I enjoyed this book very much. It was well researched and full of information I had not know prior to reading Weir's newest book. I could have done without the many instances of "probably" history, but it did not take away from the book's overall effectiveness most of the time.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

*My review, as is at www.rhiannonwriteson.wordpress.com, published 9/23/17.*

Non-fiction/Historical

Release Date: September 26, 2017
Includes: Maps, family trees, illustrations, glossary, British terms, two appendixes, bibliography, notes, and references.

Queens Of the Conquest focuses on the consorts of the Norman kings of England. These ladies lived lives none of us, no matter how well read or traveled, could ever begin to imagine. Spectacular language with feeling, concern, and incredible knowledge tell the tales of the backbone of a Norman society. Alison Weir’s gift of historical realness to her readers is incredible. Bravo, Miss Weir.

As I would imagine people might like to read this particular volume for research, I feel I should say that the book’s contents are arranged in such a way that a pupil will feel at ease flipping through the pages (digital or paper, applies to both) knowing that whatever bit of information they’re looking for will be right there. Every bit of every Queen’s life is explained and painted in such a way that a reader–scholarly or leisurely–will understand on a level deeper than common knowledge usually allows.

For those reading for leisure, which I assume is most of us, this is just book one and that means there are more coming in the Medieval Queens series. If the rest of the series is as meticulously involved as this one, I’m in. It is unfortunate that the Norman queens haven’t been given the same amount of attention (in my opinion) as the queens of other eras because they are, simply put, incredible.

The only gripe I really have is that I cannot seem to find any information regarding subsequent books in this series, other than that there is some. I will most certainly be following up, however, and I will let my own readers know about any editions to come.

A brilliant informative introduction to England's warrior queens. Often overlooked by history, and sometimes purposefully written out of the records by their male counterparts, these extraordinary women defined an era. Their courage and intelligence help to shape England into the country it is today. This book finally gives these amazing historical figures the recognition they deserve, and takes us on an unforgettable journey through a lesser known part of England's dramatic history.

Schemers and dreamers; sinners and saints - the five queens depicted in this new biography by prolific writer, Alison Weir, could lay claim to each of those descriptors and many more. In this ambitious work, Weir probes the lives of the women who helped lay the foundations of England as we know it. In doing so, she brings to life the intrigues that shaped their world.

I've always preferred Weir's narrative non-fiction over her novels and Queens of the Conquest proved true to form. She makes heavy subject matter interesting and engaging. True, it is difficult to keep the Matilda's straight (there are three queens, plus the several daughters named for them), but that's to be expected in the era covered and it detracts in no way from the story-line.

In an effort to include all existing information on the queens, Weir often posits conflicting information regarding the details of their lives - number of children, personalities, events, etc. There is also quite a bit of conjecture - Queen so-and-so could have, possibly, perhaps. While I would normally reject so much unprovable content, it is to be expected in a work covering such early years. This time period was nearly a century ago, it's not surprising that so little can be said with absolute certainty. This is the time period I know least about, so I can't comment at all upon the accuracy, but this work seems to have much more comprehensive reference notes than I've seen from Weir in the past. Hopefully, this is a new trend.

Queens of the Conquest is a worthy read and I look forward to future installments coming in this series.

Most of us have read historian Alison Weir's series--Six Tudor Queens. Her newest book chronicles England's medieval queens (and princesses)--royal prizes in the marriage market and pawns in a very real "game of thrones" (sometimes ending in love, other time in tragedy). Although I'm an avid reader of both Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory, many of the nobles chronicled in the book had escaped my notice. It was a pleasure to have them fleshed out, their courts detailed and their spheres of influence described.

Alison Weir is one of my very favorite historians. Reading any of her books is a wonderful treat for this history-lover's heart. Queens of the Conquest is a hefty, richly flavorful book surrounding the queens of the medieval times, beginning with the queen of William I and ending with Empress Maud. I thoroughly enjoyed the depth of the research and how wonderfully the author fleshed the queens out for the reader. These queens are more alive to me now than ever before. I cannot wait for the next book!

