The author focusses on the sixteenth century "regiment of women", a group of queens who broke the pattern of male sovereignity. They -- Mary Tudor, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, and Catherine de Medici -- were fascinating people, and in some cases highly effective rulers. They also had relationships with each other, and shared the vulnerability of womanhood in a very masculine age. The book, however, focusses more than I would have liked on their physical effects, their textiles and jewels. Some of this would be interesting, but too much gets boring. Also, the book in general in unduly repetitive, and rests too heavily on "might have been" and "could have felt". I learned a good deal from this book, but it was not easy going. ( )

Excerpt from a longer article:

Timely Take-aways for life-long Learners: Modern European History: A Fresh Look
Several new works of nonfiction provide fresh insights into early modern and modern European history. Beyond the violence and wars, these books examine the period through archaeology, political actions, and the roles of women.

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When Women Ruled the World: Making the Renaissance in Europe
Maureen Quilligan, Dec 2022, Liveright, an imprint of W. W. Norton
Themes: History, Europe, Tudor & Elizabethan Era (1485-1603)
Quilligan’s engaging work of nonfiction demonstrates how powerful women challenged tradition by creating strategic alliances and assuming political authority. Through gift giving and political ingenuity, four Queens figured out a way to flourish in a male dominated world.
Take-aways: Use this book as an outstanding example of revisionist history that seeks to demonstrate how creative, intelligent women impacted the European monarchy.

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Whether helping educators keep up-to-date in their subject-areas, promoting student reading in the content-areas, or simply encouraging nonfiction leisure reading, teacher librarians need to be aware of the best new titles across the curriculum and how to activate life-long learning. - Annette Lamb ( )