Queens of the Crusades

This one is for the history lovers, another well researced book from Alison Weir. This is a very in depth look at the wives of some of the greatest kings of medieval England. Ms. Weir has a magical way of bringing history to life and making each character alive and vibrant. She has a beautiful, lyrical way of portraying history. Reading any of her books are a learning experience on history that never gets boring.

Thoughts soon.

Alison Weir narrates the stories of five medieval queens - three Eleanors, a Berengaria and an Isabella.<br /><br />I have a scattershot understanding of English history. Ask me about the Tudors, for example, and I could regale you with quite a few tales. On the other hand, I know very little about the historical figures who lived between the landing of William the Conqueror and the War of the Roses. Hence, this series.<br /><br />Alison Weir is a very accessible writer, providing plenty of context about the time period and a well-rounded view of the lives of the queens. However, I felt that the depths to which she delves are uneven with each queen - we learn much more about Eleanor of Aquitaine and Alienor of Provence than about the others.

Like the first book in the series, this was a well researched study, but for me it wasn't as compelling as other Weir's works; probably because Weir focuses on the kings just as much, if not more, as the queens. This is probably because for some of them the available informations are not many, or because she wants to give a more complete view of the times. <br />Personally I would have preferred if the book was shorter but more focused on the queens. However, it is still a good non-fiction book and I would recommend it if you are interested in the historical period.<br />

The Plantagenet era in English history was a giant soap opera filled with drama, family members revolting against family members, civil wars and constant jostling for power. However, even though men are generally the more documented of the two sexes; women (or in this case, queens) helped build the Plantagenet foundation. Alison Weir strives to bring to the foreground the roles, biographies and narratives of “England’s Medieval Queens” starting with, “Queens of the Conquest” and follows with Book Two: “Queens of the Crusades”. <br /><br />In “Queens of the Crusades”, Weir hones in on the English history period from 1154-1291that saw the likes of the murder of Thomas Becket, the creation of Magna Carta and the birth of republic practices in England that are still in practice today. “Queens of the Crusades” highlights the key queens: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Berengaria (Queen of Richard the Lionheart), Isabella of Angouleme (Queen of King John), Alienor of Provence (Queen of Henry III) and Eleanor of Castile (Queen of Edward I). That’s right: try to keep all the Eleanors, straight! <br /><br />Weir immediately establishes the precedent and formulaic standard that will be followed in “Queens of the Crusades”; stating that the text is not a continuance of individual biographies but rather overlapping narratives following these women in ‘real time’ and focusing on how one affected the other (and therefore impacted the country of England and its politics). Those having read Book One are familiar with this style. Even though “Queens of the Crusades” is supposedly one ‘flowing narrative’; each woman receives a strong and equal amount of coverage, divided fairly. This allows for readers to see the influence these women held. <br /><br />The main issue related to this is that the ultimate ‘point’ of “Queens of the Crusades” is seemingly lost. Much of the text is slow and tedious with sentence structure that merely points out, “Event A happened. Event B happened. Then C.” without exploring reasoning or having a smooth, compelling flow. Weir often overly centers on logistics, travel itineraries and purchase ledgers which could, in theory, reveal the lives of the Queens but fails to do so in this case. “Queens of the Crusades” doesn’t have much takeaway and isn’t ‘sticky’ or memorable. Not to mention: it is often quite difficult keeping track of all the figures, making for an inconsistent and choppy read. <br /><br />Weir avoided her usual biases and snarky comments in “Queens of the Crusades” but she did not forgo the speculative statements based on conjecture. “Queens of the Crusades” is filled with numerous assumptions and theories presented as facts but not backed by any sourcing. For example, on pages 334-335, Weird affirms that, “It has been credibly suggested” that Katherine (daughter of Queen Alienor and King Henry III) suffered from Rett Syndrome. This is obviously a modern-day medical diagnosis without Weir diving into research or mentioning the “credible source” and simply moves on. A little more elaboration is necessary when making such a lofty statement! <br /><br />“Queens of the Crusades” also suffers from <u>major</u> editing flaws. On pages 234-237, Weir mistakenly substituted dates in the 1200s with 2000s (such as 2019 for 1219!). How the HECK did this make it into a final print?! Does Weir no longer use editors at this stage?! Not only does this make Weir less credible but it also weakens the text and pops the reader’s reading bubble resulting in a distracting experience. <br /><br />Speaking of dates, Weir jumps back-and-forth in time even as closely as subsequent paragraphs which adds to the heavy, confusing stream. <br /><br /> The bulk of “Queens of the Crusades” is repetitive and without standout moments. How Weir manages to make such drama ‘boring’ is almost painful. Readers don’t genuinely glean an insight into the Queens or truly ‘get to know’ them and their impact. “Queens of the Crusades” is more of a general history discourse on the period but with a slightly more feminine focus. Basically, “Queens of the Crusades” doesn’t meet its intended goal of portraying the Plantagenet Queens. <br /><br />On a more positive note, Weir occasionally fortifies “Queens of the Crusades” with the inclusion of block quotes from primary documents and the with the occasional debunking of various myths (although Weir doesn’t elaborate to the degree of her usual manner).<br /><br />Even though “Queens of the Crusades” is a lengthy volume; the chapters are manageable and short helping to keep the text from being overwhelming due to its size.<br /><br />The concluding chapters of “Queens of the Crusades” are quite inconsistent as the focus of Henry III/ Queen Alienore and the Barons’ War are cluttered and hectic meanwhile the following section regarding Edward I/ Eleanor of Castile revert back to mostly discussing travel agendas. Weir finalizes with an epilogue that only addresses Eleanor of Castile rather than summarize all of the queens in “Queens of the Crusades”. Thus, the ending is weak, not memorable and doesn’t tie together the entire piece. Nothing about “Queens of the Crusades” is noteworthy. <br /><br />“Queens of the Crusades” includes a section of color photo plates, a selected bibliography and a VERY scant section of notes (not annotated). <br /><br />Book Two of Weir’s “England’s Medieval Queens” is a poor follow-up; in that “Queens of the Crusades” is dry (and not in an academic way but just lacking a riveting flow), doesn’t bring the queens to life at all (thereby not educating readers) and doesn’t emote any response or feeling. “Queens of the Crusades” is recommended, despite its mediocre status, to those readers interested in the women lining the subject matter; but there is no need to rush or go out of one’s way.

