The Maid and the Queen

“Attention, ‘Game of Thrones’ fans: The most enjoyably sensational aspects of medieval politics—double-crosses, ambushes, bizarre personal obsessions, lunacy and naked self-interest—are in abundant evidence in Nancy Goldstone's The Maid and the Queen.” (Laura Miller, Salon.com)

Joan of Arc, the brave peasant girl who heard the voices of angels and helped restore her king to the throne of France, astonished her contemporaries and continues to fascinate us today. Until now, though, her relationship with Yolande of Aragon, the ambitious and beautiful queen of Sicily—mother-in-law to the dauphin—has been little known. In a stunning work filled with intrigue, madness, and mysticism, Nancy Goldstone solves the thrilling mystery by showing that if you pry open the Queen's secrets, you will find the Maid's. Caught in the complex dynastic battle of the Hundred Years War, Yolande of Aragon championed the dauphin's cause. As French hopes dimmed, a courageous young woman arrived from the farthest recesses of the kingdom. But how did she gain an audience with a king? Was it only God's hand that moved Joan of Arc—or was it also Yolande of Aragon's?

“Attention, ‘Game of Thrones’ fans: The most enjoyably sensational aspects of medieval politics — double-crosses, ambushes, bizarre personal obsessions, lunacy and naked self-interest — are in abundant evidence in Nancy Goldstone’s The Maid and the Queen: The Secret History of Joan of Arc. . . Goldstone’s [delivery] is vigorous, witty and no-nonsense in the tradition of the late, great popular historian Barbara Tuchman.”—Salon.com

"Goldstone presents this dual biography of two fascinating medieval women with the descriptive energy of a novel." —USA Today

“Through a fascinating biography that rivals fiction, Goldstone recounts how Yolande, one of the most powerful women of the Middle Ages and the financier of the Battle of Orleans, handpicked Joan to lead that crucial battle. Citing numerous historical sources, from Joan’s own trial transcripts to government reports and letters, Goldstone makes a case for the queen’s plot. It’s by unraveling Yolande’s secrets that Joan’s
incredible story suddenly makes sense.”
—Catholic Digest

“With compelling storytelling, Goldstone colorfully weaves together the tales of these two women [Yolande of Aragon and Joan of Arc] —one rich, one poor; one educated, one illiterate; one worldly, one simple—whose powerful personalities and deep allegiance to France helped shape the country’s future.”
—Publishers Weekly