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Game of Queens: The Women Who Made Sixteenth-Century Europe Paperback – November 7, 2017

by Sarah Gristwood (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 337 ratings
Editors' pick Best Biographies & Memoirs
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"Sarah Gristwood has written a masterpiece that effortlessly and enthrallingly interweaves the amazing stories of women who ruled in Europe during the Renaissance period." -- Alison Weir

Sixteenth-century Europe saw an explosion of female rule. From Isabella of Castile, and her granddaughter Mary Tudor, to Catherine de Medici, Anne Boleyn, and Elizabeth Tudor, these women wielded enormous power over their territories, shaping the course of European history for over a century. Across boundaries and generations, these royal women were mothers and daughters, mentors and protées, allies and enemies. For the first time, Europe saw a sisterhood of queens who would not be equaled until modern times. A fascinating group biography and a thrilling political epic, Game of Queens explores the lives of some of the most beloved (and reviled) queens in history.
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  1. Print length
    400 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Basic Books
  4. Publication date
    November 7, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    5.63 x 1.13 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1541697227
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1541697225
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Densely packed with fascinating material, this immensely ambitious undertaking succeeds triumphantly."
―Literary Review (UK)

"A fascinating work of world and women's history."―Booklist

"Gristwood's fresh take on a well-documented period and the achievements, failures, and relationships of some of Europe's most powerful players is intriguing, cohesive, and accessible."―Publishers Weekly

"[Game of Queens] casts a well-researched time period in an intriguing light.... Readers of popular history, especially of Tudor England, and of women's history will find much to enjoy."―Library Journal

"Sarah Gristwood handles multiple narrative strands with tremendous finesse, dexterously synthesizing the stories of women who, in many cases, never met but whose lives intertwined in manifold ways."―Literary Review (UK)

"Game of Queens is a magnificent exploration of a most remarkable group--the women who ruled sixteenth century Europe. Sarah Gristwood gives us impeccable research, incisive attention to detail, and exquisite writing as she investigates these truly fascinating women and their lives of courage, tribulation, and determination. Absolutely unputdownable."―Kate Williams, authorof England's Mistress

"Sarah Gristwood's study of the brilliant, beleaguered, and often bloody difficult women who kept Europe going in the sixteenth century is compelling, clear-eyed, beautifully rendered, and never-more-timely."―JessieChilds, author of God's Traitors: Terror and Faith in Elizabethan England

"In her elegant and engaging style, she combines incisive detail with over-arching and eye-opening themes of queenship and the role of women in a male-dominated world. This book is a wonderful, timely contribution to our understanding of the period, and a pacy and illuminating good read."―Alison Weir, authorof The Lost Tudor Princess

About the Author

Sarah Gristwood is a regular contributor to many London publications as well as a commentator on royal and historical affairs. The author of several previous books, including Blood Sisters, Gristwood splits her time between London and Kent, United Kingdom.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; Reprint edition (November 7, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1541697227
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1541697225
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.63 x 1.13 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 337 ratings

About the author

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Sarah Gristwood

Sarah Gristwood

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Sarah Gristwood's new anthology Secret Voices: A Year of Women's Diaries, looks back over four centuries , and draws on more than a hundred female diarists. She has written a number of books on fifteenth and sixteenth-century history, including The Tudors in Love: Passion and Politics in the Age of England's Most Famous Dynasty,  Game of Queens, and Blood Sisters. Sarah Gristwood's Arbella: England’s Lost Queen and Elizabeth and Leicester both featured on the bestseller lists, and she has also written a number of books on twentieth-century figures from Winston Churchill to Elizabeth II.

