Princess Alais, a medieval French princess, was the daughter of King Louis VII of France; Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine’s former husband. Alais was meant to marry Prince Richard, one of Queen Eleanor’s sons, but there were rumours that she had a famous liaison with King Henry II, instead. She was even supposed to have had a child with him. This must have caused a great scandal.
Richard married the Princess Berengaria, while he was still officially engaged to Alais. Alais eventually married William III, Count of Ponthieu and had three children.
The Queen’s Pawn
The Queen’s Pawn is a historical novel, which tells the story of Princess Alais’s love affair with Henry II, Eleanor’s husband, and how the Queen dealt with this. Christy English combines the two stories by devoting one chapter to Alais, followed by a chapter on Eleanor, throughout the book. This is a clever technique and clearly shows the differences between the two characters.
Princess Alais is sent to Eleanor’s court when she is only very young. Eleanor sends the innocent girl to a convent, where she becomes educated and cultured. However, sweet-natured and religious Alais finds the intrigues and arguments of the court difficult to deal with when she returns. She loves Eleanor like a mother, so Henry’s affair with Rosalind and his battles with Eleanor over her sons shocks her.
Eleanor’s character is a strong contrast with Alais’s. Christy English portrays her as a loving, passionate woman, somewhat hardened by life. She uses her sons as weapons against her husband, and even plots how she can use Alais. Worldly and irreligious, she loves Alais but she cannot help wanting to further her own ends.
Alais and Henry in The Queen’s Pawn
Alais falls in love with Richard, but she soon becomes disillusioned by his unfaithfulness. She cannot resist the attentions of the much older Henry, who is portrayed as a practised seducer. Alais feels guilty about Richard and Eleanor, but she has to become toughened by circumstances.
The love story between Henry and Alais is a very moving one in The Queen’s Pawn. Henry is an attractive, dominating character. It is easy to see how Alais falls in love with him, in spite of her best attentions and her love for Eleanor. Christy English also makes it easy to understand why Alais is still in love with the rather elusive Richard, who is much kinder than Henry. Henry and Richard are really the two sides of Alais’s character – the dark and the light.
Alais’s mother/daughter relationship with Eleanor is also very well-done in The Queen’s Pawn. Although she is very grateful to Eleanor and loves her, Alais eventually realises Eleanor’s faults. She is not naturally rebellious, but her love for Henry and Eleanor’s intrigues combine to turn her against Eleanor. The love/hate relationship with the mother figure is deftly portrayed.
The historical setting is vivid and described beautifully. The splendour of Eleanor’s court, the pageants, and the luxury of court life complements the interesting story.
This is a very enjoyable novel. It is recommended for all lovers of historical fiction.
Sources
English, Christy, The Queen's Pawn, New American Library, New York, 2010.
Lisa Sanderson - Lisa has been a freelance-writer for many years. She used to write for the topic, British Social History, for Suite 101 under the ...
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