THE LADY QUEEN: THE NOTORIOUS REIGN OF JOANNA I, QUEEN OF NAPLES, JERUSALEM AND SICILY.

New York: Walker, 2009. 365 pp, 9 1/2" H. Colour plates, b&w maps, genealogical charts. "Amid intrique, betrayal, and conspiracy, Joanna I of Sicily became the only female monarch of her day to rule in her own name, and one of the most courageous women in history. Married for political advantage at the age of seven to her six-year-old Hungarian cousin, Joanna saw her brilliant, cultivated world shattered twelve years later by the brutal assassination of her husband. Accused on the murder by her powerful in-laws, she was forced to flee her kingdom and stand trial for her life before the papal court at Avignon on March 15, 1348. The account of how, despite her youth and sex, she triumphed over her enemies, raised an army, and took back her realm makes for one of the most compelling sagas of any age. Joanna went on to rule for a further thirty years, weathering war, plague, and treason to become one of the most powerful and influential leaders in Italy - until the violence and treachery of the medieval world ultimately destroyed her." Minor wrinkling at the top/bottom of the spine. Dust jacket has very minor wrinkling at the bottom of the spine. . First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good+/Very Good+.