The Girl Empress

The Chronicle of Maud #1

by Amy Mantravadi

The history books remember her as Empress Mathilda, but her path to sovereignty began when she was just a girl named Maud. Engaged, estranged, and crowned by the age of twelve, this is her story . . .

As the firstborn legitimate child of King Henry I of England, Princess Maud is faced with the fiercest crisis of her eight-year-old life when she learns that she will be sent to Germany to marry the Holy Roman Emperor. To make matters worse, her husband-to-be is in the midst of a disagreement with the Pope, and the threat of civil war continuously rages. Thrust into the middle of the greatest political controversy in Europe, Maud must learn to navigate the turbulent political waters while also managing her own transition from girl to woman.

Students of history will know the ending: Maud will successfully become Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, Queen of Germany, Queen of Italy, and the sole legitimate heir to the English throne. But The Girl Empress invites readers to join Maud on the journey of a lifetime, experiencing the depths of her hopes and dreams, her anxieties and strengths, her successes and failures. The history books haven’t done her justice.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Young Adult, Royalty

444 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 24, 2017

Reviews

[Bethany Fehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review in one word: excellence.

I'm pretty sure this book is the author's first published novel, and it's possibly the best debut novel I've ever read.

This is not a conventional novel. It's not so much an original story set against a historical background as it is an observation of real people and events through the eyes of a real person. I'd guess that the majority of the events of the book actually happened, though of course, many of the details would have had to be imagined. The history has been meticulously researched, and the author has an amazing way of presenting interesting and informative historical details in a way that immerses the reader in the story rather than simply drawing attention to the facts themselves.

Not only is the historical element extremely well done, but the author also has an excellent grasp of fiction techniques.

Every scene includes a compelling conflict on some level. I don't mean that every conversation is an argument, but there is almost always an underlying clash of wills driving the dialogue. Even in the slower parts of the book, the author maintains the story's momentum by quietly planting questions in the reader's mind. How will Maud's husband treat her? Will she ever see her family again? The author almost never comes right out and states the question, but instead makes excellent use of subtle foreshadowing to prompt the reader's expectations.

This book is one of the best examples of characterization I have read from a contemporary author. Every character has a distinct voice, which is especially difficult to pull off when you've limited yourself to only using words that existed before 1500. There are many characters, some of which only show up in a single scene, but the author manages to give a clear picture of her characters' personalities and attitudes within a very small amount of words. I've gotten to know some of these characters better in the space of a couple paragraphs than several main characters that have whole books dedicated to them. The word choice in the characters' dialogue and the subtle hints given by their actions and body language excellently and concisely show what the characters are like.

Another thing I really appreciate about this book is how the author keeps her perspective separate from her characters' perspectives. She doesn't let modern ideas creep into her characters' ideologies, and the author's Protestant background doesn't interfere with the characters' Catholicism. The author takes an objective tone toward the culture and beliefs of her character's time, which is incredibly difficult to do.

I would have liked to spend more time with the heroine and see a bit more of what her daily life looked like. In the latter half of the book a good chunk of time is given to explaining the political situations against which the story is set, and the individual characters get a bit less "screen time."

I was a bit thrown off by the fact that every second female character was named Mathilda and half of the male characters were either named Henry or William. I'm sure that the vast majority of the characters were real people, though, so it's not like the author really had a choice. :)

If you enjoy books that you can sink your teeth into and take a bit of extra brain power to read, this book is for you. If you like fast-paced plots and lighter reading, this might not be your thing.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars ("really liked") is a bit generous for my assessment of this book, and yet despite its feeling more like a three-star ("liked") read for me, I have to give Mantravadi credit for some outstanding features that most YA and/or modern novels lack.

I was impressed to learn in the introduction that Mantravadi limited the vocabulary of the book to words derived from those that would really have been in use in the 12th century. That's nine centuries worth of linguistic innovation that she had to avoid. I'm kind of curious to know how she pulled this off, but more to the point, it shows the seriousness with which the author approaches her task of writing historical fiction. She also is not ashamed to use Latin, French, German, and Italian sans translation when appropriate.

Even more than the linguistic aspects, Mantravadi shows how serious she is about writing good historical fiction by her steadfastly refusing to let her heroine/narrator slip into modern Feminist thinking. I've become so sick of reading historical fiction where the women chafe under their womanliness and wish to be "free" of their natural vocations. The Girl Empress presents a much more accurate perspective of a girl raised from a young age to understand and humbly accept her role as princess and then consort, even while acknowledging the fears and uncertainties this would naturally bring for such a young child.

