Sara Cockerill studied Law at the University of Oxford. Between 1990 and 2017 she was a barrister and later a QC specialising in commercial law. She has had a lifelong interest in English history, which led her to write Eleanor of Castile: The Shadow Queen, the first full-length biography of Edward I's beloved queen. She is married with one cat, and divides her time between London and the seaside.
Impeccably researched and beautifully written, this book offers a
fresh perspective on one of the most controversial queens in
history. Not to be missed.
*Tracey Borman*
‘Sara Cockerill’s new biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine is a
welcome addition to the literature on this fascinating medieval
queen. There have been many books on Eleanor, but too many repeat
myths and misconceptions about her. Cockerill’s careful historical
detective-work digs behind the mythology to reveal what we know
about the real Eleanor of Aquitaine.’
*Michael Evans, author of Inventing Eleanor*
This scholarly, well-written book provides a welcome reassessment
of the extraordinary life of a woman who was successively queen of
France and of England. Sara Cockerill deploys forensic skills in a
thoroughly readable study solidly based on the sources. Eleanor of
Aquitaine is revealed not as a romantic heroine, but as a woman
faced with extraordinary problems, from her unsatisfactory marriage
to Louis VII of France, to her turbulent relationship with Henry II
of England and her rebellious sons.
*Michael Prestwich, Emeritus Professor of History, Durham
University*
‘Blows the other biographies out of the water!’
*Elizabeth Chadwick, author of The Summer Queen*
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