The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World

by Shelley Puhak, Antonia Beamish (Narrator)

The remarkable, little-known story of two trailblazing women in the Early Middle Ages who wielded immense power, only to be vilified for daring to rule.

Brunhild was a Spanish princess, raised to be married off for the sake of alliance-building. Her sister-in-law Fredegund started out as a lowly palace slave. And yet—in the 6th-century Merovingian Empire, where women were excluded from noble succession and royal politics was a blood sport—these two iron-willed strategists reigned over vast realms for decades, changing the face of Europe.

The two queens commanded armies and negotiated with kings and popes. They formed coalitions and broke them, mothered children and lost them. They fought a years-long civil war—against each other. With ingenuity and skill, they battled to stay alive in the game of statecraft, and in the process laid the foundations of what would one day be Charlemagne’s empire. Yet after Brunhild and Fredegund’s deaths—one gentle, the other horrific—their stories were rewritten, their names consigned to slander and legend.

In The Dark Queens, award-winning writer Shelley Puhak sets the record straight. She resurrects two very real women in all their complexity, painting a richly detailed portrait of an unfamiliar time and striking at the roots of some of our culture’s stubbornest myths about female power. The Dark Queens offers proof that the relationships between women can transform the world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Historical, Medieval, Feminism, Audiobook

Audiobook

First published February 22, 2022

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

Extremely interesting book on two Merovingian queens. If you don't have a clue what a Merovingian might be, don't worry about it, nor did I. All becomes clear. It's well explained despite the complex rats-in-a-sack politics of the time, and it's also very vividly told. The author has used a lot of imagination/empathy/let's be honest guesswork, since the primary sources are incredibly limited, so it's somewhere between history and narrative non-fiction.

It's also a tremendous story of two women who came on the board as pawns (one a slave), became queens, and wrested power from the men for years. (It's possible that the next time there were two women simultaneously in equivalent positions of power in Europe was the Queen/Margaret Thatcher, or Theresa May/Angela Merkel, which says a bundle.) Fredegund in particular is pure Game of Thrones, cheerfully murdering her way through difficulties. Nasty and brutish story well told; fascinating stuff.

[Adam McPhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update: Re-read Dark Queens recently in anticipation of interviewing the author, Shelley Puhak, over on Adam's Notes, my substack newsletter. Dark Queens is a perceptive look at a fascinating era forgotten by popular history, so this is definitely worth your time.

Puhak: "I can liken reading Gregory of Tours (one of the main sources for the book ––Adam) to listening to someone’s drunken roommate tell you an anecdote about their ex that unfolds during a hurricane. You just want information about the hurricane—when did it start? how heavy were the rains?— but all they want to do is ramble on about how terribly their ex has treated them. Your agenda as a researcher and their agenda as a storyteller are completely at odds."

My original review from 2022: This time period and these characters––Fredegund and her daughter Rigunth especially--are very important to me. And yet the history of this period is such a mess. All you ever hear about are the Vikings and whatever boring shit is happening in Britain. What history does exist is unnecessarily complicated. You just try reading Gregory of Tours and tell me what happened! I had to read Mary Douglas' ring composition book just to figure out what ol' Greg's gameplan was.

So I'm very thankful for Puhak's book and the sense it makes of Merovingian history. It's a history that deserves the attention the viking revival is getting.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brunhild and Fredegund:

Two women pitched against each other in a real life Merovingian chess game.
Knights and bishops attack, pawns are sacrificed, kings castle, one pawn queens (Fredegund), and the queens are the most powerful players on the board.

Puhak is not academic; this is researched, but more a salacious and fictional retelling by weaving known events together. It is very fast and bloodthirsty. If a high body count makes your historical fiction reading more enjoyable this is a win, and gruesome as well.

I have more knowledge about Byzantium in the Dark Ages/early Christian era than Francia. So I found several interesting tidbits: wergeld amounts for different individuals—childbearing women were very high and similar to nobles, basis of jury count of 12, Edict of Paris as a precursor to Magna Carta in reining in monarchial power, and the various Merovingians still harkening back to Roman culture and trappings as demonstrations of their legitimacy to rule as oppose to paganism. Oh… and the big head thump though I think I may have heard this one before, Clovis being the old name for Louis—think Roman V being U and it makes sense and why so many of the Clovis monuments were destroyed during the French Revolution.

Fredegund needed to answer the king’s charge publicly, and quickly, before the accusation took root. There were two ways to clear one’s good name under the Lex Salica—by trial or by ordeal. Fredegund was not going to challenge Guntram to a duel, but she did the next best thing. A provision in the law allowed for a certain number of men to vouch for one’s reputation. The number required to clear a person of a charge was usually twelve men—the basis of our current jury system.

“Fredegund’s ability to compound dangerous herbs or procure snake venom was no small feat, and nearly as difficult and expensive a task as hiring a more skilled assassin might have been.”

Knowing Guntram’s predilection for shelving inconvenient women away, Brunhild made sure that neither she, her daughter, nor her daughter-in-law could end up in a convent against their will. Guntram agreed to offer them his protection if anything should happen to Childebert. But most important, the women were guaranteed financial independence. Their property would remain outside of Salic law—“cities, lands, revenues, and all rights, and every kind of property, both what they actually possess at the present time and what they are able justly to acquire in the future”34—for them to administer, sell, or bequeath as they saw fit. A similar clause extended the same protections to Guntram’s only surviving child, a daughter named Clothilde, and all of her “goods and men, both cities, lands, and revenues.”

And that is why I'm a Brunhild fan. Both women were ruthless and displayed excellent acumen for state building, but Brunhild did things for herself and others.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

The period following the demise of the Roman Empire (the Dark Ages) is not well recorded. Primary sources have been lost through time and some were intentionally destroyed by the dynasties that followed.

Shelley Puhak fills the information gap for today’s general reader. She must know you will not recognize names and events, so she makes it easy for you using a narrative style. This way she develops these 6th century characters so that you can understand them and their world.

This book covers three generations of family warfare as 4 brothers of the Merovingian Dynasty scheme to enlarge their inherited territories. Their efforts and their wars live after them with the result that thousands of lives were lost and many cities destroyed. As the book ends, the stage is set for the next generations to go to war over the same territories. This dynastic saga suggests that primogeniture, while highly unfair to the youngest siblings, is a more stable succession option.

The two featured queens are sisters-in-law. You see them rise and fall in influence, but, whether "in" or "out" they are clearly at the center of the plotting and scheming. Besides collecting taxes, making prestigious appointments, bearing children and arranging marriages, they led armies. Through all the intrigue, the borders of what is now France were established.

