The second impressive Eleanor of Aquitaine book follows
on from THE SUMMER QUEEN in which we saw a young heiress
wed the King of France and grow into a powerful and clever
leader.
THE WINTER CROWN takes up the turbulent and fiercely
emotional tale with the lady, called Alienor, being crowned
Queen of England with her husband of two years, King Henry
II in 1154. This Norman prince is already Duke of Normandy
and through Alienor, the consort Duke of Aquitaine. He has
to repair the damage caused by a civil war in England, and
subdue Scotland, Wales and Ireland, so Alienor will live
over the sea from her French home. This suits her as her
first husband Louis divorced her for not bearing sons.
She's expecting Henry's child and has already borne him a
boy.
At twenty-one, Henry is restless and driven. Unfortunately
that includes him keeping a mistress off the palace
premises. All the difficulties and counter-loyalties
generated by illegitimate half-siblings to royalty haven't
stopped him from producing a by-blow son. Henry's got
political appointments to approve, including that of new
Chancellor Thomas Becket, and religious leaders to placate.
Alienor is part of his empire-building, not his love. While
the Queen is important to produce heirs, Alienor is also
Henry's Regent when he goes off to battle against an uppity
relative in Normandy.
We see the swift and helpless tragedy of a child's death,
from an illness that looks like meningitis. The remedies
of the day are well described. We also meet the Empress
Matilda, Henry's Norman mother, and other notables of the
day. Illegitimate sons are known as FitzRoy and even
FitzEmpress. Herbs and spices scent the tale with rosemary
and spikenard used as body wash, but garlic and cloves
spicing up wine. The world is thoroughly brought to life so
we know what Alienor felt and heard each day; we understand
the rivalries, subtleties and battles.
In the previous book, Petronella is Alienor's younger and
lively sister. Now we meet her in a convent infirmary, aged
by illness. This is a world of arranged betrothals between
children of rulers, lavish living and monastic simplicity.
Animals from palfreys to otter-hounds to gyrfalcons parade
through the scenes, while the seasons make travelling easy,
difficult or impossible. People live close to nature and
savour the fruits of the land. Men also want to conquer
cities, like Toulouse, but not only men, for Alienor is
just as ambitious as Henry. Louis the French King is still
a major player in the story and neither ruler is a man for
Alienor to trust. She still believes that a woman's task is
to be a peacemaker and diplomat. By gaining the Archbishop
Becket's aid over a possible forced marriage, Alienor
inserts the first wedge between Becket and the King. At
this time, the Church functions as the only check and
balance on the State's ruler.
With many tender family or romance scenes we yet see that
children of royalty are born to be tools, while women are
prone to dying in childbirth as often as men in battle or
of disease. If you want to really understand these medieval
people, what made them tick and how their relatives
influenced their fates, read this riveting, lavish and
thoroughly accessible account of Eleanor of Aquitaine, THE
WINTER CROWN by acclaimed historical author Elizabeth
Chadwick. These combined two books may be the best account
written of the remarkable lady's life and times, on both
sides of the Narrow Sea. There is a third book yet to
come, THE AUTUMN THRONE, detailing the Queen's later
years.
As Queen of England, Eleanor has a new cast of enemies―including the king.
Eleanor has more than fulfilled her duty as Queen of England-she has given her husband, Henry II,
heirs to the throne and has proven herself as a mother and ruler. But Eleanor needs more than to be a
bearer of children and a deputy; she needs command of the throne. As her children grow older, and
her relationship with Henry suffers from scandal and infidelity, Eleanor realizes the power she seeks
won't be given willingly. She must take it for herself. But even a queen must face the consequences of
treason...
In this long-anticipated second novel in the Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy, bestselling author
Elizabeth Chadwick evokes a royal marriage where love and hatred are intertwined, and the battle over
power is fought not with swords, but deception.
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