She-Wolves and Ruling the World
Who knew that reading about Medieval queens could be so interesting! I just finished Helen Castor's She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Castor, a historian from the UK, writes this history book with a real narrative flair that draws the reader in and presents true accounts without being boring or humdrum as so many historical books are. The readability makes this nearly 500 page book a rather quick read and keeps you interested the entire time. As the title suggests, Castor focuses the book on four prominent ruling queens prior to that of Queen Elizabeth , the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn . She starts the book with Mathilda , only surviving child of Henry I and eventual Empress of England, and chronicles her struggle to maintain order in the kingdom that she ruled for a few short months after her father's death. She then jumps forward and examines Eleanor of Aquitaine ...