Eleanor of Provence: Queenship in Thirteenth-Century England

by Margaret Howell

It provides an unusually intimate and coherent picture of a woman who combined a remarkable aptitude for politics with a strong family commitment and warm friendships.

Genres: History, Medieval, France, Nonfiction, Medieval History, Biography

375 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Kate Parr · Rating 4 out of 5]

For an academic work, this was a real page-turner and I found myself racing through the last few chapters. Howell evokes the life and work of Eleanor confidently and sympathetically, which is quite a feat for someone who lived 800 years ago and probably wasn't particularly nice, especially if you were on the receiving end of her bailiffs. Don't be put off by the size, it's an eminently readable biography.