The Plantagenet queens of England played a role in some of the most dramatic events in history, breaking through medieval constraints to exercise power and influence. This second volume of Alison Weir's history spans the years 1154 to 1291, offering new perspective on the murder of Becket, the Magna Carta, and the birth of parliaments. Included here are profiles of Eleanor of Aquitaine—whose marriage to Henry II created the most powerful empire in western Christendom—as well as Berengaria of Navarre, Isabella of Angoul?me, Alienor of Provence, and Eleanor of Castile.