What a wonderful book! I loved reading about the Queens past and present that have helped shape are world.

This covers everything from hereditary rulers to regency roles, behind-the-scenes and more or less unofficial rulers with husbands as figureheads, to military takeovers. Dr. Jestice investigates how women came to power, how their subjects felt about their rule (as best as evidence allows), the challenges they faced as women in a man's world, and their successes and failures as rulers. What I liked best about this book was how thoroughly it covered rulers outside of Europe, including Asia, Africa, India and the Ottoman Empire, and parts of South America. This was a truly global look at women rulers throughout history, and it will appeal to all readers.
The writing is interesting and covers a wide range of topics. both famous and lesser-known female rulers I'm especially impressed with the level of detail here, which falls short of academic but is far more detailed than many books for a general audience.

A very interesting overview of women rulers across time, “Queens” looks across the world from ancient Egypt to Queen Elizabeth II and the roles women have played as rulers. From hereditary rulers to regency roles, behind the scenes and more or less unofficial rulers with husbands as figureheads, or taking over by military force, this covers it all. Dr. Jestice examines how women come into power, how their subjects felt about their rule (as best as can be determined based on evidence), difficulties they faced as women in a man’s world, and their successes and failures as rulers. What I liked best about this book was how in depth it went into rulers beyond Europe, covering Asia, Africa, India and the Ottoman Empire, and parts of South America. This was truly a global look at women rulers across the ages and will appeal to all readers.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

In a world historically dominated by male rulers, the women who have sat on thrones of their own shine out brightly. Some queens and empresses were born to greatness, while others fought their way to power. Queens ranges from the ancient world to the present day, telling the stories of these women who ruled, from murderous former courtesan Wu Zetian in 7th century China to Elizabeth I, the ‘Virgin Queen’ of England. In 6th century Constantinople, Empress Theodora, who had been a street performer before catching the eye of Emperor Justinian, extended rights for women, passing laws that allowed them to divorce and own property and made rape a crime punishable by death. In 12th century Europe, Eleanor of Aquitaine first married the king of France and then the king of England. At the Mughal court in Lahore in the early 17th century, Nur Jahan, wife of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, was the political powerhouse behind the throne. In more recent history, the book explores the reigns of Catherine the Great, revealing how a minor German aristocrat came to rule and expand the Russian Empire, Queen Victoria, whose family dominated the world in the early 20th centuty, and her more recent descendent, Elizabeth II, the longest-ruling queen in history. Carefully researched, superbly entertaining and illustrated throughout with more than 180 photographs and artworks, Queens highlights the true personalities and real lives of the women who became monarchs and empresses.
Really enjoyed this book totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Amber Books Ltd
I just reviewed Queens by Dr Phyllis G Jestice. #Queens #NetGalley

Queens is a beautiful, comprehensive look at the history of women in power and what "queenship" meant throughout history. With beautiful photographs and concise storytelling, the stories of these women are told to make them part of humanity. From ancient civilizations to modern royalty, the book explores the power and influence of women in Eastern and Western culture and history both in patriarchal and matriarchal societies. A wonderful read for anyone interested in the feminine impact on leadership throughout history and those who just love history in general.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amber Books Ltd for providing me with a digital copy for review. The opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of the author or publisher.

I have recently taken a liking to non-fiction reads and this one really taught me a lot. I didn’t realize how interesting this topic was until I finished reading and had to sit with what I had just learned. I definitely would read more from this author.

COMPREHENSIVE AND DETAILED MACRO STUDY OF QUEENSHIP

Looking to get a great, interesting and thorough overview of queenship around the world and throughout history? This is definitely the book for you!

👍 What I Liked 👍

Scope: At first I thought the scope of this book was way too big to ever work. I am happy to say that I was sorely mistaken. Working with queenship both across time and nations should have been a herculean task, but Jestice makes it seem easy as pie. Combining macro history and broad observations with biographical details of selected queens worked amazingly.

Illustrations: The book is generously littered with an abundance of illustration that serve to make the subject matter even more attainable.

Layout: The layout was pleasing and easy to get into. Each chapter focuses on a special time period, which is then divided into sections about specific areas of queenship and/or nationality.

I could not get enough of this one - I am a history person but also love the pictures and photos. This was an ode to the capabilities and prowess of women, but also is fascinating, from the different geographical wars, cultures, traditions, and views of women, to the way some things really have not changed over thousands of years for women. This was perfect timing, in remembering Queen Elizabeth II and all of the other women that will forever grace the pages of history.

Queens is an interesting historical nonfiction about powerful women who ruled the kingdom. With negative efforts to erase historical records, downplay their roles and vilify the fact this book will help us to know some of this women much better. The chapters are divide by era from ancient to modern monarchies. Each of it will highlight several name and snippets of their roles and influences. Most Queen not ruled by them self but take roles from their responsibilities as mother, wives, regent or sharing powers.
My favorite part of course stories about Warrior Queens.

This book is work of history with detailed research. But the author also come with fun and light explanations. With interesting facts and highlights
make this book appealing and not feel like must read "textbooks". Generous additional of photographs, illustrations and text enriches the storytelling process as well. Some Queen name are unrecognize for me, so it make this book hit the mark to make reader feel intrigue and to do continue reading research about the topic.

I enjoyed my reading time with this book. And with sad news about Queen Elizabeth II this one will become perfect books to gift and personal collection.

Thank you Netgalley and Amber Books for provided my copy. I am learning something new and my thoughts are my own.

I wanted to love this. It had a lot of pictures and details but it was only available in netgalley shelf so I downloaded the app despite barely having any memory in my phone and let me just say I hate reading in that app! Kindle is so much easier and user friendly. I kept having to zoom in to read the text!

One of the most interesting books I’ve read all year. A non-fiction historical tribute to famous Queens. Especially timely in the week of Queen Elizabeth’s death. This book will enthrall all readers.

As I write this post, many are mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth. It seems like a fitting time to recommend a book that highlights many of the strong and capable women who became monarchs, despite the male oriented cultures in which they lived. Within these pages learn about queens and their roles, starting with the Ancient World and ending with Modern Challenges for Monarchies.

The author begins by pointing out that many texts were full of the reasons why women could not/should not rule. Women rulers struggled against this belief for many years. There were few women who ruled on their own although, as the mothers or wives of kings, women maintained some influence. It is because of their scarcity that many know of some of the most important female rulers in their own stead, including Elizabeth II.

This is a work of history, not a series of biographical vignettes. It is well written and researched. Those looking for a relatively academic look at this topic will enjoy this title as may many readers interested in learning about both ideas and people. Note that this book is beautifully produced with many works of art and other illustrations.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amber Books Ltd for this title. All opinions are my own.

Queens is a more in depth information book than I was expecting. The sections include; Ancient World, Early Middle Ages, High Middle Ages, Age of Exploration, Early Modern Era and Modern Challenges for Monarchies. Traditionally the importance of Queens is as consorts to a ruling King or mothers of future Kings. Very few during history actually rule on their own or as regents for a child. But Queens can have influence over their spouse or future monarchs. Much of the book covers cultures and countries where I am less familiar. So it is educational, but I found I would pick and choose parts that were of interest to me. It is more than half way through the before it gets to the 1200s. The book is enhanced by the colorful photographs of paintings, statues, shrines, burial sites and monuments all with descriptive blurbs. I was surprised even in modern times there are Queens whose names I don’t know. In a week where the world has lost the longest ruling queen I enjoyed reading through this book. I don’t know that it is a book I would need to own but I would check it out from a library.