Customer Reviews

To Defy A King - Spirited Daughter, Rebellious Wife, Powerful Woman

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To Defy a King is the story of Mahelt, the eldest and most beloved daughter of my favorite hunk in history, William Marshal. Preparing an extended trip to get their lands in Ireland under control, Mahelt's parents are anxious to see her married before they leave and to that end she is betrothed to Hugh Bigod, the son of Roger Bigod the powerful Earl of Norfolk. While still too young for the marriage bed, Mahelt and Hugh are married and she joins the Bigods at Framlingham Castle, although the very-independent-minded Mahelt and set-in-his-ways Roger don't always see eye to eye.

When Mahelt reaches her fifteenth birthday she and Hugh are able to consummate their marriage and begin building a family together, but their happiness is ultimately threatened by the escalating tensions between King John and his barons. Hugh also has a lot of tension of his own to deal with from his half-brother William Longespée, who is quite full of himself and his relationship to the King (he is John's half-brother through his mother Ida see more about that in The Time Of Singing);

"...although for Longespée attendance on John was a validation of his royal blood and an opportunity to pose in fine clothes."

The conflicts finally lead to open revolt against the King and Mahelt finds herself torn between loyalty to the Bigods who want to oust John and her father who swore fealty to John and is honor bound to keep it. And what of her beloved brothers who have been held hostage for years by John to ensure her father's loyalty?

"Do not talk to me of God. I have been supping with the Devil...I thought I had a long enough spoon, but I was wrong."

Can Hugh keep his wife and children safe from John's clutches? Can Framlingham Castle withstand the King's army? Sorry, but that's all I'm going to tell you - read it for yourself. While the first half of the book might not be fast paced enough for some readers, I really enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down. I loved watching the budding relationship between Hugh and Mahelt grow into a strong, loving marriage, as well as Hugh's somewhat stormy relationship with his half-brother William Longespée. As for Hugh? I'm in love again....

One of Chadwick's greatest strengths is the way she effortlessly brings the medieval period and mindset to life - from the food, clothing, sights, sounds etc. and this latest one is no disappointment. A big thumbs up on the author's notes at the end as well, I for one appreciate knowing what was real, what was surmised for the sake of the story as well as how ongoing research has affected what she's written in her previous books on the Marshal and Bigod families. 5/5 stars and a must for Chadwick fans.

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FTC, yes yes I admit it, I got an advance copy. Shoot me. I would have preordered it and just had to wait longer to read it.

Mahelt Marshal is the eldest daughter of William Marshal, one of the most respected and influential knights in England. During King John's turbulent reign, William Marshal is suspected of treachery and with two sons being held hostage he seeks to make an advantageous marriage for his daughter. A marriage to Hugh Bigod, the son of Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk is arranged, and Mahelt moves to Framlingham to live with her new family.

This is Mahelt's story during the period from January 1204 to September 1217. It is the story of a proud Marshal daughter growing into a young woman and realising that a Bigod wife is sometimes required to have different allegiances than a Marshal daughter. In the meantime, the reign of King John is creating political and religious upheaval, and both the Marshals and the Bigods are in danger. Mahelt and Hugh's marriage is also under threat as allegiances and loyalties are challenged.

I enjoyed this novel. Ms Chadwick brings medieval England to life by deftly recreating the physical world and the mindsets of the period. This makes it easier for the 21st century reader to appreciate why the 13th characters behave the way they do.

While this novel can be read as a standalone, I'd recommend reading Ms Chadwick's other novels about the Marshal (The Greatest Knight; The Scarlet Lion; A Place Beyond Courage) and Bigod (The Time of Singing) families first.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I must admit to being a huge Elizabeth Chadwick fan - which is why I ordered this prior to it's release in the States. Check out the Book Depository for tittles that you simply can't wait to read. They have excellent service, great selection and FREE shipping no less!


I loved this book and read it while I was recuperating. It was the perfect book for getting lost in another time and place! It recounts the life of Mahelt Marshall - eldest daughter of greatest knight of all William Marshall. The action takes place during the reign of King John - when, it seems everyone, even those most loyal to the crown as William Marshall was, are suspected of treason for one reason or another. Quite honestly this book made me want to read more about King John because he comes across as a neurotic, paranoid kind of man who thinks that all of his subjects are out to over through him (hummmm - maybe they were - that might make sense come to think of it!). He holds two of William Marshal's sons captives as surety for William's allegiance. I got bad vibes about this King just from reading the book.


With his sons held captive William Marshall arranges an advantageous marriage for his beloved daughter Mahelt to Hugh Bigod, son of the Earl of Norfolk Roger Bigod. This book is the story of Mahelt's marriage, and, in a way, of her "coming of age" when women were thought of as little more than breeding machines. The book covers the years 1204 to 1217. The books skillfully tells the tale of the Mahelt's family allegiance to her father came into conflict to her marriage family's ambitions at times. He marriage to Hugh is tested as as the vicissitudes and tyranny of John's reign causes both as well as religious upheaval within the country. Keeping one's footing in the good graces of the Court becomes a slippery slope as all of the main characters attempt to hang on to to what they have and stay alive in the process.


