What do you think?
Rate this book
Daughters of the Winter Queen: Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots
In a sweeping narrative encompassing political intrigue, illicit love affairs and even a murder mystery, Nancy Goldstone tells the riveting story of a queen who lost her throne, and of her four defiant daughters.
Elizabeth Stuart's (1596-1662) marriage to a German count far below her rank was arranged with the understanding that her father, James I of England, would help his new son-in-law achieve the crown of Bohemia. The terrible betrayal of this promise 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 thirty years.
Forced into exile, the Winter Queen found refuge for her growing family in Holland, where the glorious art and culture of the Dutch Golden Age formed the backdrop to her daughters' education. The eldest, Princess Elizabeth (1618-80), counted the philosopher René Descartes as her closest friend. Louisa (1622-1709), whose lively manner would provoke heartache and scandal, was a gifted artist. Henrietta Maria (1626-51), the beauty of the family, would achieve the dynastic ambition of marrying into royalty, although at great cost. But it was the youngest, Sophia (1630-1714), a heroine in the tradition of Jane Austen, with a ready wit and strength of character, who would fulfil the promise of her great-grandmother Mary, Queen of Scots, a legacy which endures to this day.
PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
Elizabeth Stuart's (1596-1662) marriage to a German count far below her rank was arranged with the understanding that her father, James I of England, would help his new son-in-law achieve the crown of Bohemia. The terrible betrayal of this promise 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 thirty years.
Forced into exile, the Winter Queen found refuge for her growing family in Holland, where the glorious art and culture of the Dutch Golden Age formed the backdrop to her daughters' education. The eldest, Princess Elizabeth (1618-80), counted the philosopher René Descartes as her closest friend. Louisa (1622-1709), whose lively manner would provoke heartache and scandal, was a gifted artist. Henrietta Maria (1626-51), the beauty of the family, would achieve the dynastic ambition of marrying into royalty, although at great cost. But it was the youngest, Sophia (1630-1714), a heroine in the tradition of Jane Austen, with a ready wit and strength of character, who would fulfil the promise of her great-grandmother Mary, Queen of Scots, a legacy which endures to this day.
PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
Audible Audio
First published April 10, 2018
852 people are currently reading
7169 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 346 reviews
July 16, 2018
This the story of The Winter Queen the Queen for only one season -Winter.
This starts with brutal beheading of
Mary Queen of Scots who had here head chopped off. But first blow missed & chopped into her head then Bloody axe was pulled out & hit her neck but failed to chop it off so rather than pull It out he hacked at remaining flesh Until came off ,her lips were still moving when he lifted it up the head.
But Mary got last laugh from beyond the grave her son James VI of Scotland United the countries as James I of England changing religion with his Bible & his son Charles I drove England into civil war but the twist of royalty leads to The Winter Queen her daughters & right down to Victoria & are present day Queen .
This filled with colour plates & b/w photos.
James I was a cowardly man who had his first Homosexual affair at 13 with 30y man. He would spend days hunting & drinking he went on as if was all a game, he stunk because never washed ; he often when drunk gave big sloppy kisses to other men & used filthy swearing all the time. He was most unpopular with his government
His son Charles (I) was sickly boy who all thought at six would die, he could not talk & had trouble walking.
Elizabeth Stuart at 7 was given £1500 budget in 1603 just for food per year, she had 20 horses, small army of groomsmen, a Doctor, 3 ladies in waiting, cooks pastry chefs ,French maids,list goes on & on .This the little bits of history that you don't know or was not taught at school that makes this interesting .The only thing I know about Bohemia came from Irena Adler & Sherlock Holmes but the Winter Queen married the King of Bohemia thus making her related in a way to Adler.
After The Prince of Wales Henry died of suspected typhoid few Months late Elizabeth marries Frederick then few years on he is elected to replace Ferdinand as King Frederick V but James I is mad about it.
In the Forever. casting shadow of Emperor Ferdinand is Frederick V let down by the cowardly James I who would not even acknowledge him as King & anyone who did could be executed .All his promises turned to lies .Here we see why Ferdinand who was like a villain in a melodrama was so powerful. This full of twists & the first part deals with Elizabeth Stuart's father & his lies & how Frederick lost his kingdom because his soldiers were not payed & ran away while he sat eating lunch & during the fish course he lost.
