Queens at War

The tumultuous period in English history that marked the end of the medieval era and the rise of the Tudors comes to stunning life in the final volume of the four-part series, filled with dramatic true stories chronicling the turbulent reigns of the last five Plantagenet queens, who occupied the consort‘s throne from 1403 to 1485. The fifteenth century was a violent age and all five of the queens who appear in this book were caught up in wars that changed the courses of their lives: the Hundred Years War between England and France, and the Wars of the Roses between the royal Houses of Lancaster and York. Against this tempestuous backdrop, Alison Weir describes the lives and reigns of five queen consorts: Joan of Navarre was happily married to King Henry IV, but was accused of witchcraft by Henry‘s heir and imprisoned. Paris-born Katherine of Valois‘s political marriage to Henry V was meant to bring peace between England and France. It didn‘t, and Henry died on the battlefield without ever seeing his newborn heir, Henry VI, who was wed to another French princess, Margaret of Anjou , in 1445. Margaret had to endure the murder of her husband and son. Henry‘s successor, Edward IV, made a secret marriage for love to Elizabeth Wydeville , mother of the tragic Princes in the Tower. The notorious King Richard III usurped Edward‘s throne and married Anne Neville who died after losing her only child, forsaken by her husband. "Underpinned by extensive reading of original sources" ( The Washington Post), Weir‘s series strips away centuries of historical mythologizing to shed light on the genuine accomplishments and bravery of these fascinating female monarchs. Queens at War brings the Medieval Queens series to an action-packed close.