Wales, 1093.
Meet Nesta, a woman trying to survive in a man’s world – a world where the men who would protect her are dead and banished.
The warm, comfortable family life of young Nesta, daughter of Prince Rhys of Deheubarth is destroyed when her father is killed and she is taken hostage. Her honour is further tarnished when she is taken as an unwilling concubine by King William’s ruthless younger brother Henry, who later ascends the throne under suspicious circumstances.
Gerald FitzWalter, an ambitious young knight is rewarded for his unwavering loyalty to his new King with Nesta’s hand in marriage. He is delighted, having always admired her from afar, but Nesta’s only comfort is her return to her beloved Wales where cannot help but be tempted by the handsome, charismatic and dangerous son of the Welsh prince, Owain. When he offers her the chance to join him in his plan to overthrow Norman rule she must choose between her duty and her desire . . .
The King’s Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick recounts the story of Nesta ferch Rhys, the young Welsh princess who became the mistress of Henry I of England, bearing him at least one son. I first came across Nesta’s story when I was researching Heroines of the Medieval World. On the face of it, Nesta’s life appears exciting and adventurous but Elizabeth Chadwick tempers this with a clear understanding of how little control Nesta had over her own life.
Losing her father at an early age, the poor girl was a pawn in the hands of powerful men. She first appears in history as a concubine of King Henry I, though the exact dates of their relationship, the year it took place and how long it lasted, are unknown. What is known, is that Nesta had a son by Henry and that she married Gerald of Windsor as her first husband in the early 1100s. By 1109, she and Gerald had three children. By the end of her life, Nesta was the mother of no fewer than nine children by at least four different men. She had also endured an abduction by her cousin. As a Welsh heiress, in the face of Norman expansion, Nesta was never going to have a quiet life.
And Princess Nesta’s story has been brought to life by Elizabeth Chadwick’s The King’s Jewel, fleshing out the little we know to build a whole world and life around Nesta, telling a story that is both absorbing and historically accurate.
A short ride brought them to the settlement at Pembroke, where the women were thrust into a small room halfway up a stone lookout tower. A soldier tossed in their baggage, ransacked of all jewellery, fabric and trinkets. Straw pallets and coarse woollen blankets were thrown down for their slumber. The only light in the dismal chamber came from a slit of a window open to the air, and cresset lamps, burning smokily, sputtering tallow fat. The soldier returned, bringing bowls of barley broth and coarse bread, and then departed, closing and barring the door.
Nesta gazed at their bleak surroundings with a horrible, hollow sensation in her stomach. Two nights ago she had slept in a feather bed with fresh linen sheets and soft furs. She had enjoyed the clean, sweet light of beeswax candles and had washed her hands and face with rose water. She had belongings, wealth and status. Any man daring to fondle her haunch and laugh about it would have lost his hand for the insult.
‘What will happen to us?’ she asked her mother who was staring at the pallets in disgust.
‘If tehy had wanted to kill us, they would have done so by now,’ Gwladus said with a shrug. ‘I do not matter, unless I happen to be carrying another child, which I know I am not, but you are your father’s daughter, and that makes you valuable.’
Nesta folded her arms and shivered.
‘You had your first bleed at Christmas, and you are of an age to wed. Any of these Normans could take you to wife and lay claim to your father’s lands by their laws. You are not a hostage for your people, but a girl who brings with her the gift of stolen territory.’
Nesta went rigid. ‘I would never marry one of them – never!’
Gwladus shook her head. ‘What you want does not matter to them, but they cannot take what you already are inside. Hold your head high and remember your heritage. You are a pattern for others to emulate for courage and loyalty.’ She took three steps to Nesta and touched her cheek. ‘I am depending on you to carry this burden for your family’s pride.’
‘I won’t let you down.’ Nesta’s voice quivered for, despite her defiant words, she felt small, afraid and overwhelmed.
‘Oh, my beautiful girl.’ Gwladus hugged her hard and tears squeezed out from between her closed eyelids. ‘I know you will not. And you shall always have my love – always, whatever happens.’
Nesta drew in the familiar scent of her mother’s skin, seeking comfort. ‘I want it all to go away,’ she whispered.
‘I know you do. I know.’ Gwladus rocked her back and forth and kissed her cheek. ‘So do I. Dear Holy Virgin, so do I.’
As we have come to expect, The King’s Jewel is up to Elizabeth Chadwick’s usual superior standard of story-telling. Using what we do know of Nesta’s life, Elizabeth builds an engaging story of a young woman who makes the most of a life forced upon her, but whose instinct to rebel sees her make decisions that are not always in her own best interests. We are introduced to a girl who has lost almost everything, her father dead, brother in exile and mother condemned to a nunnery, and is at the mercy of her captors. From that frightened little girl, Elizabeth Chadwick creates a captivating story that will keep the reader enthralled to the very end.
