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Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule
In 1187 Saladin's armies besieged the holy city of Jerusalem. He had previously annihilated Jerusalem's army at the battle of Hattin, and behind the city's high walls a last-ditch defence was being led by an unlikely trio - including Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem. They could not resist Saladin, but, if they were lucky, they could negotiate terms that would save the lives of the city's inhabitants.
Queen Sibylla was the last of a line of formidable female rulers in the Crusader States of Outremer. Yet for all the many books written about the Crusades, one aspect is conspicuously absent: the stories of women. Queens and princesses tend to be presented as passive transmitters of land and royal blood. In reality, women ruled, conducted diplomatic negotiations, made military decisions, forged alliances, rebelled, and undertook architectural projects. Sibylla's grandmother Queen Melisende was the first queen to seize real political agency in Jerusalem and rule in her own right. She outmanoeuvred both her husband and son to seize real power in her kingdom, and was a force to be reckoned with in the politics of the medieval Middle East. The lives of her Armenian mother, her three sisters, and their daughters and granddaughters were no less intriguing.
The lives of this trailblazing dynasty of royal women, and the crusading Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, are the focus of Katherine Pangonis's debut book. In QUEENS OF JERUSALEM she explores the role women played in the governing of the Middle East during periods of intense instability, and how they persevered to rule and seize greater power for themselves when the opportunity presented itself.
Queen Sibylla was the last of a line of formidable female rulers in the Crusader States of Outremer. Yet for all the many books written about the Crusades, one aspect is conspicuously absent: the stories of women. Queens and princesses tend to be presented as passive transmitters of land and royal blood. In reality, women ruled, conducted diplomatic negotiations, made military decisions, forged alliances, rebelled, and undertook architectural projects. Sibylla's grandmother Queen Melisende was the first queen to seize real political agency in Jerusalem and rule in her own right. She outmanoeuvred both her husband and son to seize real power in her kingdom, and was a force to be reckoned with in the politics of the medieval Middle East. The lives of her Armenian mother, her three sisters, and their daughters and granddaughters were no less intriguing.
The lives of this trailblazing dynasty of royal women, and the crusading Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, are the focus of Katherine Pangonis's debut book. In QUEENS OF JERUSALEM she explores the role women played in the governing of the Middle East during periods of intense instability, and how they persevered to rule and seize greater power for themselves when the opportunity presented itself.
272 pages, Paperback
First published May 13, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
November 2, 2021
4.5 stars - There is a demand for books of revisionist history about women and whilst I have read some poor one's, I thoroughly enjoyed this book - its well-written, accessible and educational. It focuses on the ruling women of Outremer in the 12th century.
Whilst I've read quite a bit about the Crusades it has been male-focused, particularly "hero's" like Richard the Lionheart or Saladin. This covered a number of generations of the royal families living in Outremer after the Christians captured the City of Jerusalem in the first crusade in 1099 through to almost 100 years later when Saladin's armies recaptured the city in 1187.
It covers the generations of women during this time from Queen Melisande through to Queen Sibylla. Incredible stories and instability in the region and some eye-raising relationships and marriages! I take half-a-star off though as whilst I loved the author's writing style and the subject matter (and will read her again) I felt there was a touch of very strong feminism coming through the writing at times. Many might not mind this as its written to humanise these women and put them back in the spotlight. Whilst I agree with this, it was a touch heavy a couple of times. But otherwise highly recommend!
Whilst I've read quite a bit about the Crusades it has been male-focused, particularly "hero's" like Richard the Lionheart or Saladin. This covered a number of generations of the royal families living in Outremer after the Christians captured the City of Jerusalem in the first crusade in 1099 through to almost 100 years later when Saladin's armies recaptured the city in 1187.
It covers the generations of women during this time from Queen Melisande through to Queen Sibylla. Incredible stories and instability in the region and some eye-raising relationships and marriages! I take half-a-star off though as whilst I loved the author's writing style and the subject matter (and will read her again) I felt there was a touch of very strong feminism coming through the writing at times. Many might not mind this as its written to humanise these women and put them back in the spotlight. Whilst I agree with this, it was a touch heavy a couple of times. But otherwise highly recommend!
March 25, 2021
Clear, compelling and well-written narrative account of the lives of ruling class women in 12th century Outremer (the Frank-occupied territories of the Middle East) - touching occasionally on the Byzantine Empire. It goes a good way to redressing the male-focussed balance of crusade-era history, as it sets out to do, and fleshing out the individual women beyond the types and caricatures into which they have traditionally been cast. Incredibly fun to read, thank you!
July 3, 2022
I should have read the description of this book properly: after reading a review, I had assumed it would be a history of women leaders of Jerusalem/Palestine over millennia: it is rather, a specific history of Christian queens from the Crusades period, and very much centred in that perspective. Pangonis tells these stories with a tone that balances serious history with intrigue - that there were few references and a lot of inferences put it closer to the latter for me, not surprising given the strong popular appetite for Outremer stories. For that audience, it contains essay-length biographies of women who sought their own power amidst the losing end of a war. Pangonis focuses on how they manoeuvred for power for themselves and the men in their lives but does not explore broader motivations.
The limited perspective made me frustrated and possibly too sensitive to what appeared to be an endorsement of the Crusaders' perspective at times (when Islam is mentioned, which is rare, it is often negatively). This combines with a very tactical/court-intrigue focus on events, which are largely not positioned in terms of the broader socio-political shifts in the region, which is the kind of history I tend to enjoy. In the end, I didn't get much out of this book but I'm obviously not the audience for it.
The limited perspective made me frustrated and possibly too sensitive to what appeared to be an endorsement of the Crusaders' perspective at times (when Islam is mentioned, which is rare, it is often negatively). This combines with a very tactical/court-intrigue focus on events, which are largely not positioned in terms of the broader socio-political shifts in the region, which is the kind of history I tend to enjoy. In the end, I didn't get much out of this book but I'm obviously not the audience for it.
March 1, 2023
When Jerusalem was taken by the Christian army in 1099 during the First Crusade, it began a period of about 90 years when the Crusader army would rule the Holy Land. The crusaders managed to set up four principal cities where they would establish their authority. These cities were Jerusalem, Antioch, Tripoli, and Edessa. As fate would have it, many of the Christian rulers of these four cities would give birth to daughters instead of sons during this period. This is the history of these women, who played a very significant role, some of them who came to rule in their own right, some who ruled as regents while their sons grew up, and some who were married to secure political alliances with other kingdoms.
This is a straightforward account. Pangonis tells the history in a matter of fact, detailed style. As it covers almost 100 years of history, there are a lot of people to keep track of. There is a family tree chart at the start of the book, which is extremely helpful to keep track of who married who and how they are related to each other. Many of the women got remarried after their husbands would die in battle, so it is essential to have the family tree to keep track of everyone. There is also a map which shows the Holy Land locations, which is quite useful.
The book starts with the story of Baldwin II and Morphia, the rulers of Jerusalem who were a very happily married couple, that happened to have four daughters. These daughters would play a very important role in what happened in the political world of the Holy Land during the 12th century. Securing alliances were of utmost importance, and the stress of the wives producing male heirs were key to keeping families in power and having military leaders to fight the constant battles against the Muslims. Melisende, the oldest daughter of Baldwin and Morphia, really stands out in this book. She was an extremely capable woman who ruled Jerusalem with first her husband and then her son. The book shows how her father Baldwin carefully prepared her to rule and then puts protections in place to assure that she could hold onto her power, even if the tendency during this time period was that males disliked having women with power.
