The Conqueror's Queen

Queens of Conquest #3

by Joanna Courtney, Katie Scarfe (Narrator)

A crown can be won, blood cannot be changed.

Mathilda of Flanders is furious at her father's choice of husband for her. William of Normandy has a reputation as a rough warrior but after a violent start to their courtship Mathilda discovers him to be a man of unexpected sensitivity, driven by two goals: to win her heart and to win her a throne.

Astoundingly the throne seems to come first, for King Edward of England invites the newlyweds to Westminster and declares William his heir. But with the passing of time, this secretive promise is soon forgotten . . . though not by William. Or Mathilda.

As events either side of the Narrow Sea reach crisis point, Mathilda has to decide what she wants: heart or throne? How deep does her ambition run and what is she prepared to sacrifice to succeed?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, 11th Century, Medieval, British Literature, Royalty

447 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 18, 2017

About the author

My first literary accolade was a creative writing prize at primary school and from that point on I wanted to be a novelist. I was always reading as a child and often made up stories for my brother and sister on long car journeys. I was also a huge Enid Blyton fan and by ten I was writing my own (doubtless terrible) boarding school novels. Perhaps inevitably, I took my degree in English literature and it was at Cambridge, specialising in medieval literature, that I first discovered what has become a true passion for ancient history.

I took a sidestep after university to work in a wonderful textiles factory in Lancashire - a move that led me to my lovely husband, but didn't satisfy my yearning to write. Married and living in Derbyshire, however, I took up my pen again in the sparse hours available between raising my two stepchildren and two more of my own. At that hectic time, I primarily wrote shorter fiction and I've had well over 200 stories and serials published in women's magazines. As my children began to grow up and then leave home, however, I have had more time to write.
My passion is freeing women from either the obscurity or the mistruths of male-dominated history. My first trilogy, The Queens of the conquest, is about the women fighting to be Queen of England in 1066 - Edyth of Mercia, wife of King Harold; Elizaveta of Kiev; wife of Harald Hardrada; and Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror.
My second explores the true story of three of Shakespeare's most famous - and most maligned heroines - Lady Macbeth, Ophelia and Cordelia.

I also write WW2 fiction as Anna Stuart.

Reviews

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful book is the 3rd and final volume of the "Queens of the Conquest" trilogy, and in my opinion the author has produced another superb captivating read.
The book contains at the beginning a well-drawn map of Normandy in AD 1066 and also printed two important extensive Family Trees, while at the end of the book you'll find some superbly documented Historical Notes concerning this great story.
So all in all the historical details concerning this story have been very well researched and explained in a beautiful fashion by the this fine author.
Storytelling is of an absolute top-notch quality, for the author brings all her characters vividly to life within this thrilling and enjoyable tale by combining and using real historical and fictional figures in a true masterly fashion.
This book is set between the years AD 1049 until AD 1067, and it tells us the story of Mathilda of Flanders and William, Duke of Normandy, from the rule of the Duchy of Normandy until becoming Queen and King of England in AD 1066.
It's also the story of Mathilda's and William's final animated and determined goal to reach their promised destination, promised by Kind Edward in AD 1051, by winning the Battle of Hastings in the year AD 1066 against the Saxon forces lead by the then King of England, Harold Godwinson, and so to become Queen and King of England.
And so this is a fascinating life story of Mathilda of Flanders and William, Duke of Normandy, and their union of love, determination and conquer to achieve and reach their ultimate goal.
Very much recommended, for this is a most compelling book and in my opinion worth calling: "A Wonderful Conquering Queen-like Ending"!

[sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

three and a half but i'm rounding up. listen. idk i had fun, i enjoyed myself. the historical aspect tricks my brain into enjoying the romance because that way i have some plot because, y'know, things are happening in history, and therefor i don't get bored. i can't do full romance so this works for me and i enjoyed it for what it was.

[Evie Pey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book, well written and a good historical read.

Great to read something that isn't about the tudors.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a final chapter in Courtney’s 1066 queen trilogy, this finale rounds out the perspectives on this series of events nicely. Giving us a human look at figures commonly translated as the villains in the story, I was amazed again at how well the author is able to bring her historical figures to life so vividly. So little is known about William and Matilda that isn’t shadowed by legend; it was a real treat to see them as real people in a series of events so important to English history.

Commonly, William the Conqueror is showcased as the bad guy of history. I’ve read him in several fictional renditions, each time he’s portrayed as conniving and ruthless. And yes, Courtney doesn’t shy away from that aspect of him. Her William is very politically savvy, coming off as conniving at times. He’s also extremely ruthless, which given his personal history and the times he lived is understandable. If you’re an individual or town that betrayed his hard-earned trust, god help you.

