England's medieval queens were elemental in shaping the historyof the nation. In an age where all politics were family politics,dynastic marriages placed English queens at the very center ofpower—the king's bed. From Matilda of Flanders, William the Conqueror's queen, to Elizabeth of York, the first Tudor consort, England's queens fashioned the nature of monarchy and influenced the direction of the state. Occupying a unique positionin the mercurial, often violent world of medieval politics, thesequeens had to negotiate a role that combined tremendous influence with terrifying vulnerability. <br /><br />Lisa Hilton's illuminating new book explores the lives of thetwenty women who were crowned queen between 1066 and 1503.War, adultery, witchcraft, child abuse, murder—and occasionallyeven love—formed English queenship, but so too did patronage,learning, and fashion. Lovers of history will enjoy a dramatic narrative that presents an exceptional group of women whose personal ambitions, triumphs, and failures helped to give birth to themodern state.