cover image The Queen of Four Kingdoms

The Queen of Four Kingdoms

Princess Michael of Kent. Beaufort (Midpoint, dist.), $24.95 (446p) ISBN 978-0-8253-0737-9

Princess Michael (The Serpent and the Moon), an established lecturer and writer of royal histories, fleshes out the compelling story of Yolande of Aragon—nominally Queen of Four Kingdoms—in this first of a historical trilogy set during the Hundred Years’ War. From her marriage to Duke Louis II of Anjou in 1400 through the next 40 years, Yolande acquires and exerts unusual influence over the fortunes of France—not always behind the scenes—as a frequent regent of her family’s wealthy territories and as mother-in-law of King Charles VII. Despite her husband’s and son’s fruitless attempts to recapture the throne of Naples, Yolande champions the French monarchy against two forceful rivals: the Dukes of Burgundy and the English. She triumphs through her shrewd judgment of character and the effective, if morally questionable, placement of allies in strategic positions. Although participants and historical events are presented accurately, personalities tend to be one-dimensional and too frequently correlate to their physical appearance: handsome, virtue-filled men battle ugly, treacherous schemers. Despite a genealogical table, the ages of several main characters fluctuate conveniently, and occasional modernisms (“crying her eyes out”) will jar the attentive reader of this otherwise well-imagined account of a real-life French royal. (Oct.)