Not only does Mantravadi shun Feminism in her 12th-century world, she also forbids postmodern
religious skepticism. While some characters may care more for political power than religious fervor, others are honestly devout. I greatly appreciate this.

So far as I can tell, the story also follows historical events with a great deal of accuracy. Ironically, that is where my feelings toward the book turn tepid. Relations between the Holy Roman Empire and papacy at this time are undeniably confusing, and try as she might, the author is hard-pressed to make them lucid and engaging. There is a lot of political talk with not much happening plot-wise. I had to keep slogging through to finish the book. Despite a who's-who list at the beginning, the book is burdened by its massive cast of minor characters. Nevertheless, it does have a sort of cliff-hanger ending that makes me consider seeking out the next volume, though.

Some of the writing, particularly in transitions, felt simplistic to me. Too often there was a conversation abruptly stopped with an "oh, but here comes someone!" clanger. An early scene in which the protagonist sneaks out of bed and overhears a pertinent conversation also felt less robust and realistic to me than I would have liked. Despite these drawbacks, I am impressed by the work the author put in and her attempt at honest historical fiction. Such work is all too rare in current books.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhat recently, I stumbled across Amy Mantravadi’s blog, and based on the content would say she is Reformed Baptist. As a writer, she is no slouch: I may disagree with some of her conclusions, but nobody can say she is not careful and thorough, so when she announced earlier this year that her book would be released soon, I was intrigued and ordered a copy. You should do likewise.

This novel is the first-person narration of Mathilda (Maud) recounting life to her daughter beginning in early twelfth century England. She is promised by her father, King Henry I, to the German emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Henry V, in an arranged marriage to help unite England with the empire. Such an arrangement was commonplace, and as one might imagine, this period of history is fraught with intrigue as both pope and king vie for power and authority within their overlapping spheres of influence. Added to this is the need to maintain peaceful relations and cooperation between duchies within the empire. Any means possible to solidify the empire were welcome. Medieval royalty and ecclesiastical authority were also noted for maintaining propriety. This is brought out time and again throughout the novel within the royal court (the cover illustration is telling). While this helped maintain civility and order, there are sufficient opportunities for subterfuge and treachery, as well as disease and catastrophe with which the emperor must deal.

Many historical figures and locations are brought out in the book, and I noted one review that disapproved of using so much history. I thought it delightful. The author was able to accurately and interestingly bring together a great number of facts pertinent to the storyline. But then I like history. In addition, the author presents a fascinating tidbit in her introduction:

Empress Mathilda (1102–1167), commonly known by the name Maud, was a real person, the daughter of King Henry I of England and granddaughter of William the Conqueror. She is also my ancestor twenty-eight generations removed, through the Grey and Hungerford families. It is my sincere hope that her story will be told more fully in these novels than it has been before, and that the twelfth century will come alive for a new generation of readers.

Of course, she would want to make this work as accurate as possible with the number of political and geographical interactions. (As a sidebar, I have a feeling all or most these characters will play a part in future volumes.) In addition, because many language groups were governed by the empire, the author interweaved those into the narrative in an appropriate way according to the character whether Latin, German, Italian, or French. The reader need not fear these portions since the dialogue is written in order to allow the reader to understand their meaning; however, if you already have a grasp of them, so much the better.

In all, this was a first-rate read and I cannot wait until the next volume comes out. Besides her blog mentioned earlier, you can find a website dedicated to the novel series – The Chronicle of Maud.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a historical novel in the true sense of the word. It doesn't just list an event or two from the time period. Instead, it gives details of many of the conflicts Queen Maud's husband has with Popes and nobles. At times, the book was quite heavy handed on the historical side. I would have enjoyed seeing more of how Maud's life revolved around the events, or how she survived in her day to day living.

It's interesting to note the comparison of eight-year-old Maud leaving home to become a bride and that of an event toward the end of the book. Maud is visited by her daughter-in-law and grandchildren. There her nine-year-old granddaughter is still allowed the luxury of being a child, whereas Maud herself had to give up her childhood in order to become a queen.

A truly fascinating book. This is not a book for the casual reader, however. If you love history and seeing political events unfold, you are likely to soak up the pages of this book. If you just want to read a story set in a historical period, though, the depth of detail about events may frustrate you.

I received a copy of this book through the Kindle Scout program.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book. Part novel, part history book, The Girl Empress tells the story of Maud, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, from her childhood into her late teens (maybe early 20s?). From time to time it was a little too history heavy and dry, but overall it was a good read.