As the kingdom begins to fall apart, Pangonis shows how decisions that were made by the Crusader leaders impacted their ability to hold onto their cities. There was a lot of greed and selfishness that helped to bring down the kingdom. I was surprised to learn that from time to time, Christians would make alliances with Muslim armies to ally and fight together against other Christian armies, so that they could either expand their political sphere, or at the very least maintain it against other Christian armies besieging them. Sibylla was the last actual de facto Christian ruler of Jerusalem, but she made the terrible decision to defer to her husband Guy of Lusignan, who was an incompetent leader.
Pangonis shows how the royal women of this time were discriminated against, both by the men in their family, who used them as political pawns, and the male historians, who distrusted women who wanted to assert themselves and preferred docile wives or lovely, ornamental princesses. After reading this, I wish more historians of the period would have included a full account of the women of the time. As Pangonis shows, they are incredibly interesting and their stories should be better well known.
This is a straightforward account. Pangonis tells the history in a matter of fact, detailed style. As it covers almost 100 years of history, there are a lot of people to keep track of. There is a family tree chart at the start of the book, which is extremely helpful to keep track of who married who and how they are related to each other. Many of the women got remarried after their husbands would die in battle, so it is essential to have the family tree to keep track of everyone. There is also a map which shows the Holy Land locations, which is quite useful.
The book starts with the story of Baldwin II and Morphia, the rulers of Jerusalem who were a very happily married couple, that happened to have four daughters. These daughters would play a very important role in what happened in the political world of the Holy Land during the 12th century. Securing alliances were of utmost importance, and the stress of the wives producing male heirs were key to keeping families in power and having military leaders to fight the constant battles against the Muslims. Melisende, the oldest daughter of Baldwin and Morphia, really stands out in this book. She was an extremely capable woman who ruled Jerusalem with first her husband and then her son. The book shows how her father Baldwin carefully prepared her to rule and then puts protections in place to assure that she could hold onto her power, even if the tendency during this time period was that males disliked having women with power.
As the kingdom begins to fall apart, Pangonis shows how decisions that were made by the Crusader leaders impacted their ability to hold onto their cities. There was a lot of greed and selfishness that helped to bring down the kingdom. I was surprised to learn that from time to time, Christians would make alliances with Muslim armies to ally and fight together against other Christian armies, so that they could either expand their political sphere, or at the very least maintain it against other Christian armies besieging them. Sibylla was the last actual de facto Christian ruler of Jerusalem, but she made the terrible decision to defer to her husband Guy of Lusignan, who was an incompetent leader.
Pangonis shows how the royal women of this time were discriminated against, both by the men in their family, who used them as political pawns, and the male historians, who distrusted women who wanted to assert themselves and preferred docile wives or lovely, ornamental princesses. After reading this, I wish more historians of the period would have included a full account of the women of the time. As Pangonis shows, they are incredibly interesting and their stories should be better well known.
September 16, 2022
3.5 stars
after re-reading in detail the description of the book and my reasons for three stars don’t overly seem justified considering it clearly states that this the history of women and queens - from a Christian Ruled and Governed Perspective.
That being said it still does very much irritate me that the direction and tone was some what negative towards Islam. And shone the Crusaders in a positive light at nearly all times. Although some individual Crusaders where called out for being overly brutal it was skimmed over and put down to their own personal misconduct.
It was very interesting regardless, and I nearly used and entire sheet of tabs making notes. It wasn’t overly in-depth but a good simple and short summary for a period of time during the Crusades, when women fought to rule and have control of their people and their own lives.
I’m pleased to have read it. It is important that authors and historians are writing texts that breakdown the often prejudice recordings of women in history.
after re-reading in detail the description of the book and my reasons for three stars don’t overly seem justified considering it clearly states that this the history of women and queens - from a Christian Ruled and Governed Perspective.
That being said it still does very much irritate me that the direction and tone was some what negative towards Islam. And shone the Crusaders in a positive light at nearly all times. Although some individual Crusaders where called out for being overly brutal it was skimmed over and put down to their own personal misconduct.
It was very interesting regardless, and I nearly used and entire sheet of tabs making notes. It wasn’t overly in-depth but a good simple and short summary for a period of time during the Crusades, when women fought to rule and have control of their people and their own lives.
I’m pleased to have read it. It is important that authors and historians are writing texts that breakdown the often prejudice recordings of women in history.
April 29, 2021
Fantastic book.
I couldn't put it down. The quality of Pangonis' storytelling and research is on par with Frankopan, Hughes and Snow. Subject matter is new, previously untold and absolutely gripping.
I couldn't put it down. The quality of Pangonis' storytelling and research is on par with Frankopan, Hughes and Snow. Subject matter is new, previously untold and absolutely gripping.
June 3, 2024
as someone who's never studied European medieval history too closely, l have mixed feelings about this book. it certainly was a very absorbing and interesting read, so much so that l found myself retelling my boyfriend quite a few stories from it; the research and work put into it by the author was no doubt enormous, and it shows; the amount of new words l got from it that are well above my usual lexicon is far from steep.
but it definitely proved to be not an easy read for me. my four stars are only four because l had different expectations from this book. it turned out to be written closer to the academic style than some lightweight non-fiction - and probably because of that style some ideas or explanations were repeated a couple of times (first mentioned, then after a couple of passages elaborated on - so they were conveyed very clearly and precisely, in a meticulous scientific manner, but at times it was a bit harder to read). it was so densely packed with historical figures (and a lot of them with the same names), that l needed all my attention not to get lost in their intertwined stories (fortunately, the author provided everything at her power to make it easier - the maps, the family trees, the timiline of events). and at times the chapters seemed more about the time periods in history that included the titular women, not the chapters solely about these women, which added a bit to my confusion (I'm actually all for the side stories and historical context, but, for example, I'd still divide the stories of Melisende and Zummurud into their own chapters and not put the Muslim Queen part into the Melisende's chapter).
you'll have to be attentive to every detail and ready for absorbing a lot of information in a short time (at least it was so for me, because had l read it slowly I'd have forgotten half the family relations and little puzzle pieces that would later be important), but it's worth it. with all the scarce amount of knowledge we have about the medieval Jerusalem queens, often having to operate only with assumptions, Katherine Pangonis managed to create a fascinating book on a very specific topic.
but it definitely proved to be not an easy read for me. my four stars are only four because l had different expectations from this book. it turned out to be written closer to the academic style than some lightweight non-fiction - and probably because of that style some ideas or explanations were repeated a couple of times (first mentioned, then after a couple of passages elaborated on - so they were conveyed very clearly and precisely, in a meticulous scientific manner, but at times it was a bit harder to read). it was so densely packed with historical figures (and a lot of them with the same names), that l needed all my attention not to get lost in their intertwined stories (fortunately, the author provided everything at her power to make it easier - the maps, the family trees, the timiline of events). and at times the chapters seemed more about the time periods in history that included the titular women, not the chapters solely about these women, which added a bit to my confusion (I'm actually all for the side stories and historical context, but, for example, I'd still divide the stories of Melisende and Zummurud into their own chapters and not put the Muslim Queen part into the Melisende's chapter).
you'll have to be attentive to every detail and ready for absorbing a lot of information in a short time (at least it was so for me, because had l read it slowly I'd have forgotten half the family relations and little puzzle pieces that would later be important), but it's worth it. with all the scarce amount of knowledge we have about the medieval Jerusalem queens, often having to operate only with assumptions, Katherine Pangonis managed to create a fascinating book on a very specific topic.