The featured queens are:

- Brunhild who came to Austrasia from Spain as a dynastic match. Her husband was killed, most likely by emissaries of her sister-in-law, Fredegund. As a widow and regent Brunhild ruled a large part of what is now France for 20+ years. She is the first female to perform judicial functions and to sign a treaty.

- Fredegund who made a leap from a family slave to ruling Queen by helping to banish her lover's (the king's) queen to a convent (and later to her death). She hired assassins to kill relatives and rivals – (Kings, of course, took and kept power by killing even more people in battle). Once she became a widow, she became even more lethal than she was as a mistress or wife.

While the focus is on the sisters-in-law three other women stand out in ways you do not see in medieval or renaissance culture.

- Radegunde, who came to the Franks as a captured princess, REFUSED to sleep with her king-husband. She became obsessive in fasting, praying and living an austere life. She was eventually released to found a convent. It grew to house 200 nuns. Its reputation gave her power.

- After Radegunde’s death, two high born royals who expected to be named to head the convent were passed over. They REBELLED in many ways, one was hiring men to encircle the convent to starve out the people there- just as King’s soldiers seize towns.

The book is staggering in its portrayal of the times. You read of brutality, lethal duplicity, and sudden death along with pageantry, religion and poetry of the 6th century.

The book begins with a list of characters arranged by territory. I used the index often given the recurrence of so many new (to me) names and it always worked. The book is well laid out with many b&w renderings of people and places throughout and 8 pages of color plates. The maps showed all the places mentioned in the text that I looked for.

If you are a reader of history I highly recommend this book. I found it through my Goodreads friend Orsolya.

[Maja - BibliophiliaDK ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

NON-FICTION THAT READS ALMOST LIKE A NOVEL

"It begins with three weddings in quick succession - and one murder."

That is a dynamite beginning! And the rest of the book followed suit. The two subjects of this book, Fredegund and Brunhild are, despite the sparse source material and their 'age', very well fleshed out. I got a real sense of who they were, what they strove and fought for and what their weaknesses were. I came to respect both of them, each in their own way. The writing was excellent, making the past come to life while still being informative. My only concern was the lack of source citations throughout the text. That would have brought this experience to a 5-star read.

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know how many people (women) always want to be considered a „queen“? I never understood that because when we look at history, being queen wasn't anything anyone should desire as it meant only being considered good enough to produce heirs and under constant threat of one death or another.

Another puzzling thing is how women as a whole were willing to endure all the shit throughout history. Considering how many women there are, one would think there would have been an uprising eventually to stop all the gaslighting, humiliation, oppression, (sexual) violence and slander.

Well, I'm happy to report that SOME queens / women proved to be so badass, people quivered before them. Ironically enough, those are the queens / women we know the least about because they have been so successful that men could not stand there being proof of their badassery and awesomeness. Which answers the question why Boudicca is so well known while the two queens / women of this book aren't (relatively speaking): Boudicca was granted recognition because she FAILED. This is evidenced by the fact that whenever Fredegund and Brunhild WERE acknowledged, it was as wicked women, villainesses etc.

Brunhild and Fredegund started out very differently. The former was born of royal blood and married off to forge an alliance while the latter used to be a slave girl. Both ended up queens, married to two Merovingian brother princes of Frankia (France). Both had to endure hardship (sieges, constant threats and intrigues, the pressure of having to produce heirs, losing children, ...) but both also thrived in this hostile environment in the so-called Dark Ages.
They not only both proved to be brilliant strategists but also capable of commanding armies. This is so noteworthy because women were nothing back then, of no value, and yet Brunhild and Fredegund managed to command enough respect that armies would actually follow their commands. Hell, they even negotiated with Popes (who really aren't known for their progressive views on and respect for women).
And let's not forget their level of education necessary to pull any of this off. Brunhild at least had the usual upbringing of a princess, but Fredegund wouldn't even have known to read/Write and yet ended up being fluent in Latin and knowable in all kinds of disciplines. In short: they learned what they needed to survive and to ensure the survival of their children (whenever possible).

One of these two died a natural and pretty peaceful death while the other ... did not. And boy, was I livid at how she met her end. There were no Merovingian queens before them but several after them. They were pioneers and I’m happy that after so many centuries of slander, they get the respect they deserve!

Following these badass women was a real treat because the author was so very good at telling a thrilling and compelling story packed with facts and the latest in historical records. There wasn't a second in this book that didn't have me hooked. Sure, the (hi)story kinda made it easy, but I have read enough history books to know that some authors can make any account sound long-winded or even boring. Not Puhak. She obviously was deeply invested and passionately researched not only the women's lives but everything that will have influenced events (no small feat).

Fantastic book about a fascinating subject presented in the perfect way!

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brunhilde and Fredegund were two very powerful Frankish queens in the 6th century from the Merovingian dynasty. Have never heard of their names or really, anything about the 6th century? You are not alone. Author Shelley Puhak admits she knew nothing about them before she started researching her book. And that is a real shame on many levels.

First, the story is incredibly bloody, twisty and exciting. Move over Game of Thrones, here come the Dark Queens! All the intrigue, sex, weddings, poisonings, battles, betrayals, ruthless personalities and bloody vengences you can imagine - and some more. The Merovingians had the habit of splitting their kingdom among their heirs, which resulted in immediate civil war upon the death of the king among his heirs. Wars, marriages and death of kings resulted in reunification, only to be split again a few years later. Thus the cycle of civil war continued.



Our two queens ruled simultaneously in two neighboring kingdoms, Austrasia and Neustria, embroiled in a bloody civil war, for four decades. They were both charismatic, smart and ruthless, but in different ways. Brunhilde was a princess and a master politician and diplomat. Fredegund was a former slave, a temptress, a poisoner and assassin, temperamental and proud to be feared as a witch. They both have acted as warriors - Brunhilde once dressed as one to stop a conflict, Fredegund led her troops to victories as a brilliant military strategist.

So why do we not know them? Puhak lays the blame at the patriarchy who deliberately erased their rule from history, deleting Fredegund entirely and blackening Brunhilde’s reputation. Women cannot rule because they never have, is the message. But they have ruled - and invariably, they were marginalized, maligned, reviled later. They were sourceresses who bewitched the men. They were promiscuous. They were witches. Brunhilde was 70 years old when she was accused of the death of 10 kings - two of whom were killed by the accusers themselves, two were still alive, two were assassinated by Fredegund, and the rest died from natural causes or in battle. She was ripped to shreds by horses - not for the offenses she did not commit, but because she dared to rule as a woman. Contemporary writings still blame Brunhilde for the civil wars. Wikipedia’s entry has her inciting wars among her grandsons - never mind that wars were a natural result of the constant splitting of the kingdoms.

