"Be enthralled by this violent and sweeping account of the lives of two powerful women at the heart of the Merovingian empire"
Reading Dark Queens by Shelley Puhak, I found myself astounded that the two women at the centre of the book – Brunhild and Fredegund – are not known far and wide. This isn’t the kind of feminist retelling of well-known stories we rightly lap up today. It’s simply a telling; proof of their existence at all – and I soaked up every detail.
Puhak takes us to Merovingian France during the 6th Century. In this most bloody of bloody Middle Ages, the Romans have left a power vacuum, and the Franks are fighting among themselves for the spoils. This is not a world we would assume is for women, who are normally depicted sewing and sitting dutifully beside their husbands. Brunhild and Fredegund are out to stake their claim to power, with brutal consequences.
It’s fascinating how these female characters seem as though they were fashioned in our modern-day image – women who wielded real power and shaped the people and land they presided over for decades. It’s thanks to Puhak’s wonderfully detailed storytelling that we are so engaged. I loved the countless other characters, too, whose lives could fill a dozen sequels. Required reading, for lovers of medieval fiction and non-fiction alike.
| Primary Genre | History |
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A refreshing, well-written book about an unknown period of time in history, and two strong willed women who took on the powerful men and won.
It was with some trepidation that I chose to read 'The Dark Queens', it being an historical, non-fiction book by an unknown (to me) author. I usually skip over the introduction after a few lines, wanting to just get on with the main content. However I found this a really fascinating section, full of interesting information that set me up for getting into the story.
The book is based on 2 Queens, Brunhild and Fredegund, and their struggles to stay alive whilst fighting for their respective families and countries. Being female, it's wasn't an easy task. The story is full of political and personal twists and turns, treachery and betrayal and all the while, battles are fought and fortunes are won and lost. It is an epic story told with skill and precision.... Read Full Review
Full of intrigue, conspiracy and adventure, this book has certainly sparked an interest in a unfamiliar period of history. Who knew women had such a pivotal role to play in the history of France!
Interested in Medieval French history yet with very little knowledge of the era between the Romans and Charlemagne, I was intrigued to learn of two such strong female characters that history seems to have forgotten. It’s easy to dismiss the Dark Ages as a time when nothing much happened but Puhak manages to breathe life into the lives of these two very little known women. We can never know what they were really like but, given the few details she had available, Puhak has created a story that is both engaging and informative. Both queens come across as very real women with much in common as well as much that sets them against each other. Theirs is a very harsh world – war, disease and death are daily hazards – and yet both women lived very full and extraordinary lives.... Read Full Review
Spirited, illuminating and juicy narrative non-fiction charting the lives of two rival medieval queens.
The Dark Queens is the extensively researched and spirited nonfiction debut of Shelley Puhak and shines a much needed light on two sixth-century Merovingian queens and the territory of Francia that was their battleground. Prior to reading this book I knew absolutely nothing about the early Middle Ages and hadn’t heard of either noble-born Spanish princess Brunhild or her sister-in-law, former palace slave Fredegund. It seems incredible that I recognised neither name but both women commanded armies, played politics, reigned for decades and were also wives and mothers. As Puhak makes clear, the stories of these two Frankish queens have largely been written out of the history books and their reputations maligned.... Read Full Review