July 14, 2023
It was cool to learn about my Armenian ancestors from Edessa (Urfa) during the middle ages.
April 28, 2021
Fascinating and highly enjoyable read! Queens of Jerusalem shines new light on the role of women in the Middle East through a colourful exploration of heroines which marked the history of the Levant. This revisionist analysis is much needed and well overdue. Fantastic debut for this author, marking herself as a talented storyteller - very much looking forward to her future works!
April 25, 2024
A disappointment. Not well written,facts (facts?) not orderly presented (huge sin for a historian,what Pangonis claims to be),zero analysis and lots of feminist rants,which I could have done without.
Biased,subjective, and misleading:she includes Eleanor of Aquitaine, who never ruled Jerusalem,just to spice things up.Broad strokes,a jumble of dates and events.
Biased,subjective, and misleading:she includes Eleanor of Aquitaine, who never ruled Jerusalem,just to spice things up.Broad strokes,a jumble of dates and events.
February 18, 2022
4.5 ! I post all of my reviews first on my blog and on my Instagram ✨
*I was provided a free PDF copy of Queens of Jerusalem from Pegasus Books*
Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared To Rule by Katherine Pangonis is a non-fiction book focussed on the lives of the royal women who ruled in the Medieval Middle East (or Outremer) from 1099 to Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem in 1187. These women have been consistently overshadowed by the kings and leaders of the crusades, and this book strives to change that. By putting the Queens of Jerusalem, the Princesses of Antioch, and the Countesses of Tripoli and Edessa to the fore, readers not only get a brand new look into the history of Outremer during the early crusades but they are reminded that women were present and active during this time in history. It is about time these strong, ruling ladies were brought to the forefront of history, and Queens of Jerusalem does just that.
They have been remembered as the wives, mothers, daughters and sisters of powerful men, not as autonomous individuals and active leaders with their own political agency (Pg. 22)
Pangonis begins with Morphia of Melitene, Queen of Jerusalem and mother of four more influential women in Outremer history; Queen Melisende of Jerusalem, Princess Alice of Antioch, Countess Hodierna of Tripoli and Abbess Yvette of Bethany and describes the lives, events and obstacles overcome by all of these women and their daughters, nieces and step-daughters including Princess Constance of Antioch, Agnes of Courtenay and Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem among others. Of course, Pangonis hasn’t failed to include probably the most well known Queen during this time period, and that is Eleanor of Aquitaine. Although Eleanor of Aquitaine wasn’t a ruling woman of Outremer but instead Queen of France, and then Queen of England, Pangonis makes a very convincing argument that Eleanor’s time with her husband during the Second Crusade in Outremer affected her in later life and shaped her into the woman she has been remembered as.
As someone who has learnt about the Crusades and Medieval Europe, I was embarrassed to admit the only name I recognised in this list of influential women was Eleanor of Aquitaine, but now that has all changed. Pangonis has done an exceptional job relating the history of Outremer and the Holy City of Jerusalem from the coronation of Queen Morphia of Jerusalem to the resilient Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem who defended her city and her people against Saladin. Her writing style is accessible, entertaining and clear. At times, I forgot I was reading a non-fiction account of real people, such is Pangonis’ talents at recounting the lives of these women. Often embroiled in scandal the lives of the elite of Outremer read like a Medieval sitcom with whispers of affairs and men choosing to marry the daughter instead of the mother. It is equally surprising (given how interesting these women were) and unsurprising (given the time period in which they lived) that the main chronicler of the time, William of Tyre, gave so little mention to the queens, princesses and countesses of Outremer. William began the trend of excluding the women of Jerusalem from the records, but this book works tirelessly to undo his shortsightedness.
He [William] does not give much credit to the notion that the women he writes about were individuals as complex as the men, and he prefers to cast women as literary tropes rather than depict them as living, breathing humans (Pg. 36)
A most interesting discussion that is carried through the book is the difference between having power and having authority. For example, Constance the rightful princess of Antioch had authority as the daughter of Bohemond II, the granddaughter of Bohemond I and the mother of Bohemond III but only half of the surviving charters her husband Raymond issued were with her consent (158-9). This suggests that although she was a princess and held that position of authority in her own right, she didn’t seem to wield any political power. Pangonis demonstrates this difference between power and authority numerous times throughout her book, and often brings in the other women to make comparisons with, such as Constance and Raymond compared to the reigning couple her aunt Melisende and Faulk.
Queens of Jerusalem truly gives the voice back to the ruling women of Outremer from 1099 to Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem in 1187 and is a wonderful read for lovers of medieval history, revisionist history and books on the lives of women. It has been written with care and consideration of both bias from the medieval chroniclers, and the issues involved in modern terminology and views of feminism and misogyny.
The way women are presented within chronicles may not actually reflect the reality of their standing in society. With this in mind, the word ‘misogyny’ can only be uncomfortably applied to medieval society, but it may be more comfortably applied to medieval chronicles (Pg. 35)
This was a wonderful and incredibly insightful read, filling a gap in the literature of the Medieval Ages that has been empty for too long.
*I was provided a free PDF copy of Queens of Jerusalem from Pegasus Books*
Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared To Rule by Katherine Pangonis is a non-fiction book focussed on the lives of the royal women who ruled in the Medieval Middle East (or Outremer) from 1099 to Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem in 1187. These women have been consistently overshadowed by the kings and leaders of the crusades, and this book strives to change that. By putting the Queens of Jerusalem, the Princesses of Antioch, and the Countesses of Tripoli and Edessa to the fore, readers not only get a brand new look into the history of Outremer during the early crusades but they are reminded that women were present and active during this time in history. It is about time these strong, ruling ladies were brought to the forefront of history, and Queens of Jerusalem does just that.
They have been remembered as the wives, mothers, daughters and sisters of powerful men, not as autonomous individuals and active leaders with their own political agency (Pg. 22)
Pangonis begins with Morphia of Melitene, Queen of Jerusalem and mother of four more influential women in Outremer history; Queen Melisende of Jerusalem, Princess Alice of Antioch, Countess Hodierna of Tripoli and Abbess Yvette of Bethany and describes the lives, events and obstacles overcome by all of these women and their daughters, nieces and step-daughters including Princess Constance of Antioch, Agnes of Courtenay and Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem among others. Of course, Pangonis hasn’t failed to include probably the most well known Queen during this time period, and that is Eleanor of Aquitaine. Although Eleanor of Aquitaine wasn’t a ruling woman of Outremer but instead Queen of France, and then Queen of England, Pangonis makes a very convincing argument that Eleanor’s time with her husband during the Second Crusade in Outremer affected her in later life and shaped her into the woman she has been remembered as.
