Queens of the Conquest from Alison Weir is as wonderful and perfect as you would expect. Weir is an expert on this period of history and her writing is clean and precise. I really enjoyed the deep dive into the world of these queens.

Loved this book, Alison Weir is the queen of historical fiction!
Interesting characters and plot, we’ll worth a read.

I would like to thank netgalley and Random House for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting, but does go on a few tangents.

Queens of the Conquest is about the five Norman queens. Four of the five were called Matilda but Weir gives them each a different title, which avoids confusion – from Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror, to Empress Maud (who is included although she was never crowned, as she was the heir to Henry I).

Inevitably the stories of the queens consort are dominated by the key events of their husband’s reigns but the book also highlights the roles the queens played in their own right. Each had her own household and financial means, granted charters, and was regent while the kings were away. This involved not only making political decisions but overseeing courts and adjudicating in disputes.

There is a wealth of detail in this book. It feels like Weir wants to tell us everything she has unearthed about the five women. This can lead to fascinating insights into areas often bypassed in ‘kings and queens’ histories – the layout of the royal apartments, the clothes they wore, their approach to child-rearing. I was fascinated that while Matilda of Flanders probably learnt to read, it was deemed unnecessary for high-born children to learn to write, as that was the responsibility of clerks. (It makes me think about when computers first appeared in offices and the only people who had them were secretaries!)

You sense the precarious nature of the lives of these women and their strength and ambition. Maud was married as a child to the future Holy Roman Emperor, leaving her home and all she knew. On his early death she was returned home, before being married to Geoffrey of Anjou, a much younger man and of a status which she felt beneath an ‘empress’ (she insisted on retaining the title throughout her life).

Sometimes, though, the detail intrudes to the detriment of the flow of the book. Since births, even of royal children, were not routinely recorded, there is some uncertainty about the ages and birth order. At one point Weir discusses the various possibilities at length, and cites the competing sources. Some letters are quoted in full, even though they are also in the appendices. An account of a dramatic buildup to battle is interrupted to explain that the queen witnessed another charter.

As a general reader, I’d prefer not to have this level of information in the text. I’d be happy to accept the author’s opinion on contested information and have the detail in the notes. However, Queens of the Conquest covers the role of queens in a level of detail that make it a great resource for anyone researching the topic and gives a perspective that is often ignored.

I received a copy of Queens of the Conquest from the publisher via Netgalley.

This was a very informative book that is a must read for fans of medieval history and the monarchy. It was quite long and not the easiest book to get through but it was worth the time spent on it.

Queens of the Conquest focuses on the lives of England's Norman queens. However, these aren't simple biographies, as their lives are interwoven in the text, as in life, to paint a full picture of the queenly narrative at the time. Quotes from chroniclers and key players are interspersed to guide the story, as well as snippets from the queens' own surviving letters.

Some may say that history is dull or uninteresting, but Alison Weir has succeeded in bringing the story of these remarkable women to life in a wholeheartedly engaging manner. Each chapter is filled with emotion, determination, and the spirit of the queens. From the influential Matilda of Flanders to the troubles of the Empress Maud, each queen is brought to life by the words on the page.

Queens of the Conquest is a great historical resource and a thoroughly enjoyable book.

Alison Weir's book is a readable and informative tour de force of the first 3 Queens of England after the Norman Conquest. Well, actually 4, as the Empress Matilda came very close to becoming England's first ever Queen Regnant (as in a Queen reigning in her own right, instead of the wife of a King.)


Weir's previous work tended to focus more on the Tudors and late Medieval Monarchs, but she's done very well with this book focusing on 4 strong, interesting and intelligent women who played important rules in 11th and 12th century English history.
Incidentally, all 4 of them were also called Matilda, which can make things a little bit confusing, and makes you grateful for nicknames. First was Matilda of Flanders, the faithful and capable wife of William the Conqueror, then Matilda of Scotland, wife of Henry I. Her birth name was Edith, and the blood of the ancient Saxon Kings of Wessex ran in her veins, but she was also the daughter of St Margaret of Scotland, and Malcolm II Canmore.