A former film journalist Sarah broadcasts regularly for Sky News, CNN and the BBC on royal and historical affairs, besides contributing to many documentary series. A graduate of Oxford University, she is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and of the RSA, who has been shortlisted for both the Marsh Biography Award and the Ben Pimlott Prize for Political Writing.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
337 global ratings
Informative, Exciting and couldn't Put it Down
5 Stars
Informative, Exciting and couldn't Put it Down
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Gristwood impressively wove together the lives of all the major female players of 16th century Europe, a feat I did not think possible. You can see from the family tree, there's a lot of them. One word of caution, if you are not familiar at all with the basics of 16th century, the book may be a bit difficult. However, if you know and love reading about Elizabeth I, the intrigues of the French Court or even an avid watcher of the various historical dramas on TV, you will enjoy this book. Those who love books by Allison Weir, Dan Jones or Marc Morris will really appreciate how well Gristwood tackled this topic. She starts with the premise of a strong female ruler, someone like Elizabeth I or Catherine Medici, but then traces those qualities that enabled them to rule and maneuver in a patriarchal society back through history and to the women who paved the way. Gristwood also shows how while there may be 'winners' as far as the term can be applied to women of the 16th century, there are also undoubtedly 'losers' who did not learn the lessons of their forebears. She also shows how connected these women were despite the distances and the fact that they often were on opposite sides. There's Margaret of Navarre's zeal to protect and serve her brother's needs above all else even her own family, Margaret of Austria's political acumen paired with her care of so many of the young females that would shape Europe, and Anne Boleyn with her French charm who was an expert at the game of courtly love but perhaps took the game to far. All these women came alive and their stories brought to the forefront. Thoroughly enjoyable and glad I got to know more about these gifted and flawed women of history.
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Top reviews from the United States

Black Cloud
5.0 out of 5 stars Prompt shipping
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2024
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I'm a student of 16th century France. I'm enjoying this book. Well-written and researched.
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Shauna A.
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting material, with a caveat.
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2019
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I wish I could give it 4.5 stars, because it has information I have not found anywhere else! And the book is and so interesting!

However, it needs a better editor. Some of the writing is impossible to tease out the meaning. My daughter and I parsed one "sentence" for an hour trying to figure out the real meaning... the use of comma's in some places is completely random and make it humor, which is not the intent.

And of course, as much historical writing does, it sometimes puts you to sleep...

