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Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule Hardcover – February 1, 2022

by Katherine Pangonis (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 154 ratings
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The untold story of a trailblazing dynasty of royal women who ruled the Middle East and how they persevered through instability and seize greater power.

In 1187 Saladin's armies besieged the holy city of Jerusalem. He had previously annihilated Jerusalem's army at the battle of Hattin, and behind the city's high walls a last-ditch defence was being led by an unlikely trio - including Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem. They could not resist Saladin, but, if they were lucky, they could negotiate terms that would save the lives of the city's inhabitants.

Queen Sibylla was the last of a line of formidable female rulers in the Crusader States of Outremer. Yet for all the many books written about the Crusades, one aspect is conspicuously absent: the stories of women. Queens and princesses tend to be presented as passive transmitters of land and royal blood. In reality, women ruled, conducted diplomatic negotiations, made military decisions, forged alliances, rebelled, and undertook architectural projects. Sibylla's grandmother Queen Melisende was the first queen to seize real political agency in Jerusalem and rule in her own right. She outmanoeuvred both her husband and son to seize real power in her kingdom, and was a force to be reckoned with in the politics of the medieval Middle East. The lives of her Armenian mother, her three sisters, and their daughters and granddaughters were no less intriguing.

Queens of Jerusalem is a stunning debut by a rising historian and a rich revisionist history of Medieval Palestine.
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  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pegasus Books
  4. Publication date
    February 1, 2022
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    164313924X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1643139241
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

Praise from Simon Sebag Montefiore

Praise from Bettany Hughes

Praise from William Dalrymple

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A complex historical narrative that celebrates female agency and a tale of family intrigue spanning generations, this book sheds light on the silenced women of a fascinating medieval bloodline." ― Kirkus Reviews

“Using a good range of contemporary sources, Pangonis deftly weaves together the life stories of the dynasty of women who ruled the Latin East in the twelfth century. Perhaps the greatest strength of this work is that Pangonis situates these women in the landscape, architecture, and culture of the Near East, combining physical descriptions with a colourful and engaging narrative.” ― The Times Literary Supplement (London)

"Beautifully constructed, highly intelligent, perceptive, humane and empathetic, this wonderful book turns the forgotten women rulers of Jerusalem from powerless broodmares into complex actors with agency, ingenuity and fascinating lives." -- WIlliam Dalrymple

"Fascinating, intriguing, exciting and authoritative. Here are the female rulers of the crusader states as shrewd politicians, warrior queens and mothers and wives, holding their own against male crusader states and Islamic warlords in the ruthless arena of the Middle East. The female crusader potentates have long been neglected, so this is long overdue and it was worth waiting for." -- Simon Sebag Montefiore, New York Times bestselling author of Jerusalem

"The subjects of this important and inspiring book have regularly been resigned to the footnotes of history. But the Queens of Jerusalem are history-makers, game-changers. Delight in their company in this seminal and scintillating debut." -- Bettany Hughes

"In a refreshing shift of historical emphasis, these women, whether players or pawns, are brought to life on their own terms, their experiences and careers." -- Christopher Tyerman, Professor of History of the Crusades at Oxford University

"A simply fascinating, original, and detailed history that is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Crusader History & Medieval Palestine collections, "Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule" by Katherine Pangonis is a model of historical research. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented." ― Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Katherine Pangonis is a historian specialising in the medieval world of the Mediterranean and Middle East. She holds MA degrees in literature and history from Oxford University and University College London. She has a particular interest in rewriting the voices of women into the historical narrative, re-examining understudied areas of history and bringing her findings into the public eye.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pegasus Books; First Edition (February 1, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 164313924X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1643139241
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 154 ratings

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Katherine Pangonis

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
154 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Alice Friedemann
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful fun to read -- a soap opera!
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2022
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I enjoyed reading this book, it is as close as I’ll ever get to a Soap Opera, with so many women rising and falling, difficult marriages and more. I’m trying to read books about great women leaders, Queens, and Empresses in the past, they often were better leaders than men, more caring about the common people, less keen to start wars.

