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firerosearien's review against another edition
4.0
Reads more like a novel than a history book, but while the topic explored is quite fascinating, the coverage of all the women in the book is extremely uneven. For example, while the pages spent on Elizabeth I, Margaret of Austria, and Catherine de Medici are well justified, those spent on Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn are perhaps a little too much when put into perspective. I was interested in reading more about Mary of Hungary and Margaret of Parma, but they had very few of the pages devoted to them.
Still, this project was a mammoth undertaking, even more challenging since it is meant as popular history for the lay reader, and I admire Ms. Gristwood for taking on the challenge.
Still, this project was a mammoth undertaking, even more challenging since it is meant as popular history for the lay reader, and I admire Ms. Gristwood for taking on the challenge.
magdon's review against another edition
4.0
So interesting! I know the English part of this story pretty well so it was great to add in what was going on on the Continent. Lots of different characters but the timeline was kept quite clear.
booklibrarian96's review against another edition
4.0
Más allá de las mujeres clásicas de este siglo como las esposas de Enrique VIII o sus hijas, este libro ahonda en mujeres no tan conocidas pero igual de importantes como Luisa de Saboya y Margarita de Austria que terminaron una guerra con la paz de Cambray, la todopoderosa Catalina de Médicis y Juana de Abret, una reina protestante rodeada de reinos católicos. Creo que faltó ahondar un poco más en la situación política de sus reinos y también algunas imágenes o mapas ayudarían mejor a la comprensión.
irenep19's review against another edition
5.0
This book offers considerable insight into some of the most important female figures of the 16th century. It is brilliantly researched and includes information about Isabella of Castile, Margaret of Austria, Mary of Hungary, Christina of Denmark, Margaret of Parma, Anne de Beaujeu, Anne of Brittany, Louise of Savoy, Marguerite of Navarre, Catherine de Medici, Jeanne d'Albret, Margaret Tudor, Marie de Guise, Mary Stuart, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Mary I and Elizabeth I. Each of those women contributed to the creation of 16th century Europe in their own unique way, their stories often intertwining.
I must admit that I wanted to read this book in order to learn more about the ruling women of that era, since I was mostly familiar with British history and didn't know a lot about what was happening in the rest of Europe at the time. The book proved extremely informative and it was actually easy to keep up with the names (even though many people shared the same ones) and general flow of events. I learned a lot and I'd really like to read more about those women in the future. Of course, the book isn't a biography of each woman. It demonstrates the ways they were all connected to each other, which is quite fascinating to read. I also enjoyed the author's writing style and the way they associated the game of chess with European politics.
It was rather disappointing to realise that after the death of all those women, despite everything they had accomplished, the political scene started shifting towards male rule once again. And it's even more disappointing when one thinks about what could have been if things had been different.
I must admit that I wanted to read this book in order to learn more about the ruling women of that era, since I was mostly familiar with British history and didn't know a lot about what was happening in the rest of Europe at the time. The book proved extremely informative and it was actually easy to keep up with the names (even though many people shared the same ones) and general flow of events. I learned a lot and I'd really like to read more about those women in the future. Of course, the book isn't a biography of each woman. It demonstrates the ways they were all connected to each other, which is quite fascinating to read. I also enjoyed the author's writing style and the way they associated the game of chess with European politics.
It was rather disappointing to realise that after the death of all those women, despite everything they had accomplished, the political scene started shifting towards male rule once again. And it's even more disappointing when one thinks about what could have been if things had been different.
prof_shoff's review against another edition
3.0
Between Mary, Margaret, Marguerite, Maria and Medici, there were a lot of Ms to keep straight (thank you, Elizabeth and Louise). The stories were interesting and the connections were fascinating. The author stumbled on keeping things on a clear trajectory and avoiding heavy-handed spoilers.
kikael's review against another edition
2.0
http://www.hyperebaaktiivne.ee/2019/04/xxiii-ehk-sajand-kui-naised-valitsesid.html
Tänu kirjastusele Argo sain võimaluse täiendada oma teadmisi 16. sajandil Euroopat valitsenud naiste osas. Lugesin nimelt Sarah Gristwoodi teost "Kuningannade mäng" ja sain teada, et neid naisi on vapustavalt palju!
