Queens of the Age of Chivalry

De: Alison Weir

Narrado por: Esther Wane

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.

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.

The turbulent, brutal Age of Chivalry witnessed the Black Death, the Peasants' Revolt, the Hundred Years War against France and savage baronial wars against the monarchy in which these queens were passionately involved. Queens of the Age of Chivalry brilliantly recreates this truly dramatic period of history through the lives of five extraordinary women.

"Stunning... [Weir has] brought those five queens to life like never before. I just raced through it—it has all the drama and suspense of a novel."—Tracy Borman, praise for Queens of Crusades

©2022 Alison Weir (P)2023 W. F. Howes Ltd

Wonderfully detailed

Another excellent Alison Weir history, with first rate narration. Even though most of the book is a recitation of facts and figures, it is beautifully disguised and kept me interested in each queen's personal story.

TMI

Usually, I enjoy the details in Allison Weir's history, but the specifics of each piece of clothing, the jewelry, etc. of not only the wueens but the court ladies and the men of the royal houses became overwhelming. I enjoy the narrator, so overall it was worth the listen.

Fascinating in the details

That records exist from the 1300s for Alison Weir to write such a long and detailed account of five queens of the Age of Chivalry is a wonder. The book is long but I thought every detail was necessary to tell these stories.

Fictionalized historical books don’t always seem to capture the true reality of the disparity between the lavish lifestyles of the royalty versus the hardships faced by the common people. When Weir lists off the expenditures, and then translates the sums into current value, it’s obvious that these royal families are indulgent and, of course, entitled. I would say they were out of touch but I’m pretty sure they knew their extreme excesses were made possible by the great inequities that existed.

The book is a little hard to follow, especially as an audiobook. There are so many Phillipas, Joans, Isabellas and other similarly named figures, it’s hard to keep up. The last story in the book, regarding the child queen, Isabella, was so ridiculous, it’s hard to believe it was true. One could blame the events on it having been the 1300s but the intrigue and almost unbelievable stories continue in todays monarchies throughout the world.

The narrator has a lovely voice but I think having different narration for each of the queens might have been more distinctive as it might have made it easier to keep the stories straight - for me, in any case. As it is, the cadence of the reading had me tuning out at times. Again - this is just me, you may not find that to be the case.

As a reader/listener or historical fiction, listening to this book does have me wanting to delve into other “just the facts ma’am” historical accounts of the British monarchy.

not one of her best

cluttered with descriptions of castle and gardens, this is not one of Wier's best. lacks the personalities of her other works.