She unified the House of Wessex with the line of William, and was a contemporary of some of England's greatest Medieval scholars and writers, including the philosopher Anselm of Canterbury, which whom she enjoyed a close friendship. Some of their letters are transcribed at the end of the book, in a useful and interesting addition.

The final two women were Empress Maud, the famous daughter of Henry and Matilda, and Queen Matilda, the wife of Stephen. Empress and Queen both became involved in the brutal 12th century civil war known as The Anarchy. (I never knew that the Queen Matilda was the niece of Godfrey de Bouillon, one of the leader's of the First Crusade who became the Crusader ruler of Jerusalem).

Weir's exposition of the life and career of Maud is extensive and detailed, but has proved controversial for some, because she suggests that some of the contemporary allegations of arrogance and belligerence might have been true. Now, I'm not one for suggesting that everything a historian says is wrong simply because I disagree with them on one or two points, and I suspect a lot of people might have stopped reading as soon as they got to that part.

Weir is objective in her treatment of Maud, and does not take such claims at face value, but questions them and provides some alternative viewpoints and, where she does speculate, she presents it as such. Some aspects of Maud's career does suggest she may have been possessed of her father's negative traits, and indeed at the time of his death, she was engaged in outright rebellion against him.

There's an annoying tendency today to assume that any criticism of a woman is 'misogyny' and this refers to female historical figures as well. We tend to assume that any criticism of their character or actions was based on the 'misogynistic' attitudes of the time, and discount any possibility that contemporary observers may actually have had a point. I do think with Matilda, they might have done. Weir (rightly) points out that there was a double standard in terms of expectations and attitudes, but asks the reader to overcome that and look at things from the perspective of the time, and appreciate some of the evidence.

Ultimately, Empress Maud does come over in a good light, but as a woman who was, nevertheless flawed, and made some bad choices. For that, she is all the more human and relatable than some kind of perfect feminist icon to be placed on some kind of pedestal.

I would recommend Queens of the Conquest for all who are interested in Women's History and a worthy addition to the library of anyone interested in Medieval European History. It ends with the Empress Maud's death before Eleanor of Aquitaine became Queen, so she doesn't feature much in the book.

Thanks to Random House and Negalley for a PDF of this title. This in no way influenced my review, and all opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

I found a lot to enjoy about this book, particularly the details on how the medieval royalties lived, their diet, their castles, what they did in their spare time, how they went to the bathroom (ha!)..whether they bathed often and so on. The relationships between the kings and queens also made for great reading. Unfortunately I also found myself skipping big chunks. There were just too many in the cast of characters and I often found myself lost and uninterested.

Ms Weir had a huge challenge, especially seeing that Mathilda of Flanders lived almost one thousand years ago!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. So sorry it took so long but this is my honest opinion.

I was initially interested in reading this book, however my tastes have shifted and I do not think I will be able to get to it now. Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a digital copy!

Usually a fan of Tudor based historical fiction, I was thrilled to discover this book by one of my favourite historical authors. I really enjoyed finding out more about these 5 formidable Norman Queens, their stories brought to life by Weir's vivid style.

I love Alison Weir books, fiction and non-fiction, she always manages to take historical fact and weave it into an engaging read. Never dry, always interesting, I never tire of her books.

Telling the story of the women behind the men between 1066 and 1194. The empress maud being my personal favourite. These women lost to mist of time are brought vibrant life. I’m pleased that she will be continuing this series.

The research is second to none, it seems to lift these women from darkness into light and makes it clear women are essential in any time and exerted power even 1000 years ago.

I am a selfconfessed Alison Weir addict. I buy all her books and when I heard of this new release I was ecstatic. I am a huge fan of reading about women in history as they are still sadly underrepresented in nonfiction but thanks to authors like Weir this is lessening. Another fabulous book and I can't wait to read more about incredible women.

