Father-daughter duo Jonathan and Emily Jordan uncover the ingenious wartime tactics of some of history’s most powerful female leaders across millennia and continents, from the stifling battlefields of ancient Egypt to the frigid waters off the Falkland Islands.

History’s killer queens come in all colors, ages, and leadership styles. Elizabeth Tudor and Golda Meir played the roles of high-stakes gamblers who studied maps with an unblinking, calculating eye. Angola’s Queen Njinga was willing to shed (and occasionally drink) blood to establish a stable kingdom in an Africa ravaged by the slave trade. Caterina Sforza defended her Italian holdings with cannon and scimitar, and Indira Gandhi launched a war to solve a refugee crisis.

From ancient Persia to modern-day Britain, the daunting thresholds these exceptional women had to cross—and the clever, sometimes violent ways in which they overcame them—are evoked in vivid detail by Jordan and Jordan. The narrative sidles up to these war queens in the most dire, tumultuous moments of their reigns and examines the brilliant methods and maneuvers they each used to defend themselves and their people from enemy forces. In the end, we come away with a new awareness of the extraordinary power and potential of women in history who walked through war’s kiln and emerged from the other side—some burnished to greatness, others burned to cinders.

Advance Praise for The War Queens

“The War Queens reminds us intelligently, entertainingly, and powerfully that strong-willed women have always been the equal―and very often the superior―of their male counterparts, even in the field historically most jealously reserved for men: warfare. Rarely has Rudyard Kipling’s incisive truth been better proven in book form, that ‘the female of the species is more deadly than the male.’”―Andrew Roberts, international bestselling author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny and Napoleon: A Life

“In a brilliant twist on Boccaccio’s De Claris Mulieribus, The War Queens deftly weaves the extraordinary exploits of women from ages past to near-present in a narrative as fast-paced as the battles it recounts. Featuring heroines from every part of the globe, the Jordans have demonstrated that great women have risen up in all places and in all circumstances and that their ranks will only increase.”―Elizabeth Lev, author of The Tigress of Forli

“The War Queens triumphantly tells the story of the astonishing women who fiercely led their nations into combat―from Egypt’s Queen Hatshepsut and Russia’s Catherine the Great to Israel’s Golda Meir. With impeccable research and gripping prose, Jonathan and Emily Jordan bring to life these powerful war queens and the many obstacles they faced while reminding us that whether they won or lost in battle, these extraordinary women earned their place in history as legends.”―Cate Lineberry, bestselling author of The Secret Rescue and Be Free or Die

“Father and daughter team of Jonathan and Emily Jordan have crafted an immensely important and incredible timely book that puts the spotlight on extraordinary women who led their nations in combat. A sweeping history that ranges across several millennia and continents, The War Queens takes readers from the stifling battlefields of ancient Egypt to the frigid waters off the Falkland Islands. Along the way readers meet a diverse cast of historical figures, from Cleopatra and Catherine the Great to Indira Gandhi and Margaret Thatcher. This book should be required reading for anyone who loves history.”―James M. Scott, Pulitzer Prize Finalist and bestselling author of Rampage and Target Tokyo

“The War Queens masterfully captures the largely forgotten saga of warrior queens through the ages. With crackling prose, Jordan brilliantly engages the readers by putting them on the throne of a pharaoh or in blood-soaked fields of battle. The legacy of history’s killer queens is drenched with pathos and drama. Jordan, who is emerging as one of America’s finest authors and historians, narrates an epic filled with victory, defeat, and legendary women. Appealing to a wide audience, this book is a must-read for anyone who loves a gripping story. It’s a sweeping, single-volume history filled with page-turning action and insightful, thought-provoking commentary.”―Patrick K. O’Donnell, bestselling author of The Unknowns and Washington’s Immortals

“The War Queens is an insightful, absorbing saga that reaches back through the centuries and brings the reader into the tense war rooms and body-strewn battlefields of some of history’s most extraordinary ruling women at battle. Calculating, brilliant, and deadly, these women altered the course of human events, and this book skillfully makes their stories powerful, empowering, and unforgettable.”―Kara Cooney, author of When Women Ruled the World

About best-selling American Warlords

“Jonathan W. Jordan’s American Warlords accomplishes for FDR and World War II what Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals achieved for Lincoln and the Civil War.”