As someone who has learnt about the Crusades and Medieval Europe, I was embarrassed to admit the only name I recognised in this list of influential women was Eleanor of Aquitaine, but now that has all changed. Pangonis has done an exceptional job relating the history of Outremer and the Holy City of Jerusalem from the coronation of Queen Morphia of Jerusalem to the resilient Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem who defended her city and her people against Saladin. Her writing style is accessible, entertaining and clear. At times, I forgot I was reading a non-fiction account of real people, such is Pangonis’ talents at recounting the lives of these women. Often embroiled in scandal the lives of the elite of Outremer read like a Medieval sitcom with whispers of affairs and men choosing to marry the daughter instead of the mother. It is equally surprising (given how interesting these women were) and unsurprising (given the time period in which they lived) that the main chronicler of the time, William of Tyre, gave so little mention to the queens, princesses and countesses of Outremer. William began the trend of excluding the women of Jerusalem from the records, but this book works tirelessly to undo his shortsightedness.
He [William] does not give much credit to the notion that the women he writes about were individuals as complex as the men, and he prefers to cast women as literary tropes rather than depict them as living, breathing humans (Pg. 36)
A most interesting discussion that is carried through the book is the difference between having power and having authority. For example, Constance the rightful princess of Antioch had authority as the daughter of Bohemond II, the granddaughter of Bohemond I and the mother of Bohemond III but only half of the surviving charters her husband Raymond issued were with her consent (158-9). This suggests that although she was a princess and held that position of authority in her own right, she didn’t seem to wield any political power. Pangonis demonstrates this difference between power and authority numerous times throughout her book, and often brings in the other women to make comparisons with, such as Constance and Raymond compared to the reigning couple her aunt Melisende and Faulk.
Queens of Jerusalem truly gives the voice back to the ruling women of Outremer from 1099 to Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem in 1187 and is a wonderful read for lovers of medieval history, revisionist history and books on the lives of women. It has been written with care and consideration of both bias from the medieval chroniclers, and the issues involved in modern terminology and views of feminism and misogyny.
The way women are presented within chronicles may not actually reflect the reality of their standing in society. With this in mind, the word ‘misogyny’ can only be uncomfortably applied to medieval society, but it may be more comfortably applied to medieval chronicles (Pg. 35)
This was a wonderful and incredibly insightful read, filling a gap in the literature of the Medieval Ages that has been empty for too long.
May 14, 2023
Set in the middle ages, this is a thoughtful analytical book about women who ended up being rulers, when women didn't really have that job. I was quite pleased that the author explained how what we might think of as normal, Sure wasn't normal back then. Women didn't lead. The author also clarified many of the political decisions behind actions. Very enlightening.
March 14, 2024
Perfectly written history book that stays true to the facts, with great opinions added by the author. A true insight into the medieval times for a woman during the crusades. I think the author words her opinions thoughtfully and diligently reminds the reader of the time period.
August 15, 2021
Quite a good read although fairly heavy. Having travelled to Jerusalem about 20 years ago, I was intrigued to learn about the woman that I hadn’t heard about before.
I would recommend this book to people interested in this period in history and in religious history.
I would recommend this book to people interested in this period in history and in religious history.
February 7, 2024
Very inspiring
January 27, 2025
This book looks at the women who ruled or co-ruled in the Holy Land after the first Crusade. It's a fascinating book written in an accessible and digestible style.
June 11, 2022
Mahtava! Tajusin, kuinka vähän tiedän ristiretkistä ja kuinka monta osaa maailmanhistoriasta on osittain pimennossa itseltäni.
June 27, 2023
I’m so conflicted about this book. On the one hand, I loved it; I read it fairly quickly, I found myself longing to pick it back up every time I put it down, and I came away feeling weighed down with knowledge. However, I just can’t help feeling a little unfulfilled from it - too much of the history was based entirely on the word ‘doubtless’ (coincidentally my new least favourite word), with just not enough surety to satisfy me. It was also a shame that there wasn’t more coverage on notable Muslim women of the same time period. One was briefly mentioned, but given no more than a mere glance at. The balance, unfortunately for me, was not an equal enough score.
July 20, 2023
I couldn't finish this book after reading the eight chapter that finally broke my willingness to read further. The problem with this book is not the subject, but how the book treats its subject. I really think it's good we look with a more feminine spotlight to our history, but as the title adresses: it's about queens; women who were caught up in dynastic politics for marriage alliances and breading the future heirs. That the principaltities of Outremer provided an opportunity for women to rule in a certain matter in their own right isn't new. Does this book offer something new from Bernard Hamiltons "Women in the Crusader States?" Perhaps, but Pangonis isn't able to push book forward form all the dynastic scheming and the scandals that surround them. Chapter Seven, about Eleanor of Aquitaine, puts this problem right into the spotlight. A big part of this chapter is devoted to her life before she came to Jerusalem and when she enters Outremer it's all about the scandal between her and her uncle Raymond. It's a story many historians, popular as scientific ones have debated for centuries and it might lacked the newest insights on this. What the added value is of putting Eleanor in this book isn't clear, maybe the book would be to thin without it...
Another problem occured reading this particular chapter. The chapter also describes briefly the massacre at Vitry, but Pangonis placed it in the wrong Vitry (-le-Francais, which was build in the 16th century). I wouldn't have cared for it if haven't stumbled on another fault/error. In the eight chapter (which broke my patience) Pangonis mixed up the lineage of Beatrice of Saone with Beatrice of Armenia (the wives of the counts Jocelin I & II).
Sometimes the book to the liberty to become a Lonely Planet Guide for the cities of Israel nowadays. It felt unnecessary. If you want to give a picture of those cities, give us a glimp by citing the the chronicles.
In defense of this book: it isn't a conservative view on the crusader era. The book pictures the first century of the crusader states of a time with internal strive en that the fighting didn't always focussed on the islamic states. That's the two stars.
Another problem occured reading this particular chapter. The chapter also describes briefly the massacre at Vitry, but Pangonis placed it in the wrong Vitry (-le-Francais, which was build in the 16th century). I wouldn't have cared for it if haven't stumbled on another fault/error. In the eight chapter (which broke my patience) Pangonis mixed up the lineage of Beatrice of Saone with Beatrice of Armenia (the wives of the counts Jocelin I & II).
Sometimes the book to the liberty to become a Lonely Planet Guide for the cities of Israel nowadays. It felt unnecessary. If you want to give a picture of those cities, give us a glimp by citing the the chronicles.
In defense of this book: it isn't a conservative view on the crusader era. The book pictures the first century of the crusader states of a time with internal strive en that the fighting didn't always focussed on the islamic states. That's the two stars.
April 22, 2021
Absolutely loved this book! Fascinating, well researched and very readable, which are things that are sometimes hard to balance in popular history books. I sometimes struggle to keep track of family trees but had no such issues here as everything is laid out so well. Would highly recommend for anyone interested in medieval queenship, the high middle ages or the crusades generally.
November 18, 2024
I can not speak to the accuracy of the historical data in this book, it does from time to time seem to contradict itself, but what I can say is, it is an interesting read. I'm glad that the history is starting to recognize the effect women had on history. Here we have a story told through a female bloodline spanning over two centuries, showing how history is not always kind to those who rule, even less kind to women who have power, and yet, despite all that, many of them exerted an impressive effect on history, and accomplished a lot for the position they had.
October 5, 2022
Well researched and informative. However, the overwhelming impression I came away with was that although these women tried to rule Outremer in the absence of or after the death of their husbands, they mostly didn't achieve much because they had to struggle so hard to maintain power. It was an interesting look at a much neglected aspect of history, but wasn't as revisionist or surprising as I expected.
March 11, 2023
Queens of Jerusalem are a historical account about women who ruled in some capacity or other Outremer (the name that the kingdom of Jerusalem once had, comprising the holy city itself, Antioch, Edessa etc.) at the turn of the last millennium for about 150 odd years.