Yet, Courtney rounds him out also as a man who loves deeply and strongly, loyal to the death. He might expect rock solid loyalty, but he also gives it. I also appreciated how intelligent she made him, both politically and in reading humanity. He has a special talent for reading a person, inspiring their loyalty if allies and reading through them if enemies. He’s uniquely devoted to Matilda as well. Given his history as a bastard and the grief his beloved mother faced due to her circumstances, he vowed to hold unto Matilda and no other, focusing all his energy and emotions on her. This makes for an incredible relationship, given the norms for such in the early medieval period.

Matilda also stands out in the characterization department. At first, I had some reservations. We started out with her so young, and she had the character traits of that age. Flighty and self-centered, I was cringing at first, hoping against hope that this wasn’t going to be a continuing trend as I can’t get behind a heroine like that. I should have had faith in Courtney. Matilda quickly shows her intelligence, practicality, and down to earth nature pretty quickly. I loved how she approached life, dealing with situations and relationships as they came up with common sense, thinking things through. She doesn’t get carried away with flights of drama; she examines a situation and deals with it. I found her to be the PERFECT match for William.

I go on and on about how well the characterizations are done by Courtney, but that in no way means she lacks in other areas. The main relationship between William and Matilda stand out as one firmly grounded in intelligence, mutual respect, loyalty, and hard-earned trust. I think it’d be hard to find two people more suited for each other. They have their abrasive moments, especially when it comes to William’s prickly sense of trust and loyalty. Yet, they always find ways of working through them and coming through the fires all the stronger.

Courtney also draws her readers into a time period rife with conflict and shifting loyalties. The events leading up to the Battle of Hastings are examined in depth, mostly from the POV of William/Matilda since this is their story and other POVs have been explored in previous novels. Yet we also get a few glimpse from William’s cousin and Matilda’s sister, Judith, wife of Tostig Godwinson, to see another side of the story. We get a visual for a territory in turmoil, not completely controlled by William and loyal to him. Yet, when the prospect of conquest is on the horizon, Normandy comes behind him full stop. I found myself as sucked into the developing invasion as I was to William and Matilda’s relationship.

This is another stellar example of Courtney’s writing. She has everything: outstanding characters, a solid prime relationship, and a bubbling cauldron of treachery, war, loyalty, and coming invasion that was early medieval Normandy and its court. I’m not sure if more will be coming from this series as I think I remember it being mentioned it was a trilogy, not an ongoing series. However, if Courtney ever decides to write anything else, I’ll be first in line to take a gander. She stands as one of my favorite writers now. Keep ‘em coming, Joanna!!

[Alicia Huxtable · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a journey. Mathilda and William are a match that made this book what it is. The characters, all of them compliment each other so well that you can't help but enjoy every part of their story.

[Ilka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anfangs sehr interessant, aber der Roman bleibt zu sehr an der Oberfläche. Ich hätte mir mehr historischen Tiefgang gewünscht. So bleibt es bei "Geschwätz aus den Frauengemächern", es wiederholt sich und wird langwierig und dadurch auch langweilig. Schade.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel about William the Conqueror's queen, Mathilda of Flanders.

An interesting little book, not heavy on romance and pragmatic about marriage at the time.

An excellent read.

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of the Norman Conquest is enshrined in our history, we know that William of Normandy sailed with his band of loyal supporters and an army of foreign mercenaries, and in 1066, at the Battle of Hastings, forcibly took the throne from Harold Godwinson, the last of the Anglo-Saxon Kings. That William was a powerful and dangerous opponent is without doubt, but as the saying goes, behind every powerful man is an equally strong woman.

As the niece and granddaughter of the Kings of France, Mathilda of Flanders initially considered marriage to William, the illegitimate Duke of Normandy, to be beneath her and her fury at her father’s insistence on the marriage sets the scene nicely and gets the story off to an exciting start. The Conqueror's Queen is so beautifully descriptive of the Norman court that I felt completely at ease with Mathilda as she learned to negotiate the volatile world she had married into and her astonishment in discovering that the mercurial man she now called husband had a sensitive side, makes her story all the more captivating.

Cleverly combining historical fact with fiction certainly brings the story of William and Mathilda’s long and eventful marriage to life in a believable way, and such is the passion between them that the pages fairly sizzled with the dynamics of their relationship. However, the story is about so much more than their romantic attachment, it’s the story of intrigue and danger, of planning and plotting and of an absolute belief that the throne of England had been promised to William in the winter of 1051 in an auspicious meeting in London between him and King Edward the Confessor. The author, with impeccable research, allows us an insightful look into this fascinating medieval world, and brings to glorious life the events leading up to William’s invasion of England, whilst at the same time allowing us a glimpse into the action-packed life of Mathilda, the Conqueror’s Queen.

