The Importance of Wives: Chronicles of the House of Valois
This novel tells the story of a courageous woman of the 15th century, Anne of Brittany. In 1488, before her 12th birthday, Anne inherits the duchy of Brittany after her father’s death. Her guardians, Marshal de Rieux and Madame de Dinan, try to force her to marry the Sire d’Albret, a cruel and lecherous man. When Anne refuses, her guardians claim they are the legitimate rulers of Brittany and declare civil war against Anne. At the same time, the French invade because they want to annex the duchy, with its strategic position across the Channel from England. Faced with war on two fronts, Anne will not give in to the demands of her guardians and has herself crowned as duchess. She marries Maximilian, King of the Romans, by proxy, but when the military aid he promised doesn’t materialize, she has second thoughts about the marriage, which can be dissolved. Realizing that what her people want is peace, Anne must make a decision. Will she marry a Frenchman to end the war?
Keira Morgan depicts Anne as a heroine to admire. She is strong and determined to preserve her duchy’s independence. In Brittany, unlike France, women were allowed to inherit the throne, and Anne wishes to be a strong leader for her people, even though she is female and still a child at the time. She knows she must marry and produce heirs, but she wants to choose her own husband, and she doesn’t want to sacrifice Brittany’s laws and customs to a foreign ruler. This is the third in Morgan’s Chronicles of the House of Valois series, but it comes first in chronological order, so it can easily be read first. The author provides a detailed list of characters, which is very useful. Highly recommended.
