A Marriage of Lions
In this latest book, Elizabeth Chadwick takes us back to the 13th century. Henry III is on the throne but is at odds with many of his barons for favouring foreigners with honours and positions within his household. Shades of the great William Marshal also hover over it, in that his granddaughter, Joanna, is a prime character in the story. She existed and was taken to court as a young child of around eight to be trained as a lady-in-waiting to the Queen and in time married William de Valence, half-brother to the King. Also involved is Simon de Montfort, married to the King’s sister, Eleanor, who had previously been married to William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke (eldest son of the previous William); There were constant clashes over land rights between the de Montforts and the Valences.
All the characters, apart from one or two very minor ones, existed, and this book expertly relates the history of the period. The gradual deterioration of relations between Henry and Simon is expertly told, and the difficulties of life in this period are graphically described. Details are, as always, well researched and, as with all Chadwick’s books, once the book is started it is hard to put down. If all school textbooks were written in this vein, history would be a very popular subject.
As always, the author’s notes are informative, and I would suggest reading these first unless the reader has a very detailed knowledge of the period. The family trees, cast of characters, and maps included in the front of the book are also well worth studying. Yet another first-class story from this author, and it will certainly join all the others on my bookshelves.