What an amazing creative read. I always know I’m in for a great read when I get one of this authors books. And this one was didn’t let me down. The storyline was captivating and intriguing the characters were engaging and believable. You could almost see it playing out as you read. If you enjoy historical fiction you’ll enjoy this book. Can’t wait to read what this author has for us next

Dry, slow, detailed, an uncomfortable reluctance to identify antisemitism as more than 'The Jews' were expelled, fined, other forms of oppressive societal limitations. These are antisemitic &amp; genocidal practices.<br />I think its important to label them as such.??‍♀️<br />This also focuses overly on the men, sometimes it feels like to the exclusion of the actual subject.

Review to come.

What struck me the most from reading this marvelously researched and thorough book, is the dynasty of the Plantagenets family timeline! Alison Weir does it again. She is the epitome of historic authors particularly in this Medieval realm. I cannot read enough of her books. I had no idea that the word Plantagenet came from Planta genista - which was a sprig of broom, and that the name wasn't adopted as a royal surname until the 15th Century. This book is filled with wonderful new things that I didn't know, as that. The women of that time who were queens went through so much, especially with their randy husbands, all Kings. They gave birth to so many children which is unheard of today.<br />This book had me riveted and answered many questions I have had over the years when reading about these 5 Queens. The riches, the furs, the jewelry....amazing! But all the Kings dalliances were outrageous! I particularly loved reading that during the Eleanor of Aquitaine chapter that the food wasn't very good during that time in one of their castles. Realizing how old Windsor Castle is, is still amazing to me.<br />Thank you Alison Weir, for once again, writing the most amazing book. These Queens would be proud to read it and you continue to give the people of this time such respect, awe and dignity.<br />Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the perusal of The Queens of the Crusade by Alison Weir. It was a pleasure to read!!!

This author is amazing. I cannot even imagine how much time she spends doing research. And she publishes fairly frequently. It's stunning. <br /><br />This is the second in the series about the queens of England. This one covers the time period coinciding with the Crusades. Instead of looking at the kings, the author delves into the lives of the queens. It covers early lives and goes through widowhood. It looks at contemporary accounts and tries to pull truth out of other people's opinions. She manages to have an opinion and be unbiased all at the same time. <br /><br />I hope there will be more of these.<br /><br />I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.