The Merovingian dynasty is coming under a new focus of study as the ones who bridged the gap between the Roman empire and the medieval world. This was a time when the Roman villas still stood, aquaducts still provided fresh water, roads were still used - but they stopped being maintained. Literacy still existed, people read and wrote, works of Roman writers were still available. It is quite amazing how much we know about the period, thanks to two contemporary chroniclers: Fortunatus, a poet, and Gregory, a bishop. We also have a lot of active archeological sites.

This is a fantastic read. It is actually a bit hard to follow, it is so action packed, and the names are difficult to remember, being such as Sigibert, Chilparic, Clothar, Theuderic, and often multiples of them, as the fathers seem to have died almost as soon as they begot their sons. I have the audio, well narrated by Cassandra Claire. However, I wish the audio came with a pdf. A map and a family tree would have been immensely helpful.

[Pooja Peravali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two women, rival queens, rule kingdoms that lie side by side. Over the course of decades, they scheme and intrigue and fight both to keep their crowns and to take away the other's. One will die peacefully, the other violently, and from their actions a dynasty will come to an end.

The Dark Queens follows the lives of Brunhild and Fredegund, who were Frankish queens during the 500s. They had extremely disparate origins, with one starting as a Spanish princess and the other as a palace slave, but they both rose high and became powerful. Despite the impact of their actions and their unique position as dual female rulers in the medieval era, they have been mostly forgotten today. In this book, the author narrates their tale. I found the numerous cast and the convoluted politics relatively simple to follow, which speaks to what a good job the author did of breaking down the complicated subject matter. The historical figures were conjured up vividly throughout, often with just a few lines.

However, I did think the book wavered at times on its form. Though this is narrative nonfiction, I often found the writing straying toward the drier side of the spectrum, which made me feel sometimes that I was veering into textbook reading. I also wish we spent more time with the titular queens, as it almost felt that they got lost in the shuffle that is dynastic politics at times.

Overall an intriguing read on a subject I had never heard of, illuminating darkened corners of history.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Shelley Puhak does an extremely good job of telling the stories of two Merovingian Queens, during the beginning of the medieval era, and combining scholarship with storytelling to bring the era and characters to life. With early history, the risk is always whether the author relies on primary sources and risks the book becoming too academic and dry, or whether telling the story means that this is traded for historical accuracy. It’s a delicate line to walk, but I think Puhak manages it well. Yes, sometimes you feel her own opinions coming through, but, overall, this is a readable account which shines a light on women, who are normally overlooked on the history of the period.

Our two Queens are Brunhild, a Spanish princess and wife of Sigibert and Fredegund, a former slave girl, and wife of King Chilperic. Chilperic was the half brother of Sigibert, Guntram and Charibert, and the brothers ruled an area which comprised of much of modern France and Germany. These lands were split between the brothers on the death of their father, King Clothar, and resulted in incursions, attacks, jealousy and resentment. Meanwhile, as the book continues, we learn of why Brunhild had reasons to dislike Fredegund and how Fredegund – ambitious and intelligent – fought to achieve, and retain, power and influence.

This history shows not only the tenuous control that most women had over their lives, but how quickly life could change for both men and women – whether royal or not. Men could be killed in battle, or by illness. Women were easily shuttled off to a convent (or, in one case, fought to be allowed to go to one). This book has everything, from dynastic ambitions, marriage, murder, banishment, imprisonment, and epidemics. An interesting insight into a period of history that I knew little about and fascinating views of two women who held power in a time when this was highly unusual. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

[Orsolya · Rating 5 out of 5]

More likely than not; you aren’t familiar with the Merovingian Dynasty ruling the Frankish empire in the early Middle Ages (circa 6th century) after the fall of the Roman rule. You’ve also probably never heard of the sisters-in-law queen enemies Brunhild (a Spanish princess) and Fredegund (a former slave turned queen). Don’t feel bad – it is no fault of your own. The following Carolingian rulers (Charlemagne) made it a point to erase the Merovingians from the annals of history. Shelley Puhak demolishes these walls in her non-fiction debut revealing these formidable Merovingian women (and those around them) in, “The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry that Forged the Medieval World”.

Puhak describes “The Dark Queens” as not being “an academic history” but rather “a work of narrative non-fiction based on primary resources” and the description matches the text perfectly. “The Dark Queens” is an inviting, invigorating, gripping, compelling, dramatic, detailed, vivid, fast-paced masterpiece that is equally as entertaining as it is informative. Puhak’s “The Dark Queens” is one of the best history works I have read and I am sitting on 600+ completed history books. Puhak is not a historian nor is there an overabundance of extant materials regarding the subject which generally results in a flimsy and scattered piece. However, “The Dark Queens” overcomes these potential pitfalls and is a must-read educational text that also quickens the readers’ heart beats.

“The Dark Queens” kicks off with a list of historical figures to be discussed (plus maps) which is absolutely necessary as the web of events and people involved is complex and intricately woven. Yet, readers quickly pick up on the names and roles proving Puhak’s effortless ability to inform and teach readers without being stuffy or dry. Puhak’s tone is scholarly but also casual (occasionally conversational) which solidifies “The Dark Queens” as an accessible piece on a subject - Brunhild and Fredegund - not often discussed.

This ease of informational exchange extends to the actual history content within “The Dark Queens”. The Merovingians were the crème de crème of soap operas and it is almost unbelievable the drama and number of murders that occurred. Every page and sentence of “The Dark Queens” is dripping with suspense and so much detail; that readers are truly ‘living’ the history rather than just reading it.

Brunhild and Fredegund are successfully revealed through both their actions and psyches with each standing out within the pages absolutely opening themselves up to the modern telescope. Puhak doesn’t muddy this portrait with personal biases and allows readers to make their own judgment call. There is evidence of occasional assumption and speculative statements but these are not numerous and do not weaken the text.

“The Dark Queens” does well with staying in the lane and not meandering off on tangents as is often the case with history texts on rare subject matter. In fact, Puhak’s claim of incomplete sources is doubted because of the depth and breadth of “The Dark Queens” is so far-reaching and thorough.

