Queens of the Age of Chivalry (England's Medieval Queens Book 3)

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First line: In September 1299, the Princess Marguerite of France, found herself on a ship crossing the English Channel, with the white cliffs of Dover drawing ever nearer as she sailed to England to marry its King, Edward I. Queens of the Crusades [is Weir’s] latest in an impressive canon of more than two dozen historical biographies and novels. . . . [A] brilliant, compelling and meticulously detailed revelation . . . In its abundant detail about real lives lived amid the broad political strokes of medieval kings, Queens of the Crusades captures a rich sensory impression of how five brilliant yet fallible women managed their subject societies in a precarious and dangerously changeable world.” — Bookreporter Alison will be joined by the Corsham Bookshop after the talk a book signing opportunity . 27th January, 7:30pm Aimed at the general reader, this rich and robust account will appeal to readers interested in medieval England and some of its most fascinating royal women, whose stories are often left out of the history books.” — Booklist Alison weir is an excellent storyteller in her fiction books, and brings that flair to this non fiction account of the Queens. She gives us an insight into the daily lives of the queens. We learn how they spent their money, where that money came from and the strength they needed to live in turbulent times.

Rootin’-tootin’ history of the dry-gulchers, horn-swogglers, and outright killers who populated the Wild West’s wildest city in the late 19th century.Against this dramatic milieu, Alison Weir describes the lives and reigns of five queen consorts: Marguerite of France was seventeen when she became the second wife of sixty-year-old King Edward I. Isabella of France, later known as “the She-Wolf,” dethroned her husband, Edward II, and ruled England with her lover. In contrast, Philippa of Hainault was a popular queen to the deposed king’s son Edward III. Anne of Bohemia was queen to Richard II, but she died young and childless. Isabella of Valois became Richard’s second wife when she was only six years old, but was caught up in events when he was violently overthrown. In September 1299, the Princess Marguerite of France found herself on a ship crossing the English Channel, with the white cliffs of Dover drawing ever nearer as she sailed to England to marry its King, Edward I. He was sixty and she was twenty, and probably in awe of his fearsome reputation. Her body was to seal a peace between England and France.

Using personal letters and wonderfully vivid sources, Alison Weir evokes the lives of five remarkable Marguerite of France, Isabella of France, Philippa of Hainault, Anne of Bohemia and Isabella of Valois.

Queens of the Age of Chivalry

I find I’m enthralled by her writings and literally can’t get enough. Her retellings of history and portrayal of historical figures are out of this world and she really gives you a feel and sense for who they were and might have been. I haven’t known much about medieval queens before, in fact, I’m drawing from my well of nothing when it comes to knowledge of these queens so I not only learnt a lot, but enjoyed doing so too! Weir fortifies “Queens of the Age of Chivalry” with a section of photo plates, bibliography (which is actually impressive with its extensive lengthy list) and notes (not annotated). Wearing a facemask inside the arts centre will be mandatory for those above the age of 11 years, unless medically exempt As in her previous QUEENS OF THE CONQUEST and QUEENS OF THE CRUSADES, Weir probes deep within English and European society from the late 13th century to the birth of the 15th. She reconstructs the private and public lives of five unique women who indelibly reshaped their geopolitical, social and economic worlds on both sides of the English Channel for more than 100 years.

Coming a close second to securing their husbands’ bloodlines was the importance of marital alliances to forge political ones, as seen in the title origins of all five women portrayed in QUEENS OF THE AGE OF CHIVALRY. None were born in England, although the period saw frequent movements among the nobility to advocate for domestic royal partners. But at a time when England’s claims to large parts of France were continually challenged and tested, ultimately leading to the Hundred Years’ War, arranged political marriages (often with vast transfers of money and real estate) were accepted as one of the few reliable means to broker periodic outbreaks of peace. Medieval queens were seen as mere dynastic trophies, yet many of the Plantagenet queens of the High Middle Ages dramatically broke away from the restrictions imposed on their sex, as Alison Weir shows in this gripping group biography of England's fourteenth-century consorts. Boniface now suggested a double marriage alliance between France and England: Edward I was to marry Marguerite, while his son and heir, Edward of Caernarfon, Prince of Wales (later Edward II), would wed Philip’s daughter Isabella, then two years old. Once this peace had been sealed, Gascony was to be returned to King Edward. The plan was approved by both sides and the English Parliament. For Philip, it conjured up the tantalizing prospect of French influence being extended into England and his grandson eventually occupying the English throne. For Edward, it promised two brilliant marriages and the return of Gascony. Marguerite would be the first French princess ever to become queen of England, and the first English consort in 150 years not to hail from southern France or the Iberian peninsula.

Social distancing will be implemented in all parts of the arts centre, including The Pound Café Bar, which will now serve customers via table service during the day, as well as our well-ventilated auditorium, where all events will be operating with a reduced capacity Of the five queens Weir portrays, Isabella of France receives the lengthiest attention, and for good historical reasons. She became the most powerful out of necessity, when it became clear early in her marriage that Edward II’s political judgment was being dangerously manipulated by a sinister male court favorite, Hugh Le Despenser (he wasn’t the only king during this period whose sexual interests included men and women). Isabella finally raised an army with the help of her lover, Roger Mortimer, and they successfully overthrew Edward, becoming unofficial but effective co-regents until Edward III reached adulthood. The Capetian dynasty had ruled France since 987, the crown having passed unfailingly from father to son. The imperial blood of the great Emperor Charlemagne ran in its veins. It had gained its reputation largely through the successes of its thirteenth-century kings, and the canonization in 1297 of Marguerite’s grandfather, Louis IX, one of the greatest of medieval monarchs. Queens of the Age of Chivalry” is also somewhat muddled by its heavy dependency on the chronicles of Froissart. Although a credible primary source; it results in a one-note piece and doesn’t feel well-rounded or with enough viewpoints/perspectives. This meticulous group biography . . . brushes away long-standing legends. . . . [Alison] Weir skillfully documents the political, religious, and cultural issues of medieval England and France.” — Publishers Weekly