Book of the Week: She-Wolves

This past week, while I was sick at home, I decided to read a book that I've owned for a while, but never actually finished. I'd bought it at Borders a couple of years ago, because it looked interesting and mentioned Margaret d'Anjou, and I was in the middle of a production of Henry VI. Surprisingly, it ended up to be rather excellent. She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth, by Helen Castor, is a book about four queens who ruled England (unofficially) before England ever actually had a queen regnant.

 The first section of the book is about Matilda, Lady of the English. Matilda was the daughter of Henry I of England, a popular king and second son of William the Conqueror, first Norman king of England. After Henry's only legitimate son died in a shipwreck, he decided to make Matilda, who had been married to the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, his heir. This was the first time that the idea of female rule had seriously  been considered in England, at least since the Conquest. Henry did his best to bind the nobility to Matilda, but after his death the throne was taken by Stephen, his nephew. Matilda fought against Stephen with the forces of her second husband, Geoffroi of Anjou, but Stephen managed to hold the crown until he died. After his death, the crown passed to Matilda's son, Henry II.

The second queen in the book is Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of Henry II. Eleanor was already one of my favorite historical figures, and this book focused on her time as Queen of England, a time period I did not know as much about. Eleanor was actually married to Phillip of France for several years, but divorced him to marry Henry II and become queen of England. Eleanor was the mother of Richard the Lionheart and King John, two of England's best-known kings. While Henry II was still alive, two of his sons, Henri and Richard, started a rebellion against him, which Eleanor participated in. She was then imprisoned for fifteen years, until Henry II's death. During the reign of Richard the Lionheart, Eleanor acted as an advisor and even ruled when Richard went away on crusade. Her court in Aquitaine was lauded as the birthplace of romantic love and classical chivalry.

I haven't finished the book yet, but I will, and will probably write about the next two queens, Isabella and Margaret, next week. The book is fascinating not only because it discusses two very interesting women, but also because it talks about the issue of female rule perhaps even more than some other books I've read that focus solely on the Tudor queens. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who is interested in English history or historical feminism.