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Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Recorded Books (2017), Unabridged MP3; 17h30
Description
In the first volume of this epic new series, Alison Weir strips away centuries of romantic mythology and prejudice to reveal the lives of England's queens in the century after the Norman Conquest. Beginning with Matilda of Flanders, who supported William the Conqueror in 1066, to the turbulent life of the Empress Maud, who claimed to be queen of England in her own right and fought a bitter war to that end, the five Norman queens emerge as hugely influential figures and fascinating characters.
User reviews
LibraryThing member queencersei
Queens of the Conquest is a solid historical overview of the various queens (and their husbands) who ruled England from 1066 to around 1164. It beings with the Norman invasion of William the Conqueror and ends with Henry the II and his dynamic queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. The book is carefully
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researched and does its best to give a true accounting of that time period. One difficulty for readers is the fact that so many of the queens were named Mathilda. The author does her best to differentiate between them, but it does get a bit confusing. Still, it is a good accounting for an often overlooked time period of early British history. Show Less
LibraryThing member briandrewz
An absorbing account of England's first medieval queens. This is the first in a set of books detailing the lives of the medieval queens of England. It is very well researched and sheds light on how they lived and the power they wielded. As a descendant of four of the five queens chronicled on this
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book, I found the subject matter endlessly fascinating. Of course, having a healthy love of history helps, too. In this book, we see the life of William the Conqueror's wife, Matilda, all the way through the life of his granddaughter, Empress Maud. Very interesting reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member PhilSyphe
I think Alison Weir made a good choice to cover the Norman queens collectively, rather than dedicate individual books to each consort, as there isn’t enough info available on any of them to achieve an effective biography. Her biographies on Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabela of France, and Katherine
Therefore, with this collection we have a much better read on all the Matildas. I was already familiar with the period covered, though not so much from the women’s perspective, apart from Henry I’s daughter Matilda’s conflict with King Stephen and her years mentoring her son Henry II.
Overall, I thought this was a very good read, though not quite captivating enough to rate it five stars.
I listened to the audiobook version, which is read by one of the oddest narrators I’ve ever heard. She pauses too long at the end of sentences, and worse still, she pauses in the *middle* of sentences. This irritating habit really spoiled the listening experience. One star for the narrator.
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Swynford rank – in my view – as this talented authors weakest non-fiction books because of the scant info on each of these women.Therefore, with this collection we have a much better read on all the Matildas. I was already familiar with the period covered, though not so much from the women’s perspective, apart from Henry I’s daughter Matilda’s conflict with King Stephen and her years mentoring her son Henry II.
Overall, I thought this was a very good read, though not quite captivating enough to rate it five stars.
I listened to the audiobook version, which is read by one of the oddest narrators I’ve ever heard. She pauses too long at the end of sentences, and worse still, she pauses in the *middle* of sentences. This irritating habit really spoiled the listening experience. One star for the narrator.
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LibraryThing member AmaliaGavea
Although I am an avid History reader, I always approach any Non-Fiction History books with caution, since we all know that no Historian (either professional or amateur) can be wholly objective, especially when it comes to biographies. Now, I can't claim to be much familiar with Alison Weir's work,
The book narrates the lives of the queens of England after the Norman conquest in 1066 but doesn't include Emma of Normandy and Eleanor of Aquitaine (who is mentioned in the periphery, nonetheless) along with Isabella of France since Weir has written separate biographies of the two illustrious monarchs. So, our focus is on Matilda of Flanders of the Bayeux Tapestry fame, Matilda of Scotland, Adeliza of Louvain, Matilda of Boulogne, and my personal favourite, the Empress Maud.
Weir stresses the fact that sources of information coming from monastic chronicles are difficult to be trusted. Think of the raiding Vikings and the horned helmets which was a fairy-tale way for the monks to refer to the Norsemen as the personification of the Devil. And it is to be expected that the views of the Church authorities about a woman in a position of full power were not favourable, to put it mildly. It is evident in her writing that Weir tries to create a balanced view of each queen by presenting the positive and the negative opinions of the time. She includes letters, chronicles and testimonials to paint a portrait of each woman that will be as rounded and objective as possible. In my opinion, she succeeds to the fullest and creates a vivid biography by providing background information about the era, the daily life, the castles, the clothes, the customs and beliefs.
