has carefully researched and produced a very readable and interesting book。 The book deals with five medieval queens: Marguerite of France， Isabella of France， Philippa of Hainault， Anne of Bohemia and Isabella of Valois， who married very different kings - Edward I （Marguerite）， Edward II （Isabella）， Edward III （Philippa）， Richard II （Anne and Isabella）。The author portrays a way of life very diff This is a real tour de force dealing with a very complex period of English history， which the author has carefully researched and produced a very readable and interesting book。 The book deals with five medieval queens: Marguerite of France， Isabella of France， Philippa of Hainault， Anne of Bohemia and Isabella of Valois， who married very different kings - Edward I （Marguerite）， Edward II （Isabella）， Edward III （Philippa）， Richard II （Anne and Isabella）。The author portrays a way of life very different to the standards of today， and uses primary sources to reveal the vast sums spent by the royals on maintaining their way of life。 She puts the spotlight firmly on the queens， but also fills in the gaps of what happened to their husbands。 It makes for fascinating reading; not least as she offers a （to me） new theory about the fate of Edward II， as well as some justification that Isabella did not deserve the evil reputation history has given her。 We also see the origins of many of the ongoing traditions of this country。I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone interested in England （or France's） medieval history。 Thank you to NetGalley， Random House UK and Vintage for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Fran B ，

Thorough and readable as are all Alison Weir's books。 Fascinating to read about king's reigns once again， albeit through the lens of consorts and their sensibilities， their limits of influence and their dependency upon their husbands。 Thorough and readable as are all Alison Weir's books。 Fascinating to read about king's reigns once again， albeit through the lens of consorts and their sensibilities， their limits of influence and their dependency upon their husbands。 。。。more

Lesley ，

A book in five parts。Dealing with five queens， Marguerite of France （4 chapters）; Isabella of France （15 chapters）; Philippa of Hainault （9 chapters）; Anne of Bohemia （4 chapters）; and Isabella of Valois （5 chapters） this book takes the reader through the history of their lives and times。I am not sure exactly what I expected from this book but what I didn’t was to find that more than half of the book dealt with the men in these women’s lives。 It is readable and extremely well researched but ulti A book in five parts。Dealing with five queens， Marguerite of France （4 chapters）; Isabella of France （15 chapters）; Philippa of Hainault （9 chapters）; Anne of Bohemia （4 chapters）; and Isabella of Valois （5 chapters） this book takes the reader through the history of their lives and times。I am not sure exactly what I expected from this book but what I didn’t was to find that more than half of the book dealt with the men in these women’s lives。 It is readable and extremely well researched but ultimately， for me， a little disappointing。I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more

Nicola Michelle ，

How does Alison Weir do it？！ I’m fairly new to her books and have read about three of them so far， but with each and every single one， she’s had the ability to absolutely hook me。 I find I’m enthralled by her writings and literally can’t get enough。 Her retellings of history and portrayal of historical figures are out of this world and she really gives you a feel and sense for who they were and might have been。 I haven’t known much about medieval queens before， in fact， I’m drawing from my well How does Alison Weir do it？！ I’m fairly new to her books and have read about three of them so far， but with each and every single one， she’s had the ability to absolutely hook me。 I find I’m enthralled by her writings and literally can’t get enough。 Her retellings of history and portrayal of historical figures are out of this world and she really gives you a feel and sense for who they were and might have been。 I haven’t known much about medieval queens before， in fact， I’m drawing from my well of nothing when it comes to knowledge of these queens so I not only learnt a lot， but enjoyed doing so too！Her books on the Tudor queens and Elizabeth of York were first to get me hooked and I had no idea I’d get so into other queens and historical events like the others， but I did。 Fully convinced now I could read anything by this author and enjoy it to the max。 I just love the way she writes and sends the reader back to whichever historical period and time she regales us with。 There’s so much drama in history and it makes for great reading。 I loved learning about these queens and I’m going to have to go back now and read everything she’s ever written because I think by this stage， I know I’m guaranteed to enjoy them！You can tell how much effort and work she puts into these books。 The overwhelming amount of research she includes really portrays in these masterpieces of historical writing。 I mean， the detail！ Insane。 I need a bookshelf of them！Thank you to the author and publisher for a copy of this on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review。 。。。more

