In 1187, Saladin's armies besieged Jerusalem, and behind the city's high walls a last-ditch defense was being led by Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem. Investigating a forgotten chapter in the history of the city and the Crusades, Katherine Pangonis profiles courageous Sibylla, her Armenian mother, and her grandmother Queen Melisende, who outmaneuvered both her husband and son to seize real power in her kingdom, becoming a force to be reckoned with in the politics of the medieval Middle East.

"Fascinating…. Here are the female rulers of the crusader states as shrewd politicians, warrior queens and mothers and wives…. This is long overdue and it was worth waiting for."—Simon Sebag Montefiore