WOMEN OF THE ANARCHY (HB)

In 1135, Stephen of Blois usurped the English throne, stealing it from his cousin Empress Matilda and sparking a nineteen-year civil war that would become known as the Anarchy, one of the bloodiest periods in English history. On one side was Empress Matilda; on the other side, Queen Matilda. Both women were granddaughters of St Margaret, Queen of Scotland, and descendants of Alfred the Great of Wessex. This book explores how their strengths, weaknesses and personal ambitions swung the fortunes of war one way – and then the other.