Puhak peppers “The Dark Queens” with sleuth-like detective work which not only solves some unanswered cases; but also aides in providing readers with “food for thought” and provocative insight. “The Dark Queens” is a well-rounded look at Brunhild, Fredegund and the Merovingians. Puhak portrays Brunhild and Fredegund in a strong warrior-queen light but without drenching readers in pro-feminism. The ladies are encapsulated with both their weaknesses and strengths giving a macro-view of their lives and taking them out of hiding.

The fast pace continues throughout the entirety of “The Dark Queens” into its conclusion maintaining its highly-emotional energy. The finality (the deaths of the two queens, respectively) is memorable and enticing. Puhak teams this with a look at the legacies of Brunhild and Fredegund in terms of academic and social histories.

“The Dark Queens” is supplemented with a section of color photo plates plus illustrations throughout; a note on the sources, annotated notes and an extensive bibliography encouraging further research and reading.

It is difficult to properly describe the merits of “The Dark Queens” as it is simply magical and near-perfect bringing a lesser-discussed history of the Franks to life in a clear and concise manner that flows like a narrative literary novel. If a salacious historical romp filled with blood, gore, revenge, assassins and cat fights is your MO; then you have met your book soul mate. “The Dark Queens” is an absolutely remarkable text that is a must-read for ALL readers of the historical period specifically, history-lovers in general and those with a feminist studies angle.

[Austra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vēsturi raksta vīrieši.

“The misogynistic logic of patriarchy is curiously circular: women cannot govern because they never have. But this big lie rests upon a bed of induced historical amnesia, the work of numberless erasures and omissions, collectively sending the message that the women who have ruled haven’t earned the right to be remembered.”

Tā Austra, kas pamatskolā nolādēja daudzās franču revolūcijas un katru no tām atsevišķi, noteikti nebūtu ticējusi, ka kādreiz no brīva prāta un ar tik lielu baudu lasīs vēstures grāmatas. Turklāt par Franku valsti. Šis bija kā GoT, tikai pa īstam - duršanas, indēšanas, sacelšanās, sazvērestības, atriebības, teju nepārtraukti kari, plūdi, mēris, dizentērija un mantinieki, kas mirst pa kreisi un pa labi. Un tā visa centrā - divas ļoti jaudīgas dāmas - Brunhilde un Fredegunde.

Vienīgais mīnuss, ka grāmata man bija Kindle, un tur man nešķiet tik ērti šķirstīt turp un atpakaļ kā papīra grāmatā, lai pārbaudītu datumus vai vārdus, un, ticiet man, vārdi IR problēma. Jo tiem frankiem reāli patika darināt vienas saknes vārdus, un ātri vien kļūst grūti atcerēties, kas ir kurš, ja viņus visus sauc apmēram šādi - Theudebert, Theuderic, Theudelia, Chilperic, Childebert, Clodebert, Dagobert, Sigibert, Clothar, Clovis, Clodosinda utt.

Uzzināju daudz viskautkā un interesanta, tai skaitā par 6. gadsimta progresīvajām idejām, piemēram, ka sievietes menstruāciju laikā varbūt tomēr drīkstētu laist baznīcā un ļaut viņām saņemt komūniju, jo tas it kā esot dabisks process, nevis grēks. Lai vai kā, tas viss bija tik aizraujoši, ka taisni žēl, ka grāmata izlasīta. Nu neko, jāmeklē nākamā aizraujošā.

“Rape was an unholy act, and Desiderius was a holy man; ergo, he could not have been a rapist.”

“Power is, literally, intoxicating, corrupting the reward circuitry of a brain in much the same way as a drug.”

“One could not call a woman a witch casually or in jest. It was a serious charge, one that was considerably worse than questioning her virtue. The fine for slandering a woman as a witch was 187½ solidi, while it was only 45 solidi if one falsely called her a whore. The law even considered it worse to accuse a woman of witchcraft than to assault her – the wergeld was three times higher than for forcible rape.”

[MAP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given all the chaos Clovis’ successors created splitting and merging and splitting and conquering their lands between each other, perhaps he should have been a little less focused on Salic Law and more focused on primogeniture.

This book follows the lives and historical contexts of 2 Frankish queens and rivals - Brunhild and Fredegund. I love reading history but this is a time period I know nothing about and it is DENSE. I had no idea where any of it was going and had to read and reread multiple times to make sure I understood the next insane thing that happened. Wait what, assassinated? Poison? Attempted strangling/decapitation via trunk? NUN REVOLT?

This is a good book but it is not a QUICK book. I was amazed how many times I’d been reading for 30 minutes or more only to realize I’d only read 4 pages. This is not a light easy breezy read, unless I suppose you have your PhD in Merovingian history, in which case this is probably a VERY light read.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I really wish she'd put the explanation of research methods at the beginning of the book. I'd have been less frustrated if I'd known this wasn't going to be a purely academic book at the beginning. The first third of the book has an irritating modern sneer. I get being cautious of believing primary sources are unbiased. However, the author should have explained her approach to handling bias at the beginning. The queens often times get lost in the shuffle of events. I am already having trouble recalling the exact events of the book I just finished reading. The queens are fascinating historical figures, but their narratives didn't come to life. Some of this is due to the author's writing style, and some is due to the fact that I could tell this was a modern take on the story not actually an attempt to take the reader back in time and showcase the actual views of the era without having to put modern standards of behavior on them. The author presumes and supposes quite a bit about what these women may have felt. Much of the book has a very modern view and doesn't really bring the reader back into the minds of the people being written about since the book is entirely through a modern lens. The second half of the book is better than the first half. It doesn't sound snide but rather actually invested in the story. Some portions are quite well told. The biggest problem with the book is that it's a boring slog. This is due to grammatical errors, clunky syntax, odd descriptions, jumping all over in the timeline, and a lack of transitions from thought to thought and events in many places. I was told everything rather than shown. The bibliography is extensive and beautifully organized. I wish lengthier portions of the primary sources had been quoted because that was when the story came most alive for me.
Overall not a great read, but it ended on a somewhat better note than I expected given that the book and I didn't start off on a good note. My being happier with the ending is in a small part due to Christine de Pizan being discussed on page 264. Maybe a stronger, more experienced nonfiction writer will be inspired to do another book looking at these queens that is a more academic look at them.

[Left Coast Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book by the writing talent of the author, Shelly Puhak. I have read a couple of her essays that were absolute humdingers. As I dove into the book, the first couple of pages had that Puhak flavor to them, but the book quickly became a simple recitation of facts and inferences, without the pizazz she's brought to her shorter work.