[Carol McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

A part of history I wasn't familiar with

I had heard about the war between Matilda and her cousin Stephen in the 1100s for the throne of England. This book begins with the childhood of Matilda as the daughter of King Henry the first of England (the grandson of William the Conqueror) and Queen Matilda of Scotland. At the age of nine, she is betrothed to the Emperor Henry the fifth of the Holy Roman Empire and sent to live in Germany, where she begins to learn the local language, as well as Latin, which was used for all legal transactions. Matilda and Henry are formally married when she was 12, but Henry did not consulate the marriage for four more years. The battle between Henry and various popes, cardinals, and bishops was constant, fighting over property and power, and this book does an excellent job of helping this reader understand the power struggles of that world. The book ended with the devastating news of Matilda's brother William's death, drowned in the English Channel. She is the only remaining legitimate heir to the English throne. What will she do, in the midst of constant war in the Holy Roman Empire, a husband who relies on her presence, and still no heir for that throne?

[Katie Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Starts off ok (first 30%), but by the time Maud arrives in Germany there's almost no dialogue, no expression of her thoughts, just descriptions of events that don't take place in Maud's presence: this Duke wanting this, that bishop doing that. In 70% of the book she has no agency, no voice, no presence--it just becomes a long list of diplomatic events and battles--Maud is completely obscured. The title is incredibly misleading--this is a dry, boring account about men (dukes, bishops, emperors, popes), not about a child/woman ruler. If you want a book that actually gives the female lead agency, read Elizabeth Chadwick's trilogy on Queen Eleanor (first book is good, second and third books really drop in quality, but they're still way better than this).

[Melanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only read 11 pages before deciding I would prefer reading something more my style. The protagonist's voice felt forced and unnatural, slightly pretentious, like the author is trying to make the character fit a an exact mold. I didn't give it enough chance, though, for my opinion to be taken critically.

[Joelle Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joelle Still Reads Her Bookcase #61

I have read extensively in medieval history, and can assure you that it's no easy task writing about this time period! Everybody has the same name, everybody is fighting with each other, and the only true nation - state is England. France lacks its modern day borders, Germany is a confederation under the auspices of the Holy Roman Empire, and Italian territories were essentially individual city nation - states that hated each other. Then you have to consider the Hungarians, the Danes, the Swedes, and the Irish and Scottish in England. We lose much when we read books about this time period with a 21st century mentality.

Amy does not fall into the trap so many other writers do when writing about the people who inhabitated the medieval world: they are sexualized to a ridiculous extent. (Anne Boleyn, anyone?!) She doesn't bend the arc of history to suit her own narrative whims, but rather writes her rich and complex plot around the truth. The characters are complex and relatable - oh so humanly relatable.

They face fear, chronic illness, death (particularly unexpected death), mistrust, anger, and hope. They are devious, wicked, philandering, righteous, compassionate, and gentle. They rule wisely, and rebel unjustly.

I also enjoyed the fact that Amy omits a lot of irrelevant detail! We are not forced to read about EXACTLY what Empress Mathilda is wearing upon every occasion, nor the other characters. Even when dress is mentioned, it is general and all encompassing, i.e. a "red dress." We are not subject to rhapsodies about the various countrysides - a quibble I have with L.M. Montgomery, because I seriously don't need to read five full length pages regarding how Anne saw the moonlight!

This novel happens in the 11th century, which means 400 years before Reformation. At that time, the Church was considered the only viable option to heaven. If you were excommunicated, you were going to hell. If you disrespected a clergy man, you were going to hell. There were feast days and masses and so many different parts that made up the machinery of the Church that the truly devout, such as both Mathildas, were obvious examples of piety if they managed to observe them all.

Amy weaves in her own Christian beliefs by making the Empress and her mother, the Queen of England, devout and devoted to the church. Obviously, there were issues present in the church: simony, power struggles, clergyman who only payed lip service. And Amy gives these men their due. However, the Mathildas are shown as believing in the true Church - that which was established by Christ, who then passed the keys to Saint Peter, and so on and so forth. Faith lies in the Holy Trinity, not in the lives of men. (I also saw another reference to herself by creating the future Empress Mathilda as not only a bookworm, but a student of theology. 😉)

*I would recommend reading this book in Kindle format, because there is a great deal of sentences and phrases that will require translation. I don't know if those are provided in footnotes in a physical book, but using a Kindle app allows you to translate with ease...although the flow of reading is mildly disrupted.*

[Patricia Gorz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book

I have this story 3 stars because I often got confused with the Matilda,s and Williams, but it still kept me to read to the end. I do like reading about the kings and queens of old.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very well written debut novel. Very clean. I found the internal thought processes and dialogue a tad unbelievable for the main character to be 9-11 years old for more than half of the book, but willing to overlook for a quality read that wasn’t full of garbage. Recommend.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first third of it.. It got confusing a bit but some of it was good.