1474-1603, Euroopa. Ajaloos on üks enam-vähem saja aasta pikkune periood, kus mitmes Euroopa riigis korraga oli võim naise käes. Üldise arvamuse järgi olid naised muidugi nõrgem sugu ning vajasid enda kõrvale meest. Seetõttu on vähem riike, kus kuninganna üksi troonil istus ning rohkem neid, kus naine võimu reagendina teostas. Tuntumad 16. sajandi kuningannadest on ilmselt šoti Mary Stuart ning inglastest ema ja tütar Anne Boleyn ja Elizabeth Tudor. Naiste käes oli sel sajandil võim aga ka näiteks Kastiilias, Madalmaades või Prantsusmaal.
Ta oleks sündinud suurimaks valitsejaks, kui ainult "loodus poleks talle keelanud kohast sugu".
"Kuningannade mäng" on väga infomahukas ning ei ole kindlasti ühe õhtu ega päeva meelelahutus, sest lugemine vajab keskendumist. Kohati oli lugu põnevam ning kergemini jälgitav, teised peatükid kahvatusid keskendudes tugevamalt poliitikale või usuküsimustele, mis mind nii väga ei huvitanud. Raamat kulgeb kronoloogilises järjestuses. Ühest küljest see meeldis mulle, sest sai aimu, mis samal ajal Euroopa erinevaid paigus toimus. Teisest küljest oli raske järge pidada, kuna tegevus liikus pidevalt ühe kuninganna juurest teise juurde ning vahepeal läks meelest, mis temaga varasemalt toimunud oli. Enamik kuningannasid sulasid minu jaoks kokku. Seda ei kergendanud ka sarnased nimed, näiteks Margarethe eri variatsioonides oli väga popp nimi. Kuigi põnevam oli lugeda naistest, kelle tegudest ma varem kuulnud ei olnud, siis lõpuks jäi ikka meelde see, mis toimus tuntumatega.
"Vaenlane võib ju rünnata mu sugu, sest mina olen naine; nii võin mina samamoodi rünnata nendesarnaseid, sest nemad pole muud kui mehed."
Raamatu algus kõneles kuningannade asemel hoopis malenditest ning tõi välja paar huvitavat fakti lipu kohta, mida ma varem ei teadnud. Kõik malefännid on muidugi kursis, et algselt olid kõik inimkujulised figuurid meessoost. Kuninganna ehk lipp ilmus lauale alles mängu levimisega Euroopasse ning algul oli tegu nõrga malendiga. Siinkohal tuleb sisse seos raamatu ülejäänud sisuga: nimelt just Kastiilia Isabeli valitsetavas Hispaanias omandas ta tänapäeval tuttava võimu.
"Sul peavad olema silmad, et kõike märgata ja ometi mitte midagi näha, kõrvad, et kõike kuulda ja ometi mitte midagi teada, ning keel, et kõikidele vastata ja ometi mitte kellegi kohta midagi halba öelda."
Lisaks sellele põnevale malefaktile, jäi mulle raamatust kõige tugevamalt meelde, kui läbipõimunud olid kuninglikud pered, ja kuidas pool poliitikast oli abielu. Kihlumisi ja pulmi oli raamatus palju. Natuke õõvastav oli ka lugeda, kuidas üritati 11-12aastaseid tüdrukuid kaitsta, et esimest pulmaööd veel aastake edasi lükata. Teadsin seda muidugi varem ka, aga ei olnud niivõrd hästi faktidega illustreeritult kokku puutunud. Seda ajastut iseloomustas paratamatult ka lühike eluiga - kahekümnendates naine võis olla juba mitmekordne lesk. Üks suur faktor, mis sel sajandil veel võimumänge mõjutas oli usu lahknemine. Ei saa ju troonile lasta valitsejat, kelle religiooni rahvas ei toeta.
"Kuningannade mäng" hõlmab 16 peategelast, 5 riiki ja sajandijagu ajalugu ning on hea ülevaade, millised naised olid võimul, kuidas nad sinna jõudsid, mida nad korda saatsid, kuidas teised sellesse suhtusid jne. Raamat on tihedalt informatsiooni täis ja vajab keskendumist, et end poliitilistest intriigidest läbi närida. Meelelahutuslik ta just pole, aga soovitan teda lugeda, kui on huvi naisvalitsejate või lihtsalt ajaloo vastu!
Aitäh, Kirjastus Argo, raamatu eest!
Tänu kirjastusele Argo sain võimaluse täiendada oma teadmisi 16. sajandil Euroopat valitsenud naiste osas. Lugesin nimelt Sarah Gristwoodi teost "Kuningannade mäng" ja sain teada, et neid naisi on vapustavalt palju!