Queens of the Conquest follows the Norman Queens of England ending on England's only queen regnant (depending on whom you ask) Empress Matilda (referred to in the book as Maud for clarity amongst the other Matildas). Weir, as per usual, creates an interesting narrative of queens that remains well-sourced throughout. I especially liked the reliance on primary accounts, as I find some historians deal too much in secondary analysis. Weir also writes in short, digestible chapters making the book seem lighter and making dull topics seem interesting as they are briskly, but thoroughly carried out. I especially like her mentioning of many of the myths around these women as they need to be dispelled because leaving them unmentioned would have created the illusion of possible accuracy. Another thing that really appealed to me was the analysis of each primry source in a section at the end, explaining their time period and biases, which really cemented this book as historically accurate and usable for me. This book was overall very good; however, it wasn't perfect. The main problems I had with this book were its occasional use of archaic terms (not awful but occasionally jarring), the overquoting of a letter (whole letters at some points), and the odd chapter here and there about medieval life that doesn't necessarily apply to the queens. The one that really bothered me was the middle one, as the other two didn't happen often. The quoting of whole letters seemed a bit of a space-suck to me, in a book that was already quite long and the first in a multi-volume series. It struck me as unnecessary. That said, if you can ignore the occasional editorial oversight and read medieval letters, Queens of the Conquest provides an interesting place to start learning about these great figures, Matilda of Flanders, Matilda of Scotland, Adeliza of Louvain, and the redoubtable Empress Maud.

A digital copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you already know medieval history, or just read a lot of Jean Plaidy books, none of this is new information, although Weir conscientiously gives context and wades through a lot of anecdotes and scurrilous stories to report on which are probably biased or just boilerrplate applied to all pre-modern queens.

Queens of the Conquest: England's Medieval Queens is quite an amazing read. I enjoyed learning about ancestors. Highly recommended.
5 plus stars.

I received a free Kindle copy of Queens of the ConquestQueens of the Conquest by Alison Weir courtesy of Net Galley and Random HouseRandom House the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review to Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my history book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as the description sounded very interesting.. It is the first book by the Alsion Weir that I have read.

This book was informative and engaging. The author chronicles the lives of five of the earliest queens of England and is well researched. One of the things that I found interesting was that four of the five were named Matilda, although one of them was better know as Maud. The author paints a vivid picture of each one and their husbands and does not gloss over the expected norms of a relationship during those time periods.

This is the first of a series of four books on the queens and based on this one I am looking forward to the others. This is a definite read if you are interested in English royalty or are a fan of Alison Weir.

Alison Weir is a gifted biographer. She is easily one of my insta-buy authors. I don't even have to read what the book is about to know that I will buy whatever she writes. She brings monarchs that are known and monarchs that aren't known to life. She manages to write in such a way that she gets all the information across but it's not boring. This was a biography of five different queens and I felt like I got to know each one personally, which is really tough to do. This book has made me want to go research more about this dynamic queens and I learned a lot. 

I will admit that I thought this book was going to be more of a novel based, kind of like Weir's Katharine of Aragon. It wasn't but in a way, I was glad. I feel like if it had been read like that, we would have lost a lot of information. And there was a lot packed into this 400 page book. 

I also really liked that this series is going to be split into four parts. That gives more space for information and it doesn't become overburdened. The beginning Queens did so much and it would have been a shame for them to not be given their proper page time. Each and every Queen deserves to have their time to shine.

Alison Weir really put in work to find out everything she could about the Queens. I feel that everything was very carefully researched and properly annotated. Even the information that hazy at best was given in such a way that I wasn't frustrated that it was guest work (which is a common thing for me), which was the case for the first couple of Queens. The use of letters was a nice touch as well. 