"And so it lasted till the land was all undone and darkened with such deeds; and men said openly that Christ and His Saints slept"
The narration of the war between Maud and Stephen and the time of his reign which was called "The Anarchy" is the most fascinating moment of the book, in my opinion. Maud has always been one of my favourite queens along with Isabella of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine. I like the rebel queens who refused to be defined by their husbands and bend the knee. Maud is also one of the reason I love Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth" so much. Part 4 is a beauty. There we have the first years of Henry's reign in the shadow of his mother, Maud, and his wife, Eleanor.It is an era that most history buffs are very familiar with, an era that brought about so many changes not only in England but in the whole European continent. Another incident that attracted my attention was the complex, turbulent relationship between Matilda of Flanders and William the Conqueror. If the historical anecdotes are indeed accurate, then Matilda was an extremely courageous woman to put up with such a husband. Not that there were many means that women could use to defend themselves at the time, whether they were queens or peasants.
The only weak part of the book, in my opinion, was the heavy inclusion of correspondence. Certainly, it helps us understand and realize that these historical figures that contributed in shaping Europe were people with fears, hopes, passions and incredible responsibilities on their shoulders. However, the Appendixes include the letters in their entirety. It became progressively tiresome to stop the narration in order to present quotes from the same letter again and again. Another thing that diminished my enjoyment was the plethora of syntactical and grammatical mistakes in my ARC. I hope and - believe that they will be corrected in the published book, because they are almost childish at parts and yes, I am a serious case of Grammar Nazi, I admit.
Whether you are a connoisseur of the times of the Norman conquest and the monarchs that sealed England's future forever or whether you wish to become familiar with the lives of five of the most fascinating women to ever grace this continent in an era full of changes, fights and progress and all at the same time, this book will definitely satisfy your craving.
Many thanks to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
Show More
but she comes highly recommended by trusted Goodreads friends and since the extraordinary queens in English History have always been a favourite subject of mine, I chose "Queens of the Conquest" eagerly. I wasn't disappointed. I found the book to be thoroughly researched and a satisfying read with only a few weak parts.The book narrates the lives of the queens of England after the Norman conquest in 1066 but doesn't include Emma of Normandy and Eleanor of Aquitaine (who is mentioned in the periphery, nonetheless) along with Isabella of France since Weir has written separate biographies of the two illustrious monarchs. So, our focus is on Matilda of Flanders of the Bayeux Tapestry fame, Matilda of Scotland, Adeliza of Louvain, Matilda of Boulogne, and my personal favourite, the Empress Maud.
Weir stresses the fact that sources of information coming from monastic chronicles are difficult to be trusted. Think of the raiding Vikings and the horned helmets which was a fairy-tale way for the monks to refer to the Norsemen as the personification of the Devil. And it is to be expected that the views of the Church authorities about a woman in a position of full power were not favourable, to put it mildly. It is evident in her writing that Weir tries to create a balanced view of each queen by presenting the positive and the negative opinions of the time. She includes letters, chronicles and testimonials to paint a portrait of each woman that will be as rounded and objective as possible. In my opinion, she succeeds to the fullest and creates a vivid biography by providing background information about the era, the daily life, the castles, the clothes, the customs and beliefs.
"And so it lasted till the land was all undone and darkened with such deeds; and men said openly that Christ and His Saints slept"
The narration of the war between Maud and Stephen and the time of his reign which was called "The Anarchy" is the most fascinating moment of the book, in my opinion. Maud has always been one of my favourite queens along with Isabella of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine. I like the rebel queens who refused to be defined by their husbands and bend the knee. Maud is also one of the reason I love Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth" so much. Part 4 is a beauty. There we have the first years of Henry's reign in the shadow of his mother, Maud, and his wife, Eleanor.It is an era that most history buffs are very familiar with, an era that brought about so many changes not only in England but in the whole European continent. Another incident that attracted my attention was the complex, turbulent relationship between Matilda of Flanders and William the Conqueror. If the historical anecdotes are indeed accurate, then Matilda was an extremely courageous woman to put up with such a husband. Not that there were many means that women could use to defend themselves at the time, whether they were queens or peasants.
The only weak part of the book, in my opinion, was the heavy inclusion of correspondence. Certainly, it helps us understand and realize that these historical figures that contributed in shaping Europe were people with fears, hopes, passions and incredible responsibilities on their shoulders. However, the Appendixes include the letters in their entirety. It became progressively tiresome to stop the narration in order to present quotes from the same letter again and again. Another thing that diminished my enjoyment was the plethora of syntactical and grammatical mistakes in my ARC. I hope and - believe that they will be corrected in the published book, because they are almost childish at parts and yes, I am a serious case of Grammar Nazi, I admit.
Whether you are a connoisseur of the times of the Norman conquest and the monarchs that sealed England's future forever or whether you wish to become familiar with the lives of five of the most fascinating women to ever grace this continent in an era full of changes, fights and progress and all at the same time, this book will definitely satisfy your craving.
