Queens of the Crusades

A fresh, enthralling narrative history chronicling the dynamic reigns of the first five queens in the Plantagenet family, who ruled England and France for over three centuries.

The Plantagenet queens of England played a role in some of the most dramatic events in history. Crusading queens, queens in rebellion, seductive queens, learned queens, queens in battle, queens who enlivened England with romantic culture—these determined women broke through medieval constraints to exercise power and influence.

This second volume of Alison Weir's acclaimed history of the queens of medieval England moves into a period of even higher drama, from 1154 to 1291: years of chivalry and courtly love, dynastic ambition, conflict between church and throne, and the ruthless interplay between the rival monarchs of Britain and France. We see, from a new perspective, events such as the murder of Becket, the Magna Carta, and the birth of parliaments.

Queens of the Crusades begins with the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose marriage to Henry II established a dynasty that ruled over three centuries and created the most powerful empire in western Christendom—but also sowed the seeds for destructive family conflicts and the collapse of England's power in Europe. The lives of Eleanor's four successors were just as remarkable: Berengaria of Navarre; Isabella of Angoulême; Alienor of Provence; and finally Eleanor of Castile.

Alison Weir provides a fresh, enthralling narrative focusing on fascinating female monarchs during a dramatic period of high romance and low politics, with unwavering women at its heart.