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

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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 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!

Her crossing was apparently smooth. Her half-brother, King Philip IV of France—known as “Philip the Fair” because of his good looks—had provided her with a retinue befitting a queen. The dukes of Burgundy and Brittany headed an impressive, elegantly dressed train of nobles and “people of knowledge.” Among Marguerite’s female attendants were seven French ladies, and two English ones sent by King Edward to wait on his bride and teach her English customs. Wearing a facemask inside the arts centre will be mandatory for those above the age of 11 years, unless medically exempt Edward I was one of England’s greatest medieval kings. “In build, he was handsome and of impressive stature, towering head and shoulders above the average.” His body, well preserved when his tomb was opened in 1774, was six foot two inches tall. “His brow was broad and the rest of his face regular,” apart from “a drooping of the left eyelid.” Neither this nor a slight stammer or lisp detracted from his awe-inspiring majesty. He was formidable: autocratic, forceful, fierce-tempered, fearless, and full of boundless vigor. A born leader and a talented and dynamic ruler, he was magisterial and statesmanlike, yet unscrupulous, ruthless, cruel, and occasionally violent. 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 starsIsabella and Marguerite must have grown up with a strong sense of their importance. They would have been raised to believe in the sanctity of the royal line of Capet and its superiority over all other ruling dynasties. They would also have learned that royal and aristocratic marriages could bring about changes in the ownership of feudal territories, which sometimes led to kings and lords owning lands far from their own domains. 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). 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. 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.

Marguerite and Isabella had been born into the most illustrious royal house in Christendom. In the early fourteenth century, France was the wealthiest and most heavily populated kingdom in Europe: it had an estimated twenty-one million inhabitants, compared to four and a half million in England, and eighty thousand of them lived in Paris, twice the population of London. French society was essentially feudal, and the royal domain now covered more than half of modern France; the rest was made up of vassal feudatories. 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 Weir is the United Kingdom’s most popular and best-selling female historian, and has sold over 3 million books worldwide. Rich in detailed research, Alison’s engaging prose has captured the interest and imagination of countless people, instilling a love of history that has influenced the career paths of historians, historical novelists and teachers, while also greatly increasing knowledge of medieval and Tudor English history among people throughout the world. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an honorary life patron of Historic Royal Palaces.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. 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. 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. If you are interested in English royal history, particularly medieval, this will be a very satisfying read. An insider’s account of the rampant misconduct within the Trump administration, including the tumult surrounding the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021.

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! 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. 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.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. Alison will be joined by the Corsham Bookshop after the talk a book signing opportunity . 27th January, 7:30pm

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. I feel much better versed in the English royalty of the 14th century now. Maybe I still have a chance at being erudite enough?

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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.