I won a free digital copy from Net Galley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

“Queen of the Crusades” by the noted author and historian Alison Weir is a fine example of the
author’s skill at bringing to vivid life personages of the distant past. In this book, she focuses on five notable medieval women who rose to become Queens of England . The period covered is during the Crusades were off to “ Outremer” , the Holy Land with the purpose of ridding sacred sites of the “ infidel” Saracens.
As queens, some, like Berengaria, wife of Richard I, were shadows of their powerful husbands. Their purpose in life was as pawns in monarchial marriage alliances, and , more importantly, to bear sons as heirs and daughters as further marriage bait. Others, like Eleanor of Castile, wife of Edward II were powerful in their own right. Their stories, and that of the Royal spouses are related in convincing, but not stultifying, detail.
One of the things I enjoyed was how history has a way of overturning folklore, e.g., that the tales of Robin Hood (with Errol Flynn as Robin) meeting the King in Sherwood forest as highly improbable , since they lived, if Robin lived at all, in different centuries. Also that King John was a better king than Richard. I was awed as I learned that buildings of nearly a thousand years ago are still standing in Britain and in use today. Astounding for a one who lives in a country who history began only a few hundred years ago. That is only a bit of learning available in the book.
The amount of research done by Ms Weir shows on nearly every page as we read of their extravagances: jewels, gowns, lavish feasts , the founding and funding of monasteries and convents. The author makes it clear how much money was involve by giving current values of the cost of running a monarchy. One can only imagine her sitting, reading over gold illuminated ancient manuscripts and dusty court scrolls noting expenditures and emoluments ( bribes.) Fascinating stuff, showing the cold reality behind those Masterpiece Theater programs.
It is easy for this new reader to Ms Weir’s histories to learn how she has earned her reputation and her following as a popular historian.
Recommended for fans and new readers alike who enjoy well - written history

Oh wow! This book is incredible! It is so full of history, intrigue, and tells the story of some absolutely incredible women who lived and ruled during the Middle Ages. Each time I picked up "Queens of the Crusades", I was whisked back in time to Medieval Europe where I went on such an amazing journey learning about these women's lives, and also learning quite a lot about this time period in history as well!

I have absolutely loved each and every book by Alison Weir that I have read thus far, She has such a magical way of bringing history to life! Ms. Weir's book are so incredibly well-researched, well-written, and she brings history to life right before the readers' eyes. Each and every moment jumps right off of the page, and I was hooked from the very first page to the last.

This is the second book in Ms. Weir's "England's Medieval Queens" series, and I so hope there will be many more! This book focuses on: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Berengaria of Navarre, Isabella of Angoulême, Alienor of Provence, and Eleanor of Castile. Many other historical figures are featured as well!

If you enjoy Medieval History, I highly recommend this book! It is so gripping, so intriguing, and I was turning the pages into the early hours of the morning just to be able to continue reading all these women's stories.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC of this book, it is incredible! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Can Alison Weir write a bad book? I think not. While I am more familiar with and enjoy her individual looks at the wives of Henry VIII, this was good too!


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review!

The best thing about an Alison Weir book is that you know what you are getting. Be it fiction or non-fiction, it will be both well researched and well written. This book was no exception. Beginning with perennial favorite, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and continuing through her daughters-in-law Berengaria and Isabella and then on to Alienor and Eleanor, this was a wonderful look at five Plantagenet queens. It was also a very detailed look at these queens. There was so much detail, especially about Eleanor of Aquitaine, it all began to blur at times.

But as the book moved on from Eleanor, and the other queens’ lives moved more to the foreground, the detail became fascinating insight into these women and their lives. I’ve always been intrigued by Richard’s queen, Berengaria, and this book answered so many questions about her and made her come alive for me. Each queen had a life that was amazing to read about.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

Alison Weir is queen of my heart when it comes to historical fiction. Queens of the Crusades was as educational, entertaining, and escapist as I could have hoped.

