In the final part of her four-part Queens of the Middle Ages series, Alison Weir stunningly embodies the turbulent period in English history that marked the end of the Middle Ages and the rise of the Tudor dynasty. The series is filled with exciting true stories that chronicle the turbulent reigns of the last five queens of the Plantagenet dynasty.The fifteenth century was a violent age. In Queens at War,* Alison Weir chronicles the stories of five queens who were embroiled in wars that would change the course of their lives: the Hundred Years' War between England and France, and the War of the Roses between the royal houses of Lancaster and York.
Against this tempestuous backdrop, Ware describes the lives of five queens of the Plantagenet dynasty, who held the throne of consort from 1403 to 1485.Joan of Navarre was happily married to King Henry IV, but was accused of witchcraft by Henry's heir and imprisoned. The marriage of Catherine of Valois, born in Paris, to Henry V was a political marriage intended to bring peace between England and France. However, this did not happen, and Henry died during the Hundred Years' War without seeing his newborn heir, Henry VI, who married another French princess, Margaret of Anjou, in 1445.In the Wars of the Roses, Margaret strongly supported her husband and son. As for Henry's successor, Edward IV, he was embroiled in scandal after he fell in love with and married Elizabeth Wydville, the mother of the two tragic Princes of the Tower. The infamous Richard III usurped Edward's throne and married Anne Neville, who died after losing her only child, leaving her husband behind.“Based on an extensive reading of the original sources” (*The Washington Post), Ware’s Medieval Queens series unveils centuries of historical legend to highlight the true accomplishments and courage of these remarkable queens. The book Queens at War* concludes the series with an eventful ending.
