Queens at War - by Alison Weir (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The fifteenth century was a violent age. In Queens at War, Alison Weir chronicles the five queens who got caught up in wars that changed the courses of their lives: the Hundred Years' War between England and France, and the Wars of the Roses between the royal Houses of Lancaster and York.

Against this tempestuous backdrop, Weir describes the lives of five Plantagenet queens, who occupied the consort's throne from 1403 to 1485. Joan of Navarre was happily married to King Henry IV but was accused of witchcraft by Henry's heir and imprisoned. Paris-born Katherine of Valois's political marriage to Henry V was meant to bring peace between England and France. It didn't, and Henry died during the Hundred Years' War without ever seeing his newborn heir, Henry VI, who was wed to another French princess, Margaret of Anjou, in 1445. In the Wars of the Roses, Margaret staunchly supported her husband and son. Henry's successor, Edward IV, became embroiled in scandal after he fell in love with and married Elizabeth Widville, mother of the tragic Princes in the Tower. The notorious Richard III usurped Edward's throne and married Anne Neville, who died after losing her only child, forsaken by her husband.

"Underpinned by extensive reading of original sources" (The Washington Post), Weir's Medieval Queens series strips away centuries of historical mythologizing to shed light on the genuine accomplishments and bravery of these fascinating female monarchs. Queens at War brings the series to an action-packed close.

Review Quotes

Queens of the Age of Chivalry (Book Three)

"Like few nonfiction authors of our time, Alison Weir again shows that history, when done properly, can captivate the mind and heart as well as (or maybe even better than) the most creative fiction."--Bookreporter

"Weir focuses on broader themes of chivalry that shaped the era's alliances and debunks the most scandalous court gossip. The result is a thorough and illuminating survey of the Plantagenet dynasty."--Publishers Weekly

Queens of the Crusades (Book Two)

"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

"[Weir] writes clear and entertainingly of the rich history of the Plantagenet queens of England and for an audience unfamiliar with the subject. At appropriate places, Weir gives needed background to explain the lives of these legendary women."--New York Journal of Books

Queens of the Conquest (Book One)

"Underpinned by extensive reading in the original sources . . . [The book] will serve as a useful reference for those needing a detailed biographical compendium."--The Washington Post

"A seamless royal saga, an all-encompassing portrait of English medieval queenship, and a sweeping panorama of British history."--Bookreporter

"Another sound feminist resurrection by a seasoned historian . . . Though Norman queens were largely unknowable, leave it to this prolific historical biographer to bring them to life. . . . As usual, Weir is meticulous in her research."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author