James is dead at 59 here comes King Greed Charles here comes a chopper .
Frederick died in November 1632 undignified death he died of the plague.
Then we move on to
The second part moves onto the daughters .Sophia is the most important daughter who is the mother of George I & thus the Legacy of Mary Queen of Scots is made.
Because The line of George lost what was then the colones & later became America thus explaining why Americans love to visit Scotland and to see where there grass roots started from .This why this so interesting because once again it's girl power not men who founded history & perhaps that's why we have Nancy Goldstone writing this book .But does also prove that goes away back to Richard III not having any children thus Henry VIII been King & so on.
It's all about sex as Charles II had no children so who was useless him or her & Queen Elizabeth not marring so as title says The Legacy of Mary
The main colour plates shows the art work by Gerard Van Honthorst the Dutch artist who panted portraits & Religions paintings such as Adoration of the child .This is controversial painting The Triumph of the Winter Queen (which aplenty is in The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston USA) even today centuries after it was painted & that Honthorst could not have known we see Sophia as an angle with laurel wreath the symbol of peace a joke as King George III cause so little Pease braking up UK with America in Boston with the tea party yet that's were painting has ended up .Hahahaha
Mary daughter of Charles I to William Prince of Orange fine but she was 9 & he was 14 !
& that was legal paedophiliac but then know one cared .It was religion ,wars & money but nothing will save Charles
Princess Elizabeth the oldest daughter was by far the most intelligent and way above lot of men in that period was friends with the Descartes the Philosopher & talked in letters about the mathematics of the soul that Nancy admits she does not get. This was way. above what you expect in 1642 .
The King is dead
Then in 1659 Louise Hollandine converted to Catholic & vanished into Abby of Maubuisson & finishes with return of the King Charles II .Then Winter Queen dies.
And we move onto part three The Legacy.:Here we start with Princess Elizabeth going to be Abbess of Hereford & lot of Religions problems that's interesting & completed but have read it as too much to review or spoil but will say that the Labadists religion is lot like today's modern cults or 1960s hips drunk on free sex & wine. Because they were hated by local people we see the rise of new region The Quakers which very interesting as I live in one of biggest first Quaker towns Darlington who was involved with famous ship The Mayflower that helped colonise America. Princess Elizabeth was one meet With William Penn in 1677 her intention changed the laws & helped found The Society of Friends root movement in English way of life & gave us religious equality laws. She died in 1680.
In The court of Louis XIV in Abbes of Maubuisson time we see Monsieur Duke of Orléans a dandy who would been more at home with Oscar Wilde then his wife a man who was cross between Liberate behide the Candelabra than Sleeping with his wife. An interesting person.
Finally I come full circle from reason why I chose this book Edict of Nantes in the notes in the back of The Burning Chambers by Kate Moss this when Louis XIV canncled the law & the Huguenots an estimated 60,000 left & 50,000+ died in ghastly ways This was Louis XIV legacy too
Sophia lived to her eighties.
I am very picky when comes to Non -Fiction books I will read few TV or Movie Star books but as for historical it. has to be special ,few years ago I read one The History of Cricket, another on George III ,one KL history of Nazi camps & one Jack the Ripper. Often it's because something has inspired me to read a book such as an episode of the X-Files got me to read Moby Dick & this book was inspired by Kate Moss.
This starts with brutal beheading of
Mary Queen of Scots who had here head chopped off. But first blow missed & chopped into her head then Bloody axe was pulled out & hit her neck but failed to chop it off so rather than pull It out he hacked at remaining flesh Until came off ,her lips were still moving when he lifted it up the head.
But Mary got last laugh from beyond the grave her son James VI of Scotland United the countries as James I of England changing religion with his Bible & his son Charles I drove England into civil war but the twist of royalty leads to The Winter Queen her daughters & right down to Victoria & are present day Queen .
This filled with colour plates & b/w photos.
James I was a cowardly man who had his first Homosexual affair at 13 with 30y man. He would spend days hunting & drinking he went on as if was all a game, he stunk because never washed ; he often when drunk gave big sloppy kisses to other men & used filthy swearing all the time. He was most unpopular with his government
His son Charles (I) was sickly boy who all thought at six would die, he could not talk & had trouble walking.
