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Chargement... Matilda: Empress, Queen, Warrior (édition 2020)par Catherine Hanley (Auteur)
Information sur l'oeuvreMatilda: Empress, Queen, Warrior par Catherine Hanley
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Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. Generally speaking, when I pick up a book outside of my staple choices (science fiction & fantasy, military history, etc.), it's because, at some point, I had a question. In this case, the question was how do you go from the Norman rulers of England, to the Plantagenet monarchs, not that I expected this book to necessarily answer that question, but because Matilda seemed like an interesting personage. Well, by the time I was done, I now have the sense that the history I was exposed to back in the day (we're talking 1970s here), just glossed over this woman as being something of an embarrassment. And there was nothing to be embarrassed about; betrothed to the German Emperor at 8, regent of Imperial holdings in Italy at 16, polished diplomat and executive in her 20s, ruthless defender of her rights until she fought her opposition to a draw, the ancestor of every English/British monarch down to the current day, and arguably, the first exemplar of a national female executive in the Western world. Even if you want to accuse Hanley of putting the best spin possible on Matilda, one can't help but be impressed. If you want to argue that the best stories can't be made up, this book is your proof. The only reason I don't give Hanley five stars is because, for all I know, I'd be more impressed with some of the more canonical books on Matilda that she's glossing for a general audience. aucune critique | ajouter une critique
A life of Matilda-empress, skilled military leader, and one of the greatest figures of the English Middle Ages Matilda was a daughter, wife, and mother. But she was also empress, heir to the English crown-the first woman ever to hold the position-and an able military general. This new biography explores Matilda's achievements as military and political leader, and sets her life and career in full context. Catherine Hanley provides fresh insight into Matilda's campaign to claim the title of queen, her approach to allied kingdoms and rival rulers, and her role in the succession crisis. Hanley highlights how Matilda fought for the throne, and argues that although she never sat on it herself her reward was to see her son become king. Extraordinarily, her line has continued through every single monarch of England or Britain from that time to the present day. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)942.020924History and Geography Europe England and Wales England Norman 1066-1154Classification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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Marjorie Chibnall's The Empress Matilda: Queen Consort, Queen Mother and Lady of the English was the first full-length study of Matilda, produced in the early 1990s, and it still has much to recommend it. However, Catherine Hanley's Matilda has the benefit of incorporating the insights of some 30 years of subsequent scholarship on women's history and queenship studies, and Hanley also writes clearly and accessibly for general audiences. I particularly liked her habit of pausing every so often to remind the reader of who was who among the plethora of Matildas and Williams.
Inasmuch as one can in a biography of a medieval figure, Hanley sketches a Matilda who is both more appealing and more convincing than the general stereotypes. I do have a number of question marks against some of Hanley's conclusions about medieval gender and power, and some things I would have liked to see more of. Matilda's patronage of the church, for instance, is only glanced on here but it was an important part of her exercise of authority—I know less sexy than battles and escapes, but still crucial to getting as rounded a picture of her as possible. But those are of course differences of interpretation and emphasis, and those and indeed the book as a whole would be excellent to use in an undergraduate classroom. ( )