[Kiesha ~ Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I saw this book, I decided to try the series. Although unpopular to most, I've always liked William the Conqueror and of course, Matilda. The other books in the series were about characters, places and time period that I was pretty uninformed about but I knew about William & Matilda and some of the events leading up to 1066. Considering my love for this couple, this was my least favorite of the series. I found Matilda to be a little dense and dull--I've always imagined her having much more spirit but this Matilda was lackluster. Although Williams temper made me laugh at times, his constant paranoia grew weary. I loved the secondary characters, especially Emilean(sp?) & William's men but I wasn't invested in the lead characters and that unfortunately set the tone for me. Judith, sometimes called Matilda's cousin or sister was a bit of a bore too and I'd had my feel of Tor from the previous books.

Maybe because I research William & 1066 so much, my expectations were too high. Perhaps the previous two books spoiled this one since most of the characters and places were new to me, I had the excitement of learning whereas those opportunities were limited in this story. Sadly I don't have much else to say. I didn't hate it but nor did I love it.

I found some of the historical info the author provided at the end to be really interesting. I'm looking forward to more titles from this author, especially the one coming out later in the year.

3 stars for story
4 stars narration

[Dearna (Words of the Roses) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

Really loved how this books seems to round out the whole series. Joanna has done an amazing job of showing us just how connected these three kings were are just how dangerous it can be for you when Fortune’s Wheel turns. I would love to see another novel that goes in William and Mathilda’s reign.

So many of the characters of the first book, The Chosen Queen, feature in this one that I almost want to start the series again so see what I missed the first time round. Overall I adore these books and they’re definitely ones I will revisit time and time again.

[Lois · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book the best but largely this trilogy, while deeply researched, is historical romance.

[Rebecca Batley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the third in the authors ‘Queens of 1066’ series, and having read and enjoyed the previous two I had high expectations of this one. I was both disappointed and not. I know more about the historical William and Matilda than I do about previous characters which made it harder I think for me to get lost in the narrative.
The problem I had was that I didn’t like either Matilda or William, which made it a lot harder to care about the story. (After all we all know how this one ends)
I found Matilda to be a little dull, and her constant desire for ‘love’ seemed at odds with both her ambition here and historical evidence. She always struck me as having been strong, fierce and determined but here she is weak. William I’m afraid lost me at the siege scene, I could find few redeeming qualities in his character. His paranoia got very wearing as did his lack of social graces. Harold when he appears, instantly seems a much more real and rounded character. I got the impression, maybe wrongly, that the author was struggling to like William much herself, and it showed.
The good news is I found the secondary characters, Fitz, Herleva, Emmeline etc to be wonderful, realistic and engaging, and they managed to carry the story for me. Likewise the scenes in England and the ones involving Torr and Judith, I found much more detailed and evocative than the ones set in Normandy.
All in all I enjoyed this, I just didn’t love it as much as the other books in the series.

[Amanda Booth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always been fascinated by William the Conqueror. Have made my pilgrimage to Bayeux twice to see the Tapestry and been to his tomb in Caen’s Abbey.
I like this novel as it did humanise him. I do think he and Mathilda were a devoted couple. They had many children and did not live separate lives as other royal alliances did. I admire authors who have to imagine what the characters say as only so much is documented.
I liked the easy writing style which belies the amount of research and imagination undertaken by the author.
The battle at Hastings played in their favour due to the fact Harald and his army had to march back from Stamford Bridge and were weakened.
William did bring some order into England just as he did Normandy. The Domesday Book and laws of which some are strangely still in play are just a couple of achievements.
I like how the novel spells out how ‘the invasion and battle’ came to be and how much his highborn, educated wife was his partner.
Fun fact, England has not been ever conquered or invaded since 1066.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, this book had so much potential and yet it fell flat for me.

Matilda of Flanders and William the Conqueror were truly a dynamic duo in their time but this book had them pinned as simpering, and squalling most of the time.

Right in the beginning, we have a random prologue with Matilda and a Saxon that ultimately goes nowhere other than Matilda fretting about the situation practically her whole marriage. Later on the author colors William in a very bad light, and it is her discredit of him there that I have a hard time believing him to be anything but charming like she makes him be the rest of the book.

The author as well had a key element in the story thrown out in the next chapter which is disappointing because it was a good turn in the story that went nowhere.

Overall the author notes, the author not having William throw Matilda by her braids, and not sharing if Harold died by an arrow in the eye were all really good elements included to help the reader learn instead of learning from assumptions.

