100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Thanks for supporting our 100% NZ-owned independent bookstore ❤️ Overnight NZ-wide Delivery 🚀

Isabella

She-Wolf of France, Queen of England
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Isabella by Alison Weir is the first full-length biography of one of England's most maligned yet fascinating queens. Born in 1292, Isabella was branded the 'She-Wolf of France' and depicted as a notorious femme fatale. The book explores her tumultuous marriage to Edward II, her adulterous relationship with Roger Mortimer, and the complex political intrigues that shaped her life. Weir challenges the traditional villainous image of Isabella, presenting her as a potentially liberating figure who helped free England from a weak monarch, offering a dramatic reappraisal of her role in history.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$4499
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in medieval history, royal biographies, and the political intrigues of England and France. Fans of detailed, well-researched historical narratives that challenge popular myths will find this book compelling.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Described by Christopher Marlowe as the 'She-Wolf of France', Isabella was one of the most notorious femme fatales in history.

The first full-length biography of a much maligned - but astonishingly colourful - Queen of England.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The first full-length biography of a much maligned—but astonishingly colourful—Queen of England.

Described by Christopher Marlowe as the 'She-Wolf of France', Isabella was one of the most notorious femme fatales in history. According to popular legend, her angry ghost can be glimpsed among church ruins, clutching the beating heart of her murdered husband. But how did Isabella acquire this reputation?

Born in 1292, she married Edward II of England but was constantly humiliated by his relationships with male favourites, and she lived adulterously with Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March. Had it not been for her unfaithfulness, history might have immortalised her as a liberator—the saviour who unshackled England from a weak and vicious monarch.

Dramatic and startling, this first full-length biography of Isabella will change the way we think of her and her world forever.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

This meticulous, no-nonsense biography offers a fascinating and puzzling story, praised for its vivid and nuanced portrait of Isabella and her medieval world. Reviewers highlight Weir’s lucid writing style and attention to detail, which bring the period and politics to life, making the history read like an engaging novel.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780099578390

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 August 2012

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 32.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 381g

Pages: 512

About the Author

Alison Weir is one of Britain's top-selling historians. She is the author of numerous works of history and historical fiction, specialising in the medieval and Tudor periods. Her bestselling history books include The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Elizabeth of York and, most recently, The Lost Tudor Princess. Her novels include Innocent Traitor, Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen and Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession. She is an Honorary Life Patron of Historic Royal Palaces. She is married with two adult children and lives and works in Surrey.

Also by Alison Weir

View all
  • The Six Wives of Henry VIII
    Thoroughly researched and with a real understanding of the times these six fascinating women lived through, Alison Weir's book reveals a Tudor England where personal needs and private emotion could, and frequently did, override or influence national events. One of the most powerful monarchs in British history, Henry VIII ruled England in unprecedented splendour. In this remarkable composite biography, Alison...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (1)
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Queens of the Age of Chivalry
    The third volume in Alison Weir's magisterial history of the queens of medieval England. Queens of the Age of Chivalry is the third volume of Alison Weir's magisterial history of the queens of medieval England. 'Weir's history books are as gripping as novels' - The Times Medieval queens were seen as mere dynastic trophies, yet, as Alison Weir shows in...
    Paperback
    $2700
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • On Sale
    19% off
    Queens of the Crusades
    The next volume in Alison Weir's magisterial history of the queens of Medieval England includes the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the subject of Alison's most successful book. Stunning... Weir has brought those five queens to life like never before. I just raced through it - it has all the drama and suspense of a novel - Tracy Borman Crusading...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • On Sale
    19% off
    Queens of the Conquest
    Full of passion and betrayal, murder and war, the first volume of an epic new series from bestselling historian Alison Weir, bringing five of England's medieval queens to life. Queens of the Conquest is a Daily Telegraph Book of the Year. Love, murder, war, betrayal — this is the story of the five extraordinary queens who helped the Norman kings...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Queens at War
    Triumph and tragedy, love and loss, murder and malice in the lives of five fifteenth-century queens. The fifteenth century was a turbulent age - the Hundred Years War between England and France, and the Wars of the Roses dominated the lives of people both inside and out of the royal courts. Joan of Navarre, Katherine of Valois, Margaret of Anjou,...
    Paperback
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Cardinal
    'Alison Weir has this astonishing ability to make history come alive and jump right off the pages' ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐'Thomas's story is incredible' ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐'A gripping tale of power and downfall, passion and principle, it is Alison Weir at her best' ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐'Accessible and human' ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐'Captivating and emotive...a must read for all lovers of Tudor history'...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    The Boleyn Secret
    From the bestselling author of Six Tudor Queens, a captivating new novel about two Boleyn cousins, close as sisters - and the truth that will change everything. 'Nobody brings historical characters to life like Alison Weir' TRACY BORMAN A BOLEYN WOMAN IS NO STRANGER TO SECRETS... At twelve years old, Kate Carey attends her aunt, Queen Anne Boleyn, to the...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Henry VIII: The Heart and the Crown
    The Sunday Times top 10 bestseller'Alison Weir makes Henry VIII's story feel like it has never been told before... This novel will open your eyes and, at times, break your heart. By the end of it, I felt like I had met Henry for the first time' Tracy BormanSix wives. One King. You know their stories. Now it's time to...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Britain's Royal Families
    A unique book on the perennially fascinating subject of Britain's royal families by this well-established popular historian. New updated edition to coincide with the Queen's Golden Jubilee. Fascinating and authoritative exploration of Britain's royal families from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I to Queen Victoria, by leading popular historian Alison Weir. Britain's Royal Families provides in one volume, complete genealogical details...
    Paperback
    $3799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Eleanor Of Aquitaine
    A fascinating account of one of the most alluring figures of the Middle Ages by one of Britain's most respected historians. Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine was one of the leading personalities of the Middle Ages and also one of the most controversial. She was beautiful, intelligent and wilful, and in her lifetime there were rumours about her that were not...
    Paperback
    $4299
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Elizabeth, the Queen
    A brilliant book about one of England's most famous queens, from one of our bestselling historians. Elizabeth, the Queen begins as the young Elizabeth ascends the throne in the wake of her sister Mary's disastrous reign. Both a woman and a queen, Elizabeth's story is an extraordinary phenomenon in a patriarchal age. From Elizabeth's intriguing, long-standing affair with Robert Dudley,...
    Paperback
    $3700
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Henry VIII
    Alison Weir is one of our best popular historians and one, moreover, with an impressive scholarly pedigree in Tudor history...her latest offering is a very fine book - Frank McLynn, Independent Henry VIII, renowned for his command of power and celebrated for his intellect, presided over one of the most magnificent—and dangerous—courts in Renaissance Europe. Never before has a detailed,...
    Paperback
    $3700
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from History & Military

