It goes without saying Eleanor of Aquitaine was a force of nature. She was the wife of kings, the mother of kings, a duchess in her own right and a tool of no man. She was headstrong and independent in an age when women were essentially to be seen and not heard.
Eleanor’s life was as extraordinary as the times in which she lived, and in many ways she was the most modern woman in medieval France. The book tells you about bright events of the lives of her husbands and sons who left a mark in the history of Europe.
Extremely interesting if you are a student of the time. Much of the information was extrapolated by the author from very limited documents surviving from the epoch, but she clearly identifies the areas where she has had to speculate. A good read.
This one is very thorough and very well written. For the amount of well-researched real history it is never really boring, and actually quite entertaining. Meade seems to know her period well and her subject even better.
Absorbing tale of a remarkable woman. A full view of all the skullduggery, shifting alliances, greed and betrayals of the period.
