The Dark Queens

A double biography of two forgotten Early Medieval queens, Brunhild and Fredegund, brought to vivid life in a gripping, detailed portrait of sixth-century Merovingian France where women contested power in a brutal, blood-spattered political arena. Award-winning writer Shelley Puhak crafts a nuanced narrative that challenges myths and slander, restoring Brunhild and Fredegund to their rightful place in medieval history. The Dark Queens paints a complex picture of ambition, lust and jealousy driving acts of treachery and violence, while illuminating how these two iron-willed figures reshaped Europe’s early medieval landscape. The book rescues their stories from relics of legend, presenting a richly textured account of a shadowy era and the people who inhabited it. Published by Penguin Random House USA, this 432-page paperback offers a thorough, immersive exploration of their reigns and legacies.

The work foregrounds the women’s distinct paths: Brunhild, a Visigothic princess, and Fredegund, once a palace slave, navigating a power structure that barred female succession but nevertheless allowed them to rule vast realms for decades.

Features

• Dual biography of Brunhild and Fredegund
• Set in 6th-century Merovingian France
• Written by award-winning Shelley Puhak
• Challenges myths about female power
• 432 pages, paperback edition
• Reconstructs primary evidence and legends