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Lionessheart: The Life and Times of Joanna Plantagenet
Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine are two of the most recognisable figures of the Middle Ages, and almost certainly the best-known couple. The lives of their sons have been examined in detail many times, but their daughters are barely known despite the influence they exerted on the world around them. Joanna, the youngest daughter, led an extraordinary life full of travel, adventure, danger and controversy. Her story is told here in full for the first time.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published March 20, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 16, 2025
Thank you History Press UK for the eARC in Exchange for my honest review!
Not much is known about Joanna because most historians or chroniclers of the time didn’t care about women, even the Royal ones 🙃 Hanley does what she can with the primary sources available to paint a full picture of what Joanna’s life could’ve been like! And what a crazy life it was; Family disputes over the English throne, Queen of Sicily, and going on the Third Crusade to name a few.
Hanley also provides us with intriguing information about the life of women, especially noblewomen, in the 12th century. Mostly context of the time period and what was happening politically/geographically.
The book could be hard to read at times mostly because I was reading on my phone and that could be distracting or uncomfortable for my eyes after a while 😂 While it was one to take my time with, I was fascinated by Joanna and her family, as well as the overall history of the time.
I’d recommend for history lovers especially those who enjoy the Middle Ages and discussions of both political alliances and disputes!
I’ve also included some of my favorite quotes:
"…during a life in which she was variously a princess and pioneer, a captive and queen, a warrior and wife. She represented, and was often the very personification of, many of the crucial issues of the era, and this provides us with a wonderful opportunity to examine them in detail."
"A second difficulty in finding information about Joanna personally is that the contemporary chroniclers - who were inevitably male and often also monks who experienced very little female interaction - did not have a lot to say about the deeds of women. They hardly mention them except where it is unavoid-able, and even then, they tend to minimise female participation…"
"The trick, for a woman of the time, was being able to recognise which situation was which: when she might stand a chance of winning or getting her own way, and when she never would, no matter how hard she tried."
"Joanna was about to fall victim to betrayal, danger and violence, and they would arrive with shocking rapidity."
"After marriage, royal women of the Middle Ages continued to maintain relationships with their birth families. The rationale for doing so is clear: what would be the point of a strategic alliance if the parties never communicated with each other? The woman or girl in question was supposed to act as a bridge between the two families, so she needed to be firmly grounded on both sides of the river. The very fact that this needs stating is evidence of the way in which women’s contributions to politics have been side- lined by many (often male) historians, both medieval and modern, who were content simply to write, ‘... and she was married off at a young age to ...’ as though that were the end of the story."
Not much is known about Joanna because most historians or chroniclers of the time didn’t care about women, even the Royal ones 🙃 Hanley does what she can with the primary sources available to paint a full picture of what Joanna’s life could’ve been like! And what a crazy life it was; Family disputes over the English throne, Queen of Sicily, and going on the Third Crusade to name a few.
Hanley also provides us with intriguing information about the life of women, especially noblewomen, in the 12th century. Mostly context of the time period and what was happening politically/geographically.
The book could be hard to read at times mostly because I was reading on my phone and that could be distracting or uncomfortable for my eyes after a while 😂 While it was one to take my time with, I was fascinated by Joanna and her family, as well as the overall history of the time.
I’d recommend for history lovers especially those who enjoy the Middle Ages and discussions of both political alliances and disputes!
I’ve also included some of my favorite quotes:
"…during a life in which she was variously a princess and pioneer, a captive and queen, a warrior and wife. She represented, and was often the very personification of, many of the crucial issues of the era, and this provides us with a wonderful opportunity to examine them in detail."
"A second difficulty in finding information about Joanna personally is that the contemporary chroniclers - who were inevitably male and often also monks who experienced very little female interaction - did not have a lot to say about the deeds of women. They hardly mention them except where it is unavoid-able, and even then, they tend to minimise female participation…"
"The trick, for a woman of the time, was being able to recognise which situation was which: when she might stand a chance of winning or getting her own way, and when she never would, no matter how hard she tried."
"Joanna was about to fall victim to betrayal, danger and violence, and they would arrive with shocking rapidity."