1474-1603, Euroopa. Ajaloos on üks enam-vähem saja aasta pikkune periood, kus mitmes Euroopa riigis korraga oli võim naise käes. Üldise arvamuse järgi olid naised muidugi nõrgem sugu ning vajasid enda kõrvale meest. Seetõttu on vähem riike, kus kuninganna üksi troonil istus ning rohkem neid, kus naine võimu reagendina teostas. Tuntumad 16. sajandi kuningannadest on ilmselt šoti Mary Stuart ning inglastest ema ja tütar Anne Boleyn ja Elizabeth Tudor. Naiste käes oli sel sajandil võim aga ka näiteks Kastiilias, Madalmaades või Prantsusmaal.
Ta oleks sündinud suurimaks valitsejaks, kui ainult "loodus poleks talle keelanud kohast sugu".
"Kuningannade mäng" on väga infomahukas ning ei ole kindlasti ühe õhtu ega päeva meelelahutus, sest lugemine vajab keskendumist. Kohati oli lugu põnevam ning kergemini jälgitav, teised peatükid kahvatusid keskendudes tugevamalt poliitikale või usuküsimustele, mis mind nii väga ei huvitanud. Raamat kulgeb kronoloogilises järjestuses. Ühest küljest see meeldis mulle, sest sai aimu, mis samal ajal Euroopa erinevaid paigus toimus. Teisest küljest oli raske järge pidada, kuna tegevus liikus pidevalt ühe kuninganna juurest teise juurde ning vahepeal läks meelest, mis temaga varasemalt toimunud oli. Enamik kuningannasid sulasid minu jaoks kokku. Seda ei kergendanud ka sarnased nimed, näiteks Margarethe eri variatsioonides oli väga popp nimi. Kuigi põnevam oli lugeda naistest, kelle tegudest ma varem kuulnud ei olnud, siis lõpuks jäi ikka meelde see, mis toimus tuntumatega.
"Vaenlane võib ju rünnata mu sugu, sest mina olen naine; nii võin mina samamoodi rünnata nendesarnaseid, sest nemad pole muud kui mehed."
Raamatu algus kõneles kuningannade asemel hoopis malenditest ning tõi välja paar huvitavat fakti lipu kohta, mida ma varem ei teadnud. Kõik malefännid on muidugi kursis, et algselt olid kõik inimkujulised figuurid meessoost. Kuninganna ehk lipp ilmus lauale alles mängu levimisega Euroopasse ning algul oli tegu nõrga malendiga. Siinkohal tuleb sisse seos raamatu ülejäänud sisuga: nimelt just Kastiilia Isabeli valitsetavas Hispaanias omandas ta tänapäeval tuttava võimu.
"Sul peavad olema silmad, et kõike märgata ja ometi mitte midagi näha, kõrvad, et kõike kuulda ja ometi mitte midagi teada, ning keel, et kõikidele vastata ja ometi mitte kellegi kohta midagi halba öelda."
Lisaks sellele põnevale malefaktile, jäi mulle raamatust kõige tugevamalt meelde, kui läbipõimunud olid kuninglikud pered, ja kuidas pool poliitikast oli abielu. Kihlumisi ja pulmi oli raamatus palju. Natuke õõvastav oli ka lugeda, kuidas üritati 11-12aastaseid tüdrukuid kaitsta, et esimest pulmaööd veel aastake edasi lükata. Teadsin seda muidugi varem ka, aga ei olnud niivõrd hästi faktidega illustreeritult kokku puutunud. Seda ajastut iseloomustas paratamatult ka lühike eluiga - kahekümnendates naine võis olla juba mitmekordne lesk. Üks suur faktor, mis sel sajandil veel võimumänge mõjutas oli usu lahknemine. Ei saa ju troonile lasta valitsejat, kelle religiooni rahvas ei toeta.
"Kuningannade mäng" hõlmab 16 peategelast, 5 riiki ja sajandijagu ajalugu ning on hea ülevaade, millised naised olid võimul, kuidas nad sinna jõudsid, mida nad korda saatsid, kuidas teised sellesse suhtusid jne. Raamat on tihedalt informatsiooni täis ja vajab keskendumist, et end poliitilistest intriigidest läbi närida. Meelelahutuslik ta just pole, aga soovitan teda lugeda, kui on huvi naisvalitsejate või lihtsalt ajaloo vastu!
