The Captive Princess: Eleanor Fair Maid of Brittany

Medieval Babes: Tales of Little-Known Ladies #3

by J.P. Reedman

Princess. Marriage Prize. Prisoner. Eleanor of Brittany is sent to live in the household of her esteemed grandmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and brought up expecting to be the bride of a powerful prince. But when the marriage proposed for her as part of Richard Lionheart's ransom falls through and King Richard dies a few years later at Chalus, she is returned to her mother and her beloved younger brother Arthur in Brittany. John now sits on the throne of England, something Eleanor and Arthur both resent, for they are the children of his elder brother, Geoffrey, and many men say their claim to England supersedes John's . Arthur's desire for a crown leads the pair to ally with France and attack their aged grandmother in the castle of Mirabeau, a move that brings untold disaster to both. Beautiful Eleanor, the Pearl of Brittany, is held captive in England from that day forth, through the reign of two kings-never tried, charged with no offence, her only crime her royal Plantagenet blood.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Romance, Medieval

243 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 31, 2018

About the author

Born in Canada, J.P. Reedman has been a UK resident for over 30 years. She has been writing since the age of 5, and preferred genres are fantasy and historical (or a mixture of both.) Interests are British history and prehistory, especially the neolithic and bronze ages, archaeology, anthropology and features of the countryside. She is author of the STONEHENGE SAGA a novel that places the legends of King Arthur back into the bronze age, and a number of works about King Richard III, including the epic, I RICHARD PLANTAGENET, which, with both parts combined, is over 250,000 words long and written from Richard's first person perspective. She is also the author of the bestselling medieval novel, MY FAIR LADY, about the little known Queen, Eleanor of Provence which is first in an ongoing series about lesser-known medieval noblewoman. 13 SO FAR!

Reviews

[Mercedes Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eleanor of Brittany is one of those unfortunate historical characters who was the victim of other peoples’ ambitions. By birth she had a claim to the English throne through the laws of progeniture, where the daughter of an elder son has a stronger claim than her uncle, her father’s younger brother. Of course, her claim would be easier to enforce if she had supporters, and Eleanor, raised in Brittany, had none. It didn’t help that she kind of slid into next place by the accident of her brother’s murder. And the murderer, King John, made sure to lock her away so she would be forgotten by the rest of the world, and by history as well. It looked for a while like her grandmother, the daunting Eleanor of Aquitaine would promote her interests, but as soon as John became king our princess was shuffled aside:

“John has a reputation and it is not a good one. How can you still support him?”
“He. Is. My. Son.” Eleanor’s lips were tight, bloodless lines.
“So the rest of your blood is cast aside? Unless you personally benefit from us in some way?”
“You learn quickly, little Eleanor.” He tone was cruel, so too her smile. “I taught you well, at least. Are you not grateful for that, if nothing more?”

J.P. Reedman has done a good job of introducing us to this forlorn princess who spent half of her life in prison just because of who she was. It’s a difficult exercise plotting out a story for a protagonist that has no adventures (aside from following her brother around), crises, or conflicts except for the occasional altercation with her wicked uncle the King. Nonetheless, the novel moved nicely along and held my interest all the way to the end. It fleshes out a period of history that has been given little attention.

[Chasity Gaines · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Captive Read!

Beautiful and rich! I really enjoyed Reedman's telling of Eleanor's life. The niece of King Richard the Lionheart,the notorious King John; Granddaughter to the powerful Queen Eleanor, sister to Arthur of Brittany, who many believed had a better claim to the English throne over his Uncle John.

A fantastic period piece that brings fair Eleanor's story to life.

[Lost in a book · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to confess, I have never heard of Eleanor of Brittany. I have read about the dreadful thing King John did to her brother, but I have not heard anything about her. It is as if she was lost to history. Well, J.P. Reedman has put this right.

The story of Eleanor of Brittany is indeed a tragic one. Reedman has captured the very essence of not only the era but has made me think about the women of this era, how their lives have been so often overlooked by history, and how their stories are just as fascinating as the men, if not more so. Eleanor's story is one of strength and courage, and it is a story that certainly kept me engrossed, so much so that I stayed up until 2 am to finish it!

If you enjoy historical fiction, especially when told from a woman's perspective, then this is a book that is worth adding to your collection. I think this is a book that I will be reading again, as it is just such a captivating story.

https://igotlostinabook2.blogspot.com...

[Tara Pyott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book!

Wow. It has been a while since I have read a book almost non-stop, from start to finish. This story, about Eleanor of Brittany's life, was fascinating. I absolutely love historical fiction, especially about royalty. Eleanor of Brittany was a granddaughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II. Eleanor lost her father at a young age, and was separated from her mother and brother for many years. Prince John, later King John, cast an evil shadow over Eleanor and her family. Eleanor had remarkable stores of wit and courage, which she used to survive her stressful and tumultuous life.

The author's writing style was captivating, vivid and never boring. The pace of the book was perfect. I never felt bogged down with too many details. I am eagerly looking forward to reading another J.P. Reedman novel!

