The Outrageous Queens

by Marc Alexander

Outrageous means immoderate, extravagant, extraordinary, violent, furious, grossly cruel, immoral, offensive . . . At least one of these words is descriptive of each of the dozen royal women whose lives are told in this book. All make fascinating psychological studies of women who wielded immense power in a world where liberty for women was an undreamed of concept. Yet they proved that when it came to intrigue – sometimes up to the point of assassination – they were equal to any male monarch of their times. Some played the role of warrior queens; red-haired Boudicca whose vengeance cost over a hundred thousand lives; Eleanor of Aquitaine who took her “Amazons” on a crusade to the Holy Land; Henrietta Maria, the “generalissima” who led an army during the English Civil War. Others were even fiercer during their reign; the infamous Queen Mary who earned her epithet of “Bloody” through the Smithfield burnings; the treacherous Elfrida who changed history when she brutally murdered King Edward at Corfe castle to make way for her son Ethelred to inherit the throne; or Isabella – the She Wolf of France – whose despised husband met one of the most horrific deaths in history. Above all the theme of The Outrageous Queens is intrigue. Some of the women in this book ruled in their own right, others by manipulating their husbands – or lovers, but all have affected our history, and all of their extraordinary stories are told here. Marc Alexander left Poverty Bay, New Zealand, to become a journalist in London. After four years on Fleet Street, he became the editorial director of a small magazine group, then the organiser of an annual film festival. Four years ago he became a full-time author, his books ranging from fiction to history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

157 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 11, 2012

Reviews

[Becks! · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐'s

[Ruth Harwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd love to know who proof read this? Whoever it was, could you fire them?
Honestly, I've never read a book with so many missed commas, huge endless paragraphs, and one glaringly obvious mistake I personally feel is something of an oops moment (and there could be many more!), I know that Margaret Shelton was Anne Boleyn's cousin, not her sister. To make that mistake would be caught straight away by anyone with any knowledge of the Sixteenth century. Or of the fact that Anne Boleyn's only sister was banished from court for marrying beneath her, and that her name wasn't Margaret...
Other than the constant attempts to ignore the bad grammar and other mistakes any proof-reader or editor would have picked up - if you need one, I can do that simple as! - I actually enjoyed this book. I would have made it a 4* without the grammatical mistakes, tbh, and was tempted to give it a 2* but for the fact that the content is interesting. This isn't a coverage of the famous names we all know such as Catherine of Aragon, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne Boleyn, Matilda or Victoria, it's more about those less known queens who made their mark, many of whom were familiar names, but I was surprised at many of their outrageous acts: the women in history who we like to think had no voice, and most didn't, here come to life through more action than voice, and that's more impactful than anything else they could have done - the trick was to let the men be their voice. That's how women had a voice. Though there are a few who need no introduction, there are many surprises here and if the author could get the editing and proof-reading sorted so that the whole read more fluidly, then this would be a fantastic read from start to end! xx

[SheLove2Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely needed an editor who knows history. There's more than a few factual errors. 2.5 stars

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are short stories of queens who made a difference.  With some, like Boudicca, she led her Briton people in the war against the Romans. Others, like Eleanor of Provence, tried to bankrupt the British treasury with her lavish spending and nepotism.  Isabella of France became the "She-Wolf of France" by overthrowing her husband (Edward II) to put her son on the throne.

But undoubtedly the most fascinating queen was Eleanor of Aquitaine who married a French king, divorced him, and married an 18-year-old English king.  They had seven children, including future kings, Richard the Lionheart, and John. In the past, I'd always heard the history through the men's perspective (battles and lands acquired).  The author's telling of history from the female slant is surprisingly different. This is a very readable history of some famous and infamous women.

[Emma Dargue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting biography of some of Great Britain's more forthright queens who in their own ways shaped the Britain of today including Bouddica, Mary Queen Of Scots, Elizabeth the I and Anne. Really interesting and informative it really gave me a sense of the person as a whole.

[Helen Robare · Rating 2 out of 5]

WARNING: anyone who is a true lover of history and knows the story of these Queens, be advised this book is NOT for you. The blurb was interesting and the price was right, so I bought this book on Amazon. UNFORTUNATELY, I knew by the 2nd page of the first chapter in which the subject was Boudicca: The Warrior Queen. There were so many lies in this one chapter that I had to laugh or else I would have closed the book and not read any further.

The 2nd chapter starred Elfrida whose husband (Athelwold) was supposed to secure her hand for the King of England, Edgar. Anyway, Edgar and Elfrida meet and Athelwold is killed. Later so is Edgar.

The third chapter was about my favorite Queen of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine. From the first paragraph, the author only copied all the rumors and gossip about Eleanor even going so far as to perpetrate the lie that Eleanor rode bare-breasted on the crusade to the holy land. And it gets worse!

None of the Queens in this book was spared! They are all written according to gossip and rumormongering from the 3 who were described to Bloody Mary and Elizabeth I all the way to Chapter 12 starring Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel. And none of the queens were spared the indignity of hearing falso rumors and country gossip written as fact!

To say I was, disappointed is an understatement and how I was able to stomach reading the entire book I'll never know.

If you want to read the true stories read Sharon Kay Penman's Plataganet saga. For realistic well-written boos about Mary I (aka Bloody Mary) read Carolly Erickson's Bloody Mary. For two well written books about Elizabeth I, read Mary M. Luke's two books. All are great writers and manages to bring history alive in the pages of their books in a way that the author of Outrageous Queens couldn't be bothered with! The reader can also tell that these authors have researched their subjects.

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am reluctantly giving this book two stars. I like the inclusion of the pre-Conquest Queens, and that gets an extra star. However, it’s terribly edited and full of repetition of old slanders and lies. For example, the idea that Eleanor of Aquitaine was some wanton woman who slept with her own uncle and future father in law has long been discredited by historians. Absolutely ridiculous.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting but not great

In itself the topic of the book is great, we all love a bad and outrageous queen , but there were a few factual mistakes, and it really could do with a reproof ,

[susan green · Rating 1 out of 5]

Badly researched

Not accurate at all. Parentage mixed up and all gossip.
Not enjoyed at all, writing style is boring.
Glad I didn't buy this book.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, succinct overview on various queens. Nothing too earth-shattering but readable and a good way to get your toes wet on some of these figures.

[Beth Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

outrageous indeed

These queens varied in degree with outrageous behavior a few were guite scandalous.
The times they lived in were certainly a factor in their lives

[Kathleen Appling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it

The book was so good only wish it was longer and had more queens. I hope there is a sequel.