Eleanor of Castile: The Shadow Queen - Hardcover

Cockerill, Sara

3.83

186 ratings by Goodreads

9781445635897: Eleanor of Castile: The Shadow Queen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1445635895 ISBN 13: 9781445635897

Publisher: Amberley Publishing, 2014

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Eleanor of Castile, the remarkable woman behind England's greatest medieval king, Edward I, has been effectively airbrushed from history; yet she had one of the most fascinating lives of any of England's queens. Her childhood was spent in the centre of the Spanish reconquest and was dominated by her military hero of a father (St Ferdinand) and her prodigiously clever brother (King Alfonso X the Learned). Married at the age of twelve and a mother at thirteen, she gave birth to at least sixteen children, most of whom died young. She was a prisoner for a year amid a civil war in which her husband s life was in acute danger. Devoted to Edward, she accompanied him everywhere, including on Crusade to the Holy Land. All in all, she was to live for extended periods in five different countries. Eleanor was a highly dynamic, forceful personality who acted as part of Edward s innermost circle of advisers, and successfully accumulated a vast property empire for the English Crown. In cultural terms her influence in architecture and design and even gardening can be discerned to this day, while her idealised image still speaks to us from Edward s beautiful memorials to her, the Eleanor crosses. This book reveals her untold story.

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Review:

'A thought-provoking portrait of a quietly remarkable queen.... [Eleanor] is convincingly characterized as more intellectual, more literary and possibly more intelligent than her imposing husband; a woman of hard-nosed business acumen who was also possessed of an unshowy integrity.' --Helen Castor, Times Literary Supplement

'A brilliant new life of one of the most surprising powers behind England's medieval throne. Sara Cockerill writes with scholarship and verve, bringing alive the medieval world and shedding new light on a lost Plantagenet queen.' --Dan Jones, bestselling author of The Plantagenets. Michael Prestwich, Professor Emeritus, Durham University. 'A compelling and intricately researched biography that brings one of history's most fascinating, influential yet neglected queens out of the shadows.' --Tracy Borman, Joint Chief Curator for Historic Royal Palaces and author of Thomas Cromwell and Matilda: Queen of the Conqueror

'A devoted queen, a woman of letters, a keen gardener, an enthusiastic huntswoman and an acquisitive landlord, Eleanor of Castile was a complex woman. This deeply researched biography brings out splendidly the contradictory aspects of a queen whose career has not, until now, had the attention it deserves. Sara Cockerill sets Eleanor in a full context, bringing out the importance of her Spanish heritage, and providing new insights into the role she played in her husband Edward I's rule.' --Michael Prestwich, Professor Emeritus, Durham University

About the Author:

Sara Cockerill studied law at the University of Oxford. She is a practising QC specialising in commercial law, and the author of a leading specialist legal text. She has had a lifelong interest in English history and has devoted her spare time over the past ten years to researching the life of Eleanor of Castile. She is married with one cat, and divides her time between London and the seaside. 'Eleanor of Castile: The Shadow Queen' is her first published work of history. For more information, see www.saracockerill.com

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