The Dark Queens

The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World

By: Shelley Puhak

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

“A well-researched and well-told epic history. The Dark Queens brings these courageous, flawed, and ruthless rulers and their distant times back to life.” (Margot Lee Shetterly, New York Times best-selling author of Hidden Figures)

The remarkable, little-known story of two trailblazing women in the Early Middle Ages who wielded immense power, only to be vilified for daring to rule.

Brunhild was a foreign princess, raised to be married off for the sake of alliance-building. Her sister-in-law Fredegund started out as a lowly palace slave. And yet - in sixth-century Merovingian France, where women were excluded from noble succession and royal politics was a blood sport - these two iron-willed strategists reigned over vast realms, changing the face of Europe.

The two queens commanded armies and negotiated with kings and popes. They formed coalitions and broke them, mothered children and lost them. They fought a decades-long civil war - against each other. With ingenuity and skill, they battled to stay alive in the game of statecraft and in the process laid the foundations of what would one day be Charlemagne's empire. Yet after the queens' deaths - one gentle, the other horrific - their stories were rewritten, their names consigned to slander and legend.

In The Dark Queens, award-winning writer Shelley Puhak sets the record straight. She resurrects two very real women in all their complexity, painting a richly detailed portrait of an unfamiliar time and striking at the roots of some of our culture's stubbornest myths about female power. The Dark Queens offers proof that the relationships between women can transform the world.

©2022 Shelley Puhak (P)2022 Audible, Inc.

Loved this story!

This is a must read! I loved the story - it’s inspiring and beautiful. Hurry and download

The Most Riveting History Book I've Ever Read

Genuinely one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. I was hooked from the first few sentences.

Very well researched book! I I enjoyed it!

Very good read ! Historically interesting & informative! The story regarding this time in history was both religiously & diplomatically quite captivating.

loved it + recommended it all my friends + family

Super interesting + well researched. It's an epic story of survival, boldness, + clever minds. I'm looking forward to reading more of Shelley's writing.

More Like This Please!

As a history person, this title jumped out to me when I was browsing as worth getting. Women in the Dark Ages and medieval period are often noted in the past for not having power or much say in their lives, even if they're royal. But Brunhilda and Fredegund's stories show that this isn't true at all. In fact, it was women like these two rivals that made events possible. When their husbands died and their sons were too young to rule, they took over and fought for their rights and lands as regents and royals. In Fredegund's case, she had to overcome her past as a former slave and someone who many people looked down upon, while Brunhilda was raised to rule from a young age by her father. These women had power and they both chose to wield it differently with varying results, but calling them powerless is untrue.

I also appreciate that Puhak pointed out that the sources regarding these women are both biased and have been read only one way by most scholars for centuries. The men who wrote the histories of Francia weren't keen on female rule and even those who were still disparaged them to a degree. But re-examining these sources from a new perspective builds a different story than the one we think we know. This is true of all history, but very true when it comes to women in this period. We don't always have records but we should also try to look at the ones we do have for new information as Puhak did.

It's also interesting to read about how the kingdoms tried to maintain a sense of normalcy in a very tumultuous period of history. The fall of the Western Empire did mean a lot of disunity and fragmenting, but also people still kept some Roman traditions while new cultures developed alongside them. But you can see the seeds of the medieval world we do know developing as the church struggles with local power sources and nobles switch sides based on personal advantage.

Cassandra Campbell did a great job narrating. Her pronunciations of Frankish names sounded right and must've been difficult at times because many names were varied only by a little. While she's not overly emotional in her reading, the soothing but straightforward reading is easy to listen to.

Overall, I recommend this book as a listen. This is history everyone should read but if you're interested in the story of some lesser-known medieval women, this is really a good pick!

Great look into the Merovingian World

Others have already pointed out that the author does plant thoughts into the heads of the Merovingian queens which is my only tripe. However, the author does not make wild assumptions with these thoughts, and the book is overall very good. Puhak is thorough with her analysis of these queens as well as other important women of the period who were involved with Brunhild and Fredegund. The voiceover is done very well too.

Love this!!

What a great history of these women! I had no idea who these queens were, and I am so happy I decided to listen to this.

I cried at the end. So beautiful.

First, I was sent by Ann from Vulgar History and the episode the author appeared on. It was great! Then came here and was blown away. I admire so much about Fredegund and Brunhild’s stories. It might seem too far removed but the authors writing truly connects you to them. I absolutely loved it and will probably re-listen several times.

Great story that belongs on HBO or Starz!

This detailed history of the Merivingian dynasty of Early Medieval France tells the story of two queens married to rival brothers and carried on their own rivalry for decades with covert assassinations and full-out war. Brunhild is a Visigothic princess destined to be a queen, as is her sister who marries Brunhild’s new brother-in-law—but is then strangled to death and replaced by Fredegand, an ambitious slave girl.

Someone tell Starz about this book because I know they’ll do it with the enthusiasm it deserves. Both of these women were clearly the inspiration behind Cersei Lannister—but far more complex. This book has it all—brother kings fighting over kingdoms, a nun’s revolution, whirlwind romance, an abbess and her queer poet/bishop bestie, women on the battlefield, so much murder. Unfortunately, the audiobook narrator sounds like Moira Rose, but the writing itself is brilliant.

CW/TW:
murder/torture; parental death; child death; domestic violence/abuse; implied SA

For fans of:
real life Game of Thrones; medieval history (similar to War of the Roses if there were two of Marguerite of Anjou); Shakespeare (some inspo behind Macbeth!); Wagner (inspo behind his Brunhilda!); feminist history (Anne Boleyn girlies)

We wouldn’t have GOT without them

Phenomenal history of the Franks and historic women who were bad asses !
Highly recommend to anyone who is a feminist, history buff and a GOT fan.
Nothing is more surprising than real history!