Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power by Leah Redmond Chang is such a fabulous nonfiction historical book that really intertwines the lives (and deaths) of three fascinating, intimidating and inspiring Queens.

This book takes us on a journey to discover the hidden depths of these three illustrious women and weaves their lives together in such a way that it shows us the wonderful historical accounts of three Queens: Catherine de’ Medici (Queen of France), her daughter, Elisabeth de Valois (Queen of Spain), and her daughter-in-law, Mary Stewart, (Queen of Scots). Each Queen is amazing in her own right, but still quite similar nevertheless. Each wielded position and power to their advantage, yet had to navigate (some did so much better than others), the obstacles, constraints, duties, and expectations (personally and professionally) that were thrown into their paths.

The author did a fantastic job presenting each Queen and also creating a context that helped bring them all together for us, the reader. I really loved learning the more depth insight into Catherine of Valois and Catherine d'Médici. Such a fantastic read and I definitely recommend it to lovers of historical non-fiction, especially those that enjoy the 16th century.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair review!

Young Queens is the history I wish I’d learned from my white, male history professors in college. I love that it looked at British history from the perspective of the women involved and delved into their experiences and what was expected of them. It was extremely detailed and informative, as well as very well researched. I learned a lot of information about the Queens of this time that I had not previously known. However, at times I felt that the book did drag a little bit, making me wish some parts had been cut out to reduce the length just a little bit.

Overall, this was a really interesting read that I recommend to those looking to learn more history from the lesser-told perspective.

I received an audiobook copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

As a student of history I appreciate a well-written historical biography, especially about women in the Renaissance period. The three queens in question, Catherine de Medici, her daughter Elisabeth de Valois and daughter-in-law Mary Stuart, all led extraordinary lives. Leah Redmond Chang writes excellently, weaving the lives of the queens together in all their similarities and differences. It's not an easy read, by any means, but interesting and will keep your attention. Lots of primary and secondary sources back up her assertions, and I definitely recommend reading this book if any of these women interest you!

A wonderful look into the lives of Catherine de’ Medici, Elisabeth de Valois, and Mary Queen of Scotts. I was previously familiar with these three catholic queens through the CW TV show "Reign" - which was not horribly historically accurate - and through my travels - which was more historically accurate but also a bit disjointed. Either way, when I saw "Young Queens" I was eager to get a holistic view of the political and cultural impacts each of these women made.

Seeing a view of history that sets women as the protagonists of their lives is rare, so "Young Queens" is a unique historical POV. I really liked that the author took the time to include not only Catherine, Elisabeth, and Mary, but also all the women who surrounded and supported them.

I recommend this book to history buffs, feminists, and lovers of CW's "Reign" because why not?

I received this audiobook as an ARC. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers.

I found this audiobook interesting as it focuses on three young queens from history: Catherine de Medici (an orphan who was married to the King of France), Elizabeth (Mary's daughter, who would later become the Queen of Spain) and Mary (Elizabeth's daughter) who would be known as Mary, Queen of Scots. It was interesting hearing a bit of their backstory, and the narration was done well. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an e-copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

So much information! But in a good way. I liked the way this read, but at times I had to reread just because I am not 100% familiar with the information. I did like being able to listen to the audiobook, felt like I was in history class listening to a teacher!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook ARC. This is my honest review.

What a fascinating book! I've ordered a copy for myself and for a friend who loves history.

I learned so much listening to this. It was written in such an immediate, engaging narrative manner. I had no idea just how interconnected these women were. It was enlightening to read about them.

The narrator was excellent.

This book was obviously well-researched and meticulously detailed. The writing brought their stories to life in a very approachable manner.

Young Queens follows the paths of Catherine de Medici, Elisabeth de Valois and Mary Queen of Scots and how their reigns were interconnected and influenced. This was an interesting look at these queens together and apart.
The author kept the narrative constantly moving and gave each queen time and attention with background and letters as sources. This grounding to time and place before and after their reigns created a story in which queens from the past felt not so far away or hard to grasp.

Thank you Net Galley for this advanced audiobook. I found the book fascinating and learned a lot. I think it may have been better to read a printed version as there were a lot of names and relations to keep track of. I found myself wanting a family tree or some type of listing as I listened. Perhaps that is included in the printed version. I would highly recommend especially for a history buff.

Can you imagine being a 14-year-old girl, sent to a foreign country to marry a prince who you have never met? On your wedding night, your father-in-law stays in the marital bedroom, to ensure that the marriage is consummated.

Such were the realities of life for Renaissance royals.

In Young Queens, Leah Redmond Chang tells the intertwined stories of three very different women living among the great powers of Renaissance Europe in France, Spain, and Scotland.

