Alison Weir is a great writer of history, both non-fiction and more recently fiction. This is the third in a series of potted biographies of medieval queens and covers the fourteenth century. From Edward I's second wife, the unheralded princess from France, through to the second wife of the deposed Richard III, each woman is placed in her context and her actions and motivations explored. Of course most detail is given to Isabella and her revolt against Edward II, strongly backed up with Philippa of Hainault and the generally obscure Anne of Bohemia, Richard II's first wife. It's a brilliant and detailed insight into politics and royal life in a busy century.

I’ve read a number of books by Alison Weir and find her writing accessible but absolutely packed with information. Her research is impeccable and I marvel at the way she brings together so many diverse sources into a format that’s spellbinding for the lay reader. Her focus is predominantly on the role of females. Given that the majority of historical record is dominated by the male point of view, I find her insight refreshing and original. She frequently challenges the view that the royal houses were male dominated. The women, from wives to courtiers were often ignored and considered irrelevant. But a different history is now being considered. One where women were influential and often changed the course of events.

Queens of the Age if Chivalry presents a different, well considered perspective. It’s a delight to read and and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in social history. Really enjoyed this assessment of turbulent times.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

WoW Queens of the Age of Chivalry by Alison Weir was one excellent book from start to finish and I loved it. I have enjoyed all Alison's books I have read but this book was just excellent! This is the third and final book in Weir's queens trilogy and another five star book. I always find with Alison's books as well they are so beautifully written and well researched and detailed as well I always found books like this boring but never with her books.

I highly recommend all Alison Weir's book. Just Brilliant!

Ot giving feedback because not reading. Thought it was a novel based on historical characters. Apologies

Like, I suspect, many lovers of English royal history, I'm pretty good up until Richard the Lionheart & King John, then things get a bit hazy until the Tudors arrive. I'd heard of some names: Edward II supposedly killed by a hot poker somewhere unmentionable, Richard II....Peasants' Revolt..something...something..., Henry Bolingbroke...not a scooby. So this was an ideal book for me, & the fourteenth century makes much more sense now. It's taken me just over a week to finish this, but it wasn't because it was struggling to keep my interest, it was due to the fact that there is just so much information packed into these pages. I had to keep recapping family trees in my head to ensure I had the 'who was who/who was related to who' correct, & I spent some time in merry diversions such as looking at re-creations of medieval dress - chin barbes, anyone?

As the title suggests, this book examines the reigns of Edward I, Edward II, Edward III, & Richard II via their marriage partners. In order: Marguerite of France, Isabella of France, Philippa of Hainault, Anne of Bohemia & Isabella of Valois (last two both married to Richard II, at different times of course). At a time when most important marriages were arranged for strategic & alliance purposes, the majority of these marriages seemed to have been genuinely happy. Most of them tended to live as Queen Consorts were expected to, but the standout was Isabella of France, wife of Edward II. Not content to be sidelined by a royal favourite, Isabella schemed to replace her husband with their eldest son, & actually succeeded. Her alliance & (rumoured but probably true) love affair with Roger Mortimer has earned her the scorn of historians for many years, but perhaps Isabella felt she had no option but to do what she did. Weir also notes that the deposing of a reigning monarch had repercussions down through the years culminating in Charles I's execution & the eventual loss of complete monarchical power in England. The poker thing though - probably not true. In fact there is some evidence to suggest Edward II may not have died in England at all, but fled overseas.

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 stars

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Random House UK/Vintage Digital, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Informative, thoroughly researched resource detailing the lives of the queen consorts of Edward I to Richard II. Fabulous, just fabulous!

This is a real tour de force dealing with a very complex period of English history, which the author has carefully researched and produced a very readable and interesting book. The book deals with five medieval queens: Marguerite of France, Isabella of France, Philippa of Hainault, Anne of Bohemia and Isabella of Valois, who married very different kings - Edward I (Marguerite), Edward II (Isabella), Edward III (Philippa), Richard II (Anne and Isabella).

The author portrays a way of life very different to the standards of today, and uses primary sources to reveal the vast sums spent by the royals on maintaining their way of life. She puts the spotlight firmly on the queens, but also fills in the gaps of what happened to their husbands. It makes for fascinating reading; not least as she offers a (to me) new theory about the fate of Edward II, as well as some justification that Isabella did not deserve the evil reputation history has given her. We also see the origins of many of the ongoing traditions of this country.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone interested in England (or France's) medieval history. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and Vintage for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A book in five parts.
Dealing with five queens, Marguerite of France (4 chapters); Isabella of France (15 chapters); Philippa of Hainault (9 chapters); Anne of Bohemia (4 chapters); and Isabella of Valois (5 chapters) this book takes the reader through the history of their lives and times.
I am not sure exactly what I expected from this book but what I didn’t was to find that more than half of the book dealt with the men in these women’s lives. It is readable and extremely well researched but ultimately, for me, a little disappointing.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

How does Alison Weir do it?! I’m fairly new to her books and have read about three of them so far, but with each and every single one, she’s had the ability to absolutely hook me.