This gave me everything I adore in a book of non-fiction - a density of topic, a large area covered, both academic and yet written in an understandable and eloquent tone, and clearly, greatly researched. I found this a tome that took me longer to pore over than I had originally anticipated but that was purely due to the fact that I learned something new and was scribbling notes to remember on every single page! I loved how this was set out, found it easily navigable, and - above all - highly interesting. Would highly recommend!

"Saga of England's medieval Queens is vivid and stirring, packed with tragedy, high drama, and even comedy. It is a chronicle of love, passion, high intrigue, murder, war, treason, betrayal and sorrow, peopled by a cast of heroines, villains, amazons, stateswomen, adulteresses and lovers."

Weir claims her aim in writing this tome was to strip away the "romantic mythology and legends" - and yet each chapter has its own flowery title. She also claims that it is "not an academic history but a narrative of the times" - and yes it is.

What I actually found was an attempt at updating Agnes Strickland's "Lives of the Queens of England" (pub 1840s) - and there is nothing wrong in that (I have also read Strickland's works), and as more information comes to hand, research quite naturally is updated. Having said that, sometimes when one reads a new work, one has a sense of deja vu.

This tome encompasses the women of the early Norman period: Matilda of Flanders, Matilda of Scotland, Adeliza of Louvain, Matilda of Boulogne and Empress Maud - all fascinating women in their own right. Some chapters are longer than others - sometimes, with information is just not there for the author to really delve into the character of these women. There follows the usual sources, letters, bibliography at the end.

Look - an entry level book for the beginner, but nothing new for the purist looking for something with a bit more guts to it.

Alison Weir once again proves her prowess with taking her readers back in time. Another triumph for fans of English history, especially the oft untold tales of queens.

This was a tough one to rate, as there is absolutely nothing wrong with Alison Weir's writing and research. Her attention to detail is meticulous, and she tries to give a great overview of the women she's writing about in both their good and bad points. What made the book suffer is the apparent lack of credible, reliable and plentiful sources. Weir had to fill a whole book with very little available information. She did a great job with that in mind, but the result that there were parts that felt like filler. Alison Weir is brilliant as always, but as an overall book I felt it was lacking a bit. 5/5 for what Weir did with a dearth of information. 3/5 for the overall reading experience.

Well, of course, there's history and there's history. And for me any history written by Alison Weir is pretty much irresistible. Like me she has an abiding interest in medieval history (although we'll both dabble in Tudors if pressed...) and wants to think about how women shaped that world. In Queens of the Conquest Weir is looking at the very earliest queens of England - the wives of the Norman kings, William the Conqueror, Henry I and Stephen - and the Empress Maud, daughter of Henry I and rival to her cousin Stephen during a bitter civil war known as the Anarchy. Which took me back to reading my Mum's Jean Plaidy books as a child and my realisation that the best way to be a Norman queen was to be called Matilda...

The problem with books written about this period is that primary evidence is fairly thin on the ground and that which does exist is not necessarily easy to work with. Charters issued by queens on both their own and their husband's behalf, a few letters and, in the case of Maud, some fairly scathing comments from the Gesta Stephani (a contemporary history written very much on Stephen's side of things). The book works with this material well - it can seem a little dry at points but it certainly made me realise that the phenomenon of women being judged on their looks, compliant personalities and ability to bear children is not the invention of modern celebrity magazines. All of the queens in this book seem to be strong women, acting as regent for their husbands and making decisions both political and financial on their behalf. Maud was the queen best known to me - the daughter of a king, wife of a king and mother to a king but, sadly for her, never crowned as queen in her own right. I was intrigued to read about the possibilities of her relationship with her daughter-in-law, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and I'm quite excited to read that this is the first book in a projected series of four books. I have really been enjoying Weir's fiction about the wives of Henry VIII but reading about the unvarnished facts (or as many as are available to historians) of the wives of earlier kings is a different kind of pleasure. More like a medieval 'Who Do You Think You Are' than a 12th Century Hello magazine - both popular generally but the former is far more my cup of tea.

Alison Weir reaches back to the Norman Conquest to write of the queens that ruled England and Normandy in that time. In that time it was common for queens to share power with their husbands, and the subjects of this history were women of great power and consequence.

