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

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





Title:  Queens of the Age of Chivalry: England's Medieval Queens, Volume Three
Series: England's Medieval Queens
Author:  Alison Weir
Publisher:  Ballantine Books 
Genre:  Biographies & Memoirs
Format:  Kindle 
No. of Pages:  576
Date of US Publication:  6 December, 2022
My Rating:  5 Stars



My Thoughts

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.



Description

Packed with dramatic true stories from one of European history’s most romantic and turbulent eras, this epic narrative chronicles the five vividly rendered queens of the Plantagenet kings who ruled England between 1299 and 1399.

The Age of Chivalry describes a period of medieval history dominated by the social, religious, and moral code of knighthood that prized noble deeds, military greatness, and the game of courtly love between aristocratic men and women. It was also a period of high drama in English history, which included 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 describes the lives and reigns of five queen consorts: Marguerite of France was seventeen when she became the second wife of 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 only six years old, but was caught up in events when he was violently overthrown.

This was a turbulent and brutal age, despite its chivalric color and ethos, and it stands as a vivid backdrop to the extraordinary stories of these queens’ lives.

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