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 Most of all, I found it fascinating reading about queens I had previously heard little about. There is so much detail about each one, and I take my hat off to Alison Weir at the work that goes into every book she writes. My interest was especially piqued at a theory she posits regarding Edward II. But you’ll have to read the book to find out what that was! Although there is a lot of information, no stuffy nonfiction chronicle is this. Rather it reads more like a novel. I really liked that when Weir cited money, she gave the equivalent in today’s price; this provided a meaningful perspective on the costs.

I admit I was also primed to like Isabella’s story even before this book, as once upon a time I used to be a preteen obsessed with Maurice Druon’s The Accursed Kings book series — the seven-book epic chronicling the events that lead to a 100-year conflicts between England and France, the end of the Capet dynasty and the riee of the Valois dynasty in France, the end of Edward II reign in England, supplanted by his unhappy wife Queen Isabella, and the start of Edward III reign. Isabella and both Edwards, the Despensers, Roger Mortimer — all those names to me already felt familiar and I was invested from the beginning. But as for the other four (well, maybe with the exception of Philippa of Hainault, Isabella’s daughter-in-law), I was a bit more lukewarm as their stories were just less interesting and impactful and they remained mostly relegated to the shadows of men throughout their lives. At least they seemed to have happy marriages, unlike Isabella, so at least there’s that. From one of Britain's best selling historians, a sweeping and magisterial history of the extraordinary lives of five queens in England's turbulent Age of ChivalryIt is crystal clear that Weir’s favorite queen is Queen Isabella (she is one of my favorites, as well) due to her owning the majority of the text and detail. This isn’t a horrible flaw, per se, but this isn’t an Isabella sole biography and “Queens of the Age of Chivalry” is supposed to focus on the other women, as well. 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). 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, laterknown 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. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

You can tell how much effort and work she puts into these books. The overwhelming amount of research she includes really portrays in these masterpieces of historical writing. I mean, the detail! Insane. I need a bookshelf of them!I feel much better versed in the English royalty of the 14th century now. Maybe I still have a chance at being erudite enough? 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. Queens Of The Age Of Chivalry’ by Alison Weir is a masterpiece. I have read many of her fiction books on the lives of royal women, and those in the royal courts, but this is the first non-fiction account I have come across. Alison Weir, through meticulous research, brings us the lives of five Queens who lived through England’s Age of Chivalry. Covering the years 1299-1409, we meet five remarkable women, whose stories have never been told in such great detail and with such passion. She shows us that they were remarkable women in their own right, and not just mere appendages to the Kings, or pawns in political games. We meet Marguerite of France, Isabella of France, Phillipa of Hainault, Anne of Bohemia and Isabella of Valois. 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

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. Using personal letters and wonderfully vivid sources, Alison Weir evokes the lives of five remarkable queens: Marguerite of France, Isabella of France, Philippa of Hainault, Anne of Bohemia and Isabella of Valois. If you are interested in English royal history, particularly medieval, this will be a very satisfying read. In this meticulously researched tome we learn not only of these five women, but also quite a bit about their royal spouses. and the importance of these unions.Her books on the Tudor queens and Elizabeth of York were first to get me hooked and I had no idea I’d get so into other queens and historical events like the others, but I did. Fully convinced now I could read anything by this author and enjoy it to the max. 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.

The final book in a trilogy, it is the only one that I have read. The author was recommended to me by a fellow Bookstagrammer. Only Isabella of France made her own story, and as such, most of the book is dedicated to her. Marguerite of France and Anne of Bohemia seemed to have had happy marriages and little to no scandal surrounding them. They were remembered fondly, but seemed to not have any lasting effect on the country their husbands ruled. Philippa of Hainault had some interesting tidbits to her, such as her spending and securing of matches, and Isabella of Valois was more of a tragic child than a Queen in her own right. 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 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. The author portrays a way of life very different to the standards of today, and uses primary sources to reveal the vast sums spent by the royals on maintaining their way of life. She puts the spotlight firmly on the queens, but also fills in the gaps of what happened to their husbands. It makes for fascinating reading; not least as she offers a (to me) new theory about the fate of Edward II, as well as some justification that Isabella did not deserve the evil reputation history has given her. We also see the origins of many of the ongoing traditions of this country.

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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.