Magen ，

What I have always enjoyed about Alison Weir's historical biographies is how they read like a story being told， rather than a summary of events。 I don't know much about medieval times in general， particularly their royalty， so this was an interesting read just for that。 Weir writes in such an approachable way。 As I said before， it feels like a story being told instead of facts being repeated。 Her subjects are given life in a way that is uniquely Alison Weir。 She's always a must read！ Thank you t What I have always enjoyed about Alison Weir's historical biographies is how they read like a story being told， rather than a summary of events。 I don't know much about medieval times in general， particularly their royalty， so this was an interesting read just for that。 Weir writes in such an approachable way。 As I said before， it feels like a story being told instead of facts being repeated。 Her subjects are given life in a way that is uniquely Alison Weir。 She's always a must read！ Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine （Random House Publishing） for the eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Annarella ，

We are used to think about women in Middle Age as weak or idealised but there were some very strong women who played in the political field like the queens in this book。They lived in complex age when things where changing， they were part of political agreements but they were also able to play important political roles。Alison Weir did an excellent job in telling the life of these women and this is an informative book that always kept my attention alive。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publis We are used to think about women in Middle Age as weak or idealised but there were some very strong women who played in the political field like the queens in this book。They lived in complex age when things where changing， they were part of political agreements but they were also able to play important political roles。Alison Weir did an excellent job in telling the life of these women and this is an informative book that always kept my attention alive。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher for this arc， all opinions are mine 。。。more

Peter Willoughby ，

The queen's view of the Age of Chivalry， those times between Edward I and Richard II。Alison Weir's research and insight amazes in the retelling of the lives and thoughts of these queens。This is a period of history not known as well as the Tudors， but full of just as much intrigue。Her choice of anecdote adds to the enjoyment of the history。The author's honesty when telling rumours and stories of the events shows that we will never know the truth of these times， but add to our understanding of lif The queen's view of the Age of Chivalry， those times between Edward I and Richard II。Alison Weir's research and insight amazes in the retelling of the lives and thoughts of these queens。This is a period of history not known as well as the Tudors， but full of just as much intrigue。Her choice of anecdote adds to the enjoyment of the history。The author's honesty when telling rumours and stories of the events shows that we will never know the truth of these times， but add to our understanding of life， thoughts and politics。A thoroughly enjoyable read。 I recommend it。My thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy for honest review。 。。。more

Dayanara Ryelle ，

Started this on 28 July， and this is as far as I got:I'm not a huge fan of nonfiction （it can be a bit of a hair-pull to get myself to finish books on topics I like）， but when a publisher comes knocking with an ARC from an author I like， I figure I ought to give it a shot。 （Both to be kind to the author and to stay in the publisher’s good graces， so I’ll get the books I want when they’re available！ 😅）Part I: Marguerite Capet （consort of Edward I）I had such a hard time keeping track of who was wh Started this on 28 July， and this is as far as I got:I'm not a huge fan of nonfiction （it can be a bit of a hair-pull to get myself to finish books on topics I like）， but when a publisher comes knocking with an ARC from an author I like， I figure I ought to give it a shot。 （Both to be kind to the author and to stay in the publisher’s good graces， so I’ll get the books I want when they’re available！ 😅）Part I: Marguerite Capet （consort of Edward I）I had such a hard time keeping track of who was who that I gave up after chapter one。Part II: Isabelle Capet （consort of Edward II）I skipped this part entirely because it was tied so tightly to the first—to the point of appearing to pick up where the first left off。Part III: Philippa Avesnes （consort of Edward III）I started this part， but haven't touched it in months and never made any notes。I just don't see myself getting back to this book， which means I don't have anything to say on Anna Luxembourg （consort of Richard II） or Isabelle Valois （consort of Richard II）， either。 。。。more

LOIS ，

This book looks at female medieval royalty in a very different way。 With rich， colourful descriptions we read about foreign queens in England who knew their duty but each carried it out according to her own style。 Every queen lived with public pagaentry as well as conflict at home。 A well researched。， engrossing book。 Captivating in detail and very readable。