[Roy McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read! I don’t pick up many historical novels but this was a winner. I’m an Eleanor of Aquitaine fan and the Anglo-French strife either side of 1204 had great consequences for us here in the Channel Islands. Written through the eyes of Eleanor’s granddaughter, Eleanor of Brittany, this story dramatically fleshes out the bare bones of the leading royal characters of the day, and the momentous events that took place. Indeed, characterisation is a great strength of this story – each king, prince, knight, princess, servant is presented so one can easily picture them. The sights and smells of the times, the heartless cruelty of King John and others, are vividly portrayed. Above all, one cheers throughout for the courageous Eleanor of Brittany as she tells her remarkable story.

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book about Eleanor the Fair Maid of Brittany as I never read about her before. I had read about her brother Arthur and, of course, her grandparents and uncles. This was well written and I finished it in one day - had a hard time putting it down. It was well balanced between narrative and descriptive which is perfect for me. Another book by JP Reedman that I enjoyed immensely - I will continue to read others by her.

[Louise Coughlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lovely princess had no chance of marrying or being freed from captivity. She was the daughter of Geoffrey, son of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II. She was held under Eleanor court when her mother was sent to remarry and then Eleanor went to an Abbey and she was held under John the King's regime, after Richard the Lionheart died in battle. Eleanor of Brittany lost her title and her freedom. The forgotten Princess, is a great story and I give it 5 stars.

[Deborah Necessary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eleanor of Brittany, sometimes known as The Pearl of Brittany, was the niece of Richard the Lionhearted. When Richard dies and his brother, Henry becomes King, Eleanor is taken captive and though she was kept in relative comfort, she is never allowed to marry, because she has a valid claim to England’s throne. She lives out her days basically in captivity.

[Kirsten Muller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book! Dragged on but at the same time went too fast (if that makes sense) at time, but I very much enjoyed it! I like how she didn't portray Eleanor of Aquitaine as an innocent victim as other fiction does. Constance was a bit annoying, but she did go through a lot.

[Patricia Chodak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent research and interpretation

I have always enjoyed books relating to the royal secession and wondered why feminism took so long to happen, with women of this strength and determination

[LINDA Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I enjoy reading historical books but have never heard of the Princess Eleanor of Brittany so I decided to read the story

[Hebby Roman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing was a bit ragged, but I thought the author did an excellent job with trying to put you in touch with how a royal captive would have felt during the 13th century.

[Michael McGee]

I really like all of this author's work. This book is no exception.

[Lise Arin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice-paced, engaging story that needed an editor - for typos, altered spellings and the like. The cover art is also quite low rent, and the author's talent for plot and character deserve better.

[gillian a gillard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little known princess

Quite a good story considering not much is really known about Eleanor. But I enjoyed it as a good fiction

[Blubonnet1]

05/12/2021

[Rosie Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 5 Star read

[Margarita Albaladejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sad how her life was wasted by men ambitions. Liked the way the narration give life and voice to our troublesome past.

[Debra R Tate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the whole series of books!

[Julia Gasper · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, this is a good story. In fact it's an excellent story. Eleanor of Brittany is one of those obscure figures on the margins of history whose existence is usually forgotten. Shakespeare's play about King John includes her brother Arthur, rightful claimant to the throne, but does not even mention Eleanor.
Her story has many strange twists of fate. Born the daughter of Geoffrey, second son of King Henry II, she has a strong claim to the throne, as does her brother. Taken to the English court as a young girl she is a political pawn brought up by her grandmother, the clever and formidable Eleanor of Acquitaine. At the age of fourteen she travels, in the company of her grandmother, from England to the Rhineland, to be married to a German prince. Then the sudden death of his father leads to the marriage being called off.
No other match is ever found, and when Richard the Lionheart dies he chooses his brother John as his successor, not the boy Arthur.
A few years later Arthur takes part in a rebellion, in Normandy and is ruthlessly killed by John, who orders that Eleanor be kept a prisoner high in a castle tower for the rest of her days, even after his own death.
There she lives out the remainder of her existence. A princess locked in a tower, not by a wicked witch but by her own uncle, who is one of the worst tyrants ever to seize the English throne. Power-mad, greedy, rapacious, defying all laws human or divine, he seizes property, desecrates monasteries, takes other men's wives and daughters as he pleases, even abducts the 12-year-old Isabella of Angoulême as his bride to get hold of her inheritance. Voicing any opposition gets you thrown into an oubliette to rot and starve.
Even Eleanor's grandmother warns her that it is pointless to resist John. This is a world ruled by men, and might is right. After many years of oppression, the barons force John to sign Magna Carta...but there is no clause in it granting liberty to his hapless neice.
It's a really good story and deserves to be made into a film. Hollywood, where are you?
It's just a pity the writing is not as good as the story. While J.P. Reedman has constructed and dramatized the story very well, the whole text needs editing. The opening creates atmosphere, and there are some skilful passages of description, but in too many places there are misprints, grammatical errors or awkward sentences that detract from the story being told.
I learned a lot from this book and would be interested in reading others in the series "Mediaeval Babes".