Which is not to say the book isn't interesting. The events portrayed here took place in France, mostly, about fifteen hundred years ago. Fifteen hundred years is a long time, and while obviously much has changed, I was struck by how similar life felt to people back then to how we are now, on a day-to-day basis. Reading between the lines here, it's obvious that people preferred living in cities to living in the countryside (possibly because the odds of being eaten by a pack of wolves was lower in cities, though that wasn't specifically mentioned here.) People needed to get a permit to carry out their trades, pay their taxes, save up for elaborate weddings and the like.

Or this:

Rigunth, now eleven years old, was proving to be exceedlingly headstrong. She publicly "fasted with all her household" in solidarity with Gregory, perhaps as a way to irritate her mother.

Little Rigunth was playing with fire, though, because her mother was none other than Queen Fredegund, who, according to this telling (which the author cheerfully admits is largely embellishments based on the scant records which have survived) is one of the most monstrous monarchs to have ever drawn breath. Gengis Khan was certainly her better in the game of territorial acquisition, but he had nothing on her when it came to pointless cruelty.

There was a very weird flavor to all this mayhem, though, which is that it almost seemed a game to them, with well-understood rules. One rule was that anybody could take refuge from anyone else in a church, and be left alone. When you consider that this was a scant five hundred years after Jesus died over 3000 miles away, that the ink was barely dried on what we currently understand as the Bible, it's astonishing that the church already held such power. Very strange that people who owned slaves, murdered their closest relatives and were willing to torture several hundred townspeople in order to get a good recipe were so humble in the presence of bishops and the like.

I'll stick with this author's shorter works going forward.

Thanks for the buddy read with Vivian and for her fun review

[Kisxela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is “a work of narrative nonfiction based on primary sources”, so it probably does not contain the full truth about the lives of the two queens, but rather an imaginary reality that can be read from the archival records and other surviving medieval documents found in our time.

I also felt a little bias on the part of the writer, as he portrayed one queen as good and the other as inherently bad. While there are sources that would prove just the opposite. But there has to be a good and a bad hero in every story so that we always feel personally touched in the events. And this book was like that, I was almost present in the throne halls, on the battlefield, I mourned with the queens at the battle losses, I cried with them at the death of their husbands and children.

It was the best and most interesting historical nonfiction of all I have read so far. I have come to know a world and an age that has been unknown to me so far, a bloody and chaotic era in French history that was still the starting point of current French and European history. The two queens were pragmatic and ruthless, yet we feel that romance, love of family and nation were also present in their lives. For virtually half a century, they ruled much of the continent, yet their lives were erased from the pages of the history books by jealous descendants.

There are a lot of events and characters in the book, no pages, no sentences that would be a little boring. We always believe that the present is the most tortuous, the most interesting, and then we realize that there were times when the lives and destinies of peoples and nations were in constant turmoil.

Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read this book before it is officially published.

[Melissa Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reads like a brutal medieval soap opera. The author does a fantastic job of keeping you entertained and she gives a rich history on two women who are not very well known in our time. What a shame that their names were not carried on as well as their male counterparts.

The book surrounds the Merovingian dynasty, considered by some as the first race of the kings of France. The king of the Merovingians would tend to split the kingdom between his sons. So when he died, it was an all-out war between the siblings. This would last for decades only for one to be superior and later do the same thing.

Our story takes place in one of these family battles. The queens, Fredegund and Brunhilde, are both smart and ruthless but in their own way. Each one has a totally different background and handle matters in dissimilar fashions. I would have to say that I leaned more favorably to Brunhilde and the way she took care of things but they both had a passion and conviction.

While the author did lots of research, the book still had a good amount of speculation due to the lack of information back in that period. It was handled well and not put out there as definite fact. Look forward to reading more about this.

The only thing that took away from the book was there was so much going on and so many names to remember and keep lined up. At times I would feel myself drifting a bit and getting confused. I think I might have missed some things here and there and might go back later on in the future to reread it.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrative non-fiction about two Merovingian Queens that lived in the sixth century in what is now France at a time when it was extremely rare for women to hold such roles. Brunhild was a Visigoth princess who married Sigebert, King of Austrasia. Fredegund was a former slave selected by Chilperic, Sigebert’s half-brother and eventual ruler of the neighboring kingdom of Neustria, to be his third wife. Sigebert and Chilperic were rivals. Brunhild’s sister had been an earlier wife of Chilperic, and after her murder, the two camps became bitter rivals and fought wars against each other.

This is a very accessible account of these two women. They were eventually forgotten by history due to the denigration and erasure of their names after death. There are only a few remaining sources from the Dark Ages and the author has used more recent sources to fill in the blanks, which of course results in conjecture in many instances. It is a story of the thirst for power and the various ways it was attained and held, often through alliances, family connections, murder, treachery, torture, and war. It is an interesting portrayal of a lesser covered period in history.

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Often when people think of Gaul, they tend to immediately think of Charalmange. That is understandable as is his close association with the Franks. Yet, Charlamagne was a scion of the Carolingian Dynasty, which had usurped the rule of Frankia by turning the offices of the mayor of the palace and dux et princeps Francorum, both offices combined to make Charles Martel's Carolingian line quite powerful and puissant. In 751 CE, Pepin the Short, Charel's son, with the contrivance of the Papacy, was crowned King of the Franks. Yet, who was the family they overthrew? Shelly Puhak, masterfully, introduces us to the Game of Thrones-like Merovingian dynasty.

The crux of the conflict inherent to the Merovingians is best encapsulated in two fascinating, and utterly ruthless, women who rose to become powerful Queens and were each other's arch-nemesis. Frankia at this time was a grouping of provinces under their own King, each a son of King Clothar. In the Kingdom of Austrasia, in the capital Metz, ruled by Sigibert (Third son of King Clothar, Grandson of Clovis "The Famous Warrior" and King of the Franks), himself a most accomplished warrior called "Magnificent Victory", marries a Visigothic Princess from Spain named Brunhild, herself an accomplished shield maiden called "Battle Armor" (Second Daughter of King Athanagild and Queen Goiswintha of the Visigoths in Spain).
In the Kingdom of Neustria, ruling from Soissons appears the "other side" of the conflict manifested in the form of Chilperic, the "Valiant Defender" and his infamous third wife, the former servant to Queen Audovera (Chilperic's first wife), who usurped the position of Queen Galswintha (Chilperic's second wife) to become a brilliant Machiavellian Queen known with the sobriquet "Peace through War".