[Amy Looney · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Empress Maud is a fascinating story. That being said, this is NOT one of my favorite reads in historic fiction. The author assumes that everyone reads in an app or readily understands German, French, and Latin. There were several sections where I had to use the Kindle app’s built-in translator to translate important dialogue. You have to highlight that text in a Kindle app to translate it, so I have several swaths of highlighted text. Maud writes to her daughter, and there is absolutely no explanation of who that is. If you know the history of Maud, she did not have a daughter survive to life so you have to research on your own or come to an assumption as to who the daughter is. I also believe there is a dichotomy with Maud’s attitude toward her father’s infidelity and her attitude toward her son’s infidelity when he was married to Eleanor of Aquitaine. The tone towards Eleanor is not consistent but goes from annoyed to empathetic and the shift in Maud’s attitude seems disjointed. I also feel like the author’s writing from Maud’s perspective as a young girl is more adult than childlike. I understand Maud had a very adultlike role to play from an early age, however, the writing is too mature for a child of seven or eight years old. The book also ends abruptly. You need to know the history of the Concordat of Worms to know where the story is heading. I understand that this is to be a series, but I will not be reading any further work by this author. To be honest, I’m glad I only paid a nominal fee from Amazon to read this because it was NOT a book I would have spent a good amount of money to read.

[Rachel Menke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d like to take this moment to call out all my history teachers for never (to my memory) teaching me about this period of European History! Empress Maud as she is often known is the first female monarch of England (as well as the Holy Roman Empire). The Chronicles of Maud trilogy (of which this is the first book) seeks to tell the story of her life in 12th century Europe. This book tells the story of her childhood and teen years. If you think the life of a princess sounds glamorous read this book and you will never think so again. I was fascinated by this story and history that I knew so little of and am eager to read the next two (which sadly are not yet published). My biggest critiques are that there is a lot of Latin, French, and German used that is not translated (so I had to rely on my super basic understanding and the internet for these parts) and that I also had to keep looking things up simply because I knew so little about this period of history. I loved though that I felt like I really learned a lot thru this book and I appreciate how the author made Maud relatable and showed many of her facets (romantic, intellectual, spiritual, emotional, etc). If you like historical fiction and a bit of a challenge then I’d recommend this book!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I liked it, but I really wanted to like it even more! This edition has a splendid cover and high quality paper pages. It is well-researched and covers a lot of ground new to me. There were a few crude scenes near the end that seemed unnecessary, but overall it was well-written. I am not sure what audience the author had in mind, but the heaps of named characters...nobles, popes, bishops, and abbots are hard to process. There is a partial listing of characters in the front of the book which helped, but a complete listing would have been more helpful. A map and family tree chart would have helped w/ characters and places. It also seems the author has no mercy when it comes to quotes in foreign tongues.(German, Latin, Italian, French) Footnoted translations would certainly have added to the reading pleasure. Yes, yes, one can look all these things up, but it interrupts the flow of reading. Wiki states that this Maud eventually had 3 sons w/ a different husband. That begs the question of who the daughter is that she is writing her story for? And if fictional, then it is hard to determine what else is fact or fiction. A number of questions, but still I did enjoy.

[adolfo-llamas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too wordy

While the story itself was good there are many leaps in the narrative. This can make it difficult to follow the storyline.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing

I expected much more insight into the childhood and young adulthood of princess Mathilda.After all , the title of this work is The Girl Empress.
All went well at first , a tendency to wander from the basic topic , but after leaving England , she became less and less the focus of attention .
Mathilda became a sort of continuity device .The main topic turned out to be the problems besetting the Holy Roman Empire. Presented in a dry schoolroom style lecture followed on lecture about this or that minor Teutonic noble , though when Mathilda traveled we had other dry lectures about the country she viewed .
Worse still after the action passed to Italy and the disagreements with the church authorities became more and more petty and sterile and very very wordy.
The author certainly proved she has learned more than enough about the Holy Roman Empire.I also believe she wants us to know she can speak German , Latin and French.
Good for her , my interest was. to know Mathilda from a humanistic point of view . So I was disappointed .

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable Read

The author did a strong job of conveying the story. However, there were a few misses for me that made it difficult to keep all the information straight. The lack of translation of passages spoken by others (while this conveys the lack of understanding of the character) was frustrating - must I skim past sometimes large chunks? If I interpreted things correctly, the POV, and time points changed. Sometimes a confusion on who was relating the tale. Added to that the age of the empress was rarely related, which would give the reader perspective on the passage of time. Since the character speaks well above age-level and almost at a flat level, the reader is left wondering.

