The Dark Queens
Ratings8
Average rating3.7
A vivid double biography of two fearless early medieval queens. 'Brings the Merovingian empire to thrilling, bewildering, horrifying life' Helen Castor 'Restores two half-forgotten and much-mythologized queens to their proper place in medieval history' Dan Jones 'Fredegund and Brunhild have finally found a worthy champion' Literary Review 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. After Brunhild's and Fredegund's deaths, however, their stories were rewritten, their names consigned to slander and legend. From the tangled primary evidence of Merovingian sources, award-winning writer Shelley Puhak weaves a gripping and intricate tale, its characters driven by ambition, lust and jealousy to acts of treachery and murderous violence. The Dark Queens resurrects 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.
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What a wild ride.
The fact that these women are not more widely known is a travesty. Two women who ruled, conspired and helped shape a unified country during the 500s. Yes, 500s.
Fredegund and Brunhild should be a Hollywood (or film) dream star. Women in power. Murder. Revenge. Secret Plots. These women dealt with it all.
This book was written more like a fictionalized account of their life, but still drew on fact. The writing style made it easier to read than traditional nonfiction and I quickly flew through the chapters.
My one big disappointment with this book was the lack of a glossary of who is who. There is a brief one at the beginning, but that only covers the people in the first 1/4 of the book. Many characters have very similar names, making it difficult to keep track of who is who. I felt like I was only understanding at a surface level because I couldn't recall who was who.
Overall it was great to read about two powerful women who helped influence the Merovingian period of history, which is a history not widely recounted.
Talking about women's history is always difficult, especially further back, as we know more about their male counterparts than the females. This book was well-researched, and an interesting read overall. There were a lot of names and dates, so I highly recommend having a pen and paper to take notes as needed. This is one that I think would be easier to read and follow in a paper format, as highlighting and the final layout would be an easier to follow.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the story of Brunhild and Fredegund. They were extraordinary women who dared to take on a more male role in order to save their kingdoms. A feud, warfare, and finally vilified for daring to defend their kingdoms, and a lasting impression on history ensure these women will not be forgotten.
If you are looking for a great book, get this one! You will not read it in one sitting, but it's great for some shorter stints before bed.
Excellent non-fiction about two queens I knew nothing about and who were amazing. The men did their best to write them out of history, but they refuse to be forgotten thanks to Shelley Puhak!
