Shelley Puhak

The Bloody Rivalry that Forged the Medieval World

The Dark Queens

The history (and Puhak's masterful weaving of it!) in this book is so rich and engrossing it took me two months to finish. I began this book giggling and kicking my feet over the drama—two queens, one born a slave and the other a princess, as rivals? Has there ever been another pair so doomed to be foils from the start?—astonished it was real history, amazed such interesting figures had been erased for centuries, and by the end I was fully mourning two women who died 1400 years ago. I loved learning how medieval figures operated within their constraints of gender or religion or class; the amount of social mobility within the 6th century amazed me. Having known little of the Merovingian dynasty, I appreciated how accessible Puhak made its setting. Fredegund and Brunhild's ghosts are fascinating, and that is in partial thanks to Puhak's vivid writing.

alice

I wish I had read this as a physical book as maps and family trees - or other graphic artefacts - would have made this a lot more orderly in my head. Otherwise the book was very well researched and written, providing plenty of context for the lives and reigns of Brunhild and Fredegund, drawing them to a fascinating conclusion that has truly shaped Europe.

shellybn

This is an interesting historical account of a time period I know very little about. It did not have the ending I was expecting.

“A well-researched and well-told epic history. The Dark Queens brings these courageous, flawed, and ruthless rulers and their distant times back to life.”--Margot Lee Shetterly, New York Times-bestselling author of Hidden Figures The remarkable, little-known story of two trailblazing women in the Early Middle Ages who wielded immense power, only to be vilified for daring to rule. Brunhild was a foreign princess, raised to be married off for the sake of alliance-building. Her sister-in-law Fredegund started out as a lowly palace slave. And yet-in sixth-century Merovingian France, where women were excluded from noble succession and royal politics was a blood sport-these two iron-willed strategists reigned over vast realms, changing the face of Europe. The two queens commanded armies and negotiated with kings and popes. They formed coalitions and broke them, mothered children and lost them. They fought a decades-long civil war-against each other. With ingenuity and skill, they battled to stay alive in the game of statecraft, and in the process laid the foundations of what would one day be Charlemagne's empire. Yet after the queens' deaths-one gentle, the other horrific-their stories were rewritten, their names consigned to slander and legend. In The Dark Queens, award-winning writer Shelley Puhak sets the record straight. She resurrects two very real women in all their complexity, painting a richly detailed portrait of an unfamiliar time and striking at the roots of some of our culture's stubbornest myths about female power. The Dark Queens offers proof that the relationships between women can transform the world.

The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World

If only history books used throughout school were written with even half as much dedication that Shelley Puhak has to The Dark Queens. It would have been easier to pay attention in History class.

The Dark Queens felt like a fresh take on the 6th century. Told from a perspective that isn't usually followed in such a time; the women. It is more common to learn from the point of view of Kings and their direct court.

An excellent mix of history following compelling people, and author commentary.

The stories of Brunhild and Fredegund could be turned into a TV show with Puhak's book alone. She has done a thorough job of researching and educated guessing to provide a complete picture. Puhak provides several takes that feel quite logical when she had no written history or poetical accounts to cite to fill in passages of time or choices made by the queens and their cohorts.

These women lived very exciting lives on their own that do not need twisting or erasure to be interesting. Puhak has captured that, and presented to the audience in a way that is stimulating. Maybe not as bombastic as an opera, but the book doesn't quite read in a way that is history, but more in an eloquent way that felt like I'd picked up fanciful fiction.

I enjoyed learning about these queens, and the men they influenced.

This book was provided to me via a Goodreads giveaway. This in no way influences my review, either in posting or final rating. I strive to provide honest reviews, both for true feedback for the author and a realistic perspective for other readers.

Ariel Johnson

If only history books used throughout school were written with even half as much dedication that Shelley Puhak has to The Dark Queens. It would have been easier to pay attention in History class.

The Dark Queens felt like a fresh take on the 6th century. Told from a perspective that isn't usually followed in such a time; the women. It is more common to learn from the point of view of Kings and their direct court.

An excellent mix of history following compelling people, and author commentary.

The stories of Brunhild and Fredegund could be turned into a TV show with Puhak's book alone. She has done a thorough job of researching and educated guessing to provide a complete picture. Puhak provides several takes that feel quite logical when she had no written history or poetical accounts to cite to fill in passages of time or choices made by the queens and their cohorts.

These women lived very exciting lives on their own that do not need twisting or erasure to be interesting. Puhak has captured that, and presented to the audience in a way that is stimulating. Maybe not as bombastic as an opera, but the book doesn't quite read in a way that is history, but more in an eloquent way that felt like I'd picked up fanciful fiction.

I enjoyed learning about these queens, and the men they influenced.

This book was provided to me via a Goodreads giveaway. This in no way influences my review, either in posting or final rating. I strive to provide honest reviews, both for true feedback for the author and a realistic perspective for other readers.



Riley

Cody Madden

Danni Watkins

A vivid double biography of two feisty Early Medieval queens, and an enthralling journey of discovery across the unfamiliar and blood-soaked historical landscape of sixth-century Merovingian France. Brunhild was a Visigothic princess, raised to be married off for the sake of alliance-building. Her sister-in-law Fredegund started out as a lowly palace slave. And yet - in sixth-century Merovingian France, where women were excluded from noble succession and royal politics was a blood sport - these two iron-willed strategists reigned over vast realms for decades, changing the face of Europe. The two queens commanded armies, developed taxation policies, established infrastructure and negotiated with emperors and popes, all the time fighting a gruelling forty-year civil war with each other. Yet after Brunhild and Fredegund's deaths, their stories were rewritten, their names consigned to slander and legend. From the tangled primary evidence of Merovingian sources - the works of the chronicler Gregory of Tours and the Latin poet Venantius Fortunatus - award-winning writer Shelley Puhak weaves a tale of sometimes bewildering complexity, its characters driven by ambition, lust and jealousy to acts of treachery and murderous violence. The Dark Queensresurrects these two women in all their complexity, painting a richly detailed portrait of a shadowy era and dispelling some of the stubbornest myths about female power.

The Dark Queens The Bloody Rivalry that Forged the Medieval World

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