In the first volume of an exciting new series, bestselling author Alison Weir brings the dramatic reigns of England’s medieval queens to life. The lives of England’s medieval queens were packed with incident—love, intrigue, betrayal, adultery, and warfare—but their stories have been largely obscured by centuries of myth and omission. Now esteemed biographer Alison Weir provides a fresh … a fresh perspective and restores these women to their rightful place in history.
Spanning the years from the Norman conquest in 1066 to the dawn of a new era in 1154, when Henry II succeeded to the throne and Eleanor of Aquitaine, the first Plantagenet queen, was crowned, this epic book brings to vivid life five women, including: Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror, the first Norman king; Matilda of Scotland, revered as “the common mother of all England”; and Empress Maud, England’s first female ruler, whose son King Henry II would go on to found the Plantagenet dynasty. More than those who came before or after them, these Norman consorts were recognized as equal sharers in sovereignty. Without the support of their wives, the Norman kings could not have ruled their disparate dominions as effectively.
Drawing from the most reliable contemporary sources, Weir skillfully strips away centuries of romantic lore to share a balanced and authentic take on the importance of these female monarchs. What emerges is a seamless royal saga, an all-encompassing portrait of English medieval queenship, and a sweeping panorama of British history.
Praise for Queens of the Conquest
“Best-selling author [Alison] Weir pens another readable, well-researched English history, the first in a proposed four-volume series on England’s medieval queens. . . . Weir’s research skills and storytelling ability combine beautifully to tell a fascinating story supported by excellent historical research. Fans of her fiction and nonfiction will enjoy this latest work.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“Another sound feminist resurrection by a seasoned historian . . . Though Norman queens were largely unknowable, leave it to this prolific historical biographer to bring them to life. . . . As usual, Weir is meticulous in her research.”—Kirkus Reviews
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Alison weir brings these strong capable women finally into the light. These great ladies finally get their due diligence. The research alone must have taken decades. Thanks for another great ride,Alison!
Review for audiobook:
Boring and dragged out — the author reads in a clipped pattern that is disjointed. That said, I’d never have been able to finish reading the print book. Listening in the background as I did other tasks for 12+ hours was do-able.
I do think that I will re-watch the Pillars of the Earth video after listening to this, as Henry, Stephen and Maude are all characters in it.
I’m not a historian, and I didn’t take many history classes in college, and none of them were on Medieval England, so I cannot speak to Weir’s grasp on this specific part of history, her interpretation of it, or anything like that. What I can say, as a reader who enjoyed those long-ago history classes, who does watch the occasional history documentary, and who really enjoys reading the forgotten/covered up/ignored history of women throughout human history, is that I thoroughly enjoyed what Weir has to share about the Medieval Queens of England. It was fascinating to see how much power they actually had, to see how their personalities managed to shine through the darkness of time and show us that these were living, breathing woman, who made mistakes, who succeeded, and who left their mark on their world. Weir did a great job organizing this. With so many players (and so many Queens named after each other!) there were a lot of people to keep straight, and Weir kept things simple enough to remember who was who without becoming hopelessly confused about which Henry, Maud, Matilda, or Geoffrey we were reading about. I think Weir did put an effort to not play favorites with the Queens (obviously there was some bias, the author IS human), which is appreciated, even if I did start to have my own favorites. All in all, I think this was an absolutely engrossing book and I learned so much and have found a new love for those Medieval Queens.
This book reads more like a master’s dissertation on the subject than a readable narrative. But with all that I gleaned the information I was seeking: a greater understanding of the life & times of these medieval queens.
Weir’s work on powerful English medieval queens is readable, entertaining, and packed with information. An added bonus is the vignette on Heloise in the Reader’s Guide at the end of the book. As always, Alison Weir delivers a page-turning, historically accurate tome.
It was interesting at first, but after reading 50% of it, I just became bored as the material was too detailed in daily activities which didn’t seem relevant to the essence of the historical context.
I found this book to be very informative but a difficult read. I don’t know enough history to keep all the characters straight. I learned a lot.
This book is obviously well researched with lengthy excerpts from original sources. Even so, there are large gaps in the historical records, leaving much to speculation. The stories of the medieval queens, while interesting, are not as compelling as the author’s books about the Tudor queens. Readers expecting a similar experience may be disappointed.
Recommended for those interested in researching this era. This is not written in any sort of story/novel form (see Thomas Costain’s series on the Plantagenets for that), so it is not possible to gain any sense of the author’s feeling about the personalities of these queens. Very thorough, as are Ms. Wier’s other books.
A lot of information about female royals in medieval England , France, and
Belgian plus relations to the Vatican. Royal daughters were valuable elements to tie families and property to their father’s duchy or country. Females of intelligence and beauty were valued by their parents and to the men they married. Those princesses who were related to Charlemagne gave credibility and legitimacy to their husbands as kings in the eyes of others rulers in Europe.
Whatever Alison Weir writes, I’ll read. Not just good writing, good research and an understanding of why she forms her opinions on history.
I’ll bet you never thought about these women. The picture of lives and the world they lived in is fascinating and good reading.
Very informative book. You have to be in the mood for history. It’s a bit dry