[Michelle M · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/6
I liked this one the most out of the three. And I definitely liked the straightforward William, the little peek into his POV was great. One thing I didn't like, however, was that Mathilda did understand that William loved her until very late. Like, you had 7 of his children and he never had a mistress! He was clearly loyal to you in word and deed, even if he didn't dance with you! I liked the ending when William came back to Normandy after he won, and was more self-assured and open with his emotions, however, I think it would have been more of a closed circle if we had seen Mathilda crowned the queen of England as the last scene instead of news of rebellion in England. it would have been a more triumphant end to the series.

My series Ranking is:
The Conqueror's Queen
The Chosen Queen
The Constant Queen

The Constant Queen was just too drawn out (and boring at times) for me.
The series as a whole though, was very enjoyable!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting to see William the Conqueror before he became the Conqueror. I also enjoyed seeing a kinder, more just side of him. While the conniving, merciless part of him isn’t absent, it is tempered by care, devotion, and a desire for loyalty.
I loved the relationship between William and Mathilda; they were such a great couple. Mathilda is the perfect partner to help William rule his lands.
There was a bit where William tells Mathilda that he slept with some prostitutes before marrying her so that he would know how to please her. My immediate thought was “Aww, that’s so sweet,” but then I stopped and thought: “is that really aww worthy?” Is it? I can’t decide.
Mathilda is a fantastic woman. I would love to read a book on her life as Queen of England.

My full review can be found at www.travellingbooknerd.com/the-conque...

[DarkStar's Book Cavern · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading it, but if I went into this expecting some deep political manoeuvrings, especially given the political climate at the time, then I would have finished this disappointed. This is more historical romance than historical fiction. Mathilda is our only POV and this books sole focus is on the romance between Mathilda and William. The events leading up to the invasion of England by the Normans after King Edward’s death is completely secondary to the mediocre love story. I knew what I was in for after reading the first two books in the series, but I was expecting more for this one. William of Normandy is a juggernaut in English history. His invasion shaped the country we became today and this book just didn’t do him or Mathilda justice.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Norman Conquest from the Norman POV. We meet Mathilda just before her official betrothal to William, Duke of Normandy. I've been enjoying Courtney's books telling the stories of the queens of the main players in the battle for the English crown in the early 2nd millennium. Her writing style is engaging as she breathes life into these historical figures. Looking forward to where she goes next with her books.

[Marissa Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Joanna Courtney is such a wonderful author, able to enrich each scene with so much detail and emotion it feels as if you’re there, experiencing the tale of Mathilda and William with them.
I particularly liked the representation of William in this novel...it shows skill to be able to switch a perspective and empathise with a character previously the antagonist and make them relatable and real.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one much more than the 2nd one! The last half, especially, was a really great read. I felt much more connected to the character of Mathilda, and the relationship between her and William. It didn't feel as much like a soap opera as the last book had, and it wasn't solely focused on the romance. Mathilda really felt like her own character; not constantly defined by her husband. I'm glad the series ended on a high note!

[Sandra Kennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this fiction based on fact book about Matilda, the wife of William the Conqueror. I have to admit to knowing very little about her so I enjoyed finding out about this little written about Queen. I liked Joanna’s writing and will be picking up some of her other books. I cannot help thinking though that had she included some of the other famous people around the Conqueror it would have ba more interesting historic epic.

[Viti · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was my first time reading this particular author - the local librarian recommended the read.

I love historical fiction but some books can be quite a laborious read. Fortunately this was not one of those books so yay! Brilliant read and I appreciated the author's notes towards the end re the historical characters.

Will have to read her first and second books for sure!

[aseriesofpages · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
This was well written and engaging and I enjoyed reading it but I don’t really care for the characters so it was just an okay book which I liked for me...but I might read more from the author because I did enjoy reading it.

[Susanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a little while to get into this as I didn't warm to the heroine at first. It is well-researched and the story moves along at a good pace as events unfold and the different characters develop. It did make me want to find out more about William and Mathilda.

[eleanor nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable reading well researched . Will now read other books in the series.

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Amber Meller · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was amazing and well written. It was something that I usually read, but it engaged me till the end and I was excited to be reading it.

[Rochelle Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great finish to the trilogy of books that are all set within the same timeframe, each book deals with a different couple

[Sofie Sieling · Rating 3 out of 5]

After having given 5 stars to the two other books in this trilogy, I expected to enjoy this more. However, it wasn't that bad.

[Margaret Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed this very much, good to have a story from the woman's point of view and the Norman side instead of the English.