Sunday, October 04, 2020

She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth


She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth
by Helen Castor was exceptionally good, definitely a 5-star non-fiction.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that it is about one of my favorite time periods, medieval Europe. It chronicles the lives, ambitions, successes, and compromises of four women rulers who tried to be king and who paved the way for Mary and Elizabeth Tudor, the first queens of England to rule on their own and not as consorts.


Matilda - the only surviving legitimate child of Henry I. Her brother was drowned when the White Ship went down, and although Henry I did name her as his heir, she fought and lost the crown to her cousin, Stephen. In the end, she was able to secure the crown for her son, Henry II, whom Stephen named as his heir. She was formidable - courageous, politically savvy, passionate about her cause, but able to sacrifice short-term triumphs for the long game, ensuring that her son became king.


Eleanor of Aquitaine - Henry II's wife and duchess of Aquitaine in her own right. She shared many traits with her mother-in-law, Matilda, and fiercely protected the rights of her favorite son, Richard. She was an able ruler and more than anything else, a survivor. Imprisoned by HII, she was able to endure long years of isolation by keeping her eyes on the prize and finding the inner strength to endure.


Isabella of France- wife of the hapless Edward II, reputed to be the very worst of all English kings. After it was clear that he would never allow her to help him be a good, or even passable, king, she figured out how to escape to France, secure her teenaged son, find a lover capable of leading an insurrection, overthrow the king, and see her son crowned King Edward III. Her downfall was that she wanted to rule her son, who was having none of that! Not so incidentally, her bloodline is what provided the excuse for the 100 Years War between England and France.


Margaret of Anjou - another strong woman married to a weak king. Unlike EII, Margaret's husband, Henry VI, really had no interest in being king or in the trappings of pomp and majesty. Margaret had a long, arduous strong time of it, battling the Yorkist aspirants to the throne during the War of the Roses. I found myself less sympathetic and more critical of Margaret, probably due to Philippa Gregory's The White Queen and the TV series of the same name, as well as Sharon Kay Penman's The Sunne in Splendour, and other Yorkist-leaning novels and histories I have encountered over the years. That said, she was definitely a she-wolf, but unlike the other three female leaders she was not able to secure the throne for her son.

The final chapter provides a look at the reigns of Mary and Elizabeth, pointing out changes in society that made their reigns possible...the lack of legitimate male contenders to the throne didn't hurt them either.

All in all, an excellent, readable, captivating look at strong women leaders. Castor didn't try to do everything in this book. She didn't attempt to write a definitive book covering all aspects of the lives and times and reigns of the four women, but she painted their portraits within a specific premise, namely that their experiences made the reigns of the Tudor queens possible.

Apparently, there's a BBC documentary called She-Wolves: England's Early Queens. Must figure out how to watch this!




10 comments:

  1. This sounds so interesting! I know a fictional version of Mathilda through the Cadfael books, but I had forgotten her son would be Henry II. I've just put in a request to the library for this one.

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    1. I'm a Cadfael fan as well, but haven't read one for years. I need to rectify that! Thanks for dropping by.

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  2. Hi Jane, Thanks so much for this post. You describe these women so well and I too have always had a fascination with medieval Europe, specifically Englad and the Tudors. I trace it back to when I was about 13 and watched the miniseries of the Six Wives of Henry VIII the one starring Keith Mitchell as Henry, Dorothy Tutin as Anne Boleyn and Angela Pleasance as Katherine Howard. That series sparked a life long interest in Henry VIII's wives but I know there are other Queens out there and so thanks again for alerting us to this book.

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    1. I watched that miniseries too...with the same result! I wish there was a miniseries on the earliest Norman kings and queens--so much drama there.

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    2. I remember watching that series too - that takes me back!! I hope I can find She-Wolves, it sounds just the sort of book I'd enjoy - and the BBC documentary too.

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  3. This sounds like an interesting introduction to each of these queens. I'm familiar with Eleanor of Aquitaine, but not so much with the others. This one is definitely going on my TBR list. :)

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  4. Interesting, she-wolves. I could use more background on the Tudors so thanks for this title. I gather is it a new book? I will look for it at the library.

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    1. It's actually from 2012, but has been on my TBR list since then!

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  5. I've seen this advertised and have wanted to watch and read the book. Looks good!

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  6. Such an interesting post! So needed to remember the important women of our past. Have a nice day :)

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