Many thanks to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
Show Less
LibraryThing member AmaliaGavea
Although I am an avid History reader, I always approach any Non-Fiction History books with caution, since we all know that no Historian (either professional or amateur) can be wholly objective, especially when it comes to biographies. Now, I can't claim to be much familiar with Alison Weir's work,
The book narrates the lives of the queens of England after the Norman conquest in 1066 but doesn't include Emma of Normandy and Eleanor of Aquitaine (who is mentioned in the periphery, nonetheless) along with Isabella of France since Weir has written separate biographies of the two illustrious monarchs. So, our focus is on Matilda of Flanders of the Bayeux Tapestry fame, Matilda of Scotland, Adeliza of Louvain, Matilda of Boulogne, and my personal favourite, the Empress Maud.
Weir stresses the fact that sources of information coming from monastic chronicles are difficult to be trusted. Think of the raiding Vikings and the horned helmets which was a fairy-tale way for the monks to refer to the Norsemen as the personification of the Devil. And it is to be expected that the views of the Church authorities about a woman in a position of full power were not favourable, to put it mildly. It is evident in her writing that Weir tries to create a balanced view of each queen by presenting the positive and the negative opinions of the time. She includes letters, chronicles and testimonials to paint a portrait of each woman that will be as rounded and objective as possible. In my opinion, she succeeds to the fullest and creates a vivid biography by providing background information about the era, the daily life, the castles, the clothes, the customs and beliefs.
"And so it lasted till the land was all undone and darkened with such deeds; and men said openly that Christ and His Saints slept"
The narration of the war between Maud and Stephen and the time of his reign which was called "The Anarchy" is the most fascinating moment of the book, in my opinion. Maud has always been one of my favourite queens along with Isabella of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine. I like the rebel queens who refused to be defined by their husbands and bend the knee. Maud is also one of the reason I love Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth" so much. Part 4 is a beauty. There we have the first years of Henry's reign in the shadow of his mother, Maud, and his wife, Eleanor.It is an era that most history buffs are very familiar with, an era that brought about so many changes not only in England but in the whole European continent. Another incident that attracted my attention was the complex, turbulent relationship between Matilda of Flanders and William the Conqueror. If the historical anecdotes are indeed accurate, then Matilda was an extremely courageous woman to put up with such a husband. Not that there were many means that women could use to defend themselves at the time, whether they were queens or peasants.
The only weak part of the book, in my opinion, was the heavy inclusion of correspondence. Certainly, it helps us understand and realize that these historical figures that contributed in shaping Europe were people with fears, hopes, passions and incredible responsibilities on their shoulders. However, the Appendixes include the letters in their entirety. It became progressively tiresome to stop the narration in order to present quotes from the same letter again and again. Another thing that diminished my enjoyment was the plethora of syntactical and grammatical mistakes in my ARC. I hope and - believe that they will be corrected in the published book, because they are almost childish at parts and yes, I am a serious case of Grammar Nazi, I admit.
Whether you are a connoisseur of the times of the Norman conquest and the monarchs that sealed England's future forever or whether you wish to become familiar with the lives of five of the most fascinating women to ever grace this continent in an era full of changes, fights and progress and all at the same time, this book will definitely satisfy your craving.
Many thanks to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
Show More
but she comes highly recommended by trusted Goodreads friends and since the extraordinary queens in English History have always been a favourite subject of mine, I chose "Queens of the Conquest" eagerly. I wasn't disappointed. I found the book to be thoroughly researched and a satisfying read with only a few weak parts.The book narrates the lives of the queens of England after the Norman conquest in 1066 but doesn't include Emma of Normandy and Eleanor of Aquitaine (who is mentioned in the periphery, nonetheless) along with Isabella of France since Weir has written separate biographies of the two illustrious monarchs. So, our focus is on Matilda of Flanders of the Bayeux Tapestry fame, Matilda of Scotland, Adeliza of Louvain, Matilda of Boulogne, and my personal favourite, the Empress Maud.
Weir stresses the fact that sources of information coming from monastic chronicles are difficult to be trusted. Think of the raiding Vikings and the horned helmets which was a fairy-tale way for the monks to refer to the Norsemen as the personification of the Devil. And it is to be expected that the views of the Church authorities about a woman in a position of full power were not favourable, to put it mildly. It is evident in her writing that Weir tries to create a balanced view of each queen by presenting the positive and the negative opinions of the time. She includes letters, chronicles and testimonials to paint a portrait of each woman that will be as rounded and objective as possible. In my opinion, she succeeds to the fullest and creates a vivid biography by providing background information about the era, the daily life, the castles, the clothes, the customs and beliefs.