Elizabeth Stuart at 7 was given £1500 budget in 1603 just for food per year, she had 20 horses, small army of groomsmen, a Doctor, 3 ladies in waiting, cooks pastry chefs ,French maids,list goes on & on .This the little bits of history that you don't know or was not taught at school that makes this interesting .The only thing I know about Bohemia came from Irena Adler & Sherlock Holmes but the Winter Queen married the King of Bohemia thus making her related in a way to Adler.
After The Prince of Wales Henry died of suspected typhoid few Months late Elizabeth marries Frederick then few years on he is elected to replace Ferdinand as King Frederick V but James I is mad about it.
In the Forever. casting shadow of Emperor Ferdinand is Frederick V let down by the cowardly James I who would not even acknowledge him as King & anyone who did could be executed .All his promises turned to lies .Here we see why Ferdinand who was like a villain in a melodrama was so powerful. This full of twists & the first part deals with Elizabeth Stuart's father & his lies & how Frederick lost his kingdom because his soldiers were not payed & ran away while he sat eating lunch & during the fish course he lost.
James is dead at 59 here comes King Greed Charles here comes a chopper .
Frederick died in November 1632 undignified death he died of the plague.
Then we move on to
The second part moves onto the daughters .Sophia is the most important daughter who is the mother of George I & thus the Legacy of Mary Queen of Scots is made.
Because The line of George lost what was then the colones & later became America thus explaining why Americans love to visit Scotland and to see where there grass roots started from .This why this so interesting because once again it's girl power not men who founded history & perhaps that's why we have Nancy Goldstone writing this book .But does also prove that goes away back to Richard III not having any children thus Henry VIII been King & so on.
It's all about sex as Charles II had no children so who was useless him or her & Queen Elizabeth not marring so as title says The Legacy of Mary
The main colour plates shows the art work by Gerard Van Honthorst the Dutch artist who panted portraits & Religions paintings such as Adoration of the child .This is controversial painting The Triumph of the Winter Queen (which aplenty is in The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston USA) even today centuries after it was painted & that Honthorst could not have known we see Sophia as an angle with laurel wreath the symbol of peace a joke as King George III cause so little Pease braking up UK with America in Boston with the tea party yet that's were painting has ended up .Hahahaha
Mary daughter of Charles I to William Prince of Orange fine but she was 9 & he was 14 !
& that was legal paedophiliac but then know one cared .It was religion ,wars & money but nothing will save Charles
Princess Elizabeth the oldest daughter was by far the most intelligent and way above lot of men in that period was friends with the Descartes the Philosopher & talked in letters about the mathematics of the soul that Nancy admits she does not get. This was way. above what you expect in 1642 .
The King is dead
Then in 1659 Louise Hollandine converted to Catholic & vanished into Abby of Maubuisson & finishes with return of the King Charles II .Then Winter Queen dies.
And we move onto part three The Legacy.:Here we start with Princess Elizabeth going to be Abbess of Hereford & lot of Religions problems that's interesting & completed but have read it as too much to review or spoil but will say that the Labadists religion is lot like today's modern cults or 1960s hips drunk on free sex & wine. Because they were hated by local people we see the rise of new region The Quakers which very interesting as I live in one of biggest first Quaker towns Darlington who was involved with famous ship The Mayflower that helped colonise America. Princess Elizabeth was one meet With William Penn in 1677 her intention changed the laws & helped found The Society of Friends root movement in English way of life & gave us religious equality laws. She died in 1680.
In The court of Louis XIV in Abbes of Maubuisson time we see Monsieur Duke of Orléans a dandy who would been more at home with Oscar Wilde then his wife a man who was cross between Liberate behide the Candelabra than Sleeping with his wife. An interesting person.
Finally I come full circle from reason why I chose this book Edict of Nantes in the notes in the back of The Burning Chambers by Kate Moss this when Louis XIV canncled the law & the Huguenots an estimated 60,000 left & 50,000+ died in ghastly ways This was Louis XIV legacy too
Sophia lived to her eighties.