Aitäh, Kirjastus Argo, raamatu eest!
eldaaurora97's review against another edition
4.0
"From the accession of Isabella of Castile to the throne in 1784 to France's Massacre of Saint Bartholomew's Day almost a century later was an Age of Queens. The period saw an explosion of female rule scarcely equalled in even the twentieth century. These years saw the birth of the new Reformed religion as well as the dawn of the world we know today, and for much fo them large swaths of Europe were under the firm hand of a reigning queen or a female regent. This was a sisterhood that recognized both their own bonds as women and their ability to exercise power in a specifically feminine way"
This is Sarah Gristwood's thesis going into this book--while sixteenth century Europe was still clearly patriarchal, the women in play on this chessboard (which becomes a major motif in this book) held a bunch of power on their hands. The book goes into how these players took power and utilized their influence the events within their countries. However, a lot more things have gotten into this particular arc, such as the role of women, naturally; marriage as a political weapon; and religion, the latter which is greatly emphasized with the conflicts of the Reformation.
I am familiar with the Queens of England during this time, partially because I've been exposed to Henry VIII's wives a lot, along with Elizabeth I in media. I recently read Alison Weir's novel on Katherine of Aragon (which is great, by the way), which gave me a lot of information about her personal life and her own exploits. Gristwood puts her into context on how she played a role in this game, and her inability to bear sons contributed to her downfall, and the rise of Anne Boleyn.
Speaking of which, one quote was particularly interesting was one after Anne Boleyn's execution:
"Anne Boleyn was, after all, not born to be a major play in that other game, the Game of Queens. She was a pawn 'queened', who had won for herself the right to move with a queen's freedom. And if she had found that freedom had definite limits, well, who had others, better born than she." (175)
It subsequently mentions no matter what, during the sixteenth century, were at the mercy of whomever was their lord. I find that to be quite interesting.
While I've heard of Catherine de Medici, I've never knew a lot about her or what role she had in terms of French politics. The chapters which showed how she, along with several other French players navigated a realm where Salic's Law (a rule in which only men could take over the French throne), were really intriguing, especially when we get closer to the St. Bartholomew's Massacre in 1572.
As for the book itself, it was clearly well-researched, with all the asterisks to further information. The writing style clearly forms a narrative, but borders on being dry at times. The chapters were short enough to give snapshots of what was going on, but sometimes it felt like it got boring after a few. Nevertheless, I learned a lot about what was going on during that time period.
Overall, Game of Queens represents an interesting look into sixteenth century European history, women, and religion. If you're familiar with some of them, this is a good read to see another angle; for those you don't know as well, it's a good one to get some perspective on them. As Gristwood noted; this game of queens still lingers on with leaders in the modern day. (7/10)
This is Sarah Gristwood's thesis going into this book--while sixteenth century Europe was still clearly patriarchal, the women in play on this chessboard (which becomes a major motif in this book) held a bunch of power on their hands. The book goes into how these players took power and utilized their influence the events within their countries. However, a lot more things have gotten into this particular arc, such as the role of women, naturally; marriage as a political weapon; and religion, the latter which is greatly emphasized with the conflicts of the Reformation.
I am familiar with the Queens of England during this time, partially because I've been exposed to Henry VIII's wives a lot, along with Elizabeth I in media. I recently read Alison Weir's novel on Katherine of Aragon (which is great, by the way), which gave me a lot of information about her personal life and her own exploits. Gristwood puts her into context on how she played a role in this game, and her inability to bear sons contributed to her downfall, and the rise of Anne Boleyn.
Speaking of which, one quote was particularly interesting was one after Anne Boleyn's execution:
"Anne Boleyn was, after all, not born to be a major play in that other game, the Game of Queens. She was a pawn 'queened', who had won for herself the right to move with a queen's freedom. And if she had found that freedom had definite limits, well, who had others, better born than she." (175)
It subsequently mentions no matter what, during the sixteenth century, were at the mercy of whomever was their lord. I find that to be quite interesting.
While I've heard of Catherine de Medici, I've never knew a lot about her or what role she had in terms of French politics. The chapters which showed how she, along with several other French players navigated a realm where Salic's Law (a rule in which only men could take over the French throne), were really intriguing, especially when we get closer to the St. Bartholomew's Massacre in 1572.
As for the book itself, it was clearly well-researched, with all the asterisks to further information. The writing style clearly forms a narrative, but borders on being dry at times. The chapters were short enough to give snapshots of what was going on, but sometimes it felt like it got boring after a few. Nevertheless, I learned a lot about what was going on during that time period.
Overall, Game of Queens represents an interesting look into sixteenth century European history, women, and religion. If you're familiar with some of them, this is a good read to see another angle; for those you don't know as well, it's a good one to get some perspective on them. As Gristwood noted; this game of queens still lingers on with leaders in the modern day. (7/10)