But in this book, women are never given the opportunity to rule for long while they waited for sons to grow up enough to take over. After all, these Christian queens are in power due to the crusades, and the Muslims constantly fought to get their territory back. Only a few queens were raised to be good rulers, allowed to sit in on government business, watch how their father ruled, and educated properly. For most their only duty was to bear sons. Whether suited or not to lead, the majority of the women in this book who tried to take charge when their husbands died couldn’t do so for long. And die the husbands did – in battle, as hostages, and from poison and diseases.

The gentry and populace were keen to have a Queen marry again quickly so that their territory could be defended. Potential husbands needed to be battle-hardened and hopefully wealth and able to bring in more men from Europe to fight. They were often twice the Queens age, or not liked for other reasons, so many Queens avoided remarrying as long as they could.

There have been Queens in other times and places who went into battle and led their forces, but none of these Queens did, probably because it wasn’t an option in their time and culture.

I had hoped the societies that emerge after peak oil and resource collapse would give women more choices and power, but it seems that in ecological and historical settings where battles are the norm, that won’t happen. And it’s not just this Middle Eastern kingdom, if you look at native American tribes in the harsh environment of the South West, skirmishes happened more often than in many tribes East of the Mississippi where life was easier and food and water abounded.

For other books about queens in the past, my website energyskeptic dot com under books / booklists has one with books about great women leaders in the past
3 people found this helpful
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Tiffany B
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book!
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2022
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I haven't finished this book yet, but it is fast becoming one of my favorites. Admittedly these women weren't on my radar (or at least not on my reading list) but their stories are fascinating. The author's voice is scholarly without being dull, and I didn't feel like I was being clubbed over the head with a feminist narrative. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in Medieval history and a woman's place in it.
3 people found this helpful
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Terry D
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2024
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I agree with another reader, as close to a soap opera as I hope to ever come. Certainly a lot of ups and downs and twist and turns and these women’s lives. It was engaging.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2022
Engaging and informative. Looking forward to more from this author. As another reviewer said, I'd love for the author to write about Byzantium!
One person found this helpful
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M. Macdonald
4.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten history
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2022
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A very well written book about the French states in the Middle East.
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Anne Mills
4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual Feminine Focus on an Interesting Period
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2023
After the western soldiers of the First Crusade conquered Jerusalem in 1099, the city and surrounding territories were ruled by western European leaders for almost 100 years. Several of those leaders, unusually for the time, were women. The stories of these women are fascinating; they were powerful, strong willed women who at times managed to make their own marks in a very masculine society. The book is also interesting as a history of an exotic time and place which is rarely discussed in detail, with the focus on western Europen efforts to dominate. A good read.
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Rebecca Hill
4.0 out of 5 stars Daring Women in Ancient Times
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2022
Most of what we know of Ancient Jerusalem comes from the Crusades, and the male rulers - those who were navigating through the tumultuous times.
However, there were queens that ruled, those who held power that was not seen in many other corners different kingdoms.
Katherine Pangonis has shared meticulous research, and bringing the stories of these women out of the shadows. The book begins with Melisande, touches on Empress Matilda (the Cousins War), and ends with Sibylla, a woman who managed to defend and hold Jerusalem against Saladin and the Saracen army.
I truly enjoyed reading through this book! As I stated, the research was well done, and these women are given their rightful place in history. While women are mostly relegated to the shadows, and the margins of books, the stories of these women are starting to be shared and told.

For history lovers, this is a book you need to read! Highly engaging, and there are some surprises hiding in the pages -- but I am not going to spill those here!
3 people found this helpful
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Paul R. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific item! Great Seller!
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2023
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This item arrived quickly, is as described, and was well packed. I highly recommend this seller and would purchase from them again! THANK YOU!
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Top reviews from other countries