My oldest daughter has always loved Alison Weir's books, so when I heard about Queens of the Crusades, I thought I would give it a try. I am certainly glad I did!
The second in a series, this well-researched book explores the lives of the Plantagenet Queens of England from 1154 to 1291: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Berengaria of Navarre, Isabella of Angoulême, Alienor of Provence, and Eleanor of Castile. Their stories are masterfully told in a way that is never dry or boring. Weir has an amazing gift for making history come alive, and she includes plenty of details that make it easier to imagine what life must have been like for these fascinating women.
I look forward to reading the rest of the “England’s Medieval Queens” series, as well as other books by this talented author. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical biographies or reading about Medieval times.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

One of the most prominent royal families of English history was the Plantagenets, who reigned for over three hundred years. In the first one hundred years of this family’s infamous history, five kings ruled (the first two are considered kings of the Angevin dynasty): Henry II, Richard I, John, Henry III, and Edward I. These five kings saw England change drastically, but they also participated in the international political landscape of the day, which involved the series of wars that today we simply refer to as the Crusades. The early Plantagenet kings saw much bloodshed and war, but they were not alone in their struggle to keep the dynasty going. These men would not have gotten as far as they did without their wives who stood by their sides. In Alison Weir’s latest installment of England’s Medieval Queens series, “Queens of the Crusades”, she takes a deep dive into the lives of the first five Plantagenet queens to show how remarkable these women truly were to stand beside their husbands during the times of the Crusades in Europe.

I would like to thank Ballantine Books, Random House, and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I have been a massive fan of Alison Weir’s nonfiction books for years now. To have an opportunity to read this title and review it is simply astounding. As soon as Weir announced this new installment of England’s Medieval Queens series, I knew I wanted to read it because I had enjoyed Queens of the Conquest immensely.

The five queens that Weir covers in this particular book are Eleanor of Aquitaine, Berengaria of Navarre, Isabella of Angouleme, Alienor of Provence, and Eleanor of Castile. Many are familiar with the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II and how it soured as their sons fought against their father, but it is worth noting that every queen in this book led a rather remarkable life. Eleanor of Aquitaine may have been alive during the time of Thomas Becket’s murder and Isabella of Angouleme witnessed her husband King John seal the Magna Carta, but some of these queens witnessed battles of the Crusades being fought as they traveled with their husbands to distant lands. There was also the matter of ruling two kingdoms, England and parts of France plus keeping the peace with Wales and Scotland, all while raising their children. There was never a dull moment for the lives of the early Plantagenet queens.

I found each queen in this book fascinating to read about, even though I did not know much about their lives. I obviously knew about Eleanor of Aquitaine, but the other queens have been briefly mentioned in other books that it felt like I was discovering their stories for the first time. The way they governed England and the way that they showed their love for their husbands and their children were different, but they each made a significant impact on the story of the Plantagenet dynasty. If I did have a problem with this book it would be that I found myself confused on which Eleanor was which, especially when Alienor of Provence and Eleanor of Castile were alive during the same time.

Overall, I found this book extremely informative and meticulously researched. Alison Weir has yet again made the lives of these queens that time seemed to have forgotten come to life. I believe that this is an excellent introductory book for anyone who wants to learn about the early queens of the Plantagenet dynasty. It is engaging, thought-provoking, and masterfully written. If this sounds like you, check out the second book in the England’s Medieval Queens series by Alison Weir, “Queens of the Crusades”.

Weir is a top notch historian and I have been reading her books since the 1990s. Queens of the Crusades is a thorough examination of five queens who reigned through the Crusading era. Eleanor of Aquitaine is the first one discussed and she remains my favorite. I had heard of the other four, but details about them were vague until reading this book. Most people dismiss history books as dry or dull but Weir knows how to write scholarly, but like it’s great fiction,. Scandal, infidelity, many progeny, disputes, and intrigue this book incorporates all of them. To learn more about these fascinating women of the medieval era, read this book.

This story was rich in historical detail and I appreciate all of the research that went into crafting it. It was also atmospheric as it transported me to the courts.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I've never read this type of book before but I do love learning about history of monarchies. I enjoyed this book very much. It's very interesting to read about the roles and the influences these queen consort had during their time. I'm looking forward to going back and reading Book 1 of this series.