I am very picky when comes to Non -Fiction books I will read few TV or Movie Star books but as for historical it. has to be special ,few years ago I read one The History of Cricket, another on George III ,one KL history of Nazi camps & one Jack the Ripper. Often it's because something has inspired me to read a book such as an episode of the X-Files got me to read Moby Dick & this book was inspired by Kate Moss.
April 6, 2021
We all are familiar with Mary, Queen of Scots, who was executed by her cousin, Elizabeth I after years of imprisonment. But, although there is an introductory chapter to refresh the memory of her fate, this book concentrates on Queen Mary's grandaughter, Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia (known as the Winter Queen) and her four daughters. who held various titles throughout Europe.
In this 500 page book, it is sometimes difficult to keep the myriad of characters straight since the names of the royals were often the same but the author does an excellent job of identifying each in such a way that it almost clears up the problem. The book is set from 1596 through 1714 but focuses much of the content on the Thirty Years War which began when Elizabeth's father,James I of England, reneged on his promise of the throne of Bohemia to Elizabeth's husband. Europe erupted and countries who one year would be allies were enemies the next. It is helpful to know a bit about the Thirty Years War since it was fluid, to say the least.
The author has good source material which supports this sometimes rather vague period of time and her writing style is smooth and interesting. There are quite a few portraits included, some in vivid color which add interest. Overall, a fine book.
In this 500 page book, it is sometimes difficult to keep the myriad of characters straight since the names of the royals were often the same but the author does an excellent job of identifying each in such a way that it almost clears up the problem. The book is set from 1596 through 1714 but focuses much of the content on the Thirty Years War which began when Elizabeth's father,James I of England, reneged on his promise of the throne of Bohemia to Elizabeth's husband. Europe erupted and countries who one year would be allies were enemies the next. It is helpful to know a bit about the Thirty Years War since it was fluid, to say the least.
The author has good source material which supports this sometimes rather vague period of time and her writing style is smooth and interesting. There are quite a few portraits included, some in vivid color which add interest. Overall, a fine book.
April 28, 2018
Fascinating story of how descendants of James I returned to rule Great Britain after several generations. The book is easy to follow and as well written as The Rival Queens. Highly recommended to those who are interested in the Stuarts and want to learn why Hanovarians were given the right to reign on the British Isles.
Read
April 21, 2021As a medievalist, the 17th century is not my strongest century, so I was interested to read this book focusing on five royal women who played important roles in a number of the major events of the 1600s. The lead-up to the Thirty Years’ War is thoroughly described, and very helpful, although I don’t remember it actually being called the Thirty Years’ War. The Glorious Revolution and the War of the Spanish Succession are also included in the book but never labelled.
While there are plenty of inclusions from Sophia’s writing and Louise’s art, we’re usually told Elizabeth was a brilliant scholar rather than actually reading or hearing about her thoughts, and the Winter Queen, despite being a prolific writer of letters, is only quoted very rarely. Instead, especially during the Winter Queen’s section, the male members of the family are focused on. The males were certainly doing interesting and influential things, but it seemed odd that the focus is so much more on their activities when the main focus is supposed to be on the female members of the family, and when there are the sources available to support that female focus, which is not always the case when studying history. This also made it jarring later on when figures like brothers Karl Ludwig and Rupert, who play such a prominent role in the narrative, drop out of focus well before their deaths. It’s also odd when Mary II’s death in 1694 goes completely unreported. She and her sister Anne are portrayed as betraying their father James II to gain the throne because they didn’t like how religiously tolerant he was, which seemed like a bizarre interpretation to me, flying in the face of everything else I’ve read so far on the period, and of the actions and reactions of the powerful English noblemen and politicians at the time, since with James II appearing to become increasingly tyrannical Mary II’s husband was invited to “invade” England, and it is called the Glorious Revolution because no one fired a shot to oppose him. It wasn’t a Shakespearean drama, as portrayed in the book, that the English people watched from the sidelines while their religion was decided for them by family jealousies, but in fact one of the most civil national revolutions in history.
These quibbles aside, the book as a whole was very enjoyable to read, and for me shed a great deal of light from a less conventional angle. I feel like I know Sophia better, and of the five central figures it was her I was most interested to learn about, since it’s through her that every English monarch has since descended.
