As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.
Historical person
1241–1290
Eleanor of Castile was a daughter of Ferdinand III of Castile and Joan, Countess of Ponthieu. She married the future Edward I of England in 1254, creating an important dynastic alliance. During the political struggles of Henry III’s later reign she shared Edward’s fortunes, and after the royal victory in the Second Barons’ War she accompanied him on crusade to the eastern Mediterranean.
Eleanor became queen when Edward succeeded in 1272. She was a significant landholder and an experienced member of the royal household, and her long marriage to Edward produced a large family, including the future Edward II. After her death in 1290, Edward commemorated the stages of her funeral journey with the Eleanor Crosses.
Carol McGrath’s The Damask Rose reimagines Eleanor before and during the transition from baronial war to crusade and queenship, presenting the personal and political pressures that shaped the future queen.
Series
Carol McGrath’s Rose Trilogy reimagines the lives of three medieval queens of England through the women around them, pairing royal politics with intimate viewpoints from beyond the throne. The Silken Rose follows Eleanor of Provence and the commoner Rosalind in Henry III’s troubled court; The Damask Rose turns…
All books in this series
