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A review by sarahbryson
Game of Queens: The Women Who Made Sixteenth-Century Europe by Sarah Gristwood
5.0
Starting at the beginning of the 16th century with the strong, warrior like figure of Queen Isabella of Castile and ending with the powerful Queens of Elizabeth I and Catherine de' Medici; Gristwood’s book explores the often overlooked women of Europe who played vitally important roles in the political and religious happenings of the time. Sadly women were often overlooked, the focus being on their male counterparts. Gristwood pulls back the covers and exposes many important, influential women who changed the very shape of Europe with their decisions and actions.
Throughout history women have so often been sidelined in the game of life. It was men that ruled the country, men who became great King’s, men who made all the important decisions regarding finances, war and international relations. Women were nothing more than beautiful images that would support their husbands dutifully, who would bear them children and if they were able to, become patrons of the arts or other ‘feminine’ pursuits. And while unfortunately there is a great deal of truth to these statements during the 16th century there are also many, many examples of powerful, independent women who broke the cast given to them by men and showed that they were more influential, more astute and more intelligent than the men around them.
Gristwood starts her book at the beginning of the century exploring the lives of several powerful women including Queen Isabella of Castile and Anne of Brittany. She then chronologically moves through the 16th century detailing the lives of extremely influential women such as Louise of Savoy, Margaret of Austria, Katherine of Aragon, Mary of Hungry, Anne Boleyn, Jeanne d’Albret, Elizabeth I, and Marguerite of Navarre just to name a few. These women lived and travelled across Europe, including England, Scotland, France, Spain and Italy. They were daughters, wives, sisters as well as being rulers and women of great influence in their own right. Some were Queens, others were regents, controlling and guiding King’s and whole nations on behalf of the men in their lives.
Each woman is researched in detail with Gristwood providing a wealth of information not only about the woman but the political climate into which they were born and then aged. This provided a deeper understanding of what was happening at the time and provided a well-rounded view of what life was like for each woman. Each woman was presented with a human perspective and many personal anecdotes about these women were provided. We were shown their fears, their joys, their triumphs and failures. Gristwood detailed the great struggles many of these women had to face in order to maintain their position and status. It was inspiring to read and aided in the reader gaining a deeper understanding of the motives and actions behind the decisions these women made.
On a personal level I found Gristwood’s book to be extremely inspiring for women of today’s generation. In an age where many women are still not paid equal pay for equal work, are not equally represented in areas of politics or corporate position, and many of whom are still expected to stay at home and ‘mind the children and the house’; Gristwood’s book on 16th century women inspires women of today’s modern age to strive for their very best. Gristwood provides examples of women who broke out of the traditional mould of the time and made the very best of their situation. They were strong, independent women who fought for what they believed in, who followed their hearts and who achieved much in their lives and that in itself is something important for all women to take away from this book. I would strongly recommend Sarah Gristwood’s book to any woman.
Throughout history women have so often been sidelined in the game of life. It was men that ruled the country, men who became great King’s, men who made all the important decisions regarding finances, war and international relations. Women were nothing more than beautiful images that would support their husbands dutifully, who would bear them children and if they were able to, become patrons of the arts or other ‘feminine’ pursuits. And while unfortunately there is a great deal of truth to these statements during the 16th century there are also many, many examples of powerful, independent women who broke the cast given to them by men and showed that they were more influential, more astute and more intelligent than the men around them.
Gristwood starts her book at the beginning of the century exploring the lives of several powerful women including Queen Isabella of Castile and Anne of Brittany. She then chronologically moves through the 16th century detailing the lives of extremely influential women such as Louise of Savoy, Margaret of Austria, Katherine of Aragon, Mary of Hungry, Anne Boleyn, Jeanne d’Albret, Elizabeth I, and Marguerite of Navarre just to name a few. These women lived and travelled across Europe, including England, Scotland, France, Spain and Italy. They were daughters, wives, sisters as well as being rulers and women of great influence in their own right. Some were Queens, others were regents, controlling and guiding King’s and whole nations on behalf of the men in their lives.
Each woman is researched in detail with Gristwood providing a wealth of information not only about the woman but the political climate into which they were born and then aged. This provided a deeper understanding of what was happening at the time and provided a well-rounded view of what life was like for each woman. Each woman was presented with a human perspective and many personal anecdotes about these women were provided. We were shown their fears, their joys, their triumphs and failures. Gristwood detailed the great struggles many of these women had to face in order to maintain their position and status. It was inspiring to read and aided in the reader gaining a deeper understanding of the motives and actions behind the decisions these women made.
On a personal level I found Gristwood’s book to be extremely inspiring for women of today’s generation. In an age where many women are still not paid equal pay for equal work, are not equally represented in areas of politics or corporate position, and many of whom are still expected to stay at home and ‘mind the children and the house’; Gristwood’s book on 16th century women inspires women of today’s modern age to strive for their very best. Gristwood provides examples of women who broke out of the traditional mould of the time and made the very best of their situation. They were strong, independent women who fought for what they believed in, who followed their hearts and who achieved much in their lives and that in itself is something important for all women to take away from this book. I would strongly recommend Sarah Gristwood’s book to any woman.