This was a tremendously ambitious book that mostly succeeded at detailing the lives of five Medieval English queens. I would definitely buy this book if I were in a bookstore.

It is evident that Weir had limited source material to work with. When one is a consort, the only extant records are often legal or financial ones. Berengaria felt like an afterthought; however, I believe this is due to the limited source material available.

I enjoyed that this book detailed an era I was previously unfamiliar with. (My own English knowledge ends at 1066 and picks up again during Henry VIII’s reign.) I am glad this was written for the lay reader (rather than the scholar) in mind.

Overall, this book read at a soothing pace, Would definitely recommend!

While only Eleanor of Aquitaine actually went on the Crusades, all four of the queens discussed in the book feel like Crusaders and were from the time period. These were tough women in a tough world. Weir discusses Eleanor of Aquitaine, Berengaria of Navarre, Isabella of Angouleme, Alienor of Provence, and Eleanor of Castile. Weir amassed an impressive amount of information on these women, from a time when information was fairly thin on the ground. I was eager to learn more about these queens, however, I sometimes felt that their narratives were not focused enough. I suspect part of this is a function of how little information there must be on these women in particular, so learning a lot about them had to be taken from a side-view, or other sources that don't directly reveal enough about the queen in question. Some of the details I found a little distracting, I would have been happy with fewer pages but a more focused story of each queen. Still, Weir gives the reader a very clear picture of the chaos and challenges of the period and the players involved in these queens' lives. I appreciated how savvy these women had to be to navigate their situations.

Queens of the Crusades is Alison Weir's new book about five powerful Plantagenet queens from medieval times. I was already familiar with several of these queen's stories, but had never heard of Berengaria of Navarre, Isabella of Angouleme, or Alienor of Provence. I have to admit medieval England & France is not my strong suit (I read more Tudor era), so this book provided a lot of new information to me.
Alison Weir is the author who got me hooked on history. Her books are always well researched, chock full of information, and yet never stuffy or boring. The Six Wives of Henry VIII remains my favorite of Weir's books, but this book was very enjoyable as well.

I always enjoy Ms. Weir's writing and this book had what I was looking for and I really enjoyed reading this. I love the use of history and that Ms. Weir writes about interesting Queens in history.

Besides the emotional dramatization I expect from Allison Weir, I enjoyed the book. It was well researched, thorough and informative to both lay reader and a more serious host buff. One major downer: despite listing extensive illustrations in the ebook, they are actually nowhere in the download.

Queens of the Crusades is a fascinating look into the early Plantaganet Queens of England. Being the second volume in a series it begins with the great Queen Eleanor starting in 1154 through her daughters-in-laws Berengaria, Queen of Richard I and Isabella of Angouleme, King John's Queen. It goes on th the 13th century Queen Alienor, wife of King Henry III to Queen Eleanor, wife of King Edward I.

Queen Eleanor was a woman way ahead of her time in astuteness and could rule great lands as well, if not better than many men. She was an astoundin personage and lived to an unbelievably old age for that time and place. I felt very sorry for Queen Berengaria and her years long struggle to attain her rights and rightful monetary and territorial inheritances that lasted almost her entire life. I was amazed at all the machinations and political and church intrigues that I read about through this novel. It was an amazingly unstable world to live in and much more so I believe for the common folk who had to live through it. As usual Alison Weir has done an amazing job of research and even to the point of explaining old monetary values in today's standards and quoting from inummerable sources. Thank you Net Galley and Penguin Random House London for the privilege of reading this book

A fascinating second volume in her England’s Medieval Queens series.

If you missed it, the first volume was Queens of Conquest which covered 1066-1154; it featured Matilda of Flanders, Matilda of Scotland, Adeliza of Louvain, and Matilda of Boulogne. However, you don’t have to read the first book to appreciate the second.

The second book covers 1154-1291 and features Eleanor of Aquitaine, Berengaria of Navarre, Isabella of Angouleme, Alienor of Provence, and Eleanor of Castile. Weir says that she selected the title that she did because all these queens lived in “age dominated by the crusading movement.” Three of these queens were involved in a crusade. Eleanor of Aquitaine participated in the second and third crusades. Berengaria of Navarre was also involved with the third crusade and Eleanor of Castile with the eighth.

I enjoyed learning more about Eleanor of Aquitaine’s latter years and how amazing she continued to be even in her advanced years. She retained a lot of influence right up until her death in 1204. It was particularly interesting to read about queens that I knew less about such as Berengaria - Weir covers her background as the daughter of Sancho VI, her selection (by Eleanor) as Richard’s bride, her marriage to Richard at Cyprus, and her fight to recover her lands and finances after Richard’s death.

I would recommend this book to readers interested in medieval women’s history or the history of the Plantagenets. This will definitely go on my list of books to purchase.

Queens of the Crusades by Alison Weir is an excellent nonfiction that gives the reader a wonderful opportunity to delve into the fascinating women that were the first of the Plantagenet Queens in England.

This book is the second installment of a fabulous series of books by Ms. Weir that delves into the women that helped rule and shape a nation in their own rights. The first book, Queens of Conquest discusses the pivotal women that predate this book. This is a stand-alone nonfiction, but if you enjoy this novel as much as I did, you will want to read its predecessor.

This book covers five queens:
1. Eleanor of Aquitaine- Queen of Henry II
2. Berengaria of Navarre- Queen of Richard I
3. Isabella of Angoulême- Queen of John (Yes that John)
4. Alienor of Provence- Queen of Henry III
5. Eleanor of Castile- Queen of Edward I.

Some more famous then others, all equally fascinating. Ms. Weir clearly did her research, and this book weaves together the stories of these women seamlessly. At times, it felt like I was reading fiction vs nonfiction...it was that enjoyable.

I learned so much more about these intriguing women, as well as even more English history.

Truly wonderful. 5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House for this wonderful ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR, Bookbub, and Instagram accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

This book does, well, what it says on the tin. It’s a nonfiction book about queens during the crusades and it is yet another wonderful book written by the incredibly talented historian, Alison Weir. Over the years Weir has had a reputation for writing about women in history, usually Royal, who have been forgotten or erased. The last book she wrote was about queens of the conquest and focused on people like Queen Matilda, wife of William the conqueror, this one focuses on the early queens of the Plantagenet dynasty. From very well known queens like Eleanor of Aquitaine to less well known like the wives of her sons such as Berengaria of Navarre, these women have the light finally on them. This is a wonderful book if you want to dip your toes into medieval history written by an absolute legend.

I am very partial to Alison Weir novels and biographies and this one did not disappoint. A lot of it read like a novel and didn't overwhelm you with more information than needed. Great for all people who want to learn of enjoy reading about this time period.