There are plenty of books about this period when crusades and the resultant bloodshed dominated this part of the world and indeed, not much has changed in terms of religious fervour since then, unfortunately. But those books talk of the men, and depending on which side the authors were more sympathetic too, portrayed their greatness, valour, debauchery and devotion.
This book is about the women, remarkable women who despite the circumstances and deeply entrenched chauvinism of the medieval world, managed to find a corner in the books from those days, albeit grudgingly in many cases, cast as either saint or seductress, attributed with weak bodies and weaker minds. Katherin Pangonis does a commendable job bringing these women to life, with the limited materials available about them and giving them their rightful place in history.
The book begins with a small snippet about Helena, mother of Constantine, who discovered the True Cross and established Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, highlighting that this fact often goes unnoticed when history of great churches is talked about. It then goes on to set the background for Baldwin I, the king of Jerusalem who acquired and discarded wives with alacrity, seeking dower and heir. Among them was Arete, who was bartered to him and then divorced because she could not bear him sons. History records her post divorce life as promiscuous, a pattern that is disturbingly repeated for many women in this dynasty and related cast of characters.
Eventually Baldwin I dies childless and the reins of the kingdom pass to his cousin, Baldwin II and his wife, Morphia, the first couple to be officially crowned as king and queen. Morphia had four daughters - Melisende, Hoedirna, Alice and Yvette - who each went on to create distinct identities for themselves, despite beibg bartered, married, cast off. Melisende was co-ruler of Jerusalem with her much older husband, Fulk (another troubling pattern of child brides and old men, incest and girls married to their mothers’ suitors and vice versa), Alice was the rebel princess bride of Antioch, Hoedirna was considered a great temptress of loose morals and Yvette, the pawn that was used to ransom her father from his muslim captors and therefore forever marked as impure and only fit for nunnery.
In the decades that follow since the rise of Baldwin II, the most tranquil period during those chaotic days belonged to the rule of Melisende. She was strong, intelligent and with clear will of her own. Nowhere is this more apparent than when she hounds her husband, Fulk for casting aspersion on her name and murdering her favourite cousin. The steel is again in evidence when she stands upto her son, Baldwin III.
But the book is not just about the queens in Jerusalem but also Eleanor of France, the first queen to journey eastwards for crusade and the future mother of Richard, the Lionheart, Melisende’s nieces and granddaughters, Byzantine princesses and Saladin’s obscure wife, among others - women who were refused to be buffetted around men, withstood sieges, displayed wisdom and craft in rescuing headstrong husbands and lovers. One has to remember that when men went to war for holy glory and power during this time, it is the women, often treated like chattel, married, pregnant and widowed before getting out of teens, who held the fort, literally.
It was not comfortable read. Descriptions after descriptions of eight year old girls married to grown men at best and young teenaged princesses seduced by charismatic uncles into incest disquietened me. But that is history.
Worth reading and remembering.
There are plenty of books about this period when crusades and the resultant bloodshed dominated this part of the world and indeed, not much has changed in terms of religious fervour since then, unfortunately. But those books talk of the men, and depending on which side the authors were more sympathetic too, portrayed their greatness, valour, debauchery and devotion.
This book is about the women, remarkable women who despite the circumstances and deeply entrenched chauvinism of the medieval world, managed to find a corner in the books from those days, albeit grudgingly in many cases, cast as either saint or seductress, attributed with weak bodies and weaker minds. Katherin Pangonis does a commendable job bringing these women to life, with the limited materials available about them and giving them their rightful place in history.
The book begins with a small snippet about Helena, mother of Constantine, who discovered the True Cross and established Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, highlighting that this fact often goes unnoticed when history of great churches is talked about. It then goes on to set the background for Baldwin I, the king of Jerusalem who acquired and discarded wives with alacrity, seeking dower and heir. Among them was Arete, who was bartered to him and then divorced because she could not bear him sons. History records her post divorce life as promiscuous, a pattern that is disturbingly repeated for many women in this dynasty and related cast of characters.
Eventually Baldwin I dies childless and the reins of the kingdom pass to his cousin, Baldwin II and his wife, Morphia, the first couple to be officially crowned as king and queen. Morphia had four daughters - Melisende, Hoedirna, Alice and Yvette - who each went on to create distinct identities for themselves, despite beibg bartered, married, cast off. Melisende was co-ruler of Jerusalem with her much older husband, Fulk (another troubling pattern of child brides and old men, incest and girls married to their mothers’ suitors and vice versa), Alice was the rebel princess bride of Antioch, Hoedirna was considered a great temptress of loose morals and Yvette, the pawn that was used to ransom her father from his muslim captors and therefore forever marked as impure and only fit for nunnery.
In the decades that follow since the rise of Baldwin II, the most tranquil period during those chaotic days belonged to the rule of Melisende. She was strong, intelligent and with clear will of her own. Nowhere is this more apparent than when she hounds her husband, Fulk for casting aspersion on her name and murdering her favourite cousin. The steel is again in evidence when she stands upto her son, Baldwin III.
But the book is not just about the queens in Jerusalem but also Eleanor of France, the first queen to journey eastwards for crusade and the future mother of Richard, the Lionheart, Melisende’s nieces and granddaughters, Byzantine princesses and Saladin’s obscure wife, among others - women who were refused to be buffetted around men, withstood sieges, displayed wisdom and craft in rescuing headstrong husbands and lovers. One has to remember that when men went to war for holy glory and power during this time, it is the women, often treated like chattel, married, pregnant and widowed before getting out of teens, who held the fort, literally.
It was not comfortable read. Descriptions after descriptions of eight year old girls married to grown men at best and young teenaged princesses seduced by charismatic uncles into incest disquietened me. But that is history.
Worth reading and remembering.
July 2, 2022
This is a riveting account of the royal women who lived and ruled in the Crusader states of the Holy Land in the 12th century. In the Middle Eastern Crusader states (known to the Franks as Outremer), men had short lifespans because of the incessant war in this notoriously unstable region, and this left several widowed female rulers with the opportunity to grab more power and autonomy. That and the fact that the reigning monarchs of Jerusalem had more daughters than sons enabled several generations of women to assert more control over their lives than most medieval queens in Europe. This book follows the lives of Queen Melisende, the daughter of Frankish Crusader king Baldwin II and his Armenian wife Morphia, and her female family members up to the conquest of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187. One chapter is also devoted to the role Eleanor of Aquitaine played in the Second Crusade.
Pangonis creates a narrative with these women, often pausing to reflect on what they might have thought and felt about their experiences. Some readers might find this a bit tedious but I liked that she did this. It serves as a reminder that these women were not just faceless forgotten names in a time completely different from our own; they were human beings like us. I often wish history from the distant past contained more records of people’s thoughts and emotions. It is one thing to read about a young noblewoman being married off to seal a political alliance or a queen losing her child to illness, but to read about how they felt and responded to these events really helps bring them to life in my mind.
