The author's trip to a holiday store inspired a deep dive into the Dark Ages, emerging with the highlight of two women that persevered despite the odds. Puhak has delivered a complex and engrossing study of two fiercely intriguing queens. This is not a quick read but an immersive and insightful examination of women's history that some tried to bury. There are many characters, often with similar names, which can be a challenge to keep straight, but the author does an excellent job refocusing on Brunhild and Fredegund—good flow and even pacing. The novel is wordy but not windy. Recommend.

This was an interesting book. I really liked the level of detail and deep historical knowledge; struggled with keeping all the similarly named people straight. It's an area I didn't know much about so I liked learning "new to me" details and was really fascinated in the chapter about how the Carolingians erased the two Queens (continuing the work their nephew started!) so completely and the renaissance of material, relics and information coming back to light.

It's a dense book, when I was reading it, I loved it but when I put it down, picking it back up felt like work but then as soon as I did, I was sucked in again. Would recommend but it's not a one bite read but a lot of tasting courses!

History that we are taught often gives us the impression that women didn’t have a place or a voice in the medieval ages. “Dark Queens” dispels this myth by exploring the lives of the Queen Brunhild and Fredegund, Frankish queens during the 6th century. Unwanted or widowed queens were typically sent to a convent for the rest of their lives, but both of these women carved a place for themselves as their sons’ regents. I found the writing style to be accessible and the chapters were short and engaging. I didn’t know much about the medieval world going into the book—and almost nothing about French history—but this was a great gateway read and I’m planning to explore that world more.

This is my favorite kind of "pop history." It compellingly immerses you in the story of two Merovingian queens while illuminating the darkness that surrounds your period just enough that you can appreciation the details and nuance. While this is not my area, I have graduate degrees in Medieval History, and that always makes me intrigued but apprehensive about non-academic histories of the period. Puhak gets the tone and content right and this offered exactly what I was looking for (so much so that I ditched the e-book and bought a hard copy so I could really savor and enjoy it!).

I would highly recommend this book to anyone, history enthusiast or not, as it is so well written that it reads more like a novel than the true academic work that it is; I could hardly put it down. Both Fredegund and Brunhild led incredible lives and I wish these powerful women were more well known than they currently are.
Full review on YouTube.

If you think family dynamics don't echo down through the centuries after you've shuffled off this mortal coil, read this book!

Fredegund and Brunhild (lived circa 543-613, from Merovingian Dynasty) are the stars of this tale, and the historical record is being interpreted and translated by the author for readers. It feels like a story, but as it gets further, it is clearly history being told by a historian. It has body, and has a modern tone and conclusions - so much of the historical record was destroyed by nature and men there may be some conjecture. This I don't mind at all. I am a stranger in this ancient land, this distant time in history. I desperately needed that interpretation and translation! There is a tangled family tree involved, and a dizzying amount of vicious, or willing-to-be-vicious family members, leaders who were easily led, and politicians who were willing to try anything, and had the weapons to prove it.

The author points out ways these women affected ongoing history, and how they show up in cultural landmarks that we still keep in our modern days - this I particularly enjoyed. Taking a long look back, a few of my lines come from Alsace and Bavaria, and it is possible their chain of dna had links from the same times that felt the impact of these two queens. Could they possibly be in the mix and mingle of my own ancestors' lives? These are the thoughts that keep me reading books that tell me the stories of history. . . .the stories of the forests of Fredegund - a great warrior - and the horrible end of Brunhild.

Reading of these two shadow queens was time well spent, and delving into this time in history, for me, was new and valuable.

A sincere thank you to Shelley Puhak, Bloomsbury USA, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review. #TheDarkQueens #NetGalley

The Dark Queens is a dual biography on Merovingian queens, Brunhild and Fredegund. Brunhild was a Visigoth princess who married King Sigibert of Austrasia as part of a marriage alliance. Fredegund was a slave who was the mistress of King Sigibert’s brother, King Chilperic of Neustria. Eventually, Fredegund becomes King Chilperic’s third wife. These two queens were the most powerful women in the sixth century Merovingian Europe. However, the two queens disliked each other and waged civil war on each other. This biography tells the tale of their rivalry.

The two queens' early origins could not be more different. However, they had some similarities. Brunhild was a princess who married for a marriage alliance. Fredegund was a slave that rose to become queen. However, both of these queens are very ambitious and are repeatedly scheming for power. Both of their husbands are assassinated and the queens become regents for their sons. These two are very power-hungry. However, they were very successful rulers. Both of them were skilled diplomats, administrators, and were excellent military strategists. It is sad that these two queens could not get along. However, I could see why. Brunhild resented Fredegund because she had a hand in her sister’s and husband’s deaths. I also liked Brunhild more because Fredegund was very ruthless and did horrible things. Yet, this biography highlights Fredegund’s accomplishments.