There is something about Elizabeth Chadwick's work that reels me in and hold onto my consciousness as I read her books. I am transported to another time - when the place of women was so much different than it is today. Ms. Chadwick's book's, I believe, really do make the 13th century come alive in a way that some other books of the same period fail to do. I believe that this book is stong enough to be read without having read Md. Chadwick's earlier books but it is also true that if you have already read "The Greatest Knight", "The Scarlet Lion" or the "Time of Singing" you might have a better grasp of the historical background as a whole. One thing I think I can assure you of is that if you love historical fiction and begin with this book - you will be looking for each and every other book that Ms. Chadwick has written before you close this book on the last page! Fabulous book

Since this novel dwells on one of William Marshall's progeny, his first born daughter, for those who have read Ms. Chadwick's historical novel and sequel of Britain's foremost medieval tourney knight and brief regent of England, this lengthy story will not be as exciting or intriguing.

For ease of introducing all the main characters of the period, it is well suggested that the reader finish the two Chadwick books "The Greatest Knight" and sequel, "The Red Lion". I would have enjoyed a bit less of the marriage of Mahelt and Hugh Bigod, and some of her subsequent history in the second marriage.

In the author's words, "...Mahelt Marshall does not have the fame or resonance in history that falls to her illustrious father, the great William Marshall...She is little mentioned in the narrative historical record..." Thus considering this, Chardwick does her best to carry on a reputation as a thorough researcher, articulate and talented writer of the middle ages. It is with anticipation that future works are provided by this fluent and mezmerizing author. Wouldn't it be grand to have a Russell Crowe cinema interest in some of Ms. Chadwick's remarkable works?

This is the first Elizabeth Chadwick novel I've read and I enjoyed it immensely. The characters are well defined and the author's detailed and accurate research brings the time period to life.

Before this book, I didn't know much about the time period beyond the Robin Hood tales and the Magna Carta. I've been to Salisbury and have seen the copy of the Magna Carta there as well as William Longspee's tomb, it was fun to read about the surrounding history.

Medieval history was one of my loves when I was younger, this story brings it all back. I found the descriptions of day-to-day life fascinating, it's clear that women, even of the aristocracy, led very hard and busy lives running their estates and raising children while the men were off fighting. The story also made clear that children grew up much faster than today and much better prepared for adult life.

I also appreciated the history notes at the end, as well as the author interview.

All in all, and very good read.

I just finished this novel, the first of Elizabeth Chadwick's books I've read, and now I know I'll be coming back for more. The story examines the lives of William Marshall's daughter, Mahelt, and Hugh Bigod, the son of the Earl of Norfolk at a time of brutality and political upheaval in early 13th century in England. Chadwick's grasp of history and of prose bring the historic characters, particularly women whose stories are marginalized and peripheral in the historical record, to vivid life. Exploring the themes of honor, justice, loyalty and betrayal, Mahelt is at the center of a story that a less creative and daring author might have woven around the more robustly available accounts of her husband, father, and father-in-law. The lawyer in me also enjoyed the manner in which Chadwick explored the reasons behind the drafting of the Magna Carta, the document that has been hailed throughout the English speaking world as that which underpins our modern beliefs of liberty and freedom from arbitrary acts of the state. Truly a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable read. I know I'll be returning to Chadwick again and again.

After reading four of Elizabeth Chadwick's books I don't think that there is anything she can do wrong in writing this genre. The characters are wonderful - fleshed out, individual, not stereotypical and graceful. The blend of action scenes and emotional scenes are well balanced. You come away from each of these books wanting more!

To Defy a King is no exception to the above. Even though most of the characters and many of the major events have been present in some way in several of her other books, Elizabeth Chadwick has a way of making them feel fresh and new each time. This is a wonderful quality because you still feel like the characters are familiar but you are getting a new take on them and their world. A perfect case in point - my feelings toward Roger Bigod are very different in To Defy a King than in For the King's Favor. In King's Favor, I loved Roger - I thought his romance with Ida was sweet and he was determined to preserve what was his. In To Defy a King I found that his character frustrated me because he seemed to have lost part of what I had loved about him - his connection with his wife. I also loved getting to see more of the Marshall brood - still from an insider perspective, from Mehelt, but she becomes a little of an estranged insider. It was also wonderful to see more of William Longspee - I enjoyed getting to see him grow up in King's Favor and now we get to see more of his interaction with his half-brothers and how he grows into a man.

