Lionessheart: The Life and Times of Joanna Plantagenet
Catherine Hanley
Synopsis "Lionessheart: The Life and Times of Joanna Plantagenet"
Richard the Lionheart travelled to far-flung realms, went on crusade, met kings and popes, and exerted a great deal of influence on the world around him … and so did his sister. The sons of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine have been the subject of much historical attention, but their daughters have been curiously overlooked. The youngest of them, Joanna, led a particularly extraordinary life full of adventure and danger – and not a little controversy – that was more than a match for those of any of her brothers, including the famed Lionheart himself.
Lionessheart is Joanna’s story, and also an exploration of the wider world of the twelfth century as seen through the eyes of a woman who was a princess and a pioneer, a warrior and a wife, a captive and a queen.
‘Step forward, Joanna Plantagenet! … This is an engaging, exciting and hugely enjoyable book that cleverly brings to light the multiplicity of challenges, restrictions and opportunities that faced royal women in the medieval period, moments without power but also, with careful judgement, occasions to exert power.’ Jonathan Phillips, author of The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin
‘With impeccable research and a solid understanding of the period, Catherine Hanley presents an educational, absorbing and accessible narrative full of historical detail, always keeping the women at the forefront of the story. Superb.’ Annie Whitehead, author of Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England
‘Hanley weaves a gripping tale of a little-known English princess who led an extraordinary life. Joanna's tale is one of drama, and Hanley expertly brings her to the forefront, trying to find Joanna's own thoughts and agency in a life directed by the men around her.’ Gemma Hollman, author of The Queen and the Mistress
'... brings the medieval world vividly to life, recreating the always fascinating and sometimes dangerous world in which Joanna moved.''Lionessheart benefits from the author's far-reaching research, aided by Hanley's clear affection and expertise for the period.' - ALL ABOUT HISTORY
