Queen from Provence

Long before the Tudors and the Phillipa Gregory novels Jean Plaidy was writing about the the English Monarchs, Catherine D Medici, and others. I first read Victoria and Lord M, and I was hooked. Her historical fiction allows us to view events from a personal standpoint and understand not only the how and why, but the price decision makers paid for the right to rule.

This is the sequel to The Battle of the Queens in Plaidy's Plantagenet Saga and it's just as good as the ones that came before it. Here we are in the middle of the reign of Henry III and he is still lacking a queen. His brother, Richard, has married and has managed to have been contacted by a smart and resourceful girl from Provence. Because he can't marry her himself he shows the poem written about his earldom, Cornwall, to his brother, who is very impressed by it and ends up falling for her. After some negotiations she is brought to England to be its Queen. Unfortunately for England the honeymoon period ends for them, when it doesn't for Henry and Eleanor. They are completely forgetful of the English people and allow Eleanor's people to come into England and basically take over the place. Plaidy is able to convey to the reader the annoyance the English feel from this through the character of Simon de Montfort. He wants to have England be great. He wants England for the Englishman and he wants Henry III to pay attention to what the barons of England have to say, because without them he almost has nothing. But Henry refuses to listen and chaos ensues that is no good for anyone. Plaidy is an excellent writer who is able to get across the uncertainty the English feel at this time with Eleanor and Henry. She's able to draw you into this, important, but not often discussed, period of English history when the foundations of the modern Parliment are being laid. I was happy to have read this because I learned a lot about people I'd only fleetingly heard of. It's not one to put down.

Here is yet another great historical fiction novel from the great Jean Plaidy:The Queen From Provence. Eleanor is the second of four sisters, who are all destined to be queens-which they all were. Eleanor of course married Henry III of England and in her mind was the greatest King in the world. (Although her eldest sister, Marguerite would think otherwise as she was married to King Louis IX of France, who was such a great king that after his death became a saint.) Eleanor was determined to rule her husband and that she did, even if it meant the demise of the country. Eleanor loved her family and her husband and was very devoted to her children. She took care of her sisters when they were in need, but was always quick to compare herself to them, thinking that she always had it so much better. Eleanor was hated by the English-the Londoners in particular- because she brought her foreign family with her to England and demanded they be given high offices and extravagances which Henry could not pay for unless he taxed the citizens. And this he did, so often that the people revolted against him and his beautiful, overbearing queen. Her husband, although very devoted and a loving father, ruled his kingdom rather weakly. He never wanted to disappoint his queen and so gave her all she wished, which in turn led to his (and his son Edward's) imprisonment. His jailer, none other than his brother-in-law, Simon de Montfort, who Henry feared more than anything or anyone else. Simon led a band of barons against Henry, wanting no more taxation for his wife's frivolous desires, no more foreigners taking control of the land, etc. But Simon and his posse were quickly defeated with the help of the queen's new found army. The Queen From Provence is an engrossing tale of a woman who from her childhood was determined to have the best of everything. And nothing got in her way. As usual, I was swept away to a world that only Jean Plaidy could bring to life. A savage world of romance and mystery, war and rebellion that I am in awe of.

