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Princesses of the Early Middle Ages: Royal Daughters of the Conquest
Daughters of kings were often used to seal treaty alliances and forge peace with England’s enemies. Princesses of the Early Middle Royal Daughters from the Conquest will explore the lives of these young women, how they followed the stereotype, and how they sometimes managed to escape it. It will look at the world they lived in, and how their lives and marriages were affected by political necessity and the events of the time.
Almost as interesting as the marriages these girls made are the ones that were never realised. Many English princesses were betrothed, or proposed as brides, three or more times before they were married. Their failed marriage proposals demonstrated their influence and worth on the international royal marriage market, as well as the changing allegiances between countries and the making and breaking of international friendships.
Princesses of the Early Middle Ages will also examine how these girls, who were often political pawns, were able to control their own lives and fates. Whilst they were expected to obey their parents in their marriage choices, several princesses were able to exert their own influence on these choices, with some outright refusing the husbands offered to them.
Their stories are touching, inspiring and, at times, heartbreaking.
Almost as interesting as the marriages these girls made are the ones that were never realised. Many English princesses were betrothed, or proposed as brides, three or more times before they were married. Their failed marriage proposals demonstrated their influence and worth on the international royal marriage market, as well as the changing allegiances between countries and the making and breaking of international friendships.
Princesses of the Early Middle Ages will also examine how these girls, who were often political pawns, were able to control their own lives and fates. Whilst they were expected to obey their parents in their marriage choices, several princesses were able to exert their own influence on these choices, with some outright refusing the husbands offered to them.
Their stories are touching, inspiring and, at times, heartbreaking.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
229 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 14, 2026
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August 28, 2026
Thanks to Pen and Sword Books for gifting me a copy for review.
When I saw on Sharon Bennett Connolly’s social media that the manuscript for the book on medieval princesses that she was writing was so long that it was being split into two books, I was intrigued. I didn’t know how many sources we had surviving about some of these women, but Sharon has proven that there are more sources than we might have thought.
The princesses discussed in the book range from those who had arranged marriages for diplomatic purposes, who married for love, who entered the religious life, and those who caused problems for their fathers or husbands, advocated for their children, and acted as diplomats. The women come to life through the sources that Connolly explores, through surviving letters, charters, and chroniclers. Some are better documented than others, and for most of them we are unsure when they were born, meaning that their ages are also unclear.
Connolly’s writing is engaging and detailed. It is a book that you need to concentrate on in order to untangle some of the complex events. It doesn’t help that so many people have the same names! Matildas, Henrys, Eleanors, Isabellas, Williams – Connolly does her best to separate them and highlights their relationships to separate them.
The book is referenced throughout with a detailed bibliography and index, which I love. This first book covers from the daughters of Edward the Confessor through to the daughters of King John, and clearly shows how these women had more authority, power, and influence, than might otherwise be traditionally assumed. Connolly is a master at bringing women out of the shadows and highlighting their contributions to history, even when we have few sources and have to look for mentions in sources focused on their menfolk.
If you’re interested in historical women, some that you may not have heard of, then I’d really recommend Sharon Bennett Connolly’s work, and I’m excited to read the sequel book, focusing on Plantagenet princesses up to the dawn of the Tudor age.
When I saw on Sharon Bennett Connolly’s social media that the manuscript for the book on medieval princesses that she was writing was so long that it was being split into two books, I was intrigued. I didn’t know how many sources we had surviving about some of these women, but Sharon has proven that there are more sources than we might have thought.
The princesses discussed in the book range from those who had arranged marriages for diplomatic purposes, who married for love, who entered the religious life, and those who caused problems for their fathers or husbands, advocated for their children, and acted as diplomats. The women come to life through the sources that Connolly explores, through surviving letters, charters, and chroniclers. Some are better documented than others, and for most of them we are unsure when they were born, meaning that their ages are also unclear.
Connolly’s writing is engaging and detailed. It is a book that you need to concentrate on in order to untangle some of the complex events. It doesn’t help that so many people have the same names! Matildas, Henrys, Eleanors, Isabellas, Williams – Connolly does her best to separate them and highlights their relationships to separate them.
The book is referenced throughout with a detailed bibliography and index, which I love. This first book covers from the daughters of Edward the Confessor through to the daughters of King John, and clearly shows how these women had more authority, power, and influence, than might otherwise be traditionally assumed. Connolly is a master at bringing women out of the shadows and highlighting their contributions to history, even when we have few sources and have to look for mentions in sources focused on their menfolk.
