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Queens at War

England's Medieval Queens, Book 4

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Queens at War

By: Alison Weir
Narrated by: Esther Wane
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About this listen

Triumph and tragedy, love and loss, murder and malice in the lives of five fifteenth-century queens

The fifteenth century was a turbulent age: the Hundred Years War between England and France, and the Wars of the Roses dominated the lives of people both inside and out of the royal courts.

Joan of Navarre, Katherine of Valois, Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Wydeville and Anne Neville were the queens who stood by England's sovereigns, caught up in wars that changed the course of their lives, and the course of history.

They were also formidable women who defied the limitations of their times, often living out the brutal consequences of their determination.

Alison Weir uncovers their stories in this final volume of her ground-breaking series on the queens of medieval England. Queens at War is a stunning culmination of research by a historian at the full extent of her powers and gripping account of five women on the throne.

©2025 Alison Weir (P)2025 W.F.Howes Ltd. Europe Historical Medieval Politics & Activism Royalty England War Middle Ages Feel-Good Tudor
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I generally enjoy Alison Weir’s books she is a great author. However I am not convinced that she is right about Richard III. Still, interesting to listen to, well written and well narrated.

The narrator’s pleasant voice!

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This book should be read with view that it is not history but historical fiction on the grounds that there is nothing new here… no new insight but a rehash with a dash of Agnes Stricklands romanticism. Further, the authors ‘opinion’ is often showing without referencing primary sources as to why she holds it or why she has formed that opinion. Her books often betray her background of romantic historical fiction where her love of everything Tudor shows on her opinion- without reference- that the Beauforts could inherit the throne. That decades trained scholars still debate this, it is therefore churlish of the author to present to the reader that her opinion is the right one and that’s that.

Whole chapters and indeed most of the book is taken from contemporaneous sources without letting the listener know. If you did know better, one would think these are the authors words. They are not.

The chapters concerning the Wars of the Roses are word for word from another of her books about the wars where the author again does not reference her sources. At times the author mentions Croyland or Comines but mostly just rattles off whole pages of other works.

Further, the author appears to take Shakespeare as some kind of legit historian! Forsooth!



Getting through the Edward V and Richard III part of the book is a labour! Everything ‘poor’ Elizabeth Wydville and her rapacious no talented relatives did after Edward IV’s death was legal and good. Everything anybody else did was ‘bad’ or ‘illegal’. The author skips over the stealing of the coin by her Grey son and a ship to go with it and even before Edward IVs death Edward’s illegal resumption of all of Anne Mowbrays property on her death… no mention. The authors cherry picking of facts would be hilarious but that some people will take this book seriously.

For history as it is meant to be I can recommend Ian Mortimer’s great work on Henry IV and V amongst many many others.

The narration was at times excruciatingly irritating as she pronounces Magnates as Magnets.

Historical?

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