Overall, I couldn't be more happy with my first Netgalley ARC approval. Alison Weir is gifted in the historical nonfiction and biography field. I feel that she loves what she writes and that makes me love what she writes. I should give a slight warning by saying this is a dense book. This really should be read by those that are utterly fascinated with history, like I am. However, I also feel that if you are wanting to learn more about the earlier Queens, this could also be a good book for you to start at.

Published on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2071312894?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Published on a ravenclaw library at 2:00pmCST August 24: https://aravenclawlibrary.wordpress.com/

Alison Weir is one of my favorite authors. I know that whenever her books come out I'm always in for a treat! I have been anticipating her biographies of these medieval queen's since she first announced it on her website. After reading this galley, I'm happy to say that she did not disappoint. Her scholarship is impeccable, and her writing is engaging for the general reader. I can't wait till this book is released so that not only will I read the finish product but also look at the pictures of these remarkable queens! More of my thoughts to come closer to release day.

5 stars

This book begins with the story of Duchess Mathilda, the wife of Duke William of Normandy. After an unusual courtship they finally wed and appear to live happy and most fruitful lives. There is much detail about life in the Eleventh Century; about living in castles, daily life, the fashions and court practices of the day. There are many direct quotes from writers of the time that lead authenticity to the story.

In 1051, William was promised the throne by the then ruler of England Edward the Confessor. There was an ongoing battle with the papacy about the legitimacy of Mathilda and William’s marriage. For some reason a succession of Popes, beginning with Pope Leo IX, who for no known reason refused to acknowledge the marriage and even called it a mortal sin. They were not related closely enough, nor were either promised to another person, to have caused such enmity. Finally Nicholas II who overthrew the papacy and installed himself as pope, granted the dispensation and legitimized the issue of the marriage.

In 1066, the promised assurance of the English throne was withdrawn by Edward’s supposed heir. William immediately made plans to invade England and take the crown rightfully his by force. He became known as William the Conqueror after he took the crown.

Surviving documents show that Mathlida was a good partner to William contrary to later anecdotes about the couple.

Edith was a princess of Scotland who due to overthrow of the monarchy found herself penniless. However, due to her lineage, Henry now the King of England courted her and married her. Henry urged her to change her name to Mathilda, his mother’s name. Henry took the throne after many machinations and perhaps an assassination – no one really knows. After delivering two live children – a boy named William and a girl named Maud – the relationship between Henry I and his Queen Mathilda deteriorated. Henry spent much time in Normandy re-taking the throne from his brother Robert after having imprisoned him for many, many years. She died at the young age of thirty-seven.

Wanting more legitimate children after siring a number of bastards Henry I married Adeliza of Louvain next. Her father Godfrey was a powerful ruler who was descended from Charlemagne. History does not record her birthdate, but she was very young while Henry was fifty-two. After a tragedy at sea, William, Henry’s only legitimate son, was killed at sea.

Henry wanted his only legitimate child, Maud to rule after his death. His courtiers were against it, but finally swore to support her. She very reluctantly was married to Geoffrey, a very young man/boy. The king’s subjects were very displeased at the marriage. They swore to renege on their promise to support Maud after Henry’s death. Their marriage was an unhappy one and they despised each other. Geoffrey repudiated Maud and moved to Normandy. They later reconciled. Maud gives birth to a son. About a year later, she almost dies giving birth to a second son.

On December 1, 1135, Henry I died. Stephen, a nephew of Henry’s sails to England and seizes the throne from Maud. His wife was Mathilda of Boulogne. Stephen was said to be “a mild man, soft and good, and did no justice.” Lawlessness reigned and the barons ran wild. Civil war broke out with King Stephen on one side and Maud and her supporters on the other. Stephen was taken prisoner following a battle in which his supporters deserted him. Maud then became Queen of England – albeit briefly. Stephen re-took the throne. King Stephen was to pass away of the bloody flux. Henry, Maud’s son, was to become King Henry II who was to found the Plantagenet line.