"And so it lasted till the land was all undone and darkened with such deeds; and men said openly that Christ and His Saints slept"
The narration of the war between Maud and Stephen and the time of his reign which was called "The Anarchy" is the most fascinating moment of the book, in my opinion. Maud has always been one of my favourite queens along with Isabella of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine. I like the rebel queens who refused to be defined by their husbands and bend the knee. Maud is also one of the reason I love Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth" so much. Part 4 is a beauty. There we have the first years of Henry's reign in the shadow of his mother, Maud, and his wife, Eleanor.It is an era that most history buffs are very familiar with, an era that brought about so many changes not only in England but in the whole European continent. Another incident that attracted my attention was the complex, turbulent relationship between Matilda of Flanders and William the Conqueror. If the historical anecdotes are indeed accurate, then Matilda was an extremely courageous woman to put up with such a husband. Not that there were many means that women could use to defend themselves at the time, whether they were queens or peasants.
The only weak part of the book, in my opinion, was the heavy inclusion of correspondence. Certainly, it helps us understand and realize that these historical figures that contributed in shaping Europe were people with fears, hopes, passions and incredible responsibilities on their shoulders. However, the Appendixes include the letters in their entirety. It became progressively tiresome to stop the narration in order to present quotes from the same letter again and again. Another thing that diminished my enjoyment was the plethora of syntactical and grammatical mistakes in my ARC. I hope and - believe that they will be corrected in the published book, because they are almost childish at parts and yes, I am a serious case of Grammar Nazi, I admit.
Whether you are a connoisseur of the times of the Norman conquest and the monarchs that sealed England's future forever or whether you wish to become familiar with the lives of five of the most fascinating women to ever grace this continent in an era full of changes, fights and progress and all at the same time, this book will definitely satisfy your craving.
Many thanks to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
Show Less
LibraryThing member keristars
Queens of the Conquest is a linear/chronological history of Norman England from the days of William the Conqueror through King Henry II, but it's told through the actions and relations of the queens, which Alison Weir calls by the following names: Matilda of Flanders, Matilda of Scotland, Adeliza
There isn't a lot to know about these early queens because of a lack of first-hand sources. There are more-or-less trustworthy accounts about them, the charters they signed, and letters they wrote, but direct evidence for who they were on a personal level or what they looked like is lacking. Thus, most of the book is a dry This Happened Then That Happened and So-and-so Says This Happened But That Guy Disputes It.
I was a little disappointed in the dedication to the chronological timeline and Weir's resistance to extrapolating or guessing about the womens' personal lives. I understand the reasons for both, and I certainly learned a lot more detail about the 11th and 12th centuries in England than I ever knew before, but I opened the book with a craving for details about how the women lived. This is not that.
The chronological timeline was also a bit difficult for me, because there would be asides that something was happening elsewhere while the queen was in a particular place, probably setting up the background for future events, but there were so many of these asides and general information that I had trouble keeping track. The queens' lives overlapped, especially the last few, so even while discussing Adeliza's activities as queen, we get asides about how Empress Maud is doing in Germany, before she comes into her own.
I greatly appreciated the genealogical charts and England/Normandy maps at the front of the book. There are several pages of plates with photos or illustrations of places or objects referenced in the text (especially the best guesses at the queens' appearances), and there are over a hundred pages of information about the sources, including full text of letters referenced or quoted.
Weir's writing is accessible and frank about what is or is not known, but the lack of personal details and heavy historical timeline makes for a dense and slow read.
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of Louvain, Matilda of Burgundy, and Empress Maud. The history ends with the last Matilda's death in Normandy, after her son Henry has married Eleanor of Aquitaine, but it leaves out most of Eleanor's history for another book.There isn't a lot to know about these early queens because of a lack of first-hand sources. There are more-or-less trustworthy accounts about them, the charters they signed, and letters they wrote, but direct evidence for who they were on a personal level or what they looked like is lacking. Thus, most of the book is a dry This Happened Then That Happened and So-and-so Says This Happened But That Guy Disputes It.
I was a little disappointed in the dedication to the chronological timeline and Weir's resistance to extrapolating or guessing about the womens' personal lives. I understand the reasons for both, and I certainly learned a lot more detail about the 11th and 12th centuries in England than I ever knew before, but I opened the book with a craving for details about how the women lived. This is not that.
