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A review by outsmartyourshelf
Queens of the Age of Chivalry by Alison Weir
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
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 stars
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Random House UK/Vintage Digital, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
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 stars
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Random House UK/Vintage Digital, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.