Competition as featured in

Henry III Roundtable Newsletter, April 2024

This is an excellent approach to this period, looking at fairly familiar events from a fresh perspective. We get to realise how the tensions that led to the eventual crisis and civil war developed over time, interspersed with periods when Simon de Montfort was one of Henry’s key supporters and military leaders. It is also made clear just how important Medieval aristocratic women could be in their own right, rather than just as a supporter of their husbands.

Read the full review here

History of War

This book is like two biographies in one as the author Darren Baker writes about the two Eleanors in the life of King Henry III, Eleanor of Provence and Eleanor De Montfort. This is a fascinating story of two lives on opposite sides during the Second Baron’s War. We get a look at the conflict, and motivations behind it, the Battle of Evesham. The book is very well written as you can imagine there must have been a little confusion as both women had the same name. The Lives of Eleanor of Provence and Eleanor de Montfort is an actually well written analysis, not only of the lives of the two Eleanor’s, but of the events and activities that would go on to form their world and threatened the very stability of the monarchy.

I must admit to not having a huge knowledge of the three main characters involved in this book, but it was a very enjoyable and balanced read that has filled a good gap in my knowledge of the three. The book is very well written and I had thought it was going to be a bit confusing with people called Eleanor, but it wasn’t at all, the lives and events were all laid out very well and the author did a great job of separating the two. A very good read indeed, and I got a lot from reading it, maybe if you have the knowledge already you might not agree but it was very good indeed for the average person.

⭐⭐⭐⭐


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UK Historian

I’m not a historian and am duly impressed by the impressive research that went into the writing of this book, which does a pretty good job of balancing the anecdotal with the serious stuff.

NetGalley, Mandy Jenkinson

A fascinating look at the two Eleanors two women interesting. In their own right. Both Eleanors known forever do to their husbands.Really well written informative.

NetGalley, Abby Siverman

This book looks at it from a fascinating perspective of friendship, love and family ties.


Eleanor of Provence is the wife of Henry III, Eleanor de Montfort is his sister and married to one of his good friends. At the beginning the two women also become good friends. It is interesting to see how the relationships develop and change over the years as things happen both on a large political scale but also as both couples have children and suffer losses etc.

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For the Love of Books

An excellent and informative book on the relationship between Henry III and Simon de Montfort, from the perspective of their wives- the titular two Eleanors. Eleanor de Provence, Henry's Queen, and Eleanor de Montfort his sister who married the famous French scion of a Crusading family.

Some have complained that there 'isn't enough' about the two women, but that wasn't an issue with me. Mr Baker has written a history book, not a novel or indeed a dedicated biography. It would be next to impossible to write a biography of either woman without reference to her husband and children anyway. Medieval noblewomen were not islands.

Even as seasoned and slightly jaded historian, I learned from this book. I never knew that Eleanor de Provence briefly served as Regent during one of her husband's absences abroad. I always thought the English were entirely antagonistic to female regency, considering their response to women who tried to claim this position in later centuries. Yet Eleanor was a trailblazer: the first Medieval Queen to gain this title, and she was accepted to boot.

Mr. Baker's writing style is reading and engaging. At times he veers off with the odd modern colloquialism, but its to occasional that it doesn't really jar the reader. In fact, most of these fit.

Well worth a read to learn about the lives and legacies of two remarkable women: both called Eleanor.

NetGalley, Joanna Arman

“The Two Eleanors of Henry III: The Lives of Eleanor of Provence and Eleanor de Montfort” by Darren Baker is an enjoyable introduction into this fascinating, tumultuous time in Medieval English history.

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Adventures of a Tudor Nerd

As featured on History Stuff YouTube

History Stuff, YouTube

Eleanor of Provence and Eleanor of England, wife and sister of Henry III, are the focus of this well-researched and highly evocative account. It's a shame that these two women are not so well known among general readership (because academic historians concentrate on them quite often, studying both Eleanors as fine examples of medieval queenship and power in a noble household).
This is a double biography charting the lives of both Eleanors, showing how their lives intertwined. They were both born into wealth and privilege but were not given opportunities to enjoy their positions. They lived during very tumultuous times and had to act as peacemakers for their menfolk. Their story is gripping and almost unbelievable.
I highly recommend this book for everyone interested in medieval period.

GoodReads, ConstantReader

The Two Eleanors does a fine job of shining an overdue light on two fascinating and powerful - in the true sense of the word - medieval noblewomen.

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Amazon Customer

Henry III is not one of our monarchs that is remembered as well as Henry IV, Henry V or Henry VIII, but Darren Baker uncovers some of his history, and in particular focuses on the women in his life, two of whom bore the Christian name Eleanor. Darren's history of the two Eleanors in Henry's life makes for a compulsive read for anyone interested in the years following the Norman conquest and the journey into Medieval England.

Books Monthly

Baker does a good job of winnowing truth from contemporary chroniclers, who made no bones about their agendas: when men wrote about women, even queens, it was always to instruct, and the lesson was invariably that good queens are submissive, faithful, and fruitful, and bad queens are bad wives and try to encroach on male prerogatives.

