Preview
  • Royal Witches

  • Witchcraft and the Nobility in Fifteenth-Century England
  • By: Gemma Hollman
  • Narrated by: Heather Wilds
  • Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (207 ratings)

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Royal Witches

By: Gemma Hollman
Narrated by: Heather Wilds
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Publisher's summary

Until the mass hysteria of the 17th century, accusations of witchcraft in England were rare. However, four royal women, related in family and in court ties - Joan of Navarre, Eleanor Cobham, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, and Elizabeth Woodville - were accused of practicing witchcraft in order to kill or influence the king.

Some of these women may have turned to the “dark arts” in order to divine the future or obtain healing potions, but the purpose of the accusations was purely political. Despite their status, these women were vulnerable because of their gender, as the men around them moved them like pawns for political gains.

In Royal Witches, Gemma Hollman explores the lives and the cases of these so-called witches, placing them in the historical context of 15th-century England, a setting rife with political upheaval and war. In a time when the line between science and magic was blurred, these trials offer tantalizing insight into how malicious magic would be used and would later cause such mass hysteria in centuries to come.

©2020 Gemma Hollman (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC
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What listeners say about Royal Witches

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Good story horrible performer

The narrator did not understand the material. Horrible performance. Almost couldn’t listen to it. Every sentence was ab unexplainable dramatic declaration

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1 person found this helpful

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Decent performance

Overall decent performance and has a lot of interesting history from almost a span of 100+years and how women are always labeled as “witches” even in royal circles.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating History!

Enjoyed listening to this audiobook, Well explained and good details of this period of history, definitely recommend!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Women heroism in the 15th century

if you're looking for some 15th century history of women this book is the place to go.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Story is great

I’m having trouble finishing this because of the narrator. I find her speech pattern distracting and it’s unfortunate because this is one of my favorite topics. I’ll buy the paperback.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Ugggggg. The Narrator

It could just be me BUT the sing-song rhythm of the narrator's speech destroys the book .

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excessive use of "however"

Great story, however the use of the word "however, was too excessive to the point of distraction. However I did enjoy the story.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great historical record

I loved the history of these British Queens and Kings
I do wish there was more, a continuation

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Fantastic read, great timeline following

I enjoyed this book very, very much. The timeline was properly adhered to, with proper reference points to documents and daily living at the time. It's also a dream for court genealogists

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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fascinating story but not great writing & narrator

the story of these women is amazing but poor writing made narration hard to listen to.

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1 person found this helpful