Author: Leah Redmond Chang
Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography
Publisher: Farrar, Strays, and Giroux
Release Date: 2023
Pages: 490
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: The boldly original, dramatic intertwined story of Catherine de’ Medici, Elisabeth de Valois, and Mary, Queen of Scots—three queens exercising power in a world dominated by men.
Orphaned from infancy, Catherine de’ Medici endured a tumultuous childhood. Married to the French king, she was widowed by forty, only to become the power behind the French throne during a period of intense civil strife. In 1546, Catherine gave birth to a daughter, Elisabeth de Valois, who would become Queen of Spain. Two years later, Catherine welcomed to her nursery the beguiling young Mary Queen of Scots, who would later become her daughter-in-law.
Together, Catherine, Elisabeth, and Mary lived through the sea changes that transformed sixteenth-century Europe, a time of expanding empires, religious discord, and populist revolt, as concepts of nationhood began to emerge and ideas of sovereignty inched closer to absolutism. They would learn that to rule as a queen was to wage a constant war against the deeply entrenched misogyny of their time.
Following the intertwined stories of the three women from girlhood through young adulthood, Leah Redmond Chang's Young Queens paints a picture of a world in which a woman could wield power at the highest level yet remain at the mercy of the state, her body serving as the currency of empire and dynasty, sacrificed to the will of husband, family, kingdom.
My Review: Young Queens is a triple biography of Queen Catherine de Medici of France, Queen Elizabeth de Valois of Spain, and Mary, Queen of Scots. Catherine de Medici was the niece of an Italian pope, Clement VII. She was queen consort to King Henri II of France. She was widowed at the age of forty, and became queen mother to three of her sons. Elizabeth de Valois was Catherine de Medici’s daughter, and the third wife of King Phillip II. Mary, Queen of Scots was crowned at six days old and was the queen consort to King Francis of France. She was also famously executed by Queen Elizabeth I of England. This book tells how each of these queens were intertwined with each other.
I have read numerous biographies of Mary, Queen of Scots and a couple on Catherine de Medici. Therefore, there was no new material on them. Elizabeth de Valois was a queen that I did not know much about. Therefore, it was very illuminating to read her story. After reading about these three queens, I found Catherine de Medici to have the most successful reign and was the most powerful queen. She worked tirelessly for the well-being of France and tried to navigate the religious wars brewing in her country. Even though Mary, Queen of Scots was a sovereign queen, she was powerless and her reign proved disastrous. Elizabeth de Valois was a queen consort who strived to please both her husband and her mother.
Overall, this was a very comprehensive and enjoyable biography of three Renaissance queens. I thought that Mrs. Chang gave an accurate and unbiased account of each of the three queens. The reader is left to make up their own opinions and assumptions about these three queens. The only thing I did not like about this book was that it was sometimes too bogged down with many trivial details. Nevertheless, it was a very fascinating and enthralling read! I found it hard to put down! Young Queens is a must read for fans of royalty! I recommend this for fans of Nicola Tallis, Tracy Borman, and Antonia Fraser!
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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