eleanor of aquitaine Archives

An Empire Lost is Published Today

Congratulations to Austin Hernon, whose absorbing Medieval saga, An Empire Lost, is published today!

An Empire Lost is the third historical novel in The Berengaria of Navarre Medieval Trilogy: Early Plantagenet novels set during the Third Crusade and the reign of Richard the Lionheart.

1192

Having defeated Saladin’s forces in Jaffa, Richard the Lionheart has sent his queen, Berengaria of Navarre to Rome while he handles business elsewhere.

Not knowing when the king will return, Berengaria sets about making diplomatic connections with Pope Celestine III and Rome’s high-ranking cardinals.

Disaster strikes when the news arrives that Richard is being held hostage by Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich VI — a major political rival. Horrified, Berengaria and the king’s mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, begin to raise funds to pay his ransom.

But not everyone is so eager to see Richard’s release. Having designs on England’s throne and the king’s French possessions, Richard’s brother, Prince John, has revolted in his absence, supported by King Philip of France. Together, they conspire to prolong Richard’s captivity.

With tensions rising throughout Europe, Berengaria worries that she will once more be caught in the middle of a war. And without her husband by her side, she begins to despair of ever producing an heir to secure England’s unwieldy throne…

Will Berengaria and Richard ever be reunited? Will they be able to secure England’s line of succession and their lands in France?

Or is Richard’s empire destined to fall…?

The Abandoned Queen by Austin Hernon

Austin Hernon is the author of The Wars of the Magna Carta series — military historical sagas — and the Berengaria of Navarre Medieval Trilogy: early Plantagenet novels set during the Third Crusade and the reign of Richard the Lionheart.

For the second instalment of my Berengaria of Navarre trilogy, The Abandoned Queen, I wanted to provide a little historical background. Why did England have a Basque queen between 1191 and 1199? Queen Berengaria didn’t chase or lobby for that crown. She was fully occupied managing her widowed father’s court.

Her father, King Sancho VI of Navarre was an enlightened man and ensured that all his children received the same comprehensive education. Therefore, by the time she was in her twenties, Berengaria was educated, multilingual, intelligent, and a keen observer of European politics and diplomacy of the time. The person who invited her to become Queen of England was none other than Richard the Lionheart’s mother: the dowager Queen of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine. She, the matriarch of the Plantagenet dynasty, was anxious to preserve the royal bloodline. With Richard already bound for Palestine, there was no guarantee he would return, and she was also determined to keep the runt Prince John off the throne.

But why was Richard bound for the Holy Land? The answer to that lies in the Third Crusade. Pope Gregory VIII called for the Crusade, which was intended to conquer the Holy Land and bring it under Christian control. Three kings responded to his call: King Phillip II of France; Frederick I, the Holy Roman Emperor; and Richard I of England.

A glance at a map of the time reveals that the kingdom of Navarre abutted Eleanor’s duchy of Aquitaine. In proposing that Berengaria marry Richard, Eleanor was able to satisfy her desire for a daughter-in-law and secure a useful ally on her southern border. And what princess would refuse the opportunity to be made a queen?

Once Berengaria had agreed to the plan, she and Eleanor set off together in hot pursuit of the war-bound king. And what an unexpected adventure the brave princess had volunteered for.

Happy Publication Day to Austin Hernon!

Congratulations to Austin Hernon, whose page-turning Medieval saga, The Lionheart’s Bride, is out now!

The Lionheart’s Bride is the first novel in The Berengaria of Navarre Medieval Trilogy: early Plantagenet novels set during the Third Crusade and the reign of Richard the Lionheart.

1191

Eleanor of Aquitaine sets her sights on Berengaria, Princess of Navarre as a potential bride for her son, Richard the Lionheart.

Richard is determined to make his mark crusading, and might not return, so Eleanor is keen to see an heir on the way to stop his feckless younger brother John from inheriting the kingdom.

Richard is not averse to his mother’s plans for the succession, but his priority lies in fulfilling his reputation as an indomitable warrior.

Berengaria is charmed by the prospect of travelling to a distant land to marry a handsome king of a distant land but she finds she has to accompany Eleanor in a race across Europe to catch her elusive bridegroom.

War on land, storms at sea, and the risk of alienating a conniving Pope go only some way to preparing Berengaria for life with the crusading Lionheart.

Will Richard’s blood-fuelled ambition be compatible with the husband Berengaria dreams of? Can she make her mark under Eleanor’s wing?

Or will she find her new life to be a lot more than she bargained for…?

The Road to Runnymede is Out Now

Congratulations to David Field, whose gripping historical saga, The Road to Runnymede, is out now!

The Road to Runnymede is the sixth historical novel in The Medieval Saga Series – thrilling action-packed adventures set during and after the Norman Conquest.

England, 1199

After the death of Richard the Lionheart, his brother, John takes the English throne with the support of his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

But John has a rival in the person of young Arthur, Duke of Brittany, who Richard had acknowledged as his rightful heir.

Arthur’s claim is the superior one under Angevin law, and it is backed by the majority of the nobles in Maine and Anjou, supported by King Philip II of France, who is anxious to break up the Angevin Empire.

John’s preference for foreign favourites, his heavy taxation of the English nobility to fund his military failures, his brutal reaction to opposition and his belief in his divine right to rule provoke a powerful group of barons into a rebellion.

But when John agrees to sign the Magna Carta, a fragile peace is restored.

It doesn’t take long for John to renege on his word. And the barons respond by inviting the young Prince Louis of France to invade.

In the midst of all this chaos, Earl Hugh of Flint, together with his powerful cousin Earl Ranulf of Chester, find themselves reluctantly serving a king who is destroying their country from within.

Their lives, their families and their estates are continually at risk as England turns on itself.

Who will emerge victorious? Will a new king bring stability?

Or is England doomed to once more be thrown into a period of turmoil…?

Happy Publication Day to Coirle Mooney!

Congratulations to Coirle Mooney, whose enchanting Medieval drama, The Cloistered Lady, is published today!

Eleanor of Aquitaine has been arrested for rebelling against her husband, King Henry II of England.

Her loyal ladies-in-waiting, Alice and Joanna of Agen have fled to the nunnery at Fontrevault, where they are anxiously awaiting news of their queen.

Alice and Joanna struggle to adapt to their cramped new home at the Abbey. Each is secretly nursing a broken heart – and harbouring unholy desires.

Joanna left behind a lover, Jean, at Eleanor’s court in Poitiers, and Alice has long been in love with the queen’s daughter, Marie.

And as the days stretch on with no news, they both begin to fear the worst.

What has happened to Eleanor? Will Alice and Joanna be forced to remain at the Abbey indefinitely? And will they ever be reunited with the ones they love?

Click here to order The Cloistered Lady

The Lady’s Keeper is Out Now

Congratulations to Coirle Mooney, whose enchanting Medieval romance, The Lady’s Keeper, is out now!

At Eleanor of Aquitaine’s palace in Poitiers, fourteen-year-old Lady Joanna of Agen is coming of age. Her aunt and guardian, Alice, rescued Joanna from her brutal father by bringing her to court. But now Alice fears Joanna could once again be at risk from the men around her.

When Queen Eleanor’s son, Henry, arrives at court, Joanna quickly catches his eye. But Alice overhears the lewd conversations of the male courtiers and worries that Joanna’s honour is at stake.

And as the relationship between Queen Eleanor and King Henry II of England becomes fractious, a dark mood settles over court.

Drawn into a world of intrigue, danger and adventure, Alice must fight to keep her and Joanna safe…

Click here to order The Lady’s Keeper