Elizabeth Chadwick really knows how to make believable relationships between her characters. I really loved watching the development of the relationship between Mehelt and Hugh. She was a very young girl when they first met and he was several years older. Seeing what they think of each other as time goes on was interesting. The way their relationship unfolds felt so true - even in regard to modern relationships, although we don't get married quite so young. There is love, passion, frustration, anger, forgiveness, and acceptance.

The author is phenomenal at creating vivid scenes for the reader. When you are reading you will be completely swallowed up by the world and feel that you are right there too. The smells, sounds and visual stimuli are front and center in her writing.

I don't think I can put in writing how much I enjoy reading these books. These characters are not just people created in an imagination; they feel like flesh and blood. This book is now my second favorite of the 4 I've read - but I don't think anything will top The Greatest Knight for me.

This book was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Mahelt Marshal, Countess of Norfolk, Countess of Surrey was an Anglo-Norman noblewoman, and she was the eldest daughter of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, and mother Isabel de Clare 4th Countess of Pembroke. This story takes place in the 12th - 13th century. Mahelt married Hugh Bigod, but the marriage was not consumated due to her age. Mahelt and Hugh became true man and wife after she reached the age that her father and father in law had agreed upon. I loved how the marriage of Mahelt and Hugh was shown in such a heartfelt way and I loved both of them and how they loved each other through all that is thrust upon them. There are long separations, and happy reunions, she bears him five children. Mahelt is a very headstrong woman for her time and she does clash with her father in law, has a great relationship with her mother in law, Ida, and hates King John. King John, was the youngest of five sons of King Henry II of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine. King John is portrayed as a very demanding, distasteful egotistical leader. He could be very cruel in his dealings with the noblemen, causing them to rebel against him and attempts were made to remove him from being king of England. The Marshal and Bigod families are swept along in the King's wars and rebellions with France, forcing the families to be opposing sides.
This book is full of medieval intrigue, historical content that brings the reader right into this long ago world. I have to be honest and say that this was the first book of Elizabeth Chadwicks that I have read and I was very impressed with her writing. The author wrote of these characters and timeframe with as much historical accuracy that can be put in a work of fiction. I can see why To Defy A King is Historical Novel of the Year by the Romantic Novelists' Association. So congrats to Elizabeth on a great book! I loved it...

To Defy a King is the story of Mahelt Marshal, eldest daughter of the famous William Marshal--who appears as the main character in two of Chadwick's previous novels, and a minor character in a handful of others. As the oldest daughter of one of the most famous men in England, Mahelt married Hugh Bigod. The novel covers a period of about ten years, from Mahelt's marriage to Hugh up through the Magna Carta.

I do love Elizabeth Chadwick's novels; her writing really takes her reader back in time. But for some reason, I just didn't love this one quite as much. Maybe because there's so much less known about Mahelt than about her father, her character seems a lot sketchier here. Still, I thought Chadwick did a wonderful job of trying to ring her and Hugh to life. Hahelt matures as a character, but it's too abrupt; at one point she's running off to meet her brother in secret, the next she's a responsible young chatelaine. Maybe having children made her more mature and responsible, but it happened too suddenly for me.

Another frequent theme that pops up in the novel is loyalty; the Bigods and Marshals were on different sides of the King John conflict. Who should Mahelt side with: the family she was born into or the side that her adoptive family is on? Like a previous reviewer, I thought that Chadwick should have focused more on the internal struggle that Mahelt faces--and there's a lot of opportunity to deal with the topic in this novel.

Still, as I've said before, Chadwick really knows how to get her reader into the mindset of her medieval characters. Her research is always detailed, and her descriptions of the time and place in which her novels are set are always absorbing. I think there's a lot more promise for this book--but if you're new to Elizabeth Chadwick's novels, I'd start with her books on Mahelt's father, instead--The Greatest Knight and The Scarlet Lion. To Defy a King assumes that the reader knows about William Marshal, so his involvement in this story is more peripheral. The ending of the novel is a bit open-ended, which makes me think that a sequel may one day be in the works.

This was my first book by Elizabeth Chadwick and I totally enjoyed it.
Mahelt Marshall, who marries Hugh Bigod, is the protagonist of this story which takes place in the 13th century.
The author vividly describes the high handedness of the king and the atrocities and wars that took place at the time. She captures the tension when the Marshall and Bigod families are on opposing sides. The book is very educational about that period of history. The author uses many words which sent me back to the dictionary. At times the story was poignant and the reader might need to wipe away a tear. At other times, such as when Roland le Pettour uses his odd method of entertainment, the reader might smile or wrinkle his/her face in disgust.
I also liked the author's descriptions and writing style. She had a good start with no long lead up or beating around the bush like many authors love to do. When Mahelt says about King John "Tomorrow he would be gone, although like a snail, his trail would linger behind him" I thought this was very well put.
An excellent story!