I find I’m enthralled by her writings and literally can’t get enough. Her retellings of history and portrayal of historical figures are out of this world and she really gives you a feel and sense for who they were and might have been. I haven’t known much about medieval queens before, in fact, I’m drawing from my well of nothing when it comes to knowledge of these queens so I not only learnt a lot, but enjoyed doing so too!

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.

I just love the way she writes and sends the reader back to whichever historical period and time she regales us with. There’s so much drama in history and it makes for great reading. I loved learning about these queens and I’m going to have to go back now and read everything she’s ever written because I think by this stage, I know I’m guaranteed to enjoy them!

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!

Im so glad I got a chance to read this book. I haven't read the previous two but will go back and read them. Its a very interesting account of the queens that were almost forgotten. Being a Tudor fan this was definitely up my alley!

We are used to think about women in Middle Age as weak or idealised but there were some very strong women who played in the political field like the queens in this book.
They lived in complex age when things where changing, they were part of political agreements but they were also able to play important political roles.
Alison Weir did an excellent job in telling the life of these women and this is an informative book that always kept my attention alive.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This third volume of Alison Weir's biographies about the Queens of England has been a very awaited release of mine. I enjoyed the previous two books, and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next editions.

I think so far, this is my least favorite. Not because there was any great flaw in the writing, but because I've already read a few books on the queens featured here, one by Weir herself. The strongest sections were the ones on the queens with the longest chapters — Isabella and Philippa. They were quite interesting and captured much of my interest. The first section on Marguerite of France was also good.

My least favorite were on the last two queens, Anne of Bohemia and Isabella of Valois. Which is kind of a shame, as for all the queens featured, they were the ones I knew about the least and was excited to read more about. It's not the fault of the author though, as both the queens died young so there isn't a lot really to work on. I did like the look on Isabella of Valois' life even after she left England.

Overall, a meticulously researched biographical account. While I did not enjoy this as much as the others, I'm still glad to have read it as I did end up learning a few more new things. I definitely recommend this to anyone interested in royal history.

I absolutely adored this. We tell the stories of women so rarely and often we can't because they are forgotten. I liked Weir's way of uncovering the stories, motivations and events in these women's lives. Fantastic. I ordered a hardcopy for myself as it's one of those books you want to revisit over and over again.

The queen's view of the Age of Chivalry, those times between Edward I and Richard II.
Alison Weir's research and insight amazes in the retelling of the lives and thoughts of these queens.
This is a period of history not known as well as the Tudors, but full of just as much intrigue.
Her choice of anecdote adds to the enjoyment of the history.
The author's honesty when telling rumours and stories of the events shows that we will never know the truth of these times, but add to our understanding of life, thoughts and politics.
A thoroughly enjoyable read. I recommend it.
My thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy for honest review.

I had heard of these Queens of chivalry but knew next to nothing about them. Alison Weir has written an incredible book about these mediaeval
times referencing research while making it very readable.

This book looks at female medieval royalty in a very different way. With rich, colourful descriptions we read about foreign queens in England who knew their duty but each carried it out according to her own style.
Every queen lived with public pagaentry as well as conflict at home. A well researched., engrossing book. Captivating in
detail and very readable.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Randomhouse UK and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

Alison Weir is an author I will always read. This new book did not disappoint.

I loved reading about lesser-known mediaeval queens, who don’t get the same treatment as more sensational queens, but who were interesting and powerful in a different way.

The book was easy to read whilst still providing a factual account, making it a very accessible read. Would definitely recommend picking this one up.

Very good. Informative and fast paced. Even though going into this book I only had a basic knowledge of the queens I left with a full knowledge which is a testament to the work of Alison Weir.

Thorough and readable as are all Alison Weir's books. Fascinating to read about king's reigns once again, albeit through the lens of consorts and their sensibilities, their limits of influence and their dependency upon their husbands.

This is a well researched and a fascinating depiction of this period in history. It is a very big book , so although I am enjoying reading it, I will have to come back and read a bit at a time. It is a book which it is possible to do this with.