Definitely worth the effort to read, all the way to the end.
6 people found this helpful
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Carole P. Roman
5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed and wonderfully written book celebrating powerful queens of Western Europe
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2016
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Detailed and wonderfully written book celebrating powerful queens of Western Europe. Starting with Isabella of Spain and ending with Elizabeth I. Gristwood writes of the various women from England, The Netherlands, Spain, Hungary, and France and how they impacted history. Isabella of Spain broke the mold as a warrior queen, setting the precedent of a woman taking control of her country as well as standing beside her troops in battle. With each new personality, Gristwood shows how they influenced the next generation of queens in training. Isabella's fierce ability to govern and defend her country set the example for her own daughter Katherine of Aragon to act as regent in Henry's absence and defeat the Scots at Flodden. Similarly, the author compares Margaret Tudor's role in Scotland as well as Anne of France's impact on the girls she mentored. The author moves through time, describing the dynamics of Marguerite of Savoy's relationship with both her brother, Francis I and her mother, Louise of Savoy. Each new era brings a widening influence affecting women across Europe, the older queens tutoring the younger girls in their future roles. Interestingly, she writes that Anne Boleyn's failure and ultimate downfall may have been the result of her not being an actual princess, her common roots leaving her unprepared the navigate the dangerous shoals of palace politics. She asserts that Boleyn was so caught up in the idea of courtly love, she had no understanding of when to stop and perhaps protect herself. She shows the differences of a political savvy Marguerite of Navarre played with her brother, the king when he forced an undesirable marriage on her daughter. Marguerite understood the dangerous dance of when to push and when to retreat, unlike Anne who did not. Mary of Hungary, Catherine de Medici, Elizabeth 1, Mary of Guise, Mary of Scotland, are a few of the ruling queens mentioned. The times created women who learned how to steer the world, shaping bloodlines as well as borders with quiet strength. They changed what they believed in with passionate dedication proving leadership did not belong solely in a king's hands.
Interesting, at times, riveting, this is a fascinating glimpse into a world that is too often overshadowed by the achievements of kings rather than the women who surrounded and influenced them.
62 people found this helpful
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Tatiana
5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing History of Powerful Women
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2017
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Fascinating read! I'm well read in history,but didn't know all the details of these 16th century queens who either solely reigned or were the powers behind the thrones of their absent brothers or young sons, While all this was going on in Spain, France, England, Scotland and the Holy Roman Empire, the Reformation was having an enormous impact on the very core of European life. The author does a great job interweaving the stories of these women and their influence on each other. Some were able to negotiate peace for their countries when their husbands/brothers could not. While others were locked in power struggles which were only resolved with lethal force.
Thank goodness the author's notes contain 1) a time line, 2) family trees and 3) thumbnail descriptions of the central characters (eight of whom are either named Mary or Margaret). I kept referring to those. Hard to keep track sometimes, but still an engrossing read.
8 people found this helpful
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desertwiffie
3.0 out of 5 stars Man, I don't think I can take anymore!
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2021
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I've read all of Allison Weir's nonfiction books and I thought they were rough going but they look like Dick And Jane primers compared to this tome. I was so excited to read this, the idea of somebody finally shining a light on the lives of the women connected to the royalty who previously appeared to do it all by themselves. I'm so disappointed in myself but I have to abandon this, at least for now. I'm not having fun, I keep going over and over it, even made notes of everybody's names so I could go into wikepedia and try to piece it altogether from additional clues there. It's hopeless. I'm not sure what a writer would have do to pull this off in a way that would make it less of a chore, or maybe I'm getting senile! Apparently lots of other people seemed to have made it through okay, and maybe I would too by 2022, but I'm 75 and may not have enough time left! I give up, for now at least. She's a good writer, though.
8 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Little known women, Little known history
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2017
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This is a fascinating history of both the sung and unsung women of the 16th century. What makes it compellingly interesting for students of history are the details about women of power of that era that are generally unkown to us. These include, among others, Margaret of Austria, Mary of Hungary, Marie de Guise (mother of Mary of Scotland) and Louise of Savoy. Other more famous characters are also included and nicely fleshed out but the real interest is in these not so marginal but much less written about ladies. The style of writing is clear, fluid and easy to read, yet nicely scholarly. Very highly recommended to those interested in this time period, women' s history or just history in general. It does give lie at times to the fact that women were powerless. The Emperor Charles appeared to have great faith in his lady relatives!
3 people found this helpful
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Julie Corsi
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting histories of powerful women
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2017
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Europe during the sixteenth century was unusual in that many of the kingdoms during that time had females in charge. Isabella of Castile, her daughter Katherine of Aragon, and her granddaughter Mary Tudor, Catherine de Medici, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth Tudor, Margaret of Austria and Louise of Savoy - what an interesting time for these women to live in.

The book is well researched and well written, but there's such an abundance of characters that they all get confusing at times. It would have been nice to have a map included with each woman listed on the country of association.
6 people found this helpful
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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Ottimo acquisto
Reviewed in Italy on March 25, 2020
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Arrivato con 5 giorni di anticipo! Il libro offre una bella panoramica del periodo. Consigliato a chi ha un buon livello in inglese e ha già un minimo di conoscenze sull'argomento. Della stessa autrice e per completare le proprie conoscenze consiglio "blood sisters".
Unico punto negativo: il libro è stampato in caratteri minuscoli il che stanca molto la vista.
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aliénor
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in France on April 17, 2018
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I really enjoyed this book. I’m a Sarah Gristwood fan and have read her other works. I loved this book in particular because it depicts the lives of several outstanding women of the XVI century. Extraordinary lives that played very important roles and left their mark in history. The book is extremely well written, easy to read, pleasant and very informative.
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EleanorB
5.0 out of 5 stars Classy and absorbing history book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2016
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From an era when it is generally supposed that royal women took the back seat politically, stayed home, embroidered, prayed and raised heirs, Sarah Gristwood has extracted the true stories of women who did not conform to the stereotype and participated fully and effectively in the governance of countries for whom conflict with one another was the established way of life. England, Scotland, Spain, France, the Netherlands etc were closely linked by marriage between their various royal houses, but that never guaranteed peaceful co-existence. The nature of military campaigning meant that queens were often regents for significant periods of time wielding real power and influence.

