Daughters of the Winter Queen: Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia, and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots by Nancy Goldstone
Summary (from the publisher): The thrilling family saga of five unforgettable women who remade Europe. From the great courts, glittering palaces, and war-ravaged battlefields of the seventeenth century comes the story of four spirited sisters and their glamorous mother, Elizabeth Stuart, granddaughter of the martyred Mary, Queen of Scots.
Upon her father's ascension to the illustrious throne of England, Elizabeth Stuart was suddenly thrust from the poverty of unruly Scotland into the fairy-tale existence of a princess of great wealth and splendor. When she was married at sixteen to a German count far below her rank, it was with the understanding that her father would help her husband achieve the kingship of Bohemia. The terrible betrayal of this commitment would ruin "the Winter Queen," as Elizabeth would forever be known, imperil the lives of those she loved, and launch a war that would last for thirty years.
Forced into exile, the Winter Queen and her family found refuge in Holland, where the glorious art and culture of the Dutch Golden Age indelibly shaped her daughters' lives. Her eldest, Princess Elizabeth, became a scholar who earned the respect and friendship of the philosopher Rene Descartes. Louisa was a gifted painter whose engaging manner and appealing looks provoked heartache and scandal. Beautiful Henrietta Maria would be the only sister to marry into royalty, although at great cost. But it was the youngest, Sophia, a heroine in the tradition of a Jane Austen novel, whose ready wit and good-natured common sense masked immense strength of character, who fulfilled the promise of her great-grandmother Mary and reshaped the British monarchy, a legacy that endures to this day.
Brilliantly researched and captivatingly written, filled with danger, treachery, and adventure but also love, courage, and humor, Daughters of the Winter Queen follows the lives of five remarkable women who, by refusing to surrender to adversity, changed the course of history.
Review: This fascinating family biography tells the story of the descendants of Mary, Queen of Scots through her son King James I of England. When James inherited the throne from his mother's cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, his daughter Elizabeth Stuart was pulled from the poverty of Scotland to become a princess of great wealth in England. Despite her rank, she was married off a German count far below her station, but with the understanding that her father would help her husband achieve the kingship of Bohemia. But her father betrayed her and left her defenesless when the time came and Elizabeth, forever known as "the Winter Queen" for the one season she reigned as Queen of Bohemia, was forced to find refuge in Holland.
Of her many children, four were daughters. The oldest, Princess Elizabeth was a gifted scholar who was great friends with the philosopher Rene Descartes and later the Princess-Abbess of Herford. Louise Hollandine was a gifted painter and the Abbess of Maubuisson. Beautiful Henrietta Maria was married off to distant Transylvania but died tragically soon after her marriage. And the youngest, Sophia, was married off to Prince Earnest Augustus. In a surprise turn of events, Sophia struck a bargain with her cousin King William III of England to become the heir presumptive to England should he die without issue. "Thus did the twelfth child and youngest daughter in the female line descending from Mary, queen of Scots, married to the youngest of four brothers of a minor German principality, inherit what would become the throne of Great Britain. By some estimates as many as fifty-seven claimants by birth or sex had precedence over Sophia as heir" (425-426). In 1714, Sophia's eldest son was crowned George I, "thus beginning a dynasty that has lasted to this day" (431).
This was a truly fascinating history about a period of European history that I have not previously read much about. I did enjoy the first half of the book more that focuses more on Elizabeth Stuart and her marriage and issues with her father King James. Once it moves from a focus on her to her many children, the story gets much more multipronged, and it is hard to keep up with all the different threads. I never felt like a had a firm handle on any of the four daughters and didn't learn enough specific details about any of them to keep them fully straight until well on towards the end of the book. The author skips over many of the daughters' accomplishments and just references in passing the relationship with Descartes that Elizabeth enjoyed and the accomplished painting of Louisa. I wish more detail on their scholarly works had been provided. But otherwise, an enjoyable insight into the lives of the forbears of the current royal family of England.
Stars: 4
Related Title:
Comments
Post a Comment