The Strangled Queen (The Accursed Kings) (Book 2)

Like the cover art that entices and is absolutely striking so is The Strangled Queen by Maurice Druon. This is the second installment of The Accursed Kings series that launched over 50 years ago and still finds an eager audience today. A refined collection of works that combines meticulous research with believable dialogue and dynastic manoeuvres that transports the reader into 14th-century Europe courts centering in France then departing for England all heralding the Hundred Years War. If the interested reader has been searching for a series that leaves a haunting version of history with enthralling situations and splendid writing about a select assemblage of European royalty in seven novels, search no further because you just have to try The Accursed Kings series by Maurice Druon. Whether the reader has a passing curiosity in history or just loves a great story with intrigue, betrayal, characters of different classes and nobility, unpredictable spins on the wheel of fate, a curse and even a few fleeting moments of tender love and romance this series has it all and more. Beginning with The Iron King the reader is strongly encouraged to embark on their journey into the saga of the House of Capet, however each novel does have a summation of the previous novel in the pages as the story builds each time so the decision is yours to make. The Strangled Queen begins in November 1314 and ends May 1315. More than seven months have passed since a curse from a blazing pyre has been laid at the feet at the House of Capet and before the end a grisly pact will be made that will spin the wheel of fate yet another cruel round. Madness and desperation reign in this novel as the premature death of one king drives the succession and court into the frenzy of petty jealousy and lust for revenge that begins the machinations of disposal of the undesirable. And yet outside the palace walls the country is ravished by famine and poverty but who is to blame for all the misery? Is anyone really considered blameless in this game of power? In the 14th-century France The Strangled Queen opens and closes with vital notes exchanged with England and a journey to Naples to recover a portrait and a message that will decide the future of France. Details are shared with the reader that seamlessly blends history, peerless writing and imagination to fashion a story that begs the question, is 12 feet of wall enough to deter madness and evil? There is only one way to find out so enjoy!

The Strangled Queen is a solid read but a somewhat less impressive than The Iron King. The author is in some ways, victim of his own success. By opening the first installment 7 years into the trial of the Knights Templar, Maurice Druon created a narrative that seemed like history on steroids. The second installment ties up a few loose ends and continues story lines but it is tame by comparison to earlier events. That said, the best historical fiction hews closely to known facts. If The Strangled Queen isn’t as sensational, it is as impressive and as plausible. Druon’s characters are believable—royals, arriviste ministers, bankers, etc. are all convincing. Each has flaws and imperfections, and there are no romantic “heroes”. Ironically, the “reformers” are as appalling as reactionary barons; to the overwhelming majority of the population, either camp intends to squeeze every last denier out of the hapless masses. Both are deplorable. The Strangled Queen reminded me of I Claudius in that often the villains are far more interesting and enjoyable than the decent sort. Robert III, Count of Artois is particularly appalling and appealing. Enguerrand Marigny is a marvelous paradox. I did miss Isabelle, wife of Edward II of England. Her venom and bile are a real treat. Some have complained the very title is a spoiler and I see their point. However, the why and who were much more important than the actual deed. Though I liked Iron King more I’m rating its sequel as highly. With fewer sensational events, the author is just as impressive, just as engaging. There are extremely helpful footnotes that helpfully flesh out the story Well done.

Not only highly accurate as to the historical content, but also a cracking good story, beautifully writted with wry humor and an immense understanding of the motivation of French nobility in the 12th Century. Can't wait to get into the next volume (there are a total of seven, the last of which may not yet have been translated). George R.R. Martin claims in an introduction this series gave him the inspiration for the Game of Thrones series. No dragons in Druon's books, but plenty of strong and/or devious characters.

I prefered the first book , hope the second one was a good intro to the next one and for the complete serie

...e, de quebra, uma aula de história medieval francesa. Toda a série merece meu entusiasmo. Recomendadíssimo, especialmente para fãs de George R R Martin.

I chose this book because I had just finished reading George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, and the author himself recommended this series. The book was exciting as well as excellently written. Good for anyone who's interested in history and intrigue.

