Lionessheart: The Life and Times of Joanna Plantagenet, by Catherine Hanley

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

Richard the Lionheart travelled to far-flung realms, went on crusade, met kings and popes, and exerted a great deal of influence on the world around him … and so did his sister.

The sons of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine have been the subject of much historical attention, but their daughters have been curiously overlooked. 

The youngest of them, Joanna, led a particularly extraordinary life full of adventure and danger – and not a little controversy – that was more than a match for those of any of her brothers, including the famed Lionheart himself.

Lionessheart is Joanna's story, and also an exploration of the wider world of the twelfth century as seen through the eyes of a woman who was a princess and a pioneer, a warrior and a wife, a captive and a queen.

With impeccable research and a solid understanding of the period, Catherine Hanley presents an educational, absorbing and accessible narrative full of historical detail, always keeping the women at the forefront of the story. Superb.’ Annie Whitehead, author of *Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England *

# # #

About the author

Catherine Hanley (who also writes as CB Hanley and JF Andrews) was born in Australia; since moving to the UK she has lived in many corners of it, and is currently based in the rural West Country with her husband and three children. Her love of medieval studies led to a PhD and a number of academic publications; she now splits her time between writing popular non-fiction history and historical fiction. Find out more at Cattherine's website https://catherinehanley.co.uk/