It begins with orphaned eleven year old Catherine de’ Medici hiding in a convent from soldiers intent on capturing her and thus seizing power in Florence. She is later married to the French king; after his death, she becomes the power behind the throne as the Queen Mother, at a time when France is convulsed by religious wars and civil unrest.

Her daughter, Elizabeth de Valois, is sent to be the teenage bride of King Philip of Spain, a widower and much older than his new young queen. Despite an unpromising start, Elizabeth grows into her role, but tragically dies in childbirth, still only in her early twenties.

Connected to both Catherine and Elizabeth through the complicated marital arrangements of royal families, young Mary, Queen of Scots, grows up at the French court as the promised bride of the young Dauphin.

This is a meticulously researched and beautifully told story of the fluidity and pitfalls of the role of queen and how it always differed from that of a king. A king’s role generally lasted a lifetime. For a queen, the role could change over her lifetime, depending on whether she was Queen Regnant, Queen Consort, or Queen Mother.

In Renaissance times, princesses and queens inhabited bodies which were traded between families and across borders for the purposes of dynastic continuity, international treaties and alliances. These women lived in jeweled cages: surrounded by luxuries, riches, fine gowns and servants, they rarely had choice over their own bodies and futures. They were essentially bargaining chips to further the power and security of their family or nation.

The three queens of the book had lives that were dependent on the shifts and turns of the political landscapes of Europe. Accidents played a role, too, twists of fate such as the death of one king or the birth of another.

Against that backdrop, the author illuminates the three queens as women with personalities, strengths and foibles that also played a part in the trajectory of their lives. They were not merely blank slates for men to draw dynastic futures upon. They wielded varying degrees of power, both personal and political, in the ways available to them and with varying degrees of success. Their power took a different shape than that of their men, but it was power nonetheless.

There is poignancy in many of the letters and missives explored, especially those from Catherine to her daughter Elizabeth, worrying and fretting over her daughter’s uncertain health and her failure to fall pregnant with a Spanish heir. (As an aside, I am very glad not to be a Renaissance European princess with fertility problems, as apparently a common ‘remedy’ for this was a monthly dose of donkey urine!)

I enjoyed the narration by Olivia Dowd; her voice is clear and authoritative, with appropriate expression and emphasis; she also has excellent pronunciation of the many French, Spanish and Scottish names in the text.

I found this audio-book engrossing and very informative; a real insight into the lives of women who lived in a world and at a time far removed from my own.

Young Queens is published in August 2023 by Bloomsbury Publishing, and audio-book by RB Media Recorded Books.
My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a review copy.

Loved this book as an audiobook! I read it as well, thank you to NetGalley for the ARCs! When I read it, I knew it would be a good audiobook.
If you prefer your history in audio, this is a great recording. The narrator is clear, reads at a good pace, and you can work while you listen. Young Queens is well researched and very interesting, and the audiobook is a fantastic "re-read". You could also read/listen at alternating times, if you can't wait to read the whole book. The only thing is Marie/Mary sometimes got a little confusing but that was my own fault.
I'd recommend to non-English as first language readers, anyone who likes their non-fiction as audio, and anyone interested in Renaissance or women's history. These misunderstood women are fascinating, infuriating, empathizing and it is really interesting to listen to the story of their lives!

I know a small amount about the Kings and Queens of Europe and at times this book was confusing because so many have the same names but something happened about half-way through when it just started making sense how the Queens were related and how their lives intersected. I can't say much about the historical accuracy but it seems extensively researched and the stories of how these three women took on the dangers and conflict of their times. They all were in very perilous and life-threatening situations that took their own ability to manage the mazes of court life to survive.

The audiobook is wonderfully narrated.

Thank you to #netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have read many many books on Catherine and Mary, but this book is the most wonderful, concise and informational book yet on these two Queens! I loved every second! and actually wanted more. The lives of all three of these women are so incredibly fascinating to me. Mary has been my favorite historical person for years, and this book FINALLY helps me to understand her very poorly made life decisions. The fact that the importance at that time in history of women in Royalty (having to bear many many many children) actually makes me sick to my stomach. They all had so much to offer and the marriage along with the marriage bed was the emphasis. Thank you to Leah Redmond Chang for your indelible research and writing, also to the wonderful narrator, along with thanks, so many thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

This is an in-depth non fiction book of the infamous Tudor queens Katherine de Medici, Mary Stuart and Elizabeth of Spain. Chang approaches this with depth and detail that I haven’t read in a while. Learning about each woman’s origin was so fascinating, given how little power women had then, so learning about their individual powers was so interesting.

I really valued the detail regarding relationship dynamics, especially the changing one between Katherine and Mary, as it really showcased the ripple effect of their relationship breakdown, especially regarding Mary’s death.