"After marriage, royal women of the Middle Ages continued to maintain relationships with their birth families. The rationale for doing so is clear: what would be the point of a strategic alliance if the parties never communicated with each other? The woman or girl in question was supposed to act as a bridge between the two families, so she needed to be firmly grounded on both sides of the river. The very fact that this needs stating is evidence of the way in which women’s contributions to politics have been side- lined by many (often male) historians, both medieval and modern, who were content simply to write, ‘... and she was married off at a young age to ...’ as though that were the end of the story."
July 28, 2025
This is an interesting and well-researched look at a British Princess I was barely familiar with.
While this does focus on Joanna, it also gives a lot of detail about the other players during this time period. Joanna, while central to the narrative, is at times over-shadowed by plethora of information available by the men in her era.
While this does focus on Joanna, it also gives a lot of detail about the other players during this time period. Joanna, while central to the narrative, is at times over-shadowed by plethora of information available by the men in her era.
January 13, 2026
Catherine Hanley’s Lionessheart: The Life and Times of Joanna Plantagenet is a richly researched and compellingly told biography that finally gives overdue attention to one of the most remarkable — yet overlooked — figures of the medieval Plantagenet dynasty: Joanna Plantagenet, youngest daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II of England. In a historical landscape dominated by famous men — Henry II, Richard I, and King John — Hanley draws Joanna out of the shadows, portraying a life of drama, resilience, and surprising agency that rivals the more famous exploits of her elder brother, the Lionheart himself.
From the outset, the book immerses the reader in Joanna’s world. Born in 1165 into a family that ruled more territory than the French crown, Joanna’s early years were shaped by the ceaseless political maneuvering and familial conflict that defined her parents’ marriage and rule. Unlike many medieval princesses relegated to footnotes in chronicles, Joanna’s life was rich with international diplomacy, frequent travel, and power plays — experiences Hanley brings vividly to life.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is how Hanley reconstructs Joanna’s life from sparse primary sources, restoring texture and meaning to her story without drifting into unfounded speculation. This is no small feat: medieval chroniclers tended to gloss over royal women unless they affected male political fortunes. Joanna’s own narrative is pieced together through meticulous scholarship, showing her not merely as a pawn of dynastic strategy, but as a figure of remarkable endurance and political significance.
The first great chapter of Joanna’s adult life comes early. At barely ten years old, she was sent to Sicily to marry King William II — a move emblematic of how royal daughters were used for dynastic advantage. Hanley deftly captures not just the political logic of the marriage, but Joanna’s personal adjustments to a foreign court and climate, negotiating the complex relationships with her authoritative mother-in-law and the multicultural milieu of Norman Sicily.
William’s death in 1189 plunged Joanna into her first crisis. Without children or a power base of her own, she was stripped of her lands and rights by the usurper Tancred and thrown into political imprisonment. Here Hanley highlights Joanna’s resilience, depicting her liberation by Richard I not just as a rescuer’s triumph but also as a moment of painful familial politics: Richard reclaimed Joanna’s finances for himself, leaving her dependent even as she was freed.
This leads directly into one of the most vivid episodes in Lionessheart: Joanna’s journey on the Third Crusade alongside Richard and, notably, Berengaria of Navarre — her soon-to-be sister-in-law and queen consort to Richard. Berengaria’s life and legacy are fascinating in themselves: born a Navarrese princess, she became Queen of England upon marrying Richard in Cyprus in 1191, yet likely never set foot in England during Richard’s reign. Her marriage was marked by long separations and political distance, and after Richard’s death she tenaciously worked to secure her own dower rights, eventually ruling as Lady of Le Mans and founding the Abbey of l’Épau.
Hanley’s treatment of Joanna’s relationship with Berengaria is especially compelling because it humanizes both women in a world dominated by formidable men. Their shipwreck near Cyprus, diplomatic dangers, and shared proximity to the crusading conflict offer a rare glimpse into how medieval noblewomen could be both participants in and subjects of pivotal historical moments. Though Berengaria’s own narrative remains fragmentary in comparison with Joanna’s, Hanley uses what evidence we have to suggest that she and Joanna likely shared mutual experiences of displacement, political marginalization, and the navigation of dynastic ambition — a subtle but powerful layer in the book’s broader theme of women’s agency amid medieval power structures.