Alison weir has written another fascinating book of historical fiction.This was particularly interesting to me learning in depth about these women I’ve heard and now really know in depth.If you love reading about the past this is for you.#netgalley#randomhouse

This genre is still a relatively new one for me, and I find that Alison Weir's writing style is quite easy to read and to follow, which makes entering into this genre a little easier. I enjoyed reading about the queens in the years leading up to the Tudor dynasty and found that these women were often a lot more involved in the politics of the day than what I had assumed they would be. This book piqued my interest in the time period a bit more, so now I am wanting to read more about this. The only thing that I often got confused on was that the same names tended to be used frequently, which made it a little challenging to keep from getting everyone mixed up with each other.

This is a wonderful, very thorough examination of the queen consorts who reigned during the Crusades in medieval England. Enthralling! A great read for a beginner to this period of history or one who has studied the period for years. I highly recommend!!!

This interesting book on Eleanor of Aquitaine was well researched and told a good story. If you are into medieval European history, you'll want to read this book.

Alison Weir you have done it again!!!

What an absolutely fascinating read! This is a very researched book about different queens in the Medieval times.

It really shows you more about the queens to make them come to life more. You hear about the Kings and their crusades, what they do, how they shaped the future as it is today. We have forgotten what the queens have done behind the scenes and how they had such an impact.

I will be buying this book the minute it becomes available. Pre-ordered already!

Wonderful account about different Queens during the Crusades. The author also wrote history books about the Tudor queens.

The lives of the Queens are told in brilliant details.

Highly recommended for rans of English monarchy.

Content warning: There is some violence in the book.

Note: I received a free digital copy from Net Galley and the publisher Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine in exchange for an honest review.

Medieval history is littered with the stories of warriors and kings, but equally fascinating are the tales of the women who rose to power during the time period. Alison Weir has a well-earned reputation for fascinating historical writing, and her latest book introduces us to five of the most interesting of Europe's medieval queens. We meet familiar figures like Eleanor of Aquitaine, as well as lesser-known queens like Berengaria of Navarre, Isabella of Angoulême, Alienor of Provence, and Eleanor of Castile. The rich stories of these women help to provide a broader understanding of the era as a whole, showing us how women managed to grasp and wield power themselves rather than simply acting as part of the background of the era.

I always enjoy Alison Weir historical novels. I love the Tudor Era. Alison never disappoints with her extensive info, facts and details. I recommend for any historical fan out there.

As usual, I loved this book. It didn’t seem to have as many funny asides as the first in the series but I’m always amazed at how quickly Weir can churn these books out! This installment follows Eleanor of Aquitaine, Berengaria of Navarre, Isabella of Angouleme, Alienor of Provence and Eleanor of Castile. I would say that the first and the last Eleanors get the most air time, but the women also have overlapping timelines (which can make things a bit confusing).

Weir’s research uncovers what the women wore, where they spent their time, how their relationships were with their husbands (and sometimes their children), as well as the legacies they left behind. It’s sad how much was destroyed during the English Civil War and the French Revolution, very little is left from these women’s lives, and in some cases we don’t even know what happened to their remains.

It’s hard to get a sense of what personality each of these women may have had, but it’s clear that they commanded love and respect from their people even if they did not always get it from their families or peers of the realm. There is so much information here, I know that I could read this book multiple times and always learn something new.

I jumped on this one as soon as I saw it. I'm a fan of Alison Weir's work, and while I'm at least passing familiar with the history of English king's during the crusades, I will admit to a lack of knowledge about the queens who stood beside them. (Except Eleanor of Aquitaine, I had a vaguely formed idea that she was something of a badass, but was fuzzy on the details)

In this book, Weir explores the lives of Eleanor of Aquitaine (badass indeed, but also probably a mother-in-law from hell), Berengaria of Navarre (Richard I's wife), Isabella of Angouleme, Alienor of Provence, and Eleanor of Castille. Weir is careful to illustrate the boundaries of fact and rumor that surround each Queen. In some cases, such as with Eleanor of Aquitaine, we have an abundance of first hand knowledge to counter rumor and legend in others (poor Berengaria seems to have been almost entirely eclipsed by her powerful and dynamic mother-in-law) our knowledge is more like moonlight than sunlight--what we know is more a reflection of the women's contemporaries.

The book is occasionally dry, going heavily into facts and figures and converted currencies. But overall this is a highly readable history, with welcome bits of dry wit to leaven the narrative. More serious historians will likely enjoy the attention to detail and accuracy, but even the most casual of historical readers will find enjoyment reading about these remarkable women.

An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.