Recommended, though having read at least one or two other books on the century beforehand would help.
While there are plenty of inclusions from Sophia’s writing and Louise’s art, we’re usually told Elizabeth was a brilliant scholar rather than actually reading or hearing about her thoughts, and the Winter Queen, despite being a prolific writer of letters, is only quoted very rarely. Instead, especially during the Winter Queen’s section, the male members of the family are focused on. The males were certainly doing interesting and influential things, but it seemed odd that the focus is so much more on their activities when the main focus is supposed to be on the female members of the family, and when there are the sources available to support that female focus, which is not always the case when studying history. This also made it jarring later on when figures like brothers Karl Ludwig and Rupert, who play such a prominent role in the narrative, drop out of focus well before their deaths. It’s also odd when Mary II’s death in 1694 goes completely unreported. She and her sister Anne are portrayed as betraying their father James II to gain the throne because they didn’t like how religiously tolerant he was, which seemed like a bizarre interpretation to me, flying in the face of everything else I’ve read so far on the period, and of the actions and reactions of the powerful English noblemen and politicians at the time, since with James II appearing to become increasingly tyrannical Mary II’s husband was invited to “invade” England, and it is called the Glorious Revolution because no one fired a shot to oppose him. It wasn’t a Shakespearean drama, as portrayed in the book, that the English people watched from the sidelines while their religion was decided for them by family jealousies, but in fact one of the most civil national revolutions in history.
These quibbles aside, the book as a whole was very enjoyable to read, and for me shed a great deal of light from a less conventional angle. I feel like I know Sophia better, and of the five central figures it was her I was most interested to learn about, since it’s through her that every English monarch has since descended.
Recommended, though having read at least one or two other books on the century beforehand would help.
June 4, 2018
Although most of the English history coverage on the bookshelves today tends to distinct the Tudor dynasty; the Stuart monarchs had their own share of drama and soap opera-esque flair beginning with Mary, Queen of Scots. This feisty bloodline continued with Elizabeth Stuart, the daughter of James I of England and his queen, Anne of Denmark. Known as the ‘Winter Queen’ for being queen of Bohemia and the Palatine for only one season (but retaining the title); Elizabeth had a fiery and notable spirit. The same can be said of her daughters, the princesses Elizabeth, Louisa, Henrietta Maria, and Sophia. Nancy Goldstone attempts to revive this channel of the Stuart line in, “Daughters of the Winter Queen: Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia, and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots.
History-author Nancy Goldstone has an infallible habit of showcasing lesser-discussed women in history and creating dual biographies in order to highlight the interactions/gravitational pulls of the women and the roles they played. “Daughters of the Winter Queen” is no exception although it is more of a ‘quint-biography’ as it focuses on Elizabeth Stuart and her four daughters. “Daughters of the Winter Queen” opens with a brief background of Mary, Queen of Scots, her son James I, and the childhood of Elizabeth Stuart. This sets a solid background for the text meanwhile introducing Elizabeth to readers. After this, Goldstone proceeds to individually limelight each daughter per chapter and recap chronological highlights /events occurring at the same time.
The problem with this is, in usual Goldstone style, that much of “Daughters of the Winter Queen” is off-topic. Goldstone is unapologetically heavy on the research and offers new information and angles that even familiar readers are unaware of both in the political and social Stuart realm. “Daughters of the Winter Queen” is certainly academic in this sense. However, the lives of the princesses, although the topic of the book, seem glossed over without ever revealing their psyches or truly bringing the women to life. Readers never actually get to know these figures and don’t walk away with a sense of the princesses.
That being said, Goldstones flowery, descriptive, vivid, and detailed writing lends to entertaining text with a strong-paced history lesson of the period. I have remarked before that Goldstone would make an excellent historical-fiction author and I stick by this. Yet, “Daughters of the Winter Queen” does fall victim to some tedium and repetitive text that continually discusses politics. If you particularly seek this subject matter, then you are in luck!
Goldstone occasionally peppers the text with a conversational tone and/or humor (this even includes the footnotes) which breaks up the scholarly heaviness but may cause those readers who seek a strict non-fiction approach to cringe.