— Armchair General Magazine

New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Jordan’s new World War II history American Warlords is the story of the greatest “team of rivals” since the days of Lincoln: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, General George C. Marshall, War Secretary Henry Stimson, and Admiral Ernest J. King.

In a lifetime shaped by politics, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proved himself a master manipulator of Congress, the press, and the public. But when war in Europe and Asia threatened America’s shores, FDR found himself in a world turned upside down, where his friends became his foes, his enemies his allies. To help wage democracy’s first “total war,” he turned to one of history’s most remarkable triumvirates. For more about the four power brokers, click here.

“An incredibly intimate account of the four men who led the nation to victory in the Second World War. Mr. Jordan’s book should be required reading for all who seek greater insight into how wars are won. Superbly written, well researched, and highly interesting, American Warlords is in a class by itself.”—Jean Edward Smith, Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Winner of the Francis Parkman Prize, and New York Times bestselling author of FDR and Eisenhower in War and Peace

“Mr. Jordan has done an admirable job of making these men come alive. He uses their own words to weave a good tale…”—The Wall Street Journal

“A page-turning chronicle of World War II…Throughout, the author provides astute and clever portrayals of the leaders, including Churchill’s pretense to his ancestor’s abilities, Stalin’s displays of compassion, and FDR’s meddling in naval projects…Readers will enjoy the intrigue, back-stabbing, action, and diplomacy in this well-written book.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

 “A classic page-turner that is fun to read. This essential volume will hold much appeal to readers interested in World War II, FDR, and civilian-military relations.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“Jordan’s American Warlords masterfully recounts the fascinating story of how these very different leaders blended their skills and energies into a monumental effort that won World War II. It is a “must have” book and we rate it “5 Stars,” our very highest rating.”—Jerry D. Morelock, Armchair General

“As the dust of World War II appears in the rearview mirror of our memories, it takes a special book to explain the inner workings of the Washington, DC, establishment of the late 1930s/early 1940s to rev our interest, and American Warlords: How Roosevelt’s High Command Led America to Victory in World War II by Jonathan W. Jordan certainly fits that bill…. This book is a must-read for anyone who desires to know more about that dust swirling around in the rearview mirror—that dust we call World War II.” — Judith Reveal, New York Journal of Books

“Seventy years out from the end of this dreadful war, there are still new contributions to our understanding of it being published. Such a contribution is Jonathan W. Jordan’s American Warlords….[Jordan writes] for the general reader, who will benefit from this important story well told.” — American Spectator

“Perhaps the most compelling stories here are of the historical turns that almost, but didn’t, happen—Marshall as commander of Overlord, Dewey as president, the Morgenthau Plan (to reduce postwar Germany to a meek agrarian state) rather than the Marshall Plan—each of them near misses that would have recast history.”–MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History (Summer 2015)

You can read a short excerpt from American Warlords, on American leadership at the time of the surrender of Nazi Germany in May 1945:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/07/the-man-who-would-oversee-wwii-s-end.html

Praise for New York Times bestselling Brothers, Rivals, Victors: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley and the Partnership that Drove the Allied Conquest in Europe:

Jonathan W. Jordan has pulled off a mission impossible: He has produced a groundbreaking study that transforms our understanding of [Eisenhower, Patton, and Bradley]…This book should be required reading at West Point and all other military academies. It is beautifully written and a classic work of popular biography and military history for the general reader. It is a pleasure to recommend it.”
-Martin Sieff, The Washington Times

“One of the real pleasures of Jonathan W. Jordan’s Brothers, Rivals, Victors is reading about [Patton,] Bad Boy of the American military… What Jordan gives us is the war as Eisenhower, Bradley and Patton saw it… Anybody who believes that generals are just, rational men, imbued with a soldierly feeling of comradeship toward one another and an ingrained respect for their political superiors, will be shocked by this book.”
-Michael Korda, The New York Times Book Review

“Ably marshalling a considerable amount of research, Jordan fashions a truly compelling narrative of three outsized American military figures… A masterly, exciting study of character and tactics in World War II.”
–Kirkus, Starred Review

“[Jordan’s] humane, closely researched and well-written Brothers, Rivals, Victors vividly conveys the mental and physical demands of high command…”
–The Wall Street Journal 

Jonathan W. Jordan’s Brothers, Rivals, Victors is a landmark publication in the history of the Second World War. Anchored by a breathtaking amount of new research, Jordan explains the strange alchemy that existed between Eisenhower, Patton, and Bradley as they struggled to defeat Nazism. Jordan has written a real historical tour de force. Highly recommended!”
-Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History at Rice University and New York Times bestselling author of The Boys of Pointe du Hoc