After the Crusade, Joanna’s life continued to defy the limited roles generally afforded to women of her time. Her second marriage to Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse — marked by conflict and estrangement — further illustrates her complex engagement with power, autonomy, and survival. Seeking sanctuary with her mother Eleanor, Joanna’s final years reflect both the limitations imposed on even highborn women and the remarkable ways she negotiated those boundaries. Her death in childbirth in 1199 and the posthumous birth of her son encapsulate a life lived on the edge of uncertainty and defiance.
Hanley’s Lionessheart is not just a biography of a forgotten princess; it is an evocative exploration of the contexts that shaped — and often constrained — medieval women’s lives. Readers come away not only with a deeper appreciation for Joanna’s courage and complexity, but also with a richer understanding of how women like Berengaria navigated and sometimes transformed the political landscapes they inhabited. In choosing the title Lionessheart, Hanley cleverly echoes Richard’s epithet the Lionheart, reminding us that Joanna’s spirit was no less fierce, no less integral to her age — hers was a heart just as bold, just as fraught with challenge and consequence.
From the outset, the book immerses the reader in Joanna’s world. Born in 1165 into a family that ruled more territory than the French crown, Joanna’s early years were shaped by the ceaseless political maneuvering and familial conflict that defined her parents’ marriage and rule. Unlike many medieval princesses relegated to footnotes in chronicles, Joanna’s life was rich with international diplomacy, frequent travel, and power plays — experiences Hanley brings vividly to life.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is how Hanley reconstructs Joanna’s life from sparse primary sources, restoring texture and meaning to her story without drifting into unfounded speculation. This is no small feat: medieval chroniclers tended to gloss over royal women unless they affected male political fortunes. Joanna’s own narrative is pieced together through meticulous scholarship, showing her not merely as a pawn of dynastic strategy, but as a figure of remarkable endurance and political significance.
The first great chapter of Joanna’s adult life comes early. At barely ten years old, she was sent to Sicily to marry King William II — a move emblematic of how royal daughters were used for dynastic advantage. Hanley deftly captures not just the political logic of the marriage, but Joanna’s personal adjustments to a foreign court and climate, negotiating the complex relationships with her authoritative mother-in-law and the multicultural milieu of Norman Sicily.
William’s death in 1189 plunged Joanna into her first crisis. Without children or a power base of her own, she was stripped of her lands and rights by the usurper Tancred and thrown into political imprisonment. Here Hanley highlights Joanna’s resilience, depicting her liberation by Richard I not just as a rescuer’s triumph but also as a moment of painful familial politics: Richard reclaimed Joanna’s finances for himself, leaving her dependent even as she was freed.
This leads directly into one of the most vivid episodes in Lionessheart: Joanna’s journey on the Third Crusade alongside Richard and, notably, Berengaria of Navarre — her soon-to-be sister-in-law and queen consort to Richard. Berengaria’s life and legacy are fascinating in themselves: born a Navarrese princess, she became Queen of England upon marrying Richard in Cyprus in 1191, yet likely never set foot in England during Richard’s reign. Her marriage was marked by long separations and political distance, and after Richard’s death she tenaciously worked to secure her own dower rights, eventually ruling as Lady of Le Mans and founding the Abbey of l’Épau.
Hanley’s treatment of Joanna’s relationship with Berengaria is especially compelling because it humanizes both women in a world dominated by formidable men. Their shipwreck near Cyprus, diplomatic dangers, and shared proximity to the crusading conflict offer a rare glimpse into how medieval noblewomen could be both participants in and subjects of pivotal historical moments. Though Berengaria’s own narrative remains fragmentary in comparison with Joanna’s, Hanley uses what evidence we have to suggest that she and Joanna likely shared mutual experiences of displacement, political marginalization, and the navigation of dynastic ambition — a subtle but powerful layer in the book’s broader theme of women’s agency amid medieval power structures.
After the Crusade, Joanna’s life continued to defy the limited roles generally afforded to women of her time. Her second marriage to Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse — marked by conflict and estrangement — further illustrates her complex engagement with power, autonomy, and survival. Seeking sanctuary with her mother Eleanor, Joanna’s final years reflect both the limitations imposed on even highborn women and the remarkable ways she negotiated those boundaries. Her death in childbirth in 1199 and the posthumous birth of her son encapsulate a life lived on the edge of uncertainty and defiance.
