Sister of the Lionheart
An unforgettable heroine in a novel of the Crusades.
Joanna is the strong-willed daughter of King Henry of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Close to her brother Richard Lionheart, she grew up at courts in France and England. From jousts to the infamous Courts of Love, from family quarrels to international intrigues, Joanna’s youth was spent in the thick of it all.
With her ambition to become a queen, like her much-admired mother, Joanna marries King William of Sicily and is swept away to a court that is a crossroads for Normans, Italians, Jews, Arabs, and Byzantines. She is furious when she learns that her husband William possesses a harem—but she refuses to accept it in silence, acting like a true descendant of Vikings.
That is only the beginning of Joanna’s adventures. When Jerusalem falls to Saladin, her husband and the Lionheart make plans to go on Crusade. And Joanna persuades Richard to let her accompany him.
This historical epic introduces a strong and truly unforgettable heroine, Joanna Plantagenet, whose drive and persistence helped change the course of history.
Cover painting, “God Speed” by Richard Leighton (1900)
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