This multi-year conflict, primarily driven by these two women, would see inter-family conflict, treachery, betrayal, assassinations, and war to put any GOT fictional family to shame. All without dragons of any sort. In fact, this war to untie the four Kingdoms of Aquitane (Charibert, the "Bright Warrior", ruling from Paris and eldest son of King Clothar); Burgundy (Guntram, the "Battle Raven", second son ruling from Chalon-sur-Saône); Austrasia (Sigibert and Brunhild's Kingdom); and finally Neustria (King Chilperic and Queen Fredegund), will result in the eventual destruction of the Merovingian dynasty.

Prepare for an exciting, always interesting, and very well-written story about two Queens who were truly powerful and ruthless in a time and land where this should be viewed with far more respect and admiration. Yet, under the Carolingian Dynasty and given the dislike of powerful Queens endemic in Salic Law and the Papacy, these two queens would disappear from most commonly known history, only to be reborn in the form of myth.

Fredegund would go on to influence many stories of the evil stepmother motif, as well as the ever-nefarious image of the Queen's servant rising to the position of Queen. Shakespeare would resurrect Fredegund in "Macbeth" by using her battle strategy of the "walking forest". Though, two centuries before the Great Bard, poet Christine de Pizan wrote of Fredegund in her "Book of the City of Ladies" (1405) where she found manuscripts preserved in a convent in Soissons, that described the Battle of Droizy and Pizan's research reveals a "....valiant queen kept out in front, exhorting the others on to battle with promises and cajoling words...", but also with Pizan conceding that Ferdegund was "...was unnaturally cruel for a woman.." but praises the Queen's "...skillful handling of power.." and her successful regency where she ruled her Kingdom most wisely after Chilperic's death.

Brunhild would also become an object of fame and legend. There were many roads named after her ("Brunehaut" in French) all throughout France. There were legends comparing her to a witch who could "pave a road in a single night with the help of the devil.." BTW 13 of those Brunehaut roads still exist after all this time and many converge in the French town of Bavay, wherein the center of the intersection is a statue of Queen Brunhild.

The two Quuens would resurface in legend again in the nineteenth century during the Age of Romanticism where a re-interest in the Merovingians led to an interest in the two enemy Queens and many operas and plays were based on their conflict. But it would be the rediscovery, and subsequent deep national pride and interest, in Germany of the twelfth-century epic poem Nibelungenlied. This was the tale of the epic battle between these two Queens and how these sisters-in-law tore their nations apart. This Midevial text also served as the inspiration for Wagner's opera cycle - Der Ring des Nibelungen. That's also where the whole "wings and horns on Viking helmets" came from. Thus it is common to see statues of Queen Brunhild, and in the Opera, to have wings surmounting her helm.

This interfamily spat lasted over forty years! That is longer than the far better-known War of the Roses. Also, the author makes a superb argument as to why Queen Cersei from Game of Thrones is
who is often portrayed as an amalgam of Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret of Anjou, and Anne Boylen as well as the English War of the Roses, G.R.R. Martin could actually have been describing the real-life Queen Fredegund....WARNING GoT Spoilers ahead(kinda..sorta), so be warned and skip to the end of this quote...

"...Like Fredegund, Cersei is dogged by suspicions of infidelity, and when her adultery is discovered, she arranges for her king-husband to die while he is on a hunting trip, as isFredegund's husband. Cersei also arranges the deaths of her husband's other children as Fredegund is said to, and in her (Cersei) we see Brunhild's paranoia about being replaced by a younger queen. Like both queens, while ostensibly serving as regent for underage boys, Cersei assumes the throne herself...."


Pretty cool, as a GoT fan, I'd say. Obviously, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to any fan of history, Merovingians, or two really cool Queens who managed to rule ruthlessly during the Merovingian dynasty that would tear it apart.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it's popular history at its most popular. Puhak is a good writer (a poet), who has a good eye for the telling detail and a sense of pace. And the story here is a good one, a real life Game of Thrones between two queens. Murder, poisoning, invasions, colorful characters, etc. Where I had problems were the numerous authorial conjectures. At one point I just groaned when Puhak suggested possible note passing and whispering as part of a possible female solidarity among various women to help Queen Brunhild escape a convent. See how often I'm using "possible." It may have happened, but there's no evidence, none, just Puhak looking at the events and "what we know" about various characters and guessed-at motivations. Such motivations are almost always Puhak's (modern day) projections. And it happens a lot. To be fair, the events described occurred in the "Dark Ages" (hence, "Dark Queens"), so guesswork is going to be in the mix. That said, I would prefer a tighter factual ship and less imaginative leaps.

[Melindam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable, easy-flowing narrative nonfiction story of 2 overlooked/forgotten, badass queens.

More thoughts to come later.

[Briana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Source: Netgalley. Review also posted at Pages Unbound.

The Dark Queens is an utterly immersive work of narrative nonfiction that had wide-eyed and gasping more than any fiction book I've read in the past several months. Though the book is focused on Queens Brunhild and Fredegund, the cast of characters is massive, and the complexity and wildness of their political, personal, and military maneuvers is truly something to behold. I couldn't get enough of this story, and I hope it makes the "Dark Ages" more accessible and interesting to other readers.

Puhak's work is clearly rooted in an enormous amount of research. There are footnotes (though not so many they interrupt the flow of the story) and direct quotes from sources like Gregory of Tours where applicable. (Unfortunately, very little survives of Brunhild's or Fredegund's own words.) There are moments where Puhak is obviously conjecturing, about what Brunhild or Fredegund was probably feelig at some point or about what the city would have looked like from their bedroom windows, etc., but this, too, is clearly grounded in some sort of research (ex. what did this city look and sound like in general at this time period, to their best of our knowledge?), and a careful reader will be able to mentally note the pieces where Puhak seems to be filling in the gaps a bit. Her educated guesses do make the book read more smoothly (again, it's narrative nonfiction), which I think readers will generally appreciate and find keeps the book engaging.

And engaging it is. I can hardly remember the last time I read a nonfiction book this quickly and with an urgent sense to find out what on earth was going to happen next-- because what happened next was always absolutely crazy. Brunhild comes across as brilliant and calculating but one of the more level-headed actors in the story, while Fredegund is fierce about getting rivals out of her ways and cool with being accused of a wide number of murders. The men go about marrying and divorcing and killing and invading everyone left and right, betraying each other and making up and acting like this is all totally normal. What a time to be alive, either as someone in power who had to participate in all this scheming or as a poor peasant who had to wonder month to month exactly what kingdom they belonged to now.