The second half of “Daughters of the Winter Queen” is noticeably more absorbing and dives deeper into the personal lives of the princesses revealing the inner intricacies. Goldstone find her flow and the material is more cumbersome (in a positive way) making “Daughters of the Winter Queen” a solid read after initial weaknesses.
Goldstone’s angle in the final chapters of “Daughters of the Winter Queen” is heavy on the social relationship standings of the daughters which is quite a respite from the heavy political focus. Goldstone still manages to stray off topic and over-explain details; but this is more tolerable settled among the applicable text. Sadly, the conclusion of the death of the Queen of Bohemia is anticlimactic and doesn’t emote the response that is expected from “Daughters of the Winter Queen”.
The concluding chapters of “Daughters of the Winter Queen” round up the lives of the princesses by providing a focal point on their adult lives and deaths post-decease of the Queen of Bohemia. This, along with the ‘Epilogue’ that circles back to the legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots; infuses the text with the finality it requires to be buttoned-up and have a solid beginning and end.
Goldstone supplements “Daughters of the Winter Queen” with a section of photo color plates, Notes (although scarcely annotated), and a select Bibliography for further reading.
“Daughters of the Winter Queen” is another effort by Goldstone to focus on lesser-known figures and their interactions with each other among a sea of strong fact and scholarly information. Although Goldstone frequently goes off-track and the daughters don’t come alive until the second half of the pages; Goldstone’s books increase with strength with each publication. “Daughters of the Winter Queen” is a pleasurable book as an introduction into the Stuart bloodline via the Queen of Bohemia and certainly, even with its flaws; is recommended for Stuart enthusiasts.
History-author Nancy Goldstone has an infallible habit of showcasing lesser-discussed women in history and creating dual biographies in order to highlight the interactions/gravitational pulls of the women and the roles they played. “Daughters of the Winter Queen” is no exception although it is more of a ‘quint-biography’ as it focuses on Elizabeth Stuart and her four daughters. “Daughters of the Winter Queen” opens with a brief background of Mary, Queen of Scots, her son James I, and the childhood of Elizabeth Stuart. This sets a solid background for the text meanwhile introducing Elizabeth to readers. After this, Goldstone proceeds to individually limelight each daughter per chapter and recap chronological highlights /events occurring at the same time.
The problem with this is, in usual Goldstone style, that much of “Daughters of the Winter Queen” is off-topic. Goldstone is unapologetically heavy on the research and offers new information and angles that even familiar readers are unaware of both in the political and social Stuart realm. “Daughters of the Winter Queen” is certainly academic in this sense. However, the lives of the princesses, although the topic of the book, seem glossed over without ever revealing their psyches or truly bringing the women to life. Readers never actually get to know these figures and don’t walk away with a sense of the princesses.
That being said, Goldstones flowery, descriptive, vivid, and detailed writing lends to entertaining text with a strong-paced history lesson of the period. I have remarked before that Goldstone would make an excellent historical-fiction author and I stick by this. Yet, “Daughters of the Winter Queen” does fall victim to some tedium and repetitive text that continually discusses politics. If you particularly seek this subject matter, then you are in luck!
Goldstone occasionally peppers the text with a conversational tone and/or humor (this even includes the footnotes) which breaks up the scholarly heaviness but may cause those readers who seek a strict non-fiction approach to cringe.
The second half of “Daughters of the Winter Queen” is noticeably more absorbing and dives deeper into the personal lives of the princesses revealing the inner intricacies. Goldstone find her flow and the material is more cumbersome (in a positive way) making “Daughters of the Winter Queen” a solid read after initial weaknesses.
Goldstone’s angle in the final chapters of “Daughters of the Winter Queen” is heavy on the social relationship standings of the daughters which is quite a respite from the heavy political focus. Goldstone still manages to stray off topic and over-explain details; but this is more tolerable settled among the applicable text. Sadly, the conclusion of the death of the Queen of Bohemia is anticlimactic and doesn’t emote the response that is expected from “Daughters of the Winter Queen”.
The concluding chapters of “Daughters of the Winter Queen” round up the lives of the princesses by providing a focal point on their adult lives and deaths post-decease of the Queen of Bohemia. This, along with the ‘Epilogue’ that circles back to the legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots; infuses the text with the finality it requires to be buttoned-up and have a solid beginning and end.