AussieRuth
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2023
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I need more than 5 stars. This book was fabulous. Well written, I couldn't put it down and so very interesting and informative. My first venture into history in the crusader states and I am hooked. I do hope that this author continues writing, I for one, would buy her books.
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andrew douglas
5.0 out of 5 stars A book which shines the light on a largely neglected historical period.
Reviewed in Australia on August 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a ground-breaking academic work on a rarely researched phenomenon: female monarchs - specifically queens-regnant - in the medieval period. Still rarer is the fact that it examines the female rulers in the crusader states of the Middle East from the twelfth century.
Ostensibly, a work on the forgotten rulers of long-vanished kingdoms nine centuries ago might not seem all that appealing to the contemporary reader. However, it covers much new ground in examining a period and personalities who have long been neglected by conventional academics. The author begins by stressing that mediaeval chroniclers of history were all male and devoted their histories almost exclusively to male rulers. Women even queens regnant tended to be given short shrift or even overlooked altogether. This seminal work goes some way to redressing this historical bias.
It is fascinating look at a time and place when regal women were accorded virtually equal status as rulers in a political environment that was constantly threatened by powerful enemies. While they could not physically lead their subjects into battle (this was three centuries before the legendary Joan of Arc!) they were often accorded equal status with their spouses and co-rulers. It details the politics, rivalries and court intrigues around the choice of male consorts for these regal women and the political consequences of these choices. It clearly emerges these queens and princesses were different from their more passive and largely invisible contemporaries in mainland Europe. These female rulers were not merely decorative wallflowers but women who frequently played an active role in the politics of their day.. This fact alone makes them worthy of such a study. However, the importance of this work goes beyond mere novelty value for it acquaints the reader with historical characters largely unknown to the average reader.
Recommended for those with an interest in medieval history from a feminist perspective.
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awendybird
5.0 out of 5 stars Complex, well-researched, exciting, brilliantly written book about a group of fascinating women
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 5, 2021
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I don't often write reviews, but I couldn't not leave one for this incredible book which I read in two exhilarating sittings - there's so much to say and it's all I've thought about for the last few days! I'll start by saying that this isn't technically a perfect book (I spotted a couple of mistakes, but they're quite minor, and there's some - again minor -repetition) BUT I would still not hesitate in giving this a perfect 10/10 rating, based on pure enjoyment and fascination.
The stories of these amazing women is told in such a fun way that at times it's like reading fiction, but it's always balanced and backed up by fact. The women are never given labels or portrayed as caricatures - each one comes to life on the page as a real, complex human being with multiple motivations, opinions, beliefs, desires and aspirations. I did start applying some labels in my head (Alice is the funny feisty one, Melisende is a badass) but those were my own conclusions, and the author does a brilliant job of never actually pigeonholing these characters. She lays out the facts about their deeds and allows you to come to your own conclusions about how to judge them.
The very complex lives and interweaving narratives of various women are skilfully laid out here. This probably wins the crown for the history book where I've actually ended up with the most in-depth understanding of a complicated family tree and who's who - especially impressive considering this is a debut. They're all so clearly drawn that there's none of that 'which one was she again?' work required.
The author also does a great job of making clear the distinction between authority (the technical/on-paper 'right' to rule) and power (whether they actually commanded respect and were able to assert their rule) - something I hadn't really considered before.
If you want a really fun, quick-paced, authoritative, clear, fair, well-researched, exciting book telling the stories of a group of truly fascinating and complex characters - none of them perfect heroines - then look no further. I can't recommend this highly enough.
7 people found this helpful
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Mark I. Grant
4.0 out of 5 stars Strong women in the crusader states
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2021
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I enjoyed this book and learnt a great deal about the dynastic struggles of the middle east in medieval times. Fascinating and well written in a light style which lends itself to being very accessible rather than complex and scholastic.

The turmoil of the crusader states comes across strongly ( some things never seem to change in this crucible of strife) but are made human. Look forward to see where the author heads next. Byzantium would be interesting!
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Georgina Kirk
5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic read!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 19, 2021
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A fantastic book! Very accessible for people without a huge amount of prior knowledge of the period and extremely interesting. Offers a well researched, thoughtful perspective and commentary on women’s power and authority during the period, bringing up the themes that are still relevant to today. I especially enjoyed the final chapter which conveyed a great deal of drama and emotion around the fall of Jerusalem.. Very well written and the chapters provide good natural breaks. Would highly recommend!
4 people found this helpful
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