One of the author's goals is to revive the history specifically of Brunhild and Fredegund, two powerful women who ruled something amounting to an empire, whose contributions to society would be systematically erased by their successors. And the book does do that. I do think, in spite of Puhak's efforts, that Brunhild comes across as more "sympathetic" than Fredegund, who murdered tons of people and was even violent with her own daughter, but Fredegund is clearly brilliant at playing politics and a force to be reckoned with, and I can see the arguments that people were/are to be less likely to bat an eye at man who's as violent at she is. I, however, do think the book expands a lot beyond the two women; it's an excellent portrayal of the region as a whole during this time period, with a large network of actors striving to take land and power.

You don't need to be a nonfiction fan to enjoy this one. The strong narrative voice and the wild action of the story will keep you engaged even if you're normally just a fiction reader. I don't know if a fantasy author could have made stuff up that's this fast-paced and, at times, downright bizarre. Seriously, go pick this one up when it's released February 2022.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always thrilled to discover a new fascinating bit of history I knew absolutely nothing about. Puhak's portrait of two powerful women, Merovingian queens who were both fierce rivals and sister in law, does a brilliant job bringing one such facet of history alive. A highly interesting read.

[charlotte, · Rating 3 out of 5]

On my blog.

Galley provided by publisher

The Dark Queens is a fascinating tale of two Merovingian women, who grasped for power and sometimes ruled over mid-first millennium mainland Europe, together whose domains spanned most of what is now France and Germany. These are two queens who have, for the most part in popular history at least, been consigned to the shelf, but Shelley Puhak brings them to life here in a very well-researched history.

The style of this book straddles something between a drier academic style and that of telling more of a story. It makes sense, really, because primary sources from the period are scarce compared with other periods, and secondary sources for these two women are distorted by the aims of the people writing them. However, I wouldn’t say it’s wholly successful in the latter aspect—it at times felt as though it couldn’t decide which style to prioritise. I’ve read plenty of history books which go for a much less academic style and are still clearly based on thorough underlying research. I do feel as though here that paucity of sources perhaps led a little to this straddling.

There are also a couple of things that I wanted more of and less of, respectively. The first of those is how these two queens’ reigns (although to call them reigns is perhaps misleading, since they never really ruled in their own right, by the sounds of it. It was always a regency, if only in name alone) led to the subsequent developments on mainland Europe. Basically, I wanted more of how all of this fit into the historical context. Because that was hinted at and, at times, it felt like the author wanted to take their examples and compare them to modern life.

Which leads me nicely to my next point! I have no issue, really, with the comparison to modern life, but for the fact that Puhak didn’t really follow through with it. But the way it was brought up, that’s what I wanted less of. Less of the whole “they have simply become bywords for the evil stepmother/female poisoner stereotype! Misogyny at work!” because, really, that felt trite. It isn’t just misogyny that turns historical figures into stereotypes and demons (think Richard III?), so to simply condense it down to that felt quite like saying “look! We women have never been allowed power! Men don’t like powerful women!” It was, in all, simplistic and somewhat of a disappointing end to the book. These are two very complex women, as Puhak notes, so it feels reductive to summarise their story by saying it’s all due to misogyny. (I hope this point makes sense, because I can no longer tell.)

However, in all, this was an enjoyable read. This was a period of time I’ve read very little about (except for British history), so I did like reading this book and the story it told. I just felt, with the end, that it was a bit of a let down.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you think family dynamics don't echo down through the centuries after you've shuffled off this mortal coil, read this book!

Fredegund and Brunhild (lived circa 543-613, from Merovingian Dynasty) are the stars of this tale, and the historical record is being interpreted and translated by the author for readers. It feels like a story, but as it gets further, it is clearly history being told by a historian. It has body, and has a modern tone and conclusions - so much of the historical record was destroyed by nature and men there may be some conjecture. This I don't mind at all. I am a stranger in this ancient land, this distant time in history. I desperately needed that interpretation and translation! There is a tangled family tree involved, and a dizzying amount of vicious, or willing-to-be-vicious family members, leaders who were easily led, and politicians who were willing to try anything, and had the weapons to prove it.

The author points out ways these women affected ongoing history, and how they show up in cultural landmarks that we still keep in our modern days - this I particularly enjoyed. Taking a long look back, a few of my lines come from Alsace and Bavaria, and it is possible their chain of dna had links from the same times that felt the impact of these two queens. Could they possibly be in the mix and mingle of my own ancestors' lives? These are the thoughts that keep me reading books that tell me the stories of history. . . .the stories of the forests of Fredegund - a great warrior - and the horrible end of Brunhild.

Reading of these two shadow queens was time well spent, and delving into this time in history, for me, was new and valuable.

A sincere thank you to Shelley Puhak, Bloomsbury USA, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review. #TheDarkQueens #NetGalley

[Oleksandr Zholud · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a historical non-fiction about the situation in the 2nd half of the 6th century on lands of today’s France, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Germany. It tries to tell, as the title suggests, the lives of two queens, and as such is much closer to old history narrations about kings and generals than more popular today histories of 99% of the population that just lived, toiled land, traded, married, birthed children and died. For I think that even men in that 99% (and yes, historians were definitely biased against women) peasants were “erased from history” to a much greater extent than any royal woman, even if attempts to erase them, as well as the whole lines irrespectively of gender, took place. I read it as a part of the monthly reading for July 2024 at Non Fiction Book Club group.

The two main characters of the book are Brunhilde and Fredegund. Brunhilde (c. 543 – 613) was from a royal family from Visigothic Spain, who married in 567, she was married to King Sigebert I of Austrasia, a grandson of Clovis I (a founder of Francia, and starter of the Merovingian dynasty). Relatively soon, in 575 the king was assassinated and Brunhilde was a regent first for her son, later for her grandson and great-grandson. Fredegund has almost opposite roots – from a slave girl she turned into the wife of the brother of Sigebert I, Merovingian king, Chilperic I (561–584), who ruled over Neustria. Initially Chilperic I married a sister of Brunhilde named Galswintha, who was later strangled and the main suspects (often of later period historians) were Chilperic and Fredegund, who was Chilperic’s lover.