Truly the only downside of this book is that the author occasionally allows her speculation to mix with historical fact. It is okay for historians to consider possibilities, to write about what a historical figure’s motives or experiences might have been or were likely to have been, but they should avoid making definitive statements about things that are not known. For example Pangonis writes in Chapter 6, “Constance was attractive, and the frequency of her pregnancies shows that their marriage [her marriage to Raymond of Poitiers] was certainly more amicable than that of Eleanor and Louis.” This is an utterly bizarre thing to say, especially when Constance was forced to marry Raymond when she was just eight years old and she may very well have been a victim of marital rape even if the adult Raymond waited until she was older to consummate the marriage. Also, this same chapter begins with the sentence “Constance of Antioch was the much-neglected wife of Prince Raymond.” There were persistent rumours that Raymond was having an affair with his niece Eleanor of Aquitaine. Pangonis also writes in Chapter 5, “Had Eleanor not gone on crusade, perhaps she would have remained an unhappy Queen of France, producing daughters she did not want and stuck in draughty castles for days.” I understand that monarchs typically wished for sons because the medieval world was deeply patriarchal, but it is a very different thing to suggest that Eleanor did not want her daughters. I am unable to verify the accuracy of this.
My favourite chapters were those about Melisende of Jerusalem. Pangonis weaves a compelling story of her reign after her husband’s death, the way she used her patronage of the Christian church to obtain political support from the clergy, the civil war with her son Baldwin III when he came of age and wanted to rule independently, and the reconciliation between Melisende and Baldwin III after he took over as king of Jerusalem.
Pangonis creates a narrative with these women, often pausing to reflect on what they might have thought and felt about their experiences. Some readers might find this a bit tedious but I liked that she did this. It serves as a reminder that these women were not just faceless forgotten names in a time completely different from our own; they were human beings like us. I often wish history from the distant past contained more records of people’s thoughts and emotions. It is one thing to read about a young noblewoman being married off to seal a political alliance or a queen losing her child to illness, but to read about how they felt and responded to these events really helps bring them to life in my mind.
Truly the only downside of this book is that the author occasionally allows her speculation to mix with historical fact. It is okay for historians to consider possibilities, to write about what a historical figure’s motives or experiences might have been or were likely to have been, but they should avoid making definitive statements about things that are not known. For example Pangonis writes in Chapter 6, “Constance was attractive, and the frequency of her pregnancies shows that their marriage [her marriage to Raymond of Poitiers] was certainly more amicable than that of Eleanor and Louis.” This is an utterly bizarre thing to say, especially when Constance was forced to marry Raymond when she was just eight years old and she may very well have been a victim of marital rape even if the adult Raymond waited until she was older to consummate the marriage. Also, this same chapter begins with the sentence “Constance of Antioch was the much-neglected wife of Prince Raymond.” There were persistent rumours that Raymond was having an affair with his niece Eleanor of Aquitaine. Pangonis also writes in Chapter 5, “Had Eleanor not gone on crusade, perhaps she would have remained an unhappy Queen of France, producing daughters she did not want and stuck in draughty castles for days.” I understand that monarchs typically wished for sons because the medieval world was deeply patriarchal, but it is a very different thing to suggest that Eleanor did not want her daughters. I am unable to verify the accuracy of this.
My favourite chapters were those about Melisende of Jerusalem. Pangonis weaves a compelling story of her reign after her husband’s death, the way she used her patronage of the Christian church to obtain political support from the clergy, the civil war with her son Baldwin III when he came of age and wanted to rule independently, and the reconciliation between Melisende and Baldwin III after he took over as king of Jerusalem.
October 29, 2021
The Old City of Jerusalem has always intrigued me as a culturally and historically rich jewel in the Middle-East, and as one of the holiest places regarded on Earth. I had already read quite a lot about its background and had traveled there myself. Yet most of my knowledge of this city is based on sources written from a male dominant perspective. Therefore I very much enjoyed reading about Jerusalem from view of its queens. However, the book is not merely about the lives of these queens, but also sheds light on the concept of marriage during that time, and the influences of different types of characters on the success or fall of a reign.
A major part of the queens' younger lives take place in Anatolia, such as Malatene (Malatya), Antioch (Antakya) and Edessa (Sanliurfa), cities that are nowadays not particularly known for their role in the history of Jerusalem. The geography is described in depth with nuances like Gobekli Tepe and the Fertile Crescent.
Queen Morphia is the first character that caught my attention. Carrying her first pregnancy, giving birth while having recently lost her father, and being seperated from her husband for a long time put her in a difficult position. What I found beautiful is that their separation did not derail their marriage. The honour and respect that her husband Baldwin II paid to her and their daughters led to a strong bond despite the circumstances. When Baldwin II ascended the throne of Jerusalem, he delayed his coronation so that his wife and daughters could safely join him.
Then came the time that Baldwin II had to marry his first daughter Alice. In contrast to the sensitivity of Baldwin II to his household, the man that Alice was about to marry was not going to show as much sensitivity. Bohemond II showed little enthusiasm for personal and domestic affairs. He impregnated Alice with great speed but spend little time with her. He ceded no power to his ambitious wife and Alice's role was therefore limited to that of consort.
When Bohemond II died during battle, Alice took it as a political opportunity to take up the reins of the Principality. This meant that she was going to reject the authority of her own father, Baldwin II, which challenged the patriarchal fabric of society and transgressed established gender roles at that time. Alice was only 20 years old. The most effective way of discrediting a woman in the Middle Ages was to undermine femininity. So the local historian William of Tyre described her as a bad and unnatural woman because of this. Eventually, Alice had spent six years attempting to take over Antioch, which ended in humiliation and defeat. She became a model of frustrated female ambition.
Morphia and Baldwin II had another daughter named Melisende who was also to become queen of Jerusalem, yet differently from Alice. Melisende was going to become a 'regnant' queen, meaning that she was also going to play her part in ruling the Kingdom. She is described as a thin woman with attractive features and European coloring, a pink-tinted skin tone suggesting that she took after her Frankish father Baldwin II rather than her Armenian mother Morphia. She was an athletic woman who loved horse riding and nature. Like her sister Alice, she was a woman of high passion whose emotions sat close to the surface, and she had no qualms about expressing her anger when it was roused.
A major part of the queens' younger lives take place in Anatolia, such as Malatene (Malatya), Antioch (Antakya) and Edessa (Sanliurfa), cities that are nowadays not particularly known for their role in the history of Jerusalem. The geography is described in depth with nuances like Gobekli Tepe and the Fertile Crescent.
Queen Morphia is the first character that caught my attention. Carrying her first pregnancy, giving birth while having recently lost her father, and being seperated from her husband for a long time put her in a difficult position. What I found beautiful is that their separation did not derail their marriage. The honour and respect that her husband Baldwin II paid to her and their daughters led to a strong bond despite the circumstances. When Baldwin II ascended the throne of Jerusalem, he delayed his coronation so that his wife and daughters could safely join him.
Then came the time that Baldwin II had to marry his first daughter Alice. In contrast to the sensitivity of Baldwin II to his household, the man that Alice was about to marry was not going to show as much sensitivity. Bohemond II showed little enthusiasm for personal and domestic affairs. He impregnated Alice with great speed but spend little time with her. He ceded no power to his ambitious wife and Alice's role was therefore limited to that of consort.
When Bohemond II died during battle, Alice took it as a political opportunity to take up the reins of the Principality. This meant that she was going to reject the authority of her own father, Baldwin II, which challenged the patriarchal fabric of society and transgressed established gender roles at that time. Alice was only 20 years old. The most effective way of discrediting a woman in the Middle Ages was to undermine femininity. So the local historian William of Tyre described her as a bad and unnatural woman because of this. Eventually, Alice had spent six years attempting to take over Antioch, which ended in humiliation and defeat. She became a model of frustrated female ambition.