Hanley’s Lionessheart is not just a biography of a forgotten princess; it is an evocative exploration of the contexts that shaped — and often constrained — medieval women’s lives. Readers come away not only with a deeper appreciation for Joanna’s courage and complexity, but also with a richer understanding of how women like Berengaria navigated and sometimes transformed the political landscapes they inhabited. In choosing the title Lionessheart, Hanley cleverly echoes Richard’s epithet the Lionheart, reminding us that Joanna’s spirit was no less fierce, no less integral to her age — hers was a heart just as bold, just as fraught with challenge and consequence.
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June 23, 2025#lionessheart by #catherinehanley A biography of #richardthelionheart’s sister #joannaplantagenet published in 2025. I heard a history hit podcast earlier this year which was so compelling I picked this up. Considering such little is known about Joanna, Hanley does a great job explaining what is known, putting it in context and being clear about what is speculation. Some of the writing leans into a semi-fictional describing the circumstances and possible feelings of the participants. Starting with Joanna’s education and upbringing, her journey to Sicily, becoming queen, the death of her husband, her captivity, her rescue by the lionheart, a storm blowing her ship off course, her negotiations with the leader of Cyprus to avoid being captured and held hostage, another rescue by Richard, her time ‘on crusade’ in a siege camp where she was ‘almost’ married off to the enemy, time spent in Rome on her way home, her second marriage and role as countess of Toulouse, the marital breakdown and her death in childbirth aged 33. Some interesting extracts from primary sources providing descriptions. An excellent companion piece to the berengaria biography I read yesterday as the two of them spent a fair bit of time together travelling and trying to avoid mischief.
June 6, 2025
Hanley is quick to point out the lack and biases in the historical record, but she still manages to find quite a lot of the life of Joanna, princess of England, Queen of Sicily, and Duchess of Toulouse. Hanley contends that Joanna was just as much of a lion as the rest of her family, and shows how she fought for what she felt she was due, and had quite a tumultuous life. A great look at the time period that shows more of what was going on besides the doings of kings and popes.
August 14, 2025
This was my sort of accompanying audiobook as I read Joan de Valence: The Life and Influence of a Thirteenth-Century Noblewoman; as I mentioned in my review of that book, the two have a lot in common, both being biographies of often overlooked medieval women. In this case, our protagonist (and I use that word intentionally—Hanley’s very much in sympathy with Joanna) is Joanna Plantagenet, the youngest daughter of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Hanley’s up front about the fact that a lot of speculation is needed to flesh out Joanna’s life (again, we are talking about an overlooked woman of history), but even with just the facts we have, Joanna lived a really pretty wild life. She was married to King William II of Sicily when she was only about twelve years old; after her husband died in 1189, she was held captive by his cousin Tancred because she backed his daughter Constance’s claim to the throne; she was rescued by her brother Richard and taken along with him on crusade, where he tried to marry her to Saladin’s brother; she got remarried to the Count of Toulouse Raymond VI and left him to be admitted as a nun at Fontevraud Abbey while pregnant, dying in childbirth at the age of 33.
The book is definitely aimed at a general audience, much in the vein of Hanley’s earlier biography of the Empress Matilda, Matilda: Empress, Queen, Warrior. (Fun fact, that’s one of the first audiobooks I ever listened to back in summer 2020!) Though Hanley’s very up front about the places where she’s filling in historical gaps or challenging a chronicler’s view, I think she might push a little hard in “heroine-ifying” (if I can make up a word here) Joanna. This is especially noticeable when she’s explaining Joanna’s decisions as being based in religious piety. It’s a very opinionated book, with our author in favor of some figures (Joanna, of course, but also Eleanor of Aquitaine and William II of Sicily) and highly critical of others (Richard I, Raymond VI). Interestingly, there’s an unusually sympathetic depiction of John, largely because he was closest to Joanna in age and was willing to give some dowry money back to her.
All that said, it’s not a very long book, and a lot happens in it—Joanna didn’t live a long life, but she certainly lived a full one. If you’re interested in the lives of medieval women and the surprising journeys European marital politics could take them on, it’s well worth checking out.