I would say at times the fluidity got a little wobbly. Whilst it did mainly narrate chronologically, there were times when we would jump back or forward in time and because of that it made moments a little confusing. But overall, it was quite easy to follow as you got into it (given everyone is named after each other during this time)

The narrator was fantastic. I’ve been yet to listen to a nonfiction audiobook and I was so pleasantly surprised. The narrator excelled in conveying the work with such enthusiasm that it did not feel as if I was listening to a historical account, but more a documentary. The narrator really did well to bring the writings to life. Excellent job.

Leah Redmond Chang's Young Queens is a beautiful treat of a book, at times amusing, but mostly heartbreaking. It brings to life the difficulties of royal European women in the sixteenth century and how even these powerful women couldn't control their lives, from losing children to illness to being used as a pawn by their families and having little say in their marriages. It's great for fans of Catherine de Medici and Mary Stuart, but also a fantastic introduction to the more rarely studied Elisabeth Valois, who was close to both Catherine and Mary.

The audiobook, narrated by Olivia Dowd, is a perfect way to read the book -- I absolutely couldn't stop listening. Dowd's empathetic narration weaves her story well, drawing out the emotion in the narrative without ever going over the top. I recommend this to anyone interested in the history of royal women.

I freaking adore learning about history and especially the lives of these queens. It’s one of the best I’ve read and want to add this to my collection. I was given this book as an ARC. Just hearing there life’s and how close yet far away they were was heart tearing all of the many moments of sheer terror these young queens had felt just pulls at your heart strings. If you’ve ever wondered about these queens or the time they spent at court then I would 10 out of 10 recommend. I also feel like the research done on this book was phenomenal! Excellent work Leah.
As someone who’s been obsessed with royals sone I was in the womb it is so remarkable to have these accounts and records of the queens of old. If you have not already ordered it I would suggest you do now. So good 😊

Thank you Leah Redmond Chang, Netgalley and Recorded Books for giving me access to this advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

I rarely listen to historical nonfiction, but this audiobook caught my eye instantly largely because of my fascination with the de' Medici family. I have been interested in de' Medicis since I read Maggie O'Farrell's The Marriage Portrait last year. I also always wanted to learn more about Mary, Queen of Scots who is just such an interesting historical figure, and is constantly being used to villainize queen Elizabeth I (Elizabeth Tudor) in the movies - I wanted to finally find out the truth! With regards to the third young queen discussed in the book, Elisabeth de Valois, queen of Spain - I honestly knew nothing at all about her. Funny, because
the parts about Elisabeth ended up being my favorite!

I am so glad that I decided to listen to Young Queens! This is a perfect example of real history being as fascinating if not MORE fascinating than historical fiction! And of course, I already knew how women were treated in the 1500s, even those who were fortunate enough to be born into wealth and even into royalty - traded like cattle, and valued only for their womb, but this was a powerful reminder of the centuries of repression. Lets just hope that the road to true equality ahead of us is not as long as the one that we have already traveled.

Young Queens is the fascinating account of how three women came to be some of the most powerful individuals during the renaissance era despite the unfavorable circumstances. Perhaps the most influential out of the three, Catherine de' Medici (rivaled only by Elizabeth Tudor) was actually not even fully "noble", and was reminded of that fact quite often during her long reign. Her father was from the powerful de' Medici family of Florence. They were merchants, bankers, doctors - but not royalty! After becoming an orphan at a very young age, Catherine was passed around from relative to relative, and used mercilessly in everyone's political games. Eventually, at 16, she was married off to the second son of the King of France, who later ascended the throne himself as Henry II. But that in itself was not why Catherine became one of the most powerful women in Europe. In fact she was almost "let go" by de' Valois' after not being able to conceive for long 10 years (ended up being Henry's problem SHOCKING(!)). But then she conceived and conceived, and conceived again, a total of TEN children! Only two ended up outliving their mom, one of them only by a few months. Catherine de' Medici practically invented the title of "Queen Mother". Before her all of the "queen mothers" or the former "queen consorts" were called a "Queen Dowager". But "Queen Mother" is so much more powerful. It assumes selfless sacrifice, and unwavering loyalty. Catherine used her motherhood, as well as her uncanny ability to read the situation in the room to rule France for decades, while her husband, and several sons were ascending the throne and then passing away one by one. An incredibly intelligent woman, she was always in favor of diplomacy vs violence, and was mercilessly critiqued for her tolerant approaches when it came to religious conflict resolutions.