Morphia and Baldwin II had another daughter named Melisende who was also to become queen of Jerusalem, yet differently from Alice. Melisende was going to become a 'regnant' queen, meaning that she was also going to play her part in ruling the Kingdom. She is described as a thin woman with attractive features and European coloring, a pink-tinted skin tone suggesting that she took after her Frankish father Baldwin II rather than her Armenian mother Morphia. She was an athletic woman who loved horse riding and nature. Like her sister Alice, she was a woman of high passion whose emotions sat close to the surface, and she had no qualms about expressing her anger when it was roused.
March 20, 2022
4.5
This book was really really good. Wonderful, humanistic portrayals of people who little is knows about, and of the women who have been overshadowed in history. Melisende especially was one of those figures more people should know about. I really appreciated the introduction where the author said she wouldn't just go around saying how horrifically sexist everyone was because they had different standards in the 1100s. Also Outremer is a very vibey name for a kingdom/queendom.
I didn't know much about the crusades, and yet somehow it's didn't surprise me that only one was successful. With all the dynastic infighting I'm surprised Christian rule of Jerusalem lasted the 88 years it did. Maybe if they'd focused more on looking after borders rather than trying to marry off their kids and get rid of their wives they'dve saved themselves four hundred years of embarrassment trying to take Jerusalem back.
I was really intrigued by the chronicle of Willam of Tyre, a major source in this book as he was actually there for much of it and even tutored one of the last Baldwins (all the guys are either called Baldwin or something like Reynald), even though he was disdainful of women and Muslims and had some very strong opinions of people he didn't like. The chronicle sounds interesting but is likely very dry. and also in latin, probably.
Also, underage marriage? since when is marrying an 8 year old to the man who was going to marry her mother acceptable? and marrying off 15 year olds to forty year old guys they've never met? CREEPY AS HELL. just because the law says girls can get married at twelve doesn't mean that that's not entirely disgusting. they're people, not pawns. (actually they all seem to think that their kids are convenient political trading cards).
The portraits of the women in this book, while most of them actually weren't Queens of Jerusalem like the title says, were really personal, emotional, and realistic. They feel like real people as opposed to names on a list, especially the four daughters of Morphia (Melisende, Yvette, Alice and Hodeirna). Some of the women, Alice especially, got a bad rap from William or Tyre, even though he really admired Melisende.
If you even sort of like the medieval period then I recommend this book. I hardly know anything about the crusades and this book was written so it tells you all the context you need to know rather than just assuming you know it (Thank you Katherine Pangonis). Lots of super interesting details and poetic descriptions of the people and places, really nice to read.
This book was really really good. Wonderful, humanistic portrayals of people who little is knows about, and of the women who have been overshadowed in history. Melisende especially was one of those figures more people should know about. I really appreciated the introduction where the author said she wouldn't just go around saying how horrifically sexist everyone was because they had different standards in the 1100s. Also Outremer is a very vibey name for a kingdom/queendom.
I didn't know much about the crusades, and yet somehow it's didn't surprise me that only one was successful. With all the dynastic infighting I'm surprised Christian rule of Jerusalem lasted the 88 years it did. Maybe if they'd focused more on looking after borders rather than trying to marry off their kids and get rid of their wives they'dve saved themselves four hundred years of embarrassment trying to take Jerusalem back.
I was really intrigued by the chronicle of Willam of Tyre, a major source in this book as he was actually there for much of it and even tutored one of the last Baldwins (all the guys are either called Baldwin or something like Reynald), even though he was disdainful of women and Muslims and had some very strong opinions of people he didn't like. The chronicle sounds interesting but is likely very dry. and also in latin, probably.
Also, underage marriage? since when is marrying an 8 year old to the man who was going to marry her mother acceptable? and marrying off 15 year olds to forty year old guys they've never met? CREEPY AS HELL. just because the law says girls can get married at twelve doesn't mean that that's not entirely disgusting. they're people, not pawns. (actually they all seem to think that their kids are convenient political trading cards).
The portraits of the women in this book, while most of them actually weren't Queens of Jerusalem like the title says, were really personal, emotional, and realistic. They feel like real people as opposed to names on a list, especially the four daughters of Morphia (Melisende, Yvette, Alice and Hodeirna). Some of the women, Alice especially, got a bad rap from William or Tyre, even though he really admired Melisende.
If you even sort of like the medieval period then I recommend this book. I hardly know anything about the crusades and this book was written so it tells you all the context you need to know rather than just assuming you know it (Thank you Katherine Pangonis). Lots of super interesting details and poetic descriptions of the people and places, really nice to read.
August 28, 2023
Doubtless. That's the word this author uses a great deal in this book. Occasionally, she also switches it up for "no doubt".
The problem with trying to reconsider history, with trying to give voices to anyone other than powerful men, is that unless we don't discover anything new, we still only work with a handful of sources, and even those are pretty much opinion pieces. And we'll never know if their opinions are only down to the thinking of those times or if we'd find them justified if we could witness what they have witnessed.
There's a whole lot of conjecture in this book. To the point that I was wondering if reading it in the first place was worth it.
BUT, I actually knew very little about this time and place. And so slogging through the book ended up giving me a better sense of this era and place, and helped me orient it with the bits and pieces I'd previously known.
But it's kind of funny that aside from Melisende (who, tbqh, did not seem such a swell ruler, considering her education) and Eleanor of Aquitaine (I don't care what the author thinks, Katherine Hepburn's portrayal rules), it was Baldwin IV who made the biggest impression. Oh well.
Compared to some of the queens and other female rulers in later centuries, none of these ladies here spring to life, and none of them seem all that great at decision making and actual ruling. But I do realise that, again, the sources are spare. Also, quite a few of these ladies had not yet had their brains fully developed. (That's something worth thinking of in general. A lot of notable people of history were young and dumb...hence: *gestures wildly at everything*.)
I'm a bit at a loss on how to rate this book. On the one hand, I learned stuff. On the other hand, I'm not sure I would put forward this actual book as an example of a successful re-examination of the past from a feminist perspective. The author was mostly careful not to present conjecture as fact, (hence "doubtless"), but it made me think of applying contemporary ways of thinking on the past and how it often can end up feeling underwhelming instead of exciting.
The problem with trying to reconsider history, with trying to give voices to anyone other than powerful men, is that unless we don't discover anything new, we still only work with a handful of sources, and even those are pretty much opinion pieces. And we'll never know if their opinions are only down to the thinking of those times or if we'd find them justified if we could witness what they have witnessed.
There's a whole lot of conjecture in this book. To the point that I was wondering if reading it in the first place was worth it.
BUT, I actually knew very little about this time and place. And so slogging through the book ended up giving me a better sense of this era and place, and helped me orient it with the bits and pieces I'd previously known.
But it's kind of funny that aside from Melisende (who, tbqh, did not seem such a swell ruler, considering her education) and Eleanor of Aquitaine (I don't care what the author thinks, Katherine Hepburn's portrayal rules), it was Baldwin IV who made the biggest impression. Oh well.
Compared to some of the queens and other female rulers in later centuries, none of these ladies here spring to life, and none of them seem all that great at decision making and actual ruling. But I do realise that, again, the sources are spare. Also, quite a few of these ladies had not yet had their brains fully developed. (That's something worth thinking of in general. A lot of notable people of history were young and dumb...hence: *gestures wildly at everything*.)