[Zachary Houghton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an intriguing look at the life of an oft-overlooked historical figure. Mantravadi does a splendid job of weaving in some other historical figures, from Anselm of Canterbury to Abelard. The historical details need little embellishment to be fascinating and a fine tale in their own right, especially as lived by one of the 12th century’s most pivotal characters.

I felt like Maud was quite a passive character, without much of a voice of her own, until the action shifted to Germany—then her character really began to take on some definition. I can recommend this to lovers of historical fiction.

I am very much looking forward to seeing the next entry in this planned trilogy.

[Vj · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Great Queen & Personage

A mostly well-known tale., every opportunity was provided to generate the interest of the reader, yet somehow it fails. Difficult to follow who was who & their relationships to others. Ordinarily the tale begins when Empress Maude endeavors to take the throne of England from her cousin Stephen, but this makes a very long story of many events preceding that, but neglects to even show how they are connected, leaving many loose strings. The author claims to be a direct descendant of Maude, so its hard to understand why she wouldn't choose to embellish the reader's imagination with much more climactic events, of which there are many. (aka "boring")

[Emily Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

History Heavy

If you’re interested in somewhat ancient history, this is an interesting read. Any, an ancestor of Empress Mathilda, has carefully researched the political and religious climate of the era. While I thought sometimes the depth of the historical explanations made the story move slowly, I am also aware that the entire storyline is built around them. Amy also writes in a linguistic tone of the era. It’s not an easy read if you don’t enjoy classic literature, but it is a well written tale nonetheless. Maude is a spunky, intelligent woman- I found her character very enjoyable.

[Suzanne Reed · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring--very boring.

Truly, this has got to be the most boring book I have ever read. The author uses a first-hand account of Maud's life. Well, that's okay because quite a few books of historical fiction use this approach. However, even when Maud was a child of seven or eight, her speech and thoughts are those of a mature woman. This is disappointing because the times the author is writing about in these two books, before and during the Anarchy, are some of the most dramatic in all of of England's history. I just could not finish the first book because of the way it is written.

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed and inspiring

A very detailed look into the young life of empress Matilda. The book starts with her life as a young princess up to the time of her brother's untimely death. The author takes great pains to elaborate on all aspects of the story from the characters to the locations and every detail in between. I am looking forward to the next book which continues her story. The only reason I didn't rate a 5 was there was German text without translation which was frustrating for me.

[Mary Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Empress Matilda

A difficult read without more background in the many political factions. The author did her best to bring only key political issues into the story, but Matilda's story line is often lost. I was keen to follow her relationship with her husband but details were scant. Apparently, the relationship between them was affectionate but not passionate. An unanswered mystery is what Daughter she seems to be addressing her recollections to, since she never had a daughter. I'm not prepared to slog through Volume II or OIL to find out.

[Carol Beckman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heavy going at times

I was determined to finish this but it was hard at times as it sometimes just seemed to be list of battles and travel. I learned a lot about Henry V Holy Roman Emperor but less about Matilda. I found it difficult to keep in mind how young she was during the period of the chronicle as the language suggested a mature adult. Also some Americanisms did creep in if only occasionally.

[William Diehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know her story. Maud is among my ancestors.

Written in the first person, this carries you through Maud's early life from princess of England to Queen of the Germans to Empress of the Romans. This book ends all to suddenly with her as the hair to the throne of England. The next book has to take us to England where she fights the usurper Stephen. I must get the second book now.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all what I was hoping for...

This book wasn’t at all what I was hoping for as it really seemed like Maud was only a narrator to the story and she was only peripherally involved. This novel was more about the life of the emperor than her. Don’t bother reading if you’re hoping to learn more about the early part of her life.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maud was born to William 1 of England. At 8 she was engaged to the Emperor of Germany. The Pope and Emperor had issues. We finish the book with the death of Maud's father, the king, and his oldest son, Maud's brother when his ship went down in the English Channel. A sequel is most likely to follow. A good read.

[Shelly Carlstrom]

Fascinating!

I had never heard of Empress Matilda. Also, I am not that familiar with the details of European history from this time. However, being able to learn more through the eyes of this young woman was so interesting it made me want to know more! Looking forward to the next book in this series!

[Chasity Gaines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!!

I was enthralled from the very beginning to the end! I have read about the Empress but not in a way that it shows her life before returning to England as her father's legitimate heir.