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Plantagenet Princesses
- The Daughters of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II
- Narrated by: Gareth Richards
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
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Plantagenet Princesses
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Summary
A unique look at the lives of two daughters that highlights the dichotomy of lives of royal women, as both daughters and mothers of kings, who also knew both prison and power.
The names of few medieval monarchs and their queens are better known than Eleanor of Aquitaine, uniquely queen of France and queen of England, and her second husband Henry II. Although academically labeled "medieval," their era was the violent transition from the Dark Ages, when countries' borders were defined with fire and sword. If princes fought for their succession to crowns, the princesses were traded—usually by their mothers—to strangers for political power without the bloodshed. Years before what would today be marriageable age, royal girls were dispatched to countries whose speech was unknown to them and there became the property of unknown men. Eleanor's daughters Marie and Alix were abandoned in Paris when she divorced Louis VII of France. By Henry II, she bore Matilda, Alienor, and Joanna. Joanna was imprisoned by William II of Sicily and worse treated by her brutal second husband in Toulouse. If Eleanor was libeled as a whore, Alienor's descendants include two saints, Louis of France and Fernando of Spain. And then there were the illegitimate daughters, whose lives read like novels . . .
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-09-23
Disappointing, do not recommend.
This book had so much promise but does not deliver. I was so excited to read this book but was left disappointed and frustrated.
The main issue of the book is it’s structure. It says too much and too little at the same time. It goes off on long drawn out tangents which often don’t have anything to do with the women it’s meant to be focused on but then leaves out important details about said women. It also jumps across different centuries, countries and people (often with the same name) so you are left confused and unable to follow anything it is saying. If I had not had background knowledge on a lot of these women this book would have been unreadable.
Furthermore, it depicts a very bias narrative. The author purposely misses out historical evidence or scripture if it doesn’t support his theories. An example of this is saying Richard the lion-heart was gay and did not like women. Now I am not saying it’s out of the question he may have slept with men, I know some historians believe this, but to say he had no interest in women at all and fail to mention his bastard son Philip is incredibly misleading. It is disrespectful to your readers to write your theories as if they are fact. Especially when you are clearly going for some agenda.
Lastly, something that irritated me was when he chose to finish this book. Why would you stop at Edwards III wife and not mention his daughters. Who are Plantagenet princesses. I understand after Richard II some regard this as the end of the true Plantagenets but to stop at Philippa of Hainault made no sense.
It honestly felt like the author had no interest in these women but used them as a shield to discuss men’s history hoping the title would get more readers in. Quite honestly I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone. There are so many better books out there that cover these women in a clearer and more respectful manner.
The narrator is very poor. His voice is monotone and grating. He struggles to pronounce many words and takes pauses in the middle of sentences which throw the whole thing off.
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