Goldstone supplements “Daughters of the Winter Queen” with a section of photo color plates, Notes (although scarcely annotated), and a select Bibliography for further reading.
“Daughters of the Winter Queen” is another effort by Goldstone to focus on lesser-known figures and their interactions with each other among a sea of strong fact and scholarly information. Although Goldstone frequently goes off-track and the daughters don’t come alive until the second half of the pages; Goldstone’s books increase with strength with each publication. “Daughters of the Winter Queen” is a pleasurable book as an introduction into the Stuart bloodline via the Queen of Bohemia and certainly, even with its flaws; is recommended for Stuart enthusiasts.
April 14, 2018
3.75 stars
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.
If I am going to engage in reading some historical biography, nothing suits me better than when an author says I know you think you've heard it all, but what if I had you consider the people in the background and the role they played? Daughters of the Winter Queen takes a glance at the female descendants of Mary, Queen of Scots- particularly her granddaughter Elizabeth Stuart and her four great-grandaughters daughters- Elizabeth, Louise Holllandine, Heneritta Maria, and Sophia. The last of which helped solidify the House of Hannover 's permanent connection to the British Crown and all the monarchs that have claimed the throne right through to the present day.
Extensive research intricately carved into a powerful narrative that, at times, held the gossipy atmosphere of the royal court, this book was pretty hard to put down and I did complete it in one sitting. As much as I was well versed in the history/politics/social climate of most of Western Europe in the 17th century, it was really great to dive into the lives and politics of countries like Germany, Poland, and Sweden.
Highly recommend for any Tudor/Stuart/Hannover fan..
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.
If I am going to engage in reading some historical biography, nothing suits me better than when an author says I know you think you've heard it all, but what if I had you consider the people in the background and the role they played? Daughters of the Winter Queen takes a glance at the female descendants of Mary, Queen of Scots- particularly her granddaughter Elizabeth Stuart and her four great-grandaughters daughters- Elizabeth, Louise Holllandine, Heneritta Maria, and Sophia. The last of which helped solidify the House of Hannover 's permanent connection to the British Crown and all the monarchs that have claimed the throne right through to the present day.
Extensive research intricately carved into a powerful narrative that, at times, held the gossipy atmosphere of the royal court, this book was pretty hard to put down and I did complete it in one sitting. As much as I was well versed in the history/politics/social climate of most of Western Europe in the 17th century, it was really great to dive into the lives and politics of countries like Germany, Poland, and Sweden.
Highly recommend for any Tudor/Stuart/Hannover fan..
July 12, 2020
This history/biography is great fun, and I loved reading it. Goldstone’s focus is a few women from a particular royal family, but to tell their story she needs to tell the full story of their times, which she does with great storytelling skills and a dry sense of humor that made me laugh out loud many times. She has a compelling writing style and an eye for the absurd little moments and twists of history. And she focuses her attention on lesser-known female royalty who are for the most part not British and interesting for things other than their sex lives (because of these factors, these are women you’ll be hard-pressed to find other English-language biographies about). So, I am sold! I’m looking forward to reading more of her books.
Some SPOILERS below—this is a sufficiently exciting tale that although it’s history, you might not want to know in advance!
This book’s focus is Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia, and her four daughters. Elizabeth was the daughter of James I of England, and married a German duke, Frederick of the Palatinate, with the understanding that her father would help him become a king. Due to religious tensions between Catholics and Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire, after a few years Frederick was offered the crown of Bohemia and took it, but unfortunately for him and Elizabeth, James I failed to come through with an army and they lost the crown in less than a year. The resulting hostilities devolved into the Thirty Years’ War, which devastated what would become Germany.
Frederick and Elizabeth went into exile in the Netherlands, from which she never stopped working to win back the Palatinate. They had 13 kids, and some of their sons had great adventures themselves, including fighting for Charles I in the English Civil War, though in the second half the focus shifts more to their daughters. The oldest, also named Elizabeth, was a scholar who went toe-to-toe with Descartes in the many letters they exchanged during their long friendship, and who eventually became a Protestant abbess known for her toleration for dissenting groups. The next, Louise Hollandine, was an accomplished painter in the Dutch style, converted to Catholicism, and became an abbess in France, where unfortunately she turned a blind eye to the persecution of the Huguenots. The third, Henrietta Maria, was apparently a sweet young woman who did not do anything notable and died young. The youngest, Sophia, married a German duke under unusual circumstances and had a drama-ridden domestic life, but was able to convince the British to make her the heir to their throne—which she ultimately missed out on by only 54 days, with her son George I becoming king of England instead.