If you’re interested in historical women, some that you may not have heard of, then I’d really recommend Sharon Bennett Connolly’s work, and I’m excited to read the sequel book, focusing on Plantagenet princesses up to the dawn of the Tudor age.
Review of advance copy received from Author
When we think about medieval princesses, we often think about pawns in the marriage market. They were born to become brides to create stronger alliances between nations. They helped rule kingdoms, but more importantly, they gave birth to heirs to help their new families’ dynasties continue to grow. But outside of marriages, what was life like for these royal women? How did certain women break the stereotype that comes with being a medieval princess? And how did the political environments of their new kingdoms affect their marriages and their families? Sharon Bennett Connolly explores these questions in her latest book, “Princesses of the Early Middle Ages: Royal Daughters of the Conquest.”
I would like to thank Sharon Bennett Connolly for sending me a copy of her latest book. I have been such a fan of Connolly’s books for years now. Her knowledge about medieval women, specifically women in power, is remarkable. When she announced that she was writing this particular book, I knew I wanted to read it. So I was extremely thankful when she sent me a copy of her latest book.
As Connolly states in her introduction, this is book one in a duology exploring the lives of medieval princesses. This book explores the lives of English princesses, both legitimate and illegitimate, from the Early Middle Ages, which would be from the Norman Conquest to the reign of King John. With that timeline, you would think that Connolly would begin with the daughters of William the Conqueror, but in fact, she begins with Harold Godwinson and his wives, Edith Swanneck and Ealdgyth. His daughters, Gunhild and Gytha, would live very different lives. Gunhild would marry Count Alan Rufus, also known as Alan the Red, while Gytha would marry Grand Prince Vladimir of Kyiv.
William the Conqueror married Matilda of Flanders and had several children, including Adelida and Cecilia. Both girls became nuns, and Adela of Normandy would marry Stephen II, Count of Blois. Their son would become King Stephen of England, who married Matilda, Countess of Boulogne, and would do battle against Empress Matilda, the legitimate daughter of Henry I and Matilda of Scotland. Their conflict would be known as the Anarchy, and would lead to the Plantagenet dynasty. Connolly takes the time to explore the daughters of Stephen of Blois and Adela of Normandy, as well as the illegitimate daughters of Henry I. It should be noted that even though Henry I did have illegitimate daughters, it does not mean that they did not marry well; in fact Sybilla of Normandy would marry King Alexander I of Scotland, and his other illegitimate daughters married members of nobility.
Connolly then explores the daughters of King Stephen, Mary and Ida, both of whom had some interesting love lives. We also get to see the daughters of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, and how Eleanor’s daughters with her first husband, Louis VII of France, had a different life from those of the Angevin princesses of England, whose father was Henry II. Finally, Connolly explores the daughters of King John, including his illegitimate daughter, Joan, who would marry Llywelyn the Great and had an affair with William de Braose. When John married Isabelle d’Angoulême, they would have several children, including Joan of England, who married Alexander II of Scotland, and Isabella of England, who married Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. Finally, we explore the chaotic relationship between Eleanor of England and Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and how Simon fought with Eleanor’s family, especially her brother, King Henry III.
This is another excellent book by Sharon Bennett Connolly. Extremely well researched and relatively easy to follow along, which is a great thing because there are so many Matildas and Eleanors in this book. If you are a fan of Sharon Bennett Connolly and studying medieval princesses, you will love “Princesses of the Early Middle Ages: Royal Daughters of the Conquest” by Sharon Bennett Connolly.
I would like to thank Sharon Bennett Connolly for sending me a copy of her latest book. I have been such a fan of Connolly’s books for years now. Her knowledge about medieval women, specifically women in power, is remarkable. When she announced that she was writing this particular book, I knew I wanted to read it. So I was extremely thankful when she sent me a copy of her latest book.
As Connolly states in her introduction, this is book one in a duology exploring the lives of medieval princesses. This book explores the lives of English princesses, both legitimate and illegitimate, from the Early Middle Ages, which would be from the Norman Conquest to the reign of King John. With that timeline, you would think that Connolly would begin with the daughters of William the Conqueror, but in fact, she begins with Harold Godwinson and his wives, Edith Swanneck and Ealdgyth. His daughters, Gunhild and Gytha, would live very different lives. Gunhild would marry Count Alan Rufus, also known as Alan the Red, while Gytha would marry Grand Prince Vladimir of Kyiv.