Overall, this biography tells the rivalry between two powerful but forgotten queens. I had not heard of these queens before so I found their story fascinating. The biography’s greatest flaw is that there are not many facts known about the queens to have made a full book. Therefore, the author often goes to other topics that are irrelevant to the queens. Also, the author mostly uses conjectures on what the queens are thinking or feeling that reads like a historical fiction novel rather than nonfiction work. I think that this would have been more enjoyable if it was not a nonfiction work but a historical fiction novel. Still, this biography is very comprehensive and these queens' lives are fascinating. The Dark Queens reads like a soap opera because there is treachery, scandal, and intrigue! I recommend this for fans of Caesars' Wives, Sister Queens, and Four Queens!

Talking about women's history is always difficult, especially further back, as we know more about their male counterparts than the females. This book was well-researched, and an interesting read overall. There were a lot of names and dates, so I highly recommend having a pen and paper to take notes as needed. This is one that I think would be easier to read and follow in a paper format, as highlighting and the final layout would be an easier to follow.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the story of Brunhild and Fredegund. They were extraordinary women who dared to take on a more male role in order to save their kingdoms. A feud, warfare, and finally vilified for daring to defend their kingdoms, and a lasting impression on history ensure these women will not be forgotten.

If you are looking for a great book, get this one! You will not read it in one sitting, but it's great for some shorter stints before bed.

A really interesting look at two very powerful women at a time in history where it was hard to be a women in power. There is a lot of weight in this book - a lot of politicking, manipulation, assassinations and more. There is a lot of detail included, most of which are names and dates which can get rather confusing to keep track of while reading.
This is by no means a boring book, but it is also not a fast and fun history book that you can speed through quickly.
Overall, I did enjoy reading this book, but it is not one that I would try reading again in a single day. But if you want to read about obscure history and women that made their own way in the world and survived in a world that had no interest in helping them.

A great nonfiction story about two queens history has tried to write off. Since this book wasn't written by an academic, I found it very interesting to read from the point of view of someone who is clearly just interested in the topic for fun. Warning: a lot of the names are similar so make notes lol.

Well researched and intriguing! This book will bring to life an era in history that students do not often learn about.

What I learned about the Merovingians in school and most of my previous reading (not counting the fevered imaginings of Dan Brown and the authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail) was short, simple, and boring: the “long-haired kings” of the Franks, after Clovis I converted to Christianity, eventually deteriorated to “do-nothing kings” and were overthrown by the father of Charlemagne. The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World by Shelley Puhac brings this dynasty to life through its portrayal of two of its rival queens.

Brunhild was a Visigothic princess who married Sigebert, a grandson of Clovis; Fredegund was a slave in the court of Sigibert’s brother Chilperic. After Brunhild’s sister, who had married Chilperic, was murdered and replaced by Fredegund, who had previously been his mistress, the fight was on. Over the course of the next forty years, the two queens schemed and plotted against one another using everything from diplomacy to assassination and military moves, and mainly working through the men in their lives - husbands, sons, and in Brunhild’s case grandsons - given that women were not allowed to wield overt power in the Frankish culture. Obviously, both were strong-willed and charismatic, and at times Puhac’s “narrative nonfiction,” while based on the original sources, is riveting and at times reads like a novel. Sadly, after their deaths, those who followed them made sure that their memories were either erased or vilified.

The only issue that I had was that at first, I found it difficult to keep some of the names straight, given that many were not only unfamiliar to me but similar to one another as well, such as Fredegund and Radegund or Chilperic and Childebert, although that got easier since they became more fleshed out as the narrative progressed. I would recommend bookmarking the list of characters at the beginning for easy referral.

I received a copy of The Dark Queens from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who loves to read about history, particularly little known time periods and women who have largely been erased from history, I'm of mixed opinions on this one. On the one hand, I love that Puhak is bringing attention to this time period and particularly to these women. She shows them in all their complicated glory, not shying away from some of the awful things that they did to maintain power. You will certainly think of Cersei and some of her rivals if you're at all familiar with A Song of Ice and Fire. Puhak overall does an excellent job of integrating what primary sources she can for a time period that has some serious gaps to deal with.

However, Puhak notes that this is narrative non-fiction and not academic history so she does step into the shoes of the historical figures to make commentary about what they must have been feeling and fill any gaps in the historical record. Which, I get, but also, sometimes really frustrated me. I just don't think that a 21st century person really can understand the same perspectives as a 6th century person. She's also very critical of some sources but doesn't display the same criticism to others and it feels like that's largely due to viewpoints she doesn't appreciate (i.e. the misogyny displayed by Gregory of Tours leads to questioning him more than others).

