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Outrageous means immoderate, extravagant, extraordinary, violent, furious, grossly cruel, immoral, offensive . . .
At least one of these words is descriptive of each of the dozen royal women whose lives are told in this book. All make fascinating psychological studies of women who wielded immense power in a world where liberty for women was an undreamed of concept. Yet they proved that when it came to intrigue - sometimes up to the point of assassination - they were equal to any male monarch of their times.
Some played the role of warrior queens - red-haired Boudicca whose vengeance cost over a hundred thousand lives, the evidence of which is still to be found beneath the City of London; Eleanor of Aquitaine who took her "Amazons" on a crusade to Outremer; Henrietta Maria, the "generalissima" who led an army in the Civil War. The infamous Queen Mary who earned her epithet of "Bloody" through the Smithfield burnings, or the murderous Elfrida who changed history when she "trimmed and decked herself in the most costly and shewing apparell" to meet Edgar the Peaceful, or Isabella - the She Wolf of France - whose despised husband met one of the most horrific deaths in history.
But it is not only violence to be found in these pages. There are outrageous love affairs, such as those of Eleanor of Anjou, whose passions led to civil war, and the great Elizabeth. Although she was able to dance after she had sent her beloved Essex to the block, her true love was the scheming Duc d'Alencon described as a "hideous dwarf" who died of debauchery.
Above all the theme of The Outrageous Queens is intrigue. The women in this book ruled in their own right, others by manipulating their husbands - or lovers, but all have affected our history, and all of their extraordinary stories are fact.
Marc Alexander left Poverty Bay, New Zealand, to become a journalist in London. After four years on Fleet Street, he became the editorial director of a small magazine group, then the organiser of an annual film festival. Four years ago he became a full-time author, his books ranging from fiction to history.
At least one of these words is descriptive of each of the dozen royal women whose lives are told in this book. All make fascinating psychological studies of women who wielded immense power in a world where liberty for women was an undreamed of concept. Yet they proved that when it came to intrigue - sometimes up to the point of assassination - they were equal to any male monarch of their times.
Some played the role of warrior queens - red-haired Boudicca whose vengeance cost over a hundred thousand lives, the evidence of which is still to be found beneath the City of London; Eleanor of Aquitaine who took her "Amazons" on a crusade to Outremer; Henrietta Maria, the "generalissima" who led an army in the Civil War. The infamous Queen Mary who earned her epithet of "Bloody" through the Smithfield burnings, or the murderous Elfrida who changed history when she "trimmed and decked herself in the most costly and shewing apparell" to meet Edgar the Peaceful, or Isabella - the She Wolf of France - whose despised husband met one of the most horrific deaths in history.
But it is not only violence to be found in these pages. There are outrageous love affairs, such as those of Eleanor of Anjou, whose passions led to civil war, and the great Elizabeth. Although she was able to dance after she had sent her beloved Essex to the block, her true love was the scheming Duc d'Alencon described as a "hideous dwarf" who died of debauchery.
Above all the theme of The Outrageous Queens is intrigue. The women in this book ruled in their own right, others by manipulating their husbands - or lovers, but all have affected our history, and all of their extraordinary stories are fact.
About the Author...
Marc Alexander left Poverty Bay, New Zealand, to become a journalist in London. After four years on Fleet Street, he became the editorial director of a small magazine group, then the organiser of an annual film festival. Four years ago he became a full-time author, his books ranging from fiction to history.
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