Hanley’s up front about the fact that a lot of speculation is needed to flesh out Joanna’s life (again, we are talking about an overlooked woman of history), but even with just the facts we have, Joanna lived a really pretty wild life. She was married to King William II of Sicily when she was only about twelve years old; after her husband died in 1189, she was held captive by his cousin Tancred because she backed his daughter Constance’s claim to the throne; she was rescued by her brother Richard and taken along with him on crusade, where he tried to marry her to Saladin’s brother; she got remarried to the Count of Toulouse Raymond VI and left him to be admitted as a nun at Fontevraud Abbey while pregnant, dying in childbirth at the age of 33.
The book is definitely aimed at a general audience, much in the vein of Hanley’s earlier biography of the Empress Matilda, Matilda: Empress, Queen, Warrior. (Fun fact, that’s one of the first audiobooks I ever listened to back in summer 2020!) Though Hanley’s very up front about the places where she’s filling in historical gaps or challenging a chronicler’s view, I think she might push a little hard in “heroine-ifying” (if I can make up a word here) Joanna. This is especially noticeable when she’s explaining Joanna’s decisions as being based in religious piety. It’s a very opinionated book, with our author in favor of some figures (Joanna, of course, but also Eleanor of Aquitaine and William II of Sicily) and highly critical of others (Richard I, Raymond VI). Interestingly, there’s an unusually sympathetic depiction of John, largely because he was closest to Joanna in age and was willing to give some dowry money back to her.
All that said, it’s not a very long book, and a lot happens in it—Joanna didn’t live a long life, but she certainly lived a full one. If you’re interested in the lives of medieval women and the surprising journeys European marital politics could take them on, it’s well worth checking out.
December 21, 2025
The prolific Catherine Hanley is rapidly becoming my favorite historian of medieval Europe, and this outstanding work is an example of why. Dr. Hanley pieces together the scant evidence from the sources like a puzzle to trace the remarkable and incredibly varied, if all too brief, life of a remarkable queen with whom few of us are familiar.
Joanna's life was so Zelig-like she seems like one of those characters out of historical fiction whose adventures keep taking them to wherever the action is: England, France, Sicily, on Crusade, Rome. She is at various times princess, queen, countess, military leader, prisoner, shipwreck survivor, and more. Yet Dr. Hanley expertly lays out the evidence not just to show one exceptional woman's extraordinary life, but to use it to illustrate many aspects of elite women's lives and roles in medieval Christian society.
Dr. Hanley avoids the temptation to fill in the large gaps in the record, as so many contemporary authors do when writing biographies of premodern queens, with speculation and anachronistic analysis, often accompanied by heartfelt notes about the kinship the author feels with her subject, justifying declarations like, " She must have felt..." or "She surely wished..."
To the contrary, and much more helpfully for those of us trying to understand the reality of Joanna's life and world, Dr. Hanley does not try to close the gaps. She points them out, and let's us know when she is speculating and that it is speculation. She uses the gaps to demonstrate the marginalization of even high ranking women by the men writing the chronicles, and shows the reader how the historian can use these sources despite that to try to gain understanding.
The author cautions the reader against trying to impose contemporary values to medieval people. She clarifies what a woman in Joanna's world would expect and not expect. She does not hide her sympathy and even admiration for her subject, but never crosses the line into fictionalization or flights of fancy.
A reader looking for a complete understanding of Joanna as an individual, a character study or a glimpse into her interiority, will be sadly disappointed. A reader hoping to learn what can be known about a woman who was surely a remarkable person, and what her story can tell us about her world, will be richly rewarded, if a bit saddened to know that the bias of the sources means we can never know more than the outline of her life. I am sure, having read the book, that no one regrets that impossibility more than the author herself.
Joanna's life was so Zelig-like she seems like one of those characters out of historical fiction whose adventures keep taking them to wherever the action is: England, France, Sicily, on Crusade, Rome. She is at various times princess, queen, countess, military leader, prisoner, shipwreck survivor, and more. Yet Dr. Hanley expertly lays out the evidence not just to show one exceptional woman's extraordinary life, but to use it to illustrate many aspects of elite women's lives and roles in medieval Christian society.
Dr. Hanley avoids the temptation to fill in the large gaps in the record, as so many contemporary authors do when writing biographies of premodern queens, with speculation and anachronistic analysis, often accompanied by heartfelt notes about the kinship the author feels with her subject, justifying declarations like, " She must have felt..." or "She surely wished..."
