Grades 3-5

Both fact and fiction mingle in this handsome history of life in France in the 12th and 13th centuries. The facts are accurate but the story is fictional as children focus on the the events of a noblewoman named Blanche, who really was the Countessof Champagne. She managed her deceased husband's territory in order to protect her infant son's inheritance. It wasn't easy: Upon his father's death, her son became a ward of the king, who was keen to gobble up the assets of all his wards.  This is a really nice slice of history for children to learn and enjoy about Medieval times.