The research is impeccable and I found myself nodding at the narrative more than once, knowing where Elizabeth found those little tidbits of information. And as I finished the book, I marvelled at how Elizabeth had managed to weave the few facts we do know seamlessly into the story, adding a strong element of authenticity to the elements of fiction.
The King’s Jewel is a thoroughly enjoyable novel, set in the heart of Wales against the backdrop of the Norman kings of England determined to stamp their authority on the wild country and its people. Nesta is, at once, the symbol of resistance and reluctant submission and her journey to find some kind of balance to her life is riveting.
The beauty of The King’s Jewel is that Elizabeth Chadwick brings Nesta to life, making her a real person in the eyes of the reader, eliciting sympathy for a young girl who has no control over her destiny, compassion for a woman making a marriage not of her choosing and understanding for the decisions made that led her down a dangerous path. Elizabeth understands the internal conflict that must have arisen for Nesta out of being married to a Norman, whilst wanting freedom for her Welsh homeland and people.
I cannot recommend it highly enough!
The King’s Jewel is available from Amazon.About the Author:
New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Chadwick lives in a cottage in the Vale of Belvoir in Nottinghamshire with her husband and their three dogs. Her first novel, The Wild Hunt, won a Betty Trask Award, To Defy a King won the Romantic Novelist Association’s Historical Novel Prize and The Scarlet Lion was nominated by Richard Lee – founder of the Historical Novel Society – as one of the top ten historical novels of the last decade. She often lectures at conferences and historical venues, has been consulted for television documentaries and is a member of the Royal Historical Society.
Keep in touch with Elizabeth via her website, her blogs or on social media.
http://www.elizabethchadwick.com
twitter: @chadwickauthor
facebook: ElizabethChadwick
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Out now: King John’s Right-Hand Lady: The Story of Nicholaa de la Haye
In a time when men fought and women stayed home, Nicholaa de la Haye held Lincoln Castle against all-comers, gaining prominence in the First Baron’s War, the civil war that followed the sealing of Magna Carta in 1215. A truly remarkable lady, Nicholaa was the first woman to be appointed sheriff in her own right. Her strength and tenacity saved England at one of the lowest points in its history. Nicholaa de la Haye is one woman in English history whose story needs to be told…
King John’s Right-Hand Lady: The Story of Nicholaa de la Haye is now available from Pen & Sword Books, bookshop.org and Amazon.
Coming 15 January 2024: Women of the Anarchy
On the one side is Empress Matilda, or Maud. The sole surviving legitimate child of Henry I, she is fighting for her birthright and that of her children. On the other side is her cousin, Queen Matilda, supporting her husband, King Stephen, and fighting to see her own son inherit the English crown. Both women are granddaughters of St Margaret, Queen of Scotland and descendants of Alfred the Great of Wessex. Women of the Anarchy demonstrates how these women, unable to wield a sword, were prime movers in this time of conflict and lawlessness. It show how their strengths, weaknesses, and personal ambitions swung the fortunes of war one way – and then the other.
Available for pre-order from Amberley Publishing and Amazon UK.
Also by Sharon Bennett Connolly:
Defenders of the Norman Crown: The Rise and Fall of the Warenne Earls of Surrey tells the fascinating story of the Warenne dynasty, of the successes and failures of one of the most powerful families in England, from its origins in Normandy, through the Conquest, Magna Carta, the wars and marriages that led to its ultimate demise in the reign of Edward III. Defenders of the Norman Crown: Rise and Fall of the Warenne Earls of Surrey is now available from Pen & Sword Books, Amazon in the UK and US, and Bookshop.org.
Ladies of Magna Carta: Women of Influence in Thirteenth Century England looks into the relationships of the various noble families of the 13th century, and how they were affected by the Barons’ Wars, Magna Carta and its aftermath; the bonds that were formed and those that were broken. It is now available in paperback and hardback from Pen & Sword, Amazon, and Bookshop.org.
Heroines of the Medieval World tells the stories of some of the most remarkable women from Medieval history, from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Julian of Norwich. Available now from Amberley Publishing and Amazon, and Bookshop.org.
Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest traces the fortunes of the women who had a significant role to play in the momentous events of 1066. Available now from Amazon, Amberley Publishing, and Bookshop.org.
Alternate Endings: An anthology of historical fiction short stories including Long Live the King… which is my take what might have happened had King John not died in October 1216. Available in paperback and kindle from Amazon.
Podcast:
Have a listen to the A Slice of Medieval podcast, which I co-host with Historical fiction novelist Derek Birks. Derek and I welcome guests, such as Bernard Cornwell and discuss a wide range of topics in medieval history, from significant events to the personalities involved.
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