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Early queens of the English/ England...

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Nefret
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Early queens of the English/ England...

Post by Nefret » Wed August 17th, 2016, 3:17 pm

I've read the novel about Emma of Normandy by Helen Hollick. And the ones by Patricia Bracewell.

Looking for other fiction/ non-fiction about other early queens.
Into battle we ride with Gods by our side
We are strong and not afraid to die
We have an urge to kill and our lust for blood has to be fulfilled
WE´LL FIGHT TILL THE END! And send our enemies straight to Hell!
- "Into Battle"
{Ensiferum}

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Susan
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Re: Early queens of the English/ England...

Post by Susan » Wed August 17th, 2016, 8:13 pm

Not quite England...Susan Fraser King's two novels: Lady Macbeth (early 1000s) and Queen Hereafter about St. Margaret of Scotland, who was a daughter of the Anglo-Saxon Edward the Exile (again early 1000s). The books are somewhat related. Margaret was married to the historical equivalent of Malcolm in Shakespeare's Macbeth.
~Susan~
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Susan
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Re: Early queens of the English/ England...

Post by Susan » Wed August 17th, 2016, 8:34 pm

Here's a list of HF from that time period. I am also interested in learning more about that time period. I'm good with kings and queens post 1066, but those Anglo-Saxon kings and queens confuse me.

http://www.historicalnovels.info/Mediev ... axons.html
~Susan~
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Mythica
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Re: Early queens of the English/ England...

Post by Mythica » Thu August 18th, 2016, 10:06 pm

"The Handfasted Wife" is about Harold Godwinson's first wife, but I wasn't hugely impressed with it.

Technically, not a queen but Æthelflæd, daughter of King Alfred and ruler of Mercia, has a few books, but they are mostly indie/self pubbed books that didn't seem great either - or they are out of print (and not available on ebook):

King Alfred's Daughter: The Lady of the Mercians by Marjory A. Grieser (self published - could be good, I only read the sample and it didn't grab me)
The King's Daughter by Penny Ingham (indie - it was terrible if you ask me, a sorry excuse for historical fiction)
The Edge On The Sword by Rebecca Tingle (out of print, young adult)
Swords Across the Thames (Warrior Queen Series) by Haley Elizabeth Garwood (Out of print)
Shadowers Crossing by Chris Kirwan (Self published)
Ismere: A Story of “The Lady of the Mercians” by Martin Wall (Self published)

Bernard Cornwell's Saxon series strongly features Æthelflæd in some of the books, but I wouldn't say it's really about her.

Kathleen Herbert's out of print series The Dark Ages of Britain I think uses some obscure historical figures as strong female characters but it sounds very romancey: https://www.goodreads.com/series/137477 ... an-trilogy

You might want to check out Helen Hollick's series on King Arthur - while it's not about real historical figures, it's a very realistic take on the Arthurian legend and Guinevere.

There's also some on Matilda, the wife of William the Conqueror, but of course that's getting into Norman England so I don't know if that's early enough for you:

Wife to the Bastard by Hilda Lewis
The Conqueror's Wife by Noel Gerson

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Nefret
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Re: Early queens of the English/ England...

Post by Nefret » Fri August 19th, 2016, 1:26 am

I'm looking for anyone before Eleanor of Aquitaine, really. Like her, but she has plenty books.
Into battle we ride with Gods by our side
We are strong and not afraid to die
We have an urge to kill and our lust for blood has to be fulfilled
WE´LL FIGHT TILL THE END! And send our enemies straight to Hell!
- "Into Battle"
{Ensiferum}

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Susan
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Re: Early queens of the English/ England...

Post by Susan » Fri August 19th, 2016, 2:17 am

Nefret wrote:I'm looking for anyone before Eleanor of Aquitaine, really. Like her, but she has plenty books.
Then you have lots of possibilities. One problem with writing about these early queens is that there is not that much information on them, so I suppose that is why there are not many books on them. It also means that readers should take what's written with a grain of salt.
~Susan~
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http://www.unofficialroyalty.com/

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Mythica
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Re: Early queens of the English/ England...

Post by Mythica » Fri August 19th, 2016, 8:02 pm

There's a few more options then, mostly on Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I:
When Christ and His Saints Slept (Henry II & Eleanor of Aquitaine #1) by Sharon Kay Penman
The Passionate Enemies (Norman Trilogy #3) by Jean Plaidy (Out of print)
Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick
The Anarchy of Stephen and Matilda by Stephen M. Taylor
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
The Forgotten Queen (Warrior Queen Series #1) by Haley Elizabeth Garwood (Out of print)
The Fatal Crown (The Queens of Love and War #1) by Ellen Jones (Out of print but available as ebook)
Lion’s Legacy by Juilet Dymoke (Out of print)
England in Anarchy (The Normans #2) by H.A. Culley (Self published, ebook exclusive)

There's also one on the consorts of Henry I, Matilda of Scotland and Adeliza of Louvain:
Red Queen, White Queen by Maureen Peters (Out of print)

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princess garnet
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Re: Early queens of the English/ England...

Post by princess garnet » Mon August 22nd, 2016, 4:52 pm

Hello while on the road, dropping in for a few moments! :D
Susan wrote:Not quite England...Susan Fraser King's two novels: Lady Macbeth (early 1000s) and Queen Hereafter about St. Margaret of Scotland, who was a daughter of the Anglo-Saxon Edward the Exile (again early 1000s). The books are somewhat related. Margaret was married to the historical equivalent of Malcolm in Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Chime on these two novels. They're good!

I believe Matilda appears throughout the Norman trilogy by Jean Plaidy.

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Nefret
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Re: Early queens of the English/ England...

Post by Nefret » Mon August 22nd, 2016, 9:16 pm

princess garnet wrote:
I believe Matilda appears throughout the Norman trilogy by Jean Plaidy.
I've been wanting to read that, but it's out of print.
Into battle we ride with Gods by our side
We are strong and not afraid to die
We have an urge to kill and our lust for blood has to be fulfilled
WE´LL FIGHT TILL THE END! And send our enemies straight to Hell!
- "Into Battle"
{Ensiferum}

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