The Maid and the Queen: The Secret History of Joan of Arc

The author of Four Queens offers a mesmerizing account of two extraordinary heroines who risked everything for France.

Joan of Arc, the brave peasant girl who heard the voices of angels and helped restore her king to the throne of France, astonished her contemporaries and continues to fascinate us today. Until now, though, her relationship with Yolande of Aragon, the ambitious and beautiful queen of Sicily — mother-in-law to the dauphin — has been little known. In a stunning work filled with intrigue, madness, and mysticism, Nancy Goldstone solves the thrilling mystery by showing that if you pry open the Queen's secrets, you will find the Maid's. Caught in the complex dynastic battle of the Hundred Years War, Yolande of Aragon championed the dauphin's cause. As French hopes dimmed, a courageous young woman arrived from the farthest recesses of the kingdom. But how did she gain an audience with a king? Was it only God's hand that moved Joan of Arc — or was it also Yolande of Aragon's?

“Attention, Game of Thrones fans: The most enjoyably sensational aspects of medieval politics — double-crosses, ambushes, bizarre personal obsessions, lunacy and naked self-interest — are in abundant evidence [here]....Thanks to this book, a bit more of [Yolande of Aragon’s] remarkable life has been coaxed out into the open.” Laura Miller, Salon.com

“Goldstone has peeled back the nostalgic drapery of The Maid of Orleans, and tells the most complete history of Joan of Arc that I have ever read....Gripping and informative and should be the next book you read.” Sacramento/San Francisco Book Review

“With compelling storytelling, Goldstone colorfully weaves together the tales of these two women [Yolande of Aragon and Joan of Arc] — one rich, one poor; one educated, one illiterate; one worldly, one simple — whose powerful personalities and deep allegiance to France helped shape the country’s future.” Publishers Weekly

“A dual biography of two fascinating medieval women with the descriptive energy of a novel.” USA Today

Nancy Goldstone has written and coauthored several books, including Four Queens. She lives with her husband and coauthor Lawrence Goldstone in Westport, Connecticut.