Scan barcode
eserafina42's review against another edition
4.0
Queens of the Age of Chivalry is the third volume of Alison Weir’s Medieval Queens series, and it covers the period from the last part of Edward I’s reign through Richard II, telling the stories of five women who held the title of queen consort of England.
Marguerite of France, at 20, married the 60-year-old Edward I after the death of his first wife, Eleanor of Castile, and despite their age difference, the two forged a bond as close as his love match with Eleanor, to the extent that unlike many queens and great ladies, she never remarried after his death. Isabella of France, Marguerite’s niece, is the only queen to have led a successful rebellion against her own husband, placed her son on the throne, and ruled the kingdom for him with her lover Roger Mortimer, Earl of March. This story is so dramatic I can’t help but wonder why a movie or TV series hasn’t been made from it. Edward III, Isabella’s son, Edward III, had another famously close (and unfortunately fertile, since their sons’ descendants fought each other for the throne in the Wars of the Roses) match, and they probably came closest to the medieval ideal. Finally, Richard II, their grandson, was married twice, first to the sophisticated but sadly childless Anne of Bohemia, and then to the 6-year-old Isabella of Valois, who found herself a virgin widow at 10 when he was deposed and killed.
The unique personality of each of these five queens is portrayed well by Weir, despite an unfortunate paucity of material on even noble and royal women in medieval times, and I felt that she did a good job at treating them objectively. I have to admit that although she is a very good writer, and her books are enormously popular, I have not always gotten along well with Weir, and until recently I had finished few of her books. I’ve generally felt that her biases show too much, and although honesty compels me to admit that this wouldn’t bother me as much if they agreed with mine, they generally don’t. In Queens of the Age of Chivalry, I was pleased to find that I did not encounter this issue and enjoyed the book without reservation.
I received a copy of Queens of the Age of Chivalry from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Marguerite of France, at 20, married the 60-year-old Edward I after the death of his first wife, Eleanor of Castile, and despite their age difference, the two forged a bond as close as his love match with Eleanor, to the extent that unlike many queens and great ladies, she never remarried after his death. Isabella of France, Marguerite’s niece, is the only queen to have led a successful rebellion against her own husband, placed her son on the throne, and ruled the kingdom for him with her lover Roger Mortimer, Earl of March. This story is so dramatic I can’t help but wonder why a movie or TV series hasn’t been made from it. Edward III, Isabella’s son, Edward III, had another famously close (and unfortunately fertile, since their sons’ descendants fought each other for the throne in the Wars of the Roses) match, and they probably came closest to the medieval ideal. Finally, Richard II, their grandson, was married twice, first to the sophisticated but sadly childless Anne of Bohemia, and then to the 6-year-old Isabella of Valois, who found herself a virgin widow at 10 when he was deposed and killed.
The unique personality of each of these five queens is portrayed well by Weir, despite an unfortunate paucity of material on even noble and royal women in medieval times, and I felt that she did a good job at treating them objectively. I have to admit that although she is a very good writer, and her books are enormously popular, I have not always gotten along well with Weir, and until recently I had finished few of her books. I’ve generally felt that her biases show too much, and although honesty compels me to admit that this wouldn’t bother me as much if they agreed with mine, they generally don’t. In Queens of the Age of Chivalry, I was pleased to find that I did not encounter this issue and enjoyed the book without reservation.
I received a copy of Queens of the Age of Chivalry from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
bookgrrl's review against another edition
slow-paced
5.0
As usual this book is a home run from Ms. Weir! I swear, she is incapable of writing a bad book. Everything is so meticulously researched, and yet written in a very easy to understand and accessible way.
If we could get her books into high school history classes, and chuck the dry as dust “normal“ history books, then I bet we would have a whole lot more historians in this country (or at least kids who don’t hate going to history class 😉).
Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for this advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.
christinegreads's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.5
In this book, Alison Weir examines the lives of five Queens of England (Marguerite of France, Isabella of France, Phillipa of Hainault, Anne of Bohemia, and Isabella of Valois), married to Kings Edward I, Edward II, Edward III, and Richard II. This book covers much of the 14th century.
This book took me a while to get into and partly that is because I didn't really get the chivalry connection. Chivalry is mentioned, but really it's just about the era in which these Queens were on the throne.
My favorite stories were those of Isabella of France and Phillipa of Hainault. Not only were they interesting women in their own right, but they and their children also made a significant impact on the royal lineage of England and its history.
I appreciate Ms. Weir's focus on women in English history since they do not get the same focus as men (as per usual). There are a lot of details in Weir's books, and they can at times be overwhelming, but she is a master of getting at the heart of the women whose roles are significant if not well-known.
If you are interested in medieval British Royal history, you will enjoy this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.
This book took me a while to get into and partly that is because I didn't really get the chivalry connection. Chivalry is mentioned, but really it's just about the era in which these Queens were on the throne.
My favorite stories were those of Isabella of France and Phillipa of Hainault. Not only were they interesting women in their own right, but they and their children also made a significant impact on the royal lineage of England and its history.
I appreciate Ms. Weir's focus on women in English history since they do not get the same focus as men (as per usual). There are a lot of details in Weir's books, and they can at times be overwhelming, but she is a master of getting at the heart of the women whose roles are significant if not well-known.
If you are interested in medieval British Royal history, you will enjoy this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
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
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
kdowli01's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.0
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!
*
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!