Jean Plaidy, also known to her legion of fans as Victoria Holt, will delight her fans with this, the sixth book in her well-written, fifteen book Plantagenet saga. As are all her books in the popular Plantagenet series, it is replete with vividly drawn historical events and persons. The author weaves a stirring medieval tapestry, focusing on the wife of King Henry III of England, Eleanor of Provence. Eleanor was one of the four beautiful, well-educated, and accomplished daughters of the impoverished Count of Provence. When the eldest, Marguerite, married King Louis IX of France, Eleanor soon followed with a king of her own, Henry III of England. The other two younger sisters later married into the royal houses of France and England. Sanchia married Richard of Cornwall, brother to Henry III, while Beatrice married Charles, the Count of Anjou, brother to Louis IX. Eleanor, a headstrong, and imperious woman, won the heart of King Henry III, turning him into the most uxorious of husbands. A weak king, he was the most devoted of husbands, happiest when he could be with his Queen and their family. Eleanor, although a devoted mother to their children, led Henry by the nose, making insatiable demands upon the exchequer for money, jewels, luxurious clothing, and lavish gifts for her and her family from Provence. The besotted king was more than happy to grant his beloved wife's desires, even at great cost to his subjects, who despised this greedy Queen from Provence, known for her wild extravagance. She, in turn, would despise her subjects, treating them with contempt and seeing them only as a source of unlimited funds. This, of course, eventually led to unrest throughout England, as well as a revolt led by Simon De Montfort, who was married to the sister to King Henry III. Simon de Montfort desired to form a parliament that would represent the people and ensure that laws would be passed that were just. He called for an end to the crippling taxation that was imposed upon the people of England in order to support the greedy and parasitic Provencal relations of the Queen, as well as the King's foreign born half-brothers and sisters. He also desired their ouster from positions of power and influence in England. He would eventually take King Henry III and his heir, Edward, as prisoners. Edward, who would be known as Edward Longshanks because of his great height, was the handsome, beloved son of King Henry III and Queen Eleanor. He would escape his imprisonment and defeat Simon de Montfort and his forces, ensuring the return of control over England to his grateful father. Edward quelled the rebellion, showing himself to have none of his father's weaknesses. Though the English had despised King Henry III and his avaricious Queen, they were delighted with the heir to the throne, who would go on to rule England as King Edward I.

Jean Plaidy, also known to her legion of fans as Victoria Holt, will delight her fans with this, the sixth book in her well-written, fifteen book Plantagenet saga. As are all her books in the popular Plantagenet series, it is replete with vividly drawn historical events and persons. The author weaves a stirring medieval tapestry, focusing on the wife of King Henry III of England, Eleanor of Provence.Eleanor was one of the four beautiful, well-educated, and accomplished daughters of the impoverished Count of Provence. When the eldest, Marguerite, married King Louis IX of France, Eleanor soon followed with a king of her own, Henry III of England. The other two younger sisters later married into the royal houses of France and England. Sanchia married Richard of Cornwall, brother to Henry III, while Beatrice married Charles, the Count of Anjou, brother to Louis IX.Eleanor, a headstrong, and imperious woman, won the heart of King Henry III, turning him into the most uxorious of husbands. A weak king, he was the most devoted of husbands, happiest when he could be with his Queen and their family. Eleanor, although a devoted mother to their children, led Henry by the nose, making insatiable demands upon the exchequer for money, jewels, luxurious clothing, and lavish gifts for her and her family from Provence. The besotted king was more than happy to grant his beloved wife's desires, even at great cost to his subjects, who despised this greedy Queen from Provence, known for her wild extravagance. She, in turn, would despise her subjects, treating them with contempt and seeing them only as a source of unlimited funds.This, of course, eventually led to unrest throughout England, as well as a revolt led by Simon De Montfort, who was married to the sister to King Henry III. Simon de Montfort desired to form a parliament that would represent the people and ensure that laws would be passed that were just. He called for an end to the crippling taxation that was imposed upon the people of England in order to support the greedy and parasitic Provencal relations of the Queen, as well as the King's foreign born half-brothers and sisters. He also desired their ouster from positions of power and influence in England. He would eventually take King Henry III and his heir, Edward, as prisoners. Edward, who would be known as Edward Longshanks because of his great height, was the handsome, beloved son of King Henry III and Queen Eleanor. He would escape his imprisonment and defeat Simon de Montfort and his forces, ensuring the return of control over England to his grateful father. Edward quelled the rebellion, showing himself to have none of his father's weaknesses. Though the English had despised King Henry III and his avaricious Queen, they were delighted with the heir to the throne, who would go on to rule England as King Edward I.