Mary of Hungary in the early 1500s was appointed as governor of the Netherlands by her brother, Holy Roman Emperor Charles the Fifth. She wore herself out in the role, but did it so well that her brother simply would not let her step down into quiet contemplation and rest. As Charles said, "I am only one and cannot be everywhere". This was true of others, such as Anne de Beaujeu of France, whose skills were manifest and appreciated, whether in direct rule, decision making, the brokering of peace deals, or in the mentoring of the daughters and nieces for whom they were responsible. Like a number of 16th Century women, Anne de Beaujeu was also a published author and her book "Lessons for my Daughter" is in print to this day.

Marguerite of Navarre was similarly greatly trusted and relied upon by her brother, Francois the First of France. She and his mother were particularly vital in holding things together during his captivity as a hostage in Spain. Isabella of Castile was a ruler on equal footing with her husband, Ferdinand of Aragon, and quite possibly the smarter of the two anointed Catholic monarchs. Their daughter, Katherine, was the first wife of Henry the Eighth and fully entrusted with the ruling of England in his absence, her tenure including the defeat of the Scottish king at Flodden.

In the latter part of the century, the tense and toxic stand off between two reigning monarchs, Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth the First reached its grisly end point - there could only be one winner in that particular game of queens.

This book is the product of immense, detailed research and a profound understanding of the role of late medieval women as consorts, queens, regents and peacemakers. I highly recommend it as a work which sheds light not just on its cast of vivid female characters, but on the whole political, social and military environment in which these extraordinary women lived and operated. The illustrations are also first class - overall, it is a 10!!
8 people found this helpful
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James
5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning masterpiece of history
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2016
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It's not everyday you read a book that opens up new interest in a subject you are already interested in. This new book did just that. Not only does it discuss the lives of well known female rulers Elizabeth I and Mary I of England, Mary, Queen of Scots, Isabella of Castile, Margaret of Austria, as well as female consorts Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Parr, it also brings women such as Jeanne d'Albret, Mary of Hungary, Margaret Tudor and Anne of Brittany, among others to the forefront. These women being so often undeservingly neglected to mere footnotes in most biographies.
It is a fascinating discussion of the women who held power - either on the throne or behind it - their often conflicted loyalties to their homelands, or being forced to marry to secure alliances. It challenges the myth that women had no role in politics in the sixteenth century, at times being the ones to secure peace (Margaret of Austria and Louise of Savoy).
Sarah Gristwood has a marvellous way of effortlessly making the book seem less like a biography/timeline, and more like a discussion you are having with her. She effortlessly breezes between the entwined stories and lives of these remarkable women, with such ease and delicacy that the reader is not left behind scratching their heads (which could easily be the case). What is also special about this book is that you do not need a vast knowledge of the sixteenth century, this is as perfect an introduction to the period as many other books. In fact, probably more so here due style of the narrative, which does not fall into the trap of many other books that go off on tangents. Simply sticking to key facts surrounding the women during their time in power.
Many books have been written set in the sixteenth century, mainly Tudor England, that you often wonder if some have anything new to offer. This book however, offers a whole new focus to the period. Mainly due to the focus on the women outside of England, those in power in France, Spain, Netherlands, Navarre, Hungary etc. That you begin to understand a new side to the politics of sixteenth century women.
It must be said that the book does not glamorise the role of women in the sixteenth century world, making them out be early feminists - quite the contrary, instead it merely challenges some of the views people may have had about the role of some women in these times, that they were actually more than child bearers.
As bestselling historian Alison Weir says, this book is quite simply "A Masterpiece". I eagerly await Sarah Gristwood future work.

* At the back of the book, look out for further reading on these women, as well as the link to the 'Game of Queens' website.
13 people found this helpful
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Valene Reckhard
4.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down.
Reviewed in Canada on April 23, 2017
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Even though I was familiar with many of the stories of these amazing women, how their lives were entwined was really quite a revealation and I found this a riveting read.
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