The chronological timeline was also a bit difficult for me, because there would be asides that something was happening elsewhere while the queen was in a particular place, probably setting up the background for future events, but there were so many of these asides and general information that I had trouble keeping track. The queens' lives overlapped, especially the last few, so even while discussing Adeliza's activities as queen, we get asides about how Empress Maud is doing in Germany, before she comes into her own.
I greatly appreciated the genealogical charts and England/Normandy maps at the front of the book. There are several pages of plates with photos or illustrations of places or objects referenced in the text (especially the best guesses at the queens' appearances), and there are over a hundred pages of information about the sources, including full text of letters referenced or quoted.
Weir's writing is accessible and frank about what is or is not known, but the lack of personal details and heavy historical timeline makes for a dense and slow read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Helenliz
This is a valiant attempt to do something different in history, but it slightly fails in the execution. She lays this out as the first in a series of books focussing on the women who were crowned after the Norman conquest. This book being the first, taking in the first 3 kings to take a Queen,
It gets more confused with Henry I's second wife. Her life does not neatly align with her husband's being in her teens when she married him, he being in his 50s. Her life overlaps that of the next Queen Matilda, wife to Stephen, and her story sort of peters out. The reign of Stephen is greatly complicated by the civil war that broke out between him and the daughter of Henry I, the Empress Maud. In this section, the author feels obliged to include both Maud and Matilda, and it becomes a lot less easy to feel them as individuals. The chapters don;t concentrate quite so highly on the ladies, more the moves that are made in and around them. The book becomes a lot more coherrent in the final passages, when Maud has outlived both Stephen and Matilda and is acting as advisor to Henry II.
It is interesting how much clearer the lives of the first two queens were, when there was only one protagonist to deal with, Matilda (3) remains, to me, more of a mystery and is overshadowed or shown in contrast to Maud, such that she becomes less real somehow.
So excellent idea, and well executed for the most part. She writes readable history, without it feeling to have tooo many current values superimposed. There are a couple of weighty appendices, with letters and descriptions of the main chroniclers of the period, which was of general interest. I also found it interesting to know that in this period the nobility were taught to read, but not write, and they signed their mark, not their names.
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William I, Henry I and Stephen. Slightly confusingly they all married women called Matilda. And the first 2 Matildas go really well. There's a certain amount of information to call on, charters, chronicles, court rolls and the like, all of which can tell you where the Queen was at certain points, when she was acting with her husband and when on his behalf elsewhere. It gets more confused with Henry I's second wife. Her life does not neatly align with her husband's being in her teens when she married him, he being in his 50s. Her life overlaps that of the next Queen Matilda, wife to Stephen, and her story sort of peters out. The reign of Stephen is greatly complicated by the civil war that broke out between him and the daughter of Henry I, the Empress Maud. In this section, the author feels obliged to include both Maud and Matilda, and it becomes a lot less easy to feel them as individuals. The chapters don;t concentrate quite so highly on the ladies, more the moves that are made in and around them. The book becomes a lot more coherrent in the final passages, when Maud has outlived both Stephen and Matilda and is acting as advisor to Henry II.
It is interesting how much clearer the lives of the first two queens were, when there was only one protagonist to deal with, Matilda (3) remains, to me, more of a mystery and is overshadowed or shown in contrast to Maud, such that she becomes less real somehow.
So excellent idea, and well executed for the most part. She writes readable history, without it feeling to have tooo many current values superimposed. There are a couple of weighty appendices, with letters and descriptions of the main chroniclers of the period, which was of general interest. I also found it interesting to know that in this period the nobility were taught to read, but not write, and they signed their mark, not their names.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jennybeast
I tried so hard to enjoy this book, and sometimes I succeeded. It's clearly deeply researched, and I appreciate very much how Weir intersperses the biographical information with background information about what life might have been like in the time -- sometimes this is setting, sometimes the theme
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is the economy or the church. It's a really great juxtaposition, and I think had the book been shorter, I might have really gotten into it -- The first two Matildas were really interesting to read about, but you know, inevitably, that you will come to Maud and Steven and it's just too depressing for words. Also, to be perfectly honest, I found Weir's understanding of domestic life and clothing to be lacking -- while the research and history that follows each Queen's governance is exhaustively thorough (charter by charter throughout their lives), the sections which dealt with what a medieval hall might have been like seem ripped from some dusty Victorian tome, the costuming work seems to be limited to looking at effigies and later reimagining (which takes you only so far) and there is a significant amount of newer work and hands-on research that paints a vastly different picture. I came to this wanting something other than what it was, so I find it commendable and also just not really what I hoped for. Show Less
Original language
English
Original publication date
2017-09