I'm a bit at a loss on how to rate this book. On the one hand, I learned stuff. On the other hand, I'm not sure I would put forward this actual book as an example of a successful re-examination of the past from a feminist perspective. The author was mostly careful not to present conjecture as fact, (hence "doubtless"), but it made me think of applying contemporary ways of thinking on the past and how it often can end up feeling underwhelming instead of exciting.
November 23, 2025
QUEENS OF JERUSALEM is an interesting history of the Middle East under crusader rule through the female lens.
This is an examination of the crusader states (Outremer) through the eyes of the women. Due to the short life expectancy of men thanks to fighting and also a lot of rulers not having sons surviving, many of the rulers of Outremer were women, which was unusual - and highly problematic for the patriarchal society, particularly in a region where military leadership was a necessity.
It's not really a look at the crusades themselves, though of course they are mentioned, but more a look at the relationships and infighting of the four established states themselves (Jerusalem, Antioch, Edessa, and Tripoli). Even though the title says Jerusalem (because most of the women are of that family), it looks at all the influential women of the region at the time, including one on the Muslim side. It's less about the battles and strategy and more about the politicking (and stupid decisions) that led to the collapse of the crusader states. I was left with the impression that it's the infighting and trust in the wrong people that contributed at least as much as Saladin to the fall of these states.
The hypocrisy of the crusades can be seen in the fact that the crusader states spend as much time fighting themselves as the Muslim states they are supposed to be a bulwark against. A son besieges his mother in Jerusalem itself. Various rulers, in search of personal power, Ally with Muslim generals to attack Christian nobles.
The book, largely, goes woman by woman. It makes sense from a focus perspective but it also means there is a lot of overlap as Outremer does not survive long. For example, Queen Melisandre "dies" in chapter three but she is also active in almost every other chapter. I think it would have helped if the chapter headers included the date range they looked, to help highlight the overlapping nature and situate you in the overall tale (there is a comprehensive timeline at the start, but that's not helping you situate the chapters at the start of them!)
This is an examination of the crusader states (Outremer) through the eyes of the women. Due to the short life expectancy of men thanks to fighting and also a lot of rulers not having sons surviving, many of the rulers of Outremer were women, which was unusual - and highly problematic for the patriarchal society, particularly in a region where military leadership was a necessity.
It's not really a look at the crusades themselves, though of course they are mentioned, but more a look at the relationships and infighting of the four established states themselves (Jerusalem, Antioch, Edessa, and Tripoli). Even though the title says Jerusalem (because most of the women are of that family), it looks at all the influential women of the region at the time, including one on the Muslim side. It's less about the battles and strategy and more about the politicking (and stupid decisions) that led to the collapse of the crusader states. I was left with the impression that it's the infighting and trust in the wrong people that contributed at least as much as Saladin to the fall of these states.
The hypocrisy of the crusades can be seen in the fact that the crusader states spend as much time fighting themselves as the Muslim states they are supposed to be a bulwark against. A son besieges his mother in Jerusalem itself. Various rulers, in search of personal power, Ally with Muslim generals to attack Christian nobles.
The book, largely, goes woman by woman. It makes sense from a focus perspective but it also means there is a lot of overlap as Outremer does not survive long. For example, Queen Melisandre "dies" in chapter three but she is also active in almost every other chapter. I think it would have helped if the chapter headers included the date range they looked, to help highlight the overlapping nature and situate you in the overall tale (there is a comprehensive timeline at the start, but that's not helping you situate the chapters at the start of them!)
June 3, 2023
This was a fascinating history of the disproportionate number of women who ruled in Outremer between about 1100 and 1200. A combination of the high mortality of male rulers through battle, disease and bad luck, and the lack of precedent and traditions in Outremer made it relatively common for women to rule in their own right. They all make for fascinating characters, perhaps Queen Melisende above all, although Alice of Antioch and her rebellions against the throne in Jerusalem were also particularly interesting, and the Muslim Queen Zumurrud showed that it wasn’t just a Christian phenomenon. The cast of characters was phenomenal - all real of course.
It was a bloodthirsty period that reminded me a lot of Game of Thrones, with assassinations, machinations, incest, and torture. One assassin knight was ordered to be dismembered (and he never revealed who commissioned him as everything that could be cut off was removed). Blinding was quite common as a punishment. It amazed me how much the Christians fought each other - no wonder they were ultimately defeated by the Muslims (when one Christian ruler wasn’t turning to a Muslim ruler for assistance against their rivals).
I was really struck by how cosmopolitan the region was, with a mix of religions and ethnicities. Among the Christians, there was a notable divide between the Armenian and Byzantine/Greek Christians and the Latin Christians from the West.
A lot of similarity in names and a bit of jumping around the timelines made it a little difficult to follow at times, but Pangonis helpfully provides a chronology and family tree.
I’ve not read much about the Crusades before, but this book really kindled a wider interest and I plan to read more. It seems to have been a remarkable time and place, and incredibly dangerous, but also very nuanced.
It was a bloodthirsty period that reminded me a lot of Game of Thrones, with assassinations, machinations, incest, and torture. One assassin knight was ordered to be dismembered (and he never revealed who commissioned him as everything that could be cut off was removed). Blinding was quite common as a punishment. It amazed me how much the Christians fought each other - no wonder they were ultimately defeated by the Muslims (when one Christian ruler wasn’t turning to a Muslim ruler for assistance against their rivals).
I was really struck by how cosmopolitan the region was, with a mix of religions and ethnicities. Among the Christians, there was a notable divide between the Armenian and Byzantine/Greek Christians and the Latin Christians from the West.
A lot of similarity in names and a bit of jumping around the timelines made it a little difficult to follow at times, but Pangonis helpfully provides a chronology and family tree.
I’ve not read much about the Crusades before, but this book really kindled a wider interest and I plan to read more. It seems to have been a remarkable time and place, and incredibly dangerous, but also very nuanced.
July 28, 2024
A history of the women who ruled and held power in Jerusalem and neighbouring Crusader states during the 12th century.
Going into this, my knowledge of the Crusades was more or less that there were several - some were successful (from the point of view of the Crusaders) and some were not, but all were bloody affairs resulting in carnage and upheaval for the people living there. I hadn’t previously considered the periods inbetween, the emergence of ruling dynasties, the details and logistics of ruling, the politics, etc., and Pangonis provides a decent overview of all this, enough to give context for the book’s primary concern - the women of the ruling dynasty and the remarkable amount of power they held. As Pangonis repeatedly makes clear, despite their positions of power, there is not much about these women in the surviving historical record, and so a lot of conjecture is required in piecing together their fascinating stories. Whether they ruled well and how their rule was received can be surmised to an extent by reading between the lines of sources that have survived and this is well done, but I thought the conjecture was sometimes taken a bit far when imagining how the women would have felt about certain developments - I like my history served more dispassionately and it felt unnecessary and slightly tinged with a 21st century viewpoint. Regardless, these queens and princesses were remarkable women - ambitious, mostly politically-astute and occasionally ruthless - all the more impressive given the societal constraints and turbulent context in which they lived and ruled, and this was worth reading just for that. A fascinating, occasionally repetitive, account of a dynasty of remarkable women holding unusual amounts of power but overlooked in history.
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