William the Conqueror married Matilda of Flanders and had several children, including Adelida and Cecilia. Both girls became nuns, and Adela of Normandy would marry Stephen II, Count of Blois. Their son would become King Stephen of England, who married Matilda, Countess of Boulogne, and would do battle against Empress Matilda, the legitimate daughter of Henry I and Matilda of Scotland. Their conflict would be known as the Anarchy, and would lead to the Plantagenet dynasty. Connolly takes the time to explore the daughters of Stephen of Blois and Adela of Normandy, as well as the illegitimate daughters of Henry I. It should be noted that even though Henry I did have illegitimate daughters, it does not mean that they did not marry well; in fact Sybilla of Normandy would marry King Alexander I of Scotland, and his other illegitimate daughters married members of nobility.
Connolly then explores the daughters of King Stephen, Mary and Ida, both of whom had some interesting love lives. We also get to see the daughters of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, and how Eleanor’s daughters with her first husband, Louis VII of France, had a different life from those of the Angevin princesses of England, whose father was Henry II. Finally, Connolly explores the daughters of King John, including his illegitimate daughter, Joan, who would marry Llywelyn the Great and had an affair with William de Braose. When John married Isabelle d’Angoulême, they would have several children, including Joan of England, who married Alexander II of Scotland, and Isabella of England, who married Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. Finally, we explore the chaotic relationship between Eleanor of England and Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and how Simon fought with Eleanor’s family, especially her brother, King Henry III.
This is another excellent book by Sharon Bennett Connolly. Extremely well researched and relatively easy to follow along, which is a great thing because there are so many Matildas and Eleanors in this book. If you are a fan of Sharon Bennett Connolly and studying medieval princesses, you will love “Princesses of the Early Middle Ages: Royal Daughters of the Conquest” by Sharon Bennett Connolly.
July 14, 2026
Sharon Bennett Connolly’s Princesses of the Early Middle Ages challenges the familiar image of the medieval princess as little more than a passive dynastic pawn.
Covering English royal daughters from the crisis of 1066 to the family of King John, Connolly shows how these women participated in the political life of medieval Europe. Through marriage, correspondence, motherhood, patronage and regency, they connected courts, supported alliances, and sometimes mediated between husbands, fathers, brothers and sons.
The book’s greatest strength is its accessibility. Connolly handles a large cast and considerable genealogical complexity without losing the human stories. Figures such as the last Anglo-Saxon princesses, the daughters of William the Conqueror, Empress Matilda and the Angevin royal women emerge as individuals navigating political expectations, personal danger and limited—but still meaningful—opportunities for influence.
The dynastic structure occasionally produces repetition, particularly as many lives follow similar patterns of betrothal, marriage, childbirth and widowhood. The book also favours narrative synthesis over sustained engagement with historiographical debate. Nevertheless, it succeeds admirably as serious popular history.
This is an engaging, informed and worthwhile study that restores royal daughters to their proper place within the politics of conquest, diplomacy and dynastic survival.
Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Full editorial review: https://historymedieval.com/princesse...
Covering English royal daughters from the crisis of 1066 to the family of King John, Connolly shows how these women participated in the political life of medieval Europe. Through marriage, correspondence, motherhood, patronage and regency, they connected courts, supported alliances, and sometimes mediated between husbands, fathers, brothers and sons.
The book’s greatest strength is its accessibility. Connolly handles a large cast and considerable genealogical complexity without losing the human stories. Figures such as the last Anglo-Saxon princesses, the daughters of William the Conqueror, Empress Matilda and the Angevin royal women emerge as individuals navigating political expectations, personal danger and limited—but still meaningful—opportunities for influence.
The dynastic structure occasionally produces repetition, particularly as many lives follow similar patterns of betrothal, marriage, childbirth and widowhood. The book also favours narrative synthesis over sustained engagement with historiographical debate. Nevertheless, it succeeds admirably as serious popular history.
This is an engaging, informed and worthwhile study that restores royal daughters to their proper place within the politics of conquest, diplomacy and dynastic survival.
Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Full editorial review: https://historymedieval.com/princesse...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews