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. How the author has put all this together so adeptly is amazing considering it happened about 1500 years ago. It is full of facts as one would expect, but we are not inundated with dates, it is simply and chronologically set out, ideal for the more casual historian rather than the serious one. I found it easy to read, albeit in small snatches, but it held my interest throughout, especially as it was set in a period and place of time that I knew nothing about.
Throughout the book are little nuggets of information which are pertinent to our lives today, such as the bored king who just decided to add a few new letters to the alphabet, some of which are still used today.
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. Puhak vividly invokes this world in her book, pulling you in and keeping you there.
This is very much a fictional take on these two historical characters (as it must be, given the lack of original sources and Puhak is upfront about this) but it nonetheless manages to inform as well as entertain and will certainly lead to further reading about the period. If I have one gripe, it’s that the notes at the end are not referenced in the text, meaning they don’t add much to the story. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am left wanting to know more.
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. However as the Middle Ages unfold, realms change hands, political alliances are masterminded and bitter conflicts divide, with Queens Brunhild and Fredegund always in the mix.
I can count on one hand the number of history books that I’d recommend to general readers but without a doubt The Dark Queens falls firmly into that category with its fascinating insight into two trailblazing women. It’s rare for history but there isn’t a dull moment and the events really do read like a veritable soap opera. The narrative is pacy and the events that occur are in ‘you couldn’t make it up’ territory with bloodshed, incest, duplicity, fratricide, torture and revenge that makes for non-stop entertainment and an impressively readable book.
Impressive research and intelligent supposition make this and interesting and very readable book.
6th century Europe is something I knew little (okay, nothing!) about, but The Dark Queens brings to life the turbulent and brutal relationship between sisters -in-law Brunhild and Fredegund, both Queens who married brother Kings but later became Queens in their own rights. Neither afraid to assassinate those who threatened the stability of their reign and make or break alliances with friends or even enemies.
Royal women usually had very little influence in these times, and if they outlived their usefulness - bearing heirs -were usually sent to a convent or even murdered, however the singleminded determination of these two women saw them dominate European power.
The author’s research is staggering and her ability to ‘add flesh to the bones’ of these long dead women in such an interesting and believable way is admirable. What could have been a dry and dusty tome is, in fact, a very readable and informative book and I really enjoyed reading it.
This book has expanded my knowledge of an era and of characters forgotten over time. It is written in a very accessible style and I found myself taken back there, imagining a time and place, and the people living that reality.
As a history graduate I thought I was well versed in the history of Europe. But as I found out reading this book, the important roles played by women have been erased in some cases, and my knowledge was sorely lacking. Brunhild and Fredegund were strong, powerful women who started out as pawns in the games of others, but went on to influence early medieval Europe. Merovingian France was forever changed by them, and as a result the whole of Europe.
I found their stories fascinating - Fredegund a slave who ended up a Queen, and Brunhild, a Princess who found a strength and ability to outmanoeuvre the men around her. This book can be read by those with a general interest in history. It can also be read by those with an academic interest in history. The author gives a detailed bibliography and notes section at the back. So if the reader so wishes, they have the tools to find out even more and look deeper into the subject. But if a desire to find out more about forgotten women, whose influence on European history is the aim, then this book does that too.
This book has expanded my knowledge of an era and of characters forgotten over time. It is written in a very accessible style and I found myself taken back there, imagining a time and place, and the people living that reality.
A fabulous exploration of the dark and murky world of Merovingian politics, informative and engaging. Five Stars!
Wow, what a fascinating read. There is a popular movement at the moment to tell various stories from a female perspective, some work and some don’t. In particular, many of the non-fiction books I have read have attempted to tell the story of a female historical figure when there really isn’t much in the records to tell. As a result the book doesn’t work because it is either filled with suppositions or it includes a lot of irrelevant information. Shelley Puhak’s work of narrative non-fiction, The Dark Queens, succeeds because it doesn’t really do either of these things. Where suggestions as to motivations are made it is clear in the text that these are just the author’s opinions.
The Dark Queens covers the Merovingian kingdoms in Francia in the sixth century, a topic not often covered and usually overshadowed by the Carolingians. It is based around the lives of two queens, Brunhild and Fredegund, married to two brothers, the kings Sigibert and Chilperic. It weaves a narrative around the warring factions with primary sources as the basis, and reads more like a thriller than a work of historical non-fiction - which is what makes it so engaging.
The author covers the different treaties and alliances, murders, subterfuge and trials of their reigns as regents. From their marriages to the brothers to their deaths, she tries to put their achievements and their mistakes in a contemporary setting and explain why they have been erased from many records. An interesting and informative five star read!
A wonderful transportation back in time to Medieval France and the life of two powerful Queens.
Resurrecting these two Queens, who had been largely etched from history, and telling their life stories was fascinating. I was instantly drawn into this Medieval mayhem and there were more plot twists and turns than you could imagine in a work of fiction, yet this was real.
The attention to detail included pictures, maps and family ties which was great for me to be able to refer to as I was reading it. This book has ignited my interest in Medieval history and I would certainly look forward to reading future books by Shelley Puhak.
Wow, wow and wow again. Two medieval Queens battle each other for supremacy in Francia. Fantastic!
Wow, wow and wow again! What a book!
This is the story of two medieval Queens, Fredegund and Brunhild. We learn how Brunhild was married to a Frankish King from her home in Visigoth Spain where she was raised as a Princess, while Fredegund, a palace slave, married another Frankish King. Soon we have brother versus brother as the Kings go head to head to try to seize the most power. In amongst this the two women's lives often mirror each other and, as one Queens fortunes rise, her counterparts fall. These two women were pioneers as they commanded armies, manipulated courts and battled each other, each hoping to seize the others crown. Time has been unkind to these two powerful women, and history ultimately saw them being erased.
Until now. Shelley Puhak does a fantastic job. It reads like a story, not like something purely historical and this helps you really get invested in the lives of the two incredible women. With the support of photographs of art work and artefacts Brunhild and Fredegund really spring to life, making this book an absolute must read.