View all
  • On Sale
    12% off
    Saving Elli
    One child. Two years in hiding. Three lives in mortal danger. In Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, near Anne Frank's house, another Jewish girl is hidden. Her name is Elli. Her father has been executed at Mauthausen concentration camp. Her mother is fleeing for her life. Elli is next. To save her, resistance couple Frits and Jo Hakkens must risk everything, concealing her...
    Paperback
    $2900
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Spy and the Traitor
    The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre is a spellbinding Cold War thriller that unravels the true story of Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB double agent who risked everything to aid the British in the battle against Soviet oppression. In meticulously researched detail, Macintyre paints a vivid portrait of espionage, double-crossing, and unparalleled bravery, giving readers a riveting glimpse into...
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Suicidal Empathy
    The bestselling author of The Parasitic Mind shows why empathy in politics leads to civilizational collapse. What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected. In his new book, Suicidal Empathy, Saad unleashes a blistering critique...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Betrayal
    ‘Tom Bower is the Inspector Morse of investigative biographers, a fluent, phlegmatic storyteller and a master of intricacies.’ Sunday Times The British Crown is in crisis, with constitutional threats at home and abroad. At a landmark moment in royal history, can King Charles overcome the scandals that blight the Royal family? Can the broken bonds between the Houses of Sussex...
    Paperback
    $3499
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Man's Search For Meaning
    Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is a profound, thought-provoking memoir and psychological exploration that delves into the harrowing experiences of life in Nazi concentration camps, intertwined with the author’s groundbreaking theories on existential psychology. The book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, offering a beacon of hope and a roadmap for finding purpose...
    Paperback
    $1800
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Chief and the Empire
    The Chief and the Empire uncovers the extraordinary true tale of Te Tai Tokerau rangatira Te Pahi - the first influential Māori leader to cross the Tasman - whose curiosity about the Pākehā world forged alliances, saved lives, and ultimately cost him his own. On a visit to Sydney in 1805, Te Pahi was feted as a celebrity, building close...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Discipline
    Silence is complicity, but how do we confront the cost of speaking up? Sydney, May 2021. Ashraf is an academic whose career and personal life are in freefall. Hannah is a young journalist struggling to honour the voices of her community. When a Year 12 Al-Bayinnah College student is arrested for protesting a university's ties to an Israeli weapons manufacturer,...
    Paperback
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Shattered Lands
    'A sparkling debut by an outstanding young historian' – PETER FRANKOPAN 'This book is a revelation … both original and important' – MISHAL HUSAIN A history of modern South Asia told through five partitions that reshaped it. As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and...
    Paperback
    $3699
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    The World of the Odyssey & Other Greek Myths
    This jigsaw brings together Odysseus' famed journey in one epic scene. Each reference from the tale is highlighted and explained in an accompanying fold-out poster with text by an expert author. 1000-PIECE PUZZLE that measures 48.5 x 68 cm (19 x 27 in.) when completed. INCLUDES A FOLD-OUT POSTER with an introduction to the Odyssey and descriptions of all the...
    Jigsaw
    $3500
    Elsewhere:
    $4499
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Women's Prize Winner
    The Finest Hotel in Kabul
    The story of a hotel. The story of a nation. When the Inter-Continental Kabul opened in 1969, Afghanistan's first luxury hotel symbolised a dream of a modernising country connected to the world. More than fifty years on, the Inter-Continental is still standing. It has endured Soviet occupation, multiple coups, a grievous civil war, a US invasion and the rise, fall...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Goliath’s Curse
    Goliath’s Curse by Luke Kemp offers a radical retelling of human history through the lens of collapse, delving into what this means for our uncertain future. This narrative spans from the dawn of our species to the urgent existential threats of the twenty-first century and beyond. It's grounded in the latest research and a comprehensive database of more than 440...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Biological War
    New Release
    Biological War
    There is an invisible weapon among us. By the time you know you are a victim, it has turned you into a killer. A blistering new non-fiction thriller from the Baillie Gifford shortlisted author of Nuclear War (200,000 copies sold). A lab accident, a bio-attack, a global pandemic, and the collapse of human society. In this essential new book, based...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.