"In a brilliantly conceived and beautifully written book, Grant provides a powerful and convincing portrait of the most extraordinary woman of her age. By telling first Eleanor's story and then examining her pedigree and contemporary setting, Grant shows us who Eleanor really was, warts and all, finally freeing us from the tyranny of the Eleanor of Legend. The book is a triumph of the biographer's art."--Stephen Church, author of 'King John: England, Magna Carta and the Making of a Tyrant'

"Rejecting the rose-tinted, make-believe version of Eleanor, Lindy Grant here tells the queen's story as it has never been told before. The outcome is not only the best short biography of Eleanor, but of any medieval queen."--Nicholas Vincent, professor of medieval history, University of East Anglia