As with all of Alison Weir’s biographies, this book is meticulously researched and very well written. The stories are told in a linear fashion and with much clarity. It is easy to read and understand for any reader with an interest in the subject. She brings these remarkable women to life in a way that no other author can. She brought to life the strength of these women and the fact that they shared in the life and reigns of their husbands. I truly appreciate her writing skills and am in awe of her research abilities.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for forwarding to me a copy of this most remarkable book for me to read and enjoy.

In "Queens of the Conquest," Alison Weir chronicles the tumultuous lives of five medieval queens historians have mostly ignored. Her meticulously researched book begins in 1066 with Matilda of Flanders, the wife of William the Conqueror, and ends in 1154 with Empress Maud, an “intrepid spirit” who fought to rule England. Despite a relative scarcity of information, Weir reconstructs a tale of murder, love, ambition, rivalry, treason, adultery and betrayal. Each queen’s story is filled with details that give readers a vivid sense of the women and the times they lived in. Weir’s talent as a novelist is evident, but her rigor as a historian is also impressive. "Queens of the Conquest" is filled with child brides, shipwrecks, castles and court intrigue, but it also contains more than a hundred pages of supplementary material, including sources, maps and letters.

Perhaps most notable is Weir’s ability to portray the queens as strong, intelligent women without romanticizing them or subjecting them to present-day standards. Matilda of Flanders initially refused William the Conqueror’s proposal because he was a “bastard son,” only to relent after he beat her so severely she took to her bed to recover. It would be easy to dismiss her change of heart as an example of women’s subjugation or to assign it to a weakness in character. Weir does neither. While she does make the inferior position of women clear, she never lapses into polemics. Citing a primary source, she records that Matilda told her astonished father she would marry no one but William, “for he must be a man of great courage and high daring who could venture to come and beat me in my own father’s palace.” Matilda soon became William’s most trusted confidant and would rule as regent in his absence on many occasions. When she secretly supported their rebellious son, William railed against the betrayal of the woman “whom I love as my very soul” but did not punish her.

I’ve already spent too much time on Matilda of Flanders, in part because her section was my favorite, but also because it is easy to get caught up in each woman’s tale. At a time when queens were valued primarily as breeders of future kings, these women proved they were far more than that. Maltilda of Scotland, whisked from a nunnery to marry Henry I, garnered criticism for surrounding herself with too many musicians, poets and scholars. Queen Adeliza was known for her beauty and her patronage of the arts. Empress Maud, who was married off and sent overseas at eight years old, went on to lead a rebellion against King Stephen in hopes of gaining the throne. Stephen’s queen, Matilda of Boulogne, in turn led her own rebellion to restore her husband to power while he was imprisoned in chains. The women’s stories, however, aren’t the only ones I’ll remember. Weir’s depiction of the plight of their English subjects is also moving. The five queens witnessed (and, in some instances, caused) famine, torture and war. Subjects were hung upside down, castrated, flayed and had their eyes put out. Villages were burned and lands plundered, often at the behest of the ruling class. While I can’t say I enjoyed these passages, I’m grateful to Weir for documenting them.

"Queens of the Conquest" is the first of a four-book series about the medieval queens, one which will undoubtedly appeal to fans of British history. My only caveat is that the book may not win over readers looking purely for historical drama (if you’re looking for that, read one of Weir’s excellent novels). It’s a dense book, rich with facts, so at times it can be a bit slow going. I admit to skimming all the supplementary material and to occasionally confusing the four (four!) Matildas. On the flip side, gaps in the historical record may bother other readers. There are few pictorial representations of the women, no diaries, and fewer primary sources than exist for later rulers. That said, Weir has done a remarkable job of bringing these women to life. I thoroughly enjoyed "Queens of the Conquest" and plan on reading the next installment.