This is the second volume of the Accursed Kings series which was initially published in French between 1955 and 1960. The previous volume dealt with the last year of the reign of Philip IV, known as the Fair (Philippe le Bel in French), King of France between 1285 and 1314. This one follows his death with more murders and intrigues, and with the reversal of most of his reforms as his over-ambitious but vain brother Charles de Valois asserts his influence on Louis X "Le Hutin", his weak, sick and cowardly nephew. A number of reviewers have focused on the intrigues that culminated in the murder of Louis' first wife Marguerite of Burgundy, who was found strangled in her prison of Château-Gaillard. This, however, is only one of the four part complex intrigue and power fight that erupted after the death of Philip the Fair, the Iron King, once this strong character was no longer there to hold things together. Another major part of the intrigue if the fight between Charles de Valois and the powerful Enguerrand de Marigny who had been Philip's main minister and had governed France for sixteen years for his king. The third component, which runs through the whole series, is the implacable hate and rivalry between Mahaut, countess of Artois and peer of the Kingdom and her nephew Robert III of Artois, which lasted for over twenty years. Both were cousins to the King, being descendants of one of Louis IX's (Saint Louis) younger brothers. Both were fighting, by fair means or (very!) foul to secure the very rich county of Artois that Mahaut had been granted by Philip the Fair and that Robert was attempting to recover. A fourth component is the international context, and in particular the international influence of France, then the most powerful kingdom in Europe, largely thanks to King Philip, very ably seconded by Marigny. The main element here was the King's ability to secure a French pope who would owe his election to the French King, would reside in Avignon and would therefore be under French influence and do what the King wanted him to do. As very well shown by the late Maurice Druon in what is a rather superb historical novel, the four components are entangled and closely related. The weak and sickly Louis X needed to remarry and have an heir, preferably a son, whose legitimacy would be unquestionable since his paternity of his daughter by his adulterous and imprisoned wife could be (and was) doubted, including by himself. For this to happen, he needed a complying pope who would annul his marriage on the grounds that it had not been consummated, implying that Marguerite's daughter was illegitimate and bearing in mind that infidelity was not a cause for annulation. The book shows rather excellently how difficult it was to get such a pope elected as Valois and Marigny opposed each other at every turn, with the later delaying the election that he alone was able to secure. The second component was this bitter rivalry between Charles of Valois, the first among the nobles and the head of the feudal lords' faction, and Enguerrand de Marigny and the prototypes of what would become "civil servants" drawn from the middle class. Marigny was not originally noble and, as shown in the book, he arose through his own merits and the protection and favour of Philip the Fair who had used his competences to curb the powers of the feudal lords. As also shown, however, and after having exercised power for so long, he tended to believe that the good of the realm was paramount and was what he (and his dead master King Philip) decided it to be. He survived a first accusation of embezzlement by Valois but fell and was executed when it was proved that he had deliberately blocked the election of a pope and made it impossible to secure the annulation of the King's marriage in time to remarry with Clemence of Hungary, Charles of Valois' niece. This only left one option to free the King from his previous engagement in time to remarry... This second volume very much displays the same superb qualities as the first one. The historical events are reconstituted and told with skill and a minute attention to details. Almost all of the characters are historical and their personalities are at the very least plausible and believable. One difference from the previous volume, however, is the presence of a narrator (the author) and a few allusions to modern times and to what Maurice Druon depicts as the destruction of the Capetian dynasty through a succession of over-ambitious, mediocre and/or vain and arrogant Kings from Louis X le Hutin right up to John II "the Good" (which meant "the brave" at the time), with the sole exception of Philip V, the second son of the Iron King. This book is easily worth five stars, even if a couple of little typos seem to have crept into this generally well translated English version.

Captivating historical thriller

フランスの作家Maurice Druonによる歴史小説Les Rois Mauditsの英訳版 The Accursed Kings (1955-77) 全7作の第2作． 前作の終りで崩御したフィリップ4世の跡取りとなった凡庸なルイ10世の時代．家臣との浮気で城に幽閉されているルイ10世の王妃Margueriteとその従妹のBlancheの運命，さっさと離婚して新しい王妃を娶りたいルイ10世の思惑と，空席となっているローマ教皇の選挙をめぐって，政治的な思惑，かけひきが繰り広げられる．宰相として辣腕をふったMarignyが失脚，処刑されるところまで．王様もその取り巻きも，自分の利益が国家や臣民より常に優先し，商人は巧みにその欲望を利用して富を貯え，国民は重税と貧困にあえぐ，といういつの時代も同じパターンが鮮やかに描かれる．要点は史実に則り，豊かな脚色で読ませる歴史小説の王道のような書き方．前作同様，一気に読み終えた．