Of necessity, Weir's account is derived from very limited sources, much of which could be said to have a distinct bias. She manages to thread her way through this and present a well-rounded portrait of her principal subjects: Matilda of Flanders, Matilda of Scotland, the Empress Maud and Matilda of Boulogne.

It is, of course, not Weir's fault, but the fact that all of her subjects were named Matilda is a bit confusing, and I at times wished that she had a clearer way of distinguishing one from the other. I could also have done with a little less of the fawning letters that dominate the early part of the book; a more succinct precis would have been better than swathes of oily flattery from supplicants. I was also a bit surprised when the book ended so quickly; fully 25% of it is given over to footnotes, sources and the index. That seemed a bit excessive, and I could have done with more history and less notes.

That said, this was still a good book with a view on the Norman era that is not often seen. I particularly enjoyed Weir's account of the civil war between Stephen and Maud, a chapter in English history that I had not read much of before. That alone made this book very worthwhile.

Excitingly this is the first volume in an epic new series, through which Weir hopes to strip away centuries of romantic mythology and prejudice to tell the real story of England’s medieval queens in the century after the Norman Conquest. It is a chronicle of love, power, marriage, murder, war and betrayal, filled with passion, intrigue and sorrow, and peopled with a cast of heroines, saints, villains, states women and lovers. This first volume covers the hugely influential figures and fascinating characters of the first five Norman queens, from Matilda of Flanders to the controversial Empress Maud.

Beginning with Matilda of Flanders, the wife of William I, who conquered England in 1066, and the mother of the future Henry I and William II. Moving on to Matilda of Scotland, the first wife of Henry I and the mother of Maud and William. Then Adeliza of Louvain, the second wife of Henry I who hoped for more children after the death of his heir William. Culminating in the turbulent period of ‘The Anarchy’ where we have two queens: Matilda of Boulogne, the wife of the usurper Stephen, and the Empress Maud, who claimed to be queen in her own right as the named heir of her father, Henry I.

I found all of these important women fascinating to read about, although inevitably the last section covering the strong, feisty Matilda of Boulogne and Maud was the most exciting for me. All of their lives Weir cleverly pieced together through accounts, letters and charters from the time, but due to the rarity of these primary sources Weir also pads things out with interesting facts about medieval life and detailed descriptions of castles, clothes and festivities. Also to add a more personal touch Weir speculates on how each queen may have felt in significant times in their lives in a balanced, clear way, so there is no confusion with the facts.

My only niggle would be that I don’t think Weir was completely successful in sweeping away all the prejudices of the time. I could definitely feel the negativity towards the Empress Maud – now I’m not saying she was a saint but I did feel sorry for her as nothing she seemed to do was right. While her contemporary Matilda of Boulogne’s equally hard actions were acceptable as she acted on behalf of a man: her husband Stephen. Unlike Maud who dared to act on her own account! No matter how balanced Weir appeared to make her descriptions I couldn’t help feel that she and history looked more favourably on Matilda.

Overall, I thought Queens of the Conquest was a fascinating history of the early Medieval queens – I definitely want to read the next volume when it comes out.

When the Normans invaded England in 1066 they brought many traditions with them but also started several. William was aided by his wife, Matilda of Flanders, and in recognition of this he created her his Queen Consort. Queens Consort were not rulers in their own right but were able to be regents and wielded the power that came from their wealth. The marriage of William and Matilda was tempestuous and the relationships of the first few successors were equally complex.

In this book Weir tries to treat these medieval queens are persons in their own right and to a certain extent succeeds. It is not her fault, women only appear tangentially in the records and often the sources are biased or out of date. Where this book is particularly successful is in the consideration of the conflict between Empress Maud and her cousin King Stephen. In fact it was not Stephen that was the power, it was his wife Matilda of Boulogne and in considering the first English civil war in light of the two powerful female personalities a whole different light is placed on one episode in history. As ever Weir is an engaging writer and her books are meticulously researched making this a pleasure to read.