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Indlæser... Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe (udgave 2007)af Nancy Goldstone (Forfatter)
Detaljer om værketFour Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe af Nancy Goldstone
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 LoisSusan | Dec 10, 2020 |  This book tells the story of the four daughters of the count of Provence, all of whom ended up becoming European royalty. Most notably, Marguerite married Louis IX, and Eleanor married Henry III. The family dynamics, the political wrangling, the finesse required to bring off complicated schemes—all of these are detailed here. Goldstone writes well, with plenty of dashes of wry humour, but there were some weird spelling errors (like Carcossonne for Carcassonne), and for some reason I wasn’t invested in this one like I was with Daughters of the Winter Queen. The bits with Simon de Montfort were interesting because I’ve read Edith Pargeter’s Brothers of Gwynedd quartet, which covers the same period. But I think there’s a lot to learn from this book and it is worth checking out if you want to read about history from the perspective of women. (  ) rabbitprincess | Mar 16, 2020 | In the 13th c., four sisters, the daughters of Count Ramon Berenger V of Provence, became European queens with considerable influence in the politics and warfare of the era. The eldest, Marguerite, became queen of France when she married Louis IX at 13. Her sister Eleanor married Henry III of England. The two younger sisters, Sanchia and Beatrice, secured lesser crowns as their husbands eventually claimed the kingdoms of the Holy Roman Empire (Germany) and Sicily. The sisters were both rivals and collaborators, bringing their family ties to bear on creating war and peace. Goldstone's book is more popular than scholarly history, but it gives insight into 13th century power brokering and foreshadows the momentous events of 14th century Europe. It also, obviously, highlights the influence that aristocratic women wielded in the late medieval period. (  ) janeajones | Dec 19, 2015 | I bought this book because I liked Goldstone's later life of Joanna I of Sicily. This book is a collective biography of the four daughters of Ramon Berenger V, the count of Provence, who married the kings of France (Louis IX aka St. Louis) ,and England (Henry III) , Richard of Cornwall (Henry's brother) who claimed to be Holy Roman Emperor, and Charles, Count of Anjou, who by conquest became King of Sicily (until the SIcilian Vespers) and thereafter King of Naples. The book is vivid and lively rather than deeply scholarly; to me it is chiefly interesting for the material on Richard of Cornwall and Charles of Anjou. Richard comes across as a very capable an, especially when it came to diplomacy, though ironically less effective in his attempt to establish himself as "king of the Romans" (ruler of Germany) than in other projects. Charles comes across as brutal but effective ad highly ambitious. ( ) antiquary | Aug 10, 2015 | Interesting history lesson, for once focused a little more on the women and their influence and power, rather than the usual focus on male power. Overall recommend. I personally find it so hard to read these english histories - so many titles and deaths and marriages and re-marriages and sneaky plot and deceptions. I thought this book was excellent in that the author was able to sort of "storify" those zillions of plot twists - I didn't feel confused even though I forgot many of the previous characters and plot twists. That to me is the mark of a good historian and this is one of the few massive english histories that I've able to follow. Good job N. Goldstone. ( ) marshapetry | Jul 27, 2015 | ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
Set against the backdrop of the turbulent thirteenth century, a time of chivalry and crusades, poetry and knights, comes the story of the four daughters of the count of Provence whose brilliant marriages made them the queens of France, England, Germany, and Sicily. From a cultured childhood in Provence, each sister was propelled into a world marked by shifting alliances, intrigue, and subterfuge. Marguerite, the eldest, whose resolution and spirit would be tested by the cold splendor of the Palais du Roi in Paris; Eleanor, whose soaring political aspirations would provoke her kingdom to civil war; Sanchia, the neglected wife of the richest man in England who bought himself the crown of Germany; and Beatrice, whose desire for sovereignty led her to risk her life to earn her place at the royal table. This book shatters the myth that women were helpless pawns in a society that celebrated physical prowess and masculine intellect.--From publisher description. No library descriptions found. |
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***Biography Group Read, 3rd quarter: Four Queens by Nancy Gladstone, Book discussion - spoilers allowed!
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I just wonder how much of this dramatic license. (