Four queens : the Provençal sisters who ruled Europe

Author:Nancy Goldstone

Summary:Set against the backdrop of the turbulent thirteenth century, a time of chivalry and crusades, poetry and knights, comes the story of the four daughters of the count of Provence whose brilliant marriages made them the queens of France, England, Germany, and Sicily. From a cultured childhood in Provence, each sister was propelled into a world marked by shifting alliances, intrigue, and subterfuge. Marguerite, the eldest, whose resolution and spirit would be tested by the cold splendor of the Palais du Roi in Paris; Eleanor, whose soaring political aspirations would provoke her kingdom to civil war; Sanchia, the neglected wife of the richest man in England who bought himself the crown of Germany; and Beatrice, whose desire for sovereignty led her to risk her life to earn her place at the royal table. This book shatters the myth that women were helpless pawns in a society that celebrated physical prowess and masculine intellect.--From publisher description

Print Book, English, 2007

Edition:View all formats and editions

Publisher: Viking, New York, 2007

Genre:Biographies

Physical Description:xiii, 336 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

ISBN:

9780670038435, 0670038431

OCLC Number / Unique Identifier:71842813

Subjects:

Beatrice, of Provence, Queen of Sicily, consort of Charles I, King of Naples, 1234-1267

Beatrix (Neapel, Königin, 1233-1267)

Biographies