The Birth of the Chess Queen: The Power and Triumph of Women Who Ruled the Board and Life

The queen is the most powerful piece on the chessboard. However, this was not always the case: chess existed for centuries without a queen until she finally made her appearance on the pages of an ancient manuscript held in an abbey in Switzerland. How did she come to the chessboard? Which of the powerful queens of the Middle Ages inspired this image? And how did its development reflect the status of women in power in real life?
In the narrative of the distinguished historian and feminist Marilyn Yalom, influential rulers of the past come to life: Matilda of Tuscany and Doña Urraca, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Blanca of Castile, Sigrid the Haughty and Catherine II. Yalom traces the remarkable and unpredictable journey of the queen on the chessboard from the earliest rare mentions of this figure to her dazzling rise during the reign of Isabella of Castile, from the Lewis Chessmen and medieval poems to 'Through the Looking-Glass.' This is a multilayered, captivating story of medieval royal courts, struggles for power, political and romantic intrigues. To this day, the power of the chess queen reflects how for centuries women have sought and achieved independence.