To the contrary, and much more helpfully for those of us trying to understand the reality of Joanna's life and world, Dr. Hanley does not try to close the gaps. She points them out, and let's us know when she is speculating and that it is speculation. She uses the gaps to demonstrate the marginalization of even high ranking women by the men writing the chronicles, and shows the reader how the historian can use these sources despite that to try to gain understanding.
The author cautions the reader against trying to impose contemporary values to medieval people. She clarifies what a woman in Joanna's world would expect and not expect. She does not hide her sympathy and even admiration for her subject, but never crosses the line into fictionalization or flights of fancy.
A reader looking for a complete understanding of Joanna as an individual, a character study or a glimpse into her interiority, will be sadly disappointed. A reader hoping to learn what can be known about a woman who was surely a remarkable person, and what her story can tell us about her world, will be richly rewarded, if a bit saddened to know that the bias of the sources means we can never know more than the outline of her life. I am sure, having read the book, that no one regrets that impossibility more than the author herself.
February 14, 2026
This is a short book at just 250 pages, but each one is packed with information. Let me begin with who Jianna Plantagenet was. She was the youngest daughter of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, sister of King Richard the Lionheart and King John. I think her parents were the most powerful people in English history, and she inherited their strength of character.
Joanna was born in October of 1165 in Angers Castle. She was Royal by birth and later by marriage. She was a daughter, sister, and wife of kings. But with that privilege also came peril.
Princess Joanna and Prince John were educated at Fontevraud Abbey in the Loire valley. The rebellion within the royal family caused them to be removed for a short time. In 1174 Henry II arranged for her to marry King William II of Sicily. Sicily had deep Norman roots. Eight ships full of belongings and treasure accompanied her.
After months of travel and violent seasickness, she reached Sicily and married King William. He was 23 and she 11. He died in 1189 with no legitimate heir. His illegitimate son the cruel Tancred of Lecce seized the throne and imprisoned Joanna. Richard the Lionheart immediately set sail for Sicily and arrived in September 1190 with 100 ships. He was on his way to the Crusades. Tancredo released her after Richard captured Messina and restored her dower which Richard promptly stole.
Many momentous things happened to Joanna but the most was her marriage in 1196 to Raymond VI, Countess of Toulouse. She quickly gave birth to a son, then a daughter. But the marriage didn't last, and she left him in 1199. She was pregnant at the time. She sought the company of Richard in Poitou, but found out he was dead. She met with her brother John who returned her dowry to her.
She headed to Fontevraud Abbey for her confinement. She also requested to become a professed nun, a most unusual request, but it was granted. The Archbishop of Canterbury himself performed the ceremony. Before she got to the Abbey she went into labor. She died during the labor so a C-section was done to attempt to save the baby, but he lived only long enough to be baptized Richard. Joanna was just 34.
Her surviving son Count Raymond VII, always remembered his mother fondly and referred to himself as ‘the son of Queen Joanna’. When he died in 1249 he chose to be buried by her side in Fauntevraud Abbey.
Joanna was born in October of 1165 in Angers Castle. She was Royal by birth and later by marriage. She was a daughter, sister, and wife of kings. But with that privilege also came peril.
Princess Joanna and Prince John were educated at Fontevraud Abbey in the Loire valley. The rebellion within the royal family caused them to be removed for a short time. In 1174 Henry II arranged for her to marry King William II of Sicily. Sicily had deep Norman roots. Eight ships full of belongings and treasure accompanied her.
After months of travel and violent seasickness, she reached Sicily and married King William. He was 23 and she 11. He died in 1189 with no legitimate heir. His illegitimate son the cruel Tancred of Lecce seized the throne and imprisoned Joanna. Richard the Lionheart immediately set sail for Sicily and arrived in September 1190 with 100 ships. He was on his way to the Crusades. Tancredo released her after Richard captured Messina and restored her dower which Richard promptly stole.
Many momentous things happened to Joanna but the most was her marriage in 1196 to Raymond VI, Countess of Toulouse. She quickly gave birth to a son, then a daughter. But the marriage didn't last, and she left him in 1199. She was pregnant at the time. She sought the company of Richard in Poitou, but found out he was dead. She met with her brother John who returned her dowry to her.