So, the enemy kings-brothers, enemies are Brunhilde and Fredegund. Both queens supposedly used assassins (‘proofs’ were collected under torture, which was a norm for investigations), manipulated their relatives and courts (as well as courtiers constantly plotted against their rulers), put down rebellions, lost their children…

Maybe the most interesting part for me was not the rivalry of queens, which is quite similar to kings’ contests in the Middle Ages, but the setting of the Catholic Church in Europe. For there are not only pagans, but Arianism (a Christological doctrine that holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God the Father with the difference that the Son of God did not always exist but was begotten/made before time by God the Father; therefore, Jesus was not coeternal with God the Father), and e.g. Brunhilde was an Arian Christian, converted to Catholicism upon the marriage. There is a very interesting Chapter 26 The Defiant Nuns, about a revolt of nuns in 589. They were led by two princesses (it was a well-known practice of sending ‘unneeded’ royals of both genders but mostly women to nunneries), who expected to be appointed as a new Abbess. They marched to the abbey’s walled enclosure and sieged it, the princesses pooled their resources to hire a band of armed ruffians. Four bishops hurried there to persuade the women to return to their convent. The nuns refused to do so unless their complaints were taken more seriously, but the bishops refused to negotiate. Finally, fed up with the nuns’ defiance, the bishops declared them excommunicated. The princesses ordered their bodyguards to attack the bishops, who fled the scene… there are also murders of clergy, including by the queens, violation of the sanctity of own (!) churches by secular powers, and robberies.

Overall, an interesting book, but with too many characters to follow. It is written almost like a historical fiction, i.e. it goes not like ‘academic’ texts “this source said that queen said…” but “queen said…” – actually the e-book has sources for quoted / adapted texts, but audio doesn’t ever mention these endnotes.

[Karen ⊰✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 'narrative non-fiction' explores 6th century Merovingian France where two opposing queens became enemies and ruled for decades. We have heard of Brunhild over the years through stories including one of Wagner's operas, and Puhak tries to unpick the stories and find the truth of Brunhild and Fredegund.
It is a fascinating piece of history, and written in an accessible way as Puhak tries to imagine those parts which are long lost or never captured, and provide theories for why that may be.
Recommended for history fans, and may appeal to those who usually struggle to get through more academic non fiction texts :)

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry that Forged the Medieval World was recommended to me with a comparison to Game of Thrones, which I haven’t read or watched. However I’ve absorbed enough popular culture to get the gist: bloody competition for power. In this case, the setting of sixth century Merovingian France offered the main appeal as it was completely unfamiliar to me. This book proved to be a highly enjoyable and accessible introduction to that period, via the schemes and rivalry of two queens named Brunhild and Fredegund. No contemporary likenesses of either queen survive, but thankfully there is enough documentation to trace the events of their extraordinary lives. Both survived several husbands and children, launched invasions and assassinations, and left their mark on the map of what would become France. Fredegund's story is especially incredible. A slave of unknown lineage, she served then supplanted a queen. A particularly memorable passage:

Over the course of her life, Fredegund would be credibly linked to twelve political assassination attempts, six of them successful. And these are just the documented links, where she is implicated by a formal accusation or an assassin's confession. There were many other assassinations attributed to her only through rumour and innuendo.

Kings certainly killed as much as Fredegund did, if not even more so, but they generally used their armies or personal guards to dispose of political rivals. Fredegund had her own personal guard, and she did use her soldiers to deal with some political opponents, like the one-eared Count Leudast and her stepson Clovis. But she preferred to use poorer and more impressionable members of society, usually slaves, to carry out her missions.

It is unclear how she convinced anyone to take on suicide missions of this kind, when they could have just taken the money and run. Frustratingly, by the time Brunhild and Fredegund had both become regents to child kings and thus controlled a vast Western European empire between them, the main chroniclers of their earlier exploits were gone. Fredegund allegedly died peacefully in her bed, which in itself seems suspicious, while Brunhild had a much more violent end. The story of their ascent to power is thrilling and full of dramatic incident. Puhak tells it well and makes clear that this is narrative non-fiction rather than academic history. She briefly explains the shortcomings of the primary sources that have survived, as well as providing citations in the extensive endnotes. What a great story! I greatly enjoyed the melodrama and insight into sixth century Europe.

[Elsa K · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

The author's writing style was just okay. I realized at the end that this is her first nonfiction book and it showed. I read a lot of nonfiction and this book was not up to par. The footnotes are all at the end of the book which I find irritating- there weren't even the little numbers to let you know something was quoted or footnoted. Also, at the end she explained her research style. If I had known that upfront, I probably would not have wasted my time. She basically filled in a lot of gaps and guessed as there aren't a lot of historical documents from the time period. But she writes as if what she's assuming actually happened.

This book was the sort of nonfiction I find most irritating. You can tell she has a modern lens and modern agenda she's viewing history through instead of grasping the context for the times she's writing about.

One quote I found particularly annoying was about the Biblical character of Jezebel. Which I found out she was actually quoting another author's view? Both are ignorant views of the actual Jezebel. "The book of Kings casts her broad-minded liberalism in contrast to the prophet's inflexible fundamentalism." p. 262 There is no understanding of the vicious murders actually done by Jezebel or what she really promoted. It just makes Jezebel out to be an intelligent woman put down by the patriarchy. (Eyeroll)

The historical idea of 2 women rulers in such a time is what led me to pick up the book. But the actual content was so depressing- I can only take so much assassination and cruel leadership. Yet the author seems to think these 2 queens were amazing? The writing was very straightforward-this happened, then this happened etc. etc. Which I pushed through to learn about the historical time until I got to the end and realized the author probably made most of it up... I wouldn't waste my time on this one, there is way too much well-done nonfiction out there.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dark Queens by Shelley Puhak is an excellent nonfiction that gives the historical account of two formidable women in their own right, ahead of their time, and finally given a voice of their own.

Let me first just say that the amount of research and time placed into this book is just stunning. I had never heard of either of these women before picking up this book, and now after having finished, I can admit how much I truly learned.

The author shines a light on two women of history: Queen Brunhild and Queen Fredegund. Both fascinating women respectively. Both women before their time and also flawed in their own ways.
I found not only their existence during the late 500s to early 600s (in Brunhild’s case), but also their parts played in history, their feud, and their downfalls.

Some of their actions impressive and brave, others reckless and somewhat petty. The author paints a vivid and honest portrait of these influential women that have somehow been brushed aside, and brings their stores to the forefront, blemishes and all.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Bloomsbury USA for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 2/22/22.

[Paige Haas · Rating 5 out of 5]

How have I gone 25 years of my life without knowing about Fredegund and Brunhild?? These women were amazing! Not only accomplishing things unheard of for women in their time (and for a thousand years or more after them) but also influencing societies up to today. We can find hints of them in everything from fairy tales to Game of Thrones. Yet few of us would recognize their names.

Absolutely 10/10. I wish I had learned about these women in school!