This is one of the great stories of the American military, of how Patton, Eisenhower and Bradley, three very different men, came together to change the world.  It is told here by Jonathan Jordan with insight and compassion, relish and vigor.  I read it in two sittings. —Thomas E. Ricks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of  Fiasco, Making the Corps and The Gamble

Finally, a major work that examines and highlights the most important American military triumvirate of World War II… General readers will appreciate the fast pace and descriptive prose, while historians and specialists will be impressed by the depth and breadth of research. Jordan’s work will put the war into a new perspective for many readers… a must-read for anyone interested in World War II, or who wants to know something about how command decisions are actually made. —Jim DeFelice, author of Rangers at Dieppe and Omar Bradley: General at War

An intimate, well-researched and gracefully-written portrait of three important generals –Jordan succeeds in bringing Patton, Brad and Ike to life once again.  Brothers Rivals Victors is full of fresh insight and compelling drama.  You will have trouble putting this book down. —John C. McManus, author of Grunts and Alamo in the Ardennes

A fascinating triple biography. Jordan elegantly describes the ever-changing relationship between America’s three most important European ground commanders.  [Brothers Rivals Victors] shows how the responsibilities, and politics, of high command can test even the best of friends.—Jonathan Parshall, co-author Shattered Sword: The Untold Battle of Midway

Jonathan Jordan uses the intertwined lives of three great soldiers to tell the story of America’s supreme military achievement:  the campaign that destroyed Hitler’s tyranny and freed a continent.  The writing is vivid, the admiring portraits of these friends–and rivals–are carefully crafted, and Jordan has a fine eye for the telling detail.  A fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable read.—William I. Hitchcock, author of The Bitter Road to Freedom: A New History of the Liberation of Europe

The standard line among historians is that there’s nothing new to be said about World War II… Jonathan Jordan shows us just how wrong that is… Fastidiously researched and deftly written, Jordan’s work is compellingly authoritative and adds to our knowledge something that we have not had—a tale of the intertwined and sometimes discomforting relationships of three American heroes. There is no such thing as the last word on any part of our history, but Brothers Rivals Victors comes close. —Mark Perry, author of Partners in Command: George Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower in War and Peace

Praise for Lone Star Navy (winner of the 2007 United States Maritime Literature Award):

As much as Lone Star Navy is a great adventure tale told entertainingly, it is also serious history. For while he does tell the often raucous saga of the Texas Navy, he meticulously researched every fact presented. . . . If you are a fan of novels by Patrick O’Brien, you are as likely to be entertained by this book. —Galveston County Daily News

At last, a narrative on the incredible saga of the Republic of Texas Navy. Overlooked and forgotten for more than 160 years, its commander, Commodore Edwin Ward Moore, has been brought back to life and recognized as the greatest hero and naval tactician since John Paul Jones. Jonathan Jordan is to be complimented for filling a huge gap in American history.—Clive Cussler, bestselling author of The Sea Hunters: True Adventures with Famous Shipwrecks

Lone Star Navy is a whale of a good book! Jonathan W. Jordan combines superb writing with technical expertise and contextual understanding to produce a volume that is as stimulating as it is satisfying. —Southwestern Historical Quarterly

The most comprehensive look at the Texas Navy . . . The author does an excellent job of fitting the story of the Texas naval service into the political, economic, and diplomatic life of the republic, while providing a look at the men and ships, and the operations in which they were involved, some of them among the most impressive maritime feats of their times. —The New York Military Affairs Symposium Review

A bright young historian has at last resurrected the incredible saga of the Republic of Texas Navy in a full-length book. And what a book it is–comprehensively filling in as it does a tremendous void in American history. —Sea Classics

The small fleet of Texas Navy books has a new flagship, Jonathan W. Jordan’s Lone Star Navy. —Austin American Statesman

[Jordan’s] lively narrative history is both well-researched and documented….Jordan has a thorough grasp of naval technology and his descriptions of the sea engagements are both lively and easy to follow. He also places the navy within the context of political events and the war on land. All readers will enjoy Jordan’s writing style, while scholars will appreciate his exhaustive notes and bibliography….This is certainly the most comprehensive and analytical treatment of the subject to date. —Nautical Research Journal, Winter 2006