Meanwhile, Catherine's eldest daughter, Elisabeth de' Valois was given as some sort of "peace offering" to France's "mortal enemy" King Filip II of Spain, and sent off to the foreign lands at the tender age of 14. Young Elisabeth, dubbed the "Queen of Peace '' by her Spanish subjects, who hoped that this union will finally bring peace between France and Spain, seemed an unlikely candidate to become a canning and influential queen consort that her mother, Catherine, so desperately needed her to be. A kind, and somewhat lighthearted child, she has always been more interested in art than in gaining political power, and seemed to get along with everyone because of her "tender ways". In addition to that her new husband, King Philip II, who was in his thirties (!!), regarded her as a child (which she was of course!). Yet in her short life, Elisabeth like so many in her time died at a tender age of 23, following a brutal miscarriage, she managed to somehow skillfully balance the never ending demands of her pushy, controlling mother with the loyalty to her new county and her husband. She managed to gain Philip's respect and even love (!), and used her natural friendliness to influence political decisions and broker compromises that were in the interest of both, France and Spain! Truly, a Queen of Peace if there ever was one!

And then there is Mary Stuart, the famous Queen of Scots. Mary, the legendary beauty, was different from both her mother in law, Catherine, and her sister-in-law Elisabeth. Mary was not a mere Queen Consort or a Queen Mother, but a Sovereign Monarch herself, crowned at the tender age of 5 days. Her French mother, Marie de' Guise, sent her to France, when Mary was a small girl to protect her from Scotland's powerful protestant lords. In France Mary grew up with French royalty, namely all of Catherine and Henry II's children. Francis, the Dauphin, who later on became Francis II of France, was her first husband. She returned to Scotland to rule as a sovereign queen after the death of Francis II, and after failing to secure marriage to the heir to the Spanish throne (which she desperately wanted!).

I think it is easy to judge Mary. She is often portrayed either as a hero for her people, and a true heir to the English throne, who fell prey to Elizabeth I's ambition and cruelty, or as a despot queen, a power hungry, spoiled child who knew nothing about her people and did not care for them one bit, but instead just kept fixating on the British crown. But after reading Young Queens, it is clear that she was neither. Yes, she was spoiled, and somewhat overly naive with regards to her understanding of what being a monarch, and a leader in general, really meant. Yes, she did not possess neither the innate compassion of Elisabeth de' Valois, nor the political shrewdness of Elizabeth Tudor or Catherine De'Medici. If anything, Mary was just a pretty, but rather average gal. But ...her circumstances! Who knows how life would have turned out for her if she did not have to assume all the responsibilities of the sovereign queen of a VERY troubled country at the age of 18! She was just a teen! And there was no one to guide her. No one that was loyal to her anyways. She made so many mistakes, so many disastrous choices, from second marriage to plotting against Elizabeth I, that if anything it is really surprising that she survived that long. In addition to that A LOT of very traumatic things happened to Mary: imprisonment, loosing her crown, never seeing her son, assassination attempts, rape, and famously her execution by Elizabeth I at the age of 44. Mary, Queen of Scots, did not stand a chance. No teenager of average intelligence would in her circumstances. Being a Sovereign Queen, and being successful in the 1500s, required no less than the genius of Elizabeth Tudor. Nothing less would do.

And this brings me to the Virgin Queen. Is there any queen more fascinating than Elizabeth I? The only one who was even remotely comparable was Catherine the Great of Russia in my opinion. Bastardized by her father, and losing her mother at an early age, Elizabeth Tudor managed not only to ascend the English throne but to KEEP IT for 45 years. And these 45 years were generally considered some of the most glorious in English history. While she is not one of the main heroines of Young Queens there is a good amount of info about her in there! Not enough though, if you ask me. Seriously, can Leah Redmond Chang please write a book JUST about Elizabeth please?!! What a truly fascinating woman, a genius politician that ruthlessly manipulated her own nobility and the neighboring kingdoms by dangling her "virginity" in front of them until the bitter end! A great example of turning your weakness into power! And yessss, being a woman was definitely considered a "weakness" in the 1500s, don't even start ....One tragic fact about her: did you know that almighty and powerful Elizabeth suffered serious neurological decline during her last years of life, and that it was likely due to lead poisoning? Her famous white makeup contained so much lead that it was basically a poison....

I found Young Queens to be such a fascinating listen! Olivia Dowd did an amazing job with narration! I will say though, that I kept googling the art work referenced in the book, as well as the many palaces and even fashion (!) A LOT! The print version has this amazing illustration section which if you like that sort of thing, may be a compelling enough reason to buy a hard copy.

Young Queens by Leah Redmond Chang was very well done!

The examination of Catherine de’ Medici, Elisabeth de Valois, and Mary, Queen of Scots, from the lens of their relationships with one another felt entirely new. It gave a focus to each Queen and the power that relationships like theirs can hold.

As someone who doesn't know a lot about royals, especially about royals not of the current era, this was a fascinating book to listen to and hear about all of the things that their kings and other family members, and even the public put them through.

It was also interesting to learn how the titles moved across countries and generations, depending on the pairings.

Extreme levels of detail and not much in the way of events made the first chapter slow. I listened for almost two hours and realized I was still in the first chapter.