As someone who got an undergrad degree in history, I get frustrated by these elements as well as her tendency to dismiss the viewpoints of historians she doesn't agree with. Instead of presenting these as possibilities, she presents them as facts and even for a narrative non-fiction (which gives you some leeway), the level of confidence is irritating. I need to just stop picking up narrative non-fiction, because this is routinely a problem for me.

Despite my frustrations, I'm glad that Puhak is bringing these remarkable women to light and I hope that it encourages future scholarship. I'd like to see more popular histories in this vein, although I could do without the narrative element personally. If you're at all interested in little known history and powerful women making a place for themselves, this is compulsively readable and one I'd recommend picking up.

CAWPILE Rating
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Credibility: 7/10
Authenticity: 8/10
Writing: 8/10
Personal Impact: 8/10
Intrigue: 9/10
Logic: 8/10
Enjoyment: 7/10
Overall: 7.9/10 = 4 stars

enjoyed this story overall! sheds light on historic figures not often highlighted and is so full of info! the formatting of my digital download was a little funky but didn’t impact reading. definitely worth checking out if you’re interested in this time period!

Before picking this book up, I knew practically nothing about 6th century France, or either Fredegund or Brunhild. But it was the subtitle that leapt out to me: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World. In this work of narrative non-fiction, author Shelley Puhak is very clear about that as well as the methodology she used in the research and writing, the existent historical record is used to piece together roughly sixty years of history where Fredegund and Brunhild serve as the stabilizing force, while also upending the systems they were born into. As the European world wrestles with the fall of the Roman Empire, powerful families emerge to take the lead, but it is not a clean or easy affair and through these two women we are able to glean a view into that world. We also see how methodically the stories of their successes were erased or overwritten, how they were recast by those who followed, after their deaths their stories were rewritten, their names consigned to slander and legend, and their legacies buried for over a thousand years.

Brunhild was a Spanish princess, raised to be married off for the sake of alliance-building. Her sister-in-law Fredegund started out as a palace slave. Their paths cross in the middle of the Merovingian Empire where women were excluded from noble succession and royal politics was a blood sport. They formed coalitions and broke them, mothered children, and lost them. They fought a years-long civil war. But these two reigned over vast realms for decades – their combined empires only to be eclipsed by Charlemagne who would build his empire from the ashes of theirs 150 years later - commanding armies and negotiating with kings and popes and ruling as regents.

While Puhak captures the complexity of the women and the courts they lived and ruled in, and this unfamiliar time, striking at the roots of some of our culture’s stubbornest myths about female power, the book is at times uneven, and sometimes strays too far from the titular queens. The scope of this work is a big ask of any book, or any author, and the final copy I ended up reading (out from the library as I had failed to download my publisher provided copy before it was archived) had a few errors which confused matters. This is also a slow read, dense with names, dates, and details. Puhak provides a Dramatis Personae at the beginning, as well as maps throughout, and that’s good because I found myself needing to refer to them as I made my way through the narrative over the course of a week.

This was an interesting read and anyone who enjoys medieval history and/or women's history should give it a try. I did think it bogged down a little in a couple of places but overall it was a smooth, well-researched narrative.

I love books that are based on history. My education of history is sorely lacking. As I read books based on historical events and figures it helps me to understand and to remember the how, when, where, and why much better than reading boring facts. I encourage you to read this book to learn more about this particular time and these wonderful characters which are so important in history.

Here we have a narrative non-fiction based in the 550s about two women who held power and ruled, but were erased and rewritten. So I was on board! However, I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing and ended up getting lost when the focus was not on our two queens. In the end, it was a decent read and told the stories of two underrepresented women.

This is a well researched, readable account of Fredegund and Brunhild, influential women rulers in the Merovingian dynasty. Brunhild comes as a high ranked bride from Spain to wed Sigebert, ruler of the northeastern part of the Frankish empire. Fredegund is a slave who rises to become the wife of Chilperic, Sigebert's brother and ruler of the southeastern part of the empire. Fredegund's marriage takes place shortly after the murder of Chilperic's wife, Brunhild's sister. Thus begins a long struggle for power between two exceptional women.
This is a review of a digital galley provided by NetGalley.

Thank you to @bloomsbury @netgalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts…
Enjoyable. Set around 550s, this was an interesting story about rival Morovingian Queens Brunhild and Fredegund, married to brothers Sigimund and Chilperic. If you are a historical researcher and the like, just make sure to put that aside before you start. Because, this book was as much non-fiction as it was fictitious and speculation. There’s nothing wrong with that, because history is full of holes that we try to fill. Just be forewarned, as it tended to lean toward historical fiction. I thought Puhak did a great job detailing the era, taking us to the sights and sounds of Medieval times in our mind’s eyes. I liked reading about the politics during Medieval times, its assassination dramas and unknown historical women.