She headed to Fontevraud Abbey for her confinement. She also requested to become a professed nun, a most unusual request, but it was granted. The Archbishop of Canterbury himself performed the ceremony. Before she got to the Abbey she went into labor. She died during the labor so a C-section was done to attempt to save the baby, but he lived only long enough to be baptized Richard. Joanna was just 34.
Her surviving son Count Raymond VII, always remembered his mother fondly and referred to himself as ‘the son of Queen Joanna’. When he died in 1249 he chose to be buried by her side in Fauntevraud Abbey.
January 20, 2026
I approve of this book just for the subject, I mean I can't believe that Joanna didn't have a biography before. But no, that's apparently the first biography dedicated to this amazing woman whose life reads like a novel.
And besides, it's well-written and accessible. I really appreciated the efforts to contextualize the action and facts. I also really appreciated the nuanced view on women's conditions. She doesn't sugarcoat it, but she also highlights how they exercised their agency. The passages on women in the crusading movement also offered a very nuanced view. Thankfully, she also dispelled the myth that all women were forced to have children at a very young age. When dealing with Joanna military's endeavors, she also placed them in a wider context.
The only criticism that I have was that, especially at the beginning, she sometimes mixed fictionalized elements with speculation. For instance, I was glad to learn that Joanna and once met Petronilla of Grandmesnil. But how could we know that Petronilla was of interest to Joanna? There were a few occurrences of this at the beginning and it was a bit jarring.
I would also have loved a mention of Berengaria’s career as lord of Le Mans. Because she didn't just take permanent residence there. She governed. But for that, you will have to read Gabrielle Storey's biography of Berengaria.
Anyway, I really recommend this biography, especially if you want to learn about amazing medieval women but are tired of always hearing the same names.
And besides, it's well-written and accessible. I really appreciated the efforts to contextualize the action and facts. I also really appreciated the nuanced view on women's conditions. She doesn't sugarcoat it, but she also highlights how they exercised their agency. The passages on women in the crusading movement also offered a very nuanced view. Thankfully, she also dispelled the myth that all women were forced to have children at a very young age. When dealing with Joanna military's endeavors, she also placed them in a wider context.
The only criticism that I have was that, especially at the beginning, she sometimes mixed fictionalized elements with speculation. For instance, I was glad to learn that Joanna and once met Petronilla of Grandmesnil. But how could we know that Petronilla was of interest to Joanna? There were a few occurrences of this at the beginning and it was a bit jarring.
I would also have loved a mention of Berengaria’s career as lord of Le Mans. Because she didn't just take permanent residence there. She governed. But for that, you will have to read Gabrielle Storey's biography of Berengaria.
Anyway, I really recommend this biography, especially if you want to learn about amazing medieval women but are tired of always hearing the same names.
August 8, 2025
Catherine Hanley's biography of Joanna, based on primary sources, unfolds a fascinating life that shines a light on the life of a medieval princess with its arranged marriages and other trials. Joanna's adventures are many and varied and Hanley describes them well. A noble woman's experience is illuminated in other episodes and the book makes it easy to see both how women wielded power and were wielded like power by the men in their lives. Recommended.
June 5, 2025
I came to this book after listening to Catherine Hanley's episode promoting it on Gone Medieval podcast and she is just as engaging a writer as she is a speaker. Yes, a lot of the history is "presumably" or "could", but with limited source material available she has reconstructed a fascinating and often terribly sad life.
Also, Richard I was a massive dick, turns out.
Also, Richard I was a massive dick, turns out.
June 3, 2025
This is a history book of Joanna, the sister of Richard the Lionhearted. An interested story of a little known medieval royalty. I enjoyed the story but was frequently confused by all the repeated names and the relationships of the European royalty.
July 3, 2025
Really interesting spotlight on a forgotten woman who certainly lived a life
September 23, 2025
Well done and interesting. Definitely made Joanna vibrant through history. Author did well at explaining a lot of era context of different things as well.
November 1, 2025
This was a very interesting look into the life of a queen during the middle ages. While the autor took liberties to imagine what Joanna might have been thinking, it was done with a deep knowldege of the time period and the social/religious influences.
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