Daughters of Chivalry

The Forgotten Princesses of King Edward Longshanks

By: Kelcey Wilson-Lee

Narrated by: Christine Rendel

Virginal, chaste, humble, patiently waiting for rescue by brave knights and handsome princes: this idealized—and largely mythical—notion of the medieval noblewoman still lingers. Yet the reality was very different, as Kelcey Wilson-Lee shows in this vibrant account of the five daughters of Edward I, often known as Longshanks.

The lives of these sisters—Eleanora, Joanna, Margaret, Mary, and Elizabeth—ran the gamut of experiences open to royal women in the Middle Ages. Edward's daughters were of course expected to cement alliances and secure lands and territory by making great dynastic marriages, or endow religious houses with royal favor. But they also skillfully managed enormous households, navigated choppy diplomatic waters, and promoted their family's cause throughout Europe—and had the courage to defy their royal father. They might never wear the crown in their own right, but they were utterly confident of their crucial role in the spectacle of medieval kingship.

Drawing on a wide range of contemporary sources, Daughters of Chivalry offers a rich portrait of these formidable women, seeing them—at long last—shine from out of the shadows, revealing what it was to be a princess in the Age of Chivalry.

©2019 Kelcey Wilson-Lee (P)2022 Tantor

Stories otherwise untold

Well written, well narrated. Great stories for girls and all women. I would have read this to my young daughter when she was little.

I feel like I know them!

This is such a well written book that I’m sorry it ended. The author does a very good job of providing history but also a human view of these womens’ lives. Worth the listen!

Excellent

I was very interested and entertained by this title. Learned a lot and the narration was excellent! Highly recommend

Well Done - An Enjoyable Listen

I enjoyed everything about this. A great story about interesting women. I find the father daughter relationship between Edward I and his daughter Joan super interesting.

Fascinating!

Daughters of Chivalry is a fascinating examination of the lives of the five daughters of King Edward I, what their experience actually was for the era in which they lived, and how it was - in a lot of ways - much different than how medieval princesses are popularly portrayed in twenty-first century media. This book was very enjoyable and I learned a lot; Daughters of Chivalry is something that I would highly recommend.