Excellent notes provide intriguing nuggets of information for the history detectives among us, along with a very strong bibliography.

NetGalley, Sherwood Smith

The Two Eleanors of Henry III: The Lives of Eleanor of Provence and Eleanor de Montfort firmly places Eleanor of Provence and Eleanor de Montfort within the thirteenth century world in which they lived. Darren Baker brings their stories to life, with his passion for his subjects clearly visible in the elegant narrative. This book is a must for anyone interested in medieval women or in the conflict between Henry III and Simon de Montfort. Placing the focus on the two women who saw their husbands and sons drawn into the Second Barons’ War shines a whole new light on the period.

It is an enjoyable and fascinating read!

Read the full review here

History The Interesting Bits, Sharon Bennett Connolly

The Critical Roles of Two Royal Eleanors in Causing the Second Barons’ War Read the article
here

What Happened After Simon de Montfort Defeated Henry III at the Battle of Lewes? Read here


Author articles for

History Hit, September 2019

Both of these women named Eleanor were interesting in their own right, as well as in their marriages. As the author says, it is difficult to separate the women from their husbands. I think this is especially true during their lifetimes, as not much was written or recorded about women at that time. The two Eleanor’s lives are intertwined over several decades.

NetGalley, Andrea Johnson

I love history and this is a great example - well written and researched - I felt I learned a great deal.

This was accessible to the reader, thanks to the writing style and I was drawn in from the beginning.

A great read.

NetGalley, Maria Martignetti

This book was interesting, as it could hardly help being - the two Eleanors were living, after all, in interesting times.

NetGalley, Tammy Buchli

For better or worse, women were often defined by their roles in life: daughter, wife, mother. And with a lack of sources available or detailed even recorded contemporaneously, it is often how they are then written about. This, however, shouldn't negate towards an author's attempts to introduce an historical figure to a new audience - not just an academic one. Baker's book does this - it brings to the fore two women at one of the most important periods in English history.

What the average reader will find in this is a decent story - it is not pretentious or dry - and not filled with useless information that should be relegated to the appendices. There is a decent chronology and plenty of notes because if you are reading this, you will be wanting to go off and read more. For me, I especially liked the wrap of of Simon's family after his death at Evesham.

NetGalley, Melisende d'Outremer

This is why I enjoy history so. Well written and documented story of Henry III's wife and sister, both Eleanor's, both highly educated and well aware of their rights. Both were drug through the drama of a country struggling to define what their monarchy would look like. Both would be defined by the lengths they would go to get what they wanted, money, power, a dynasty. Both would" live long and prosper" in spite of the side of the conflict they were on.

NetGalley, Donna Pingry

Overall, an interesting read about two women (and their families/associates) that I didn’t previously know about.

NetGalley, Lucy Faulds

An enjoyable and recommendable read to anyone who enjoys learning more about Henry III and the women in his life.

NetGalley, Christine Cazeneuve

The story covers the relationship between the two Eleanors, and their relationship with Henry. The whole book is referenced throughout and provides fascinating detail in to the relationship of these two couples and how they went from very close to being on opposite sides of the war field. Both had successes and failures which ultimately led to Simon dying in battle and one of the Eleanors leaving England for voluntary exile.

I haven't looked into this era much before now but it was a wonderful insight. The lives of these two couples was truly incredible.

A wide variety of evidence including account books belonging to Eleanor de Monfort which survive today have been used to determine the costs of their livelihood, who they entertained and what was served to who. The costs are also converted into equivalent of today's money to give an idea how much these couples earned and spent and how extravagant they could be.

I would recommend this to anyone who has an interest in the two Eleanors, the reign of Henry III and the beginning of his sons reign.

NetGalley, Amy McElroy

An excellent and informative book on the relationship between Henry III and Simon de Montfort, from the perspective of their wives- the titular two Eleanors. Eleanor de Provence, Henry's Queen, and Eleanor de Montfort his sister who married the famous French scion of a Crusading family.

Some have complained that there 'isn't enough' about the two women, but that wasn't an issue with me. Mr Baker has written a history book, not a novel or indeed a dedicated biography. It would be next to impossible to write a biography of either woman without reference to her husband and children anyway. Medieval noblewomen were not islands.

Even as seasoned and slightly jaded historian, I learned from this book. I never knew that Eleanor de Provence briefly served as Regent during one of her husband's absences abroad. I always thought the English were entirely antagonistic to female regency, considering their response to women who tried to claim this position in later centuries. Yet Eleanor was a trailblazer: the first Medieval Queen to gain this title, and she was accepted to boot.

Mr. Baker's writing style is reading and engaging. At times he veers off with the odd modern colloquialism, but its to occasional that it doesn't really jar the reader. In fact, most of these fit.

Well worth a read to learn about the lives and legacies of two remarkable women: both called Eleanor.

Grateful thanks to Pen and Sword for sending me a copy of this book. All opinions are entirely my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

Joanna Arman