Sabriel by Garth Nix

Friends have raved about Garth Nix's classic fantasy adventure for years! I only just got around to reading it (long story short, I had it sitting on my shelf but never cracked it open because I thought it wasn't the first in the series) and thoroughly enjoyed this creepy, atmospheric tale.

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Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father’s gruff stableman. He is treated as an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz’s blood runs the magic Skill—and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family.

As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.

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The Queen's Rebellion

King Baldwin II of Jerusalem knew he would never have a son. His wife was past childbearing age, and she had borne him four remarkable daughters - all of them clever, strong-willed, and capable. The eldest was named Melisende and when she was still in her teens, her father named her as his heir, trained her to rule, and negotiated a marriage for her with one of Europe’s greatest statesmen, the much older Count Fulk of Anjou.

When he learned he was dying, Baldwin II held a joint coronation ceremony for Melisende, Fulk, and their young child. His intention was clearly for Melisende and Fulk to rule the kingdom jointly, but when he died, Fulk blatantly dismissed Melisende’s authority and proceeded to rule in his own name.

The local nobles were dismayed to see this newcomer wielding autocratic power over them. Fulk needed to learn that in the kingdom of Jerusalem, the nobles had a say in government and that they fully trusted Melisende, who had been involved in ruling the kingdom for years already. Matters came to a head in 1134 when Fulk publicly accused Melisende of being unfaithful to him.

The nobles of the kingdom of Jerusalem were outraged by this false accusation and helped Melisende run a coup to regain power. She was so successful that following the crisis Fulk and his Western knights went “in fear of their lives”. But Melisende was not out for revenge. She reconciled with her husband and even had another child with him. From that time on they ruled the kingdom as a team and when Fulk died in 1143 Melisende mourned him sincerely.

Melisende would face a new challenge when her son Baldwin III came of age. The crusader states were a highly militarised society that constantly had to be prepared for battle, and the monarch’s most vital job was leading the army into combat. Like many medieval heiresses, Melisende had to marry a seasoned commander in order to give her country’s army a leader. After Fulk’s death, she and her son Baldwin III held another joint crowning ceremony and by the time he was sixteen and legally an adult, Baldwin had begun leading the knights of Jerusalem on campaign.

But Melisende continued to rule in her own right, shutting Baldwin out of the government well into her son’s twenties. Soon, Baldwin and Melisende were locked in a power struggle which ultimately ended in 1152 when he managed to overthrow her. Melisende went into retirement, but once again she reconciled with her son the following year. Baldwin soon realised that he needed his mother’s advice and help, as well as someone he could rely upon to rule the kingdom when he was going to war. Over the next ten years, they continued to rule jointly until Melisende died in 1161.

Melisende of Jerusalem actually is a heroine of mine, and this is not a conclusion I’ve come to lightly. She ruled with the support and input of her barons and the church. She was not afraid to confront her husband when he tried to usurp the kingdom. But most of all, after quarrelling with both her husband and her son, she was gracious enough to work together with them into the future.

~Happy reading!
Suzannah Rowntree