At any rate, it’s an interesting, often exciting and funny, story, and told in a very accessible style. The author is limited to some extent by the available sources, and of the daughters, we learn a lot more about Elizabeth and Sophia than Louisa and Henrietta, based on the amount of writing that each did. That was fine with me though, as the two we learn more about seem to be the more interesting and admirable ones anyway, and from letters and memoirs, we actually learn a fair bit about them despite the fact that they lived in the 17th century. Goldstone doesn’t gloss over these women’s flaws, and while she seems perhaps overly sympathetic to privileged royalty, I found her presentation of the facts credible. She doesn’t seem to oversimplify, sensationalize or to be overly partisan, though at times the tone is perhaps a little light for some of the darker content, such as the devastation of the Thirty Years’ War. The Mary, Queen of Scots stuff seems out of place (and given that James I was her son and so all subsequent British monarchs were her descendants, it’s unclear to me why Goldstone sees a special connection between her and Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia), but this segment is brief. It’s unclear whether Goldstone did much original research herself—the notes are full of secondary sources—but she does cite and quote from relevant letters and memoirs. And original research tends to be dry while this book is a ton of fun.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book a lot and look forward to more from this author. Sadly, her biography of Empress Maria Theresa won’t be published for another year!
Some SPOILERS below—this is a sufficiently exciting tale that although it’s history, you might not want to know in advance!
This book’s focus is Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia, and her four daughters. Elizabeth was the daughter of James I of England, and married a German duke, Frederick of the Palatinate, with the understanding that her father would help him become a king. Due to religious tensions between Catholics and Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire, after a few years Frederick was offered the crown of Bohemia and took it, but unfortunately for him and Elizabeth, James I failed to come through with an army and they lost the crown in less than a year. The resulting hostilities devolved into the Thirty Years’ War, which devastated what would become Germany.
Frederick and Elizabeth went into exile in the Netherlands, from which she never stopped working to win back the Palatinate. They had 13 kids, and some of their sons had great adventures themselves, including fighting for Charles I in the English Civil War, though in the second half the focus shifts more to their daughters. The oldest, also named Elizabeth, was a scholar who went toe-to-toe with Descartes in the many letters they exchanged during their long friendship, and who eventually became a Protestant abbess known for her toleration for dissenting groups. The next, Louise Hollandine, was an accomplished painter in the Dutch style, converted to Catholicism, and became an abbess in France, where unfortunately she turned a blind eye to the persecution of the Huguenots. The third, Henrietta Maria, was apparently a sweet young woman who did not do anything notable and died young. The youngest, Sophia, married a German duke under unusual circumstances and had a drama-ridden domestic life, but was able to convince the British to make her the heir to their throne—which she ultimately missed out on by only 54 days, with her son George I becoming king of England instead.
At any rate, it’s an interesting, often exciting and funny, story, and told in a very accessible style. The author is limited to some extent by the available sources, and of the daughters, we learn a lot more about Elizabeth and Sophia than Louisa and Henrietta, based on the amount of writing that each did. That was fine with me though, as the two we learn more about seem to be the more interesting and admirable ones anyway, and from letters and memoirs, we actually learn a fair bit about them despite the fact that they lived in the 17th century. Goldstone doesn’t gloss over these women’s flaws, and while she seems perhaps overly sympathetic to privileged royalty, I found her presentation of the facts credible. She doesn’t seem to oversimplify, sensationalize or to be overly partisan, though at times the tone is perhaps a little light for some of the darker content, such as the devastation of the Thirty Years’ War. The Mary, Queen of Scots stuff seems out of place (and given that James I was her son and so all subsequent British monarchs were her descendants, it’s unclear to me why Goldstone sees a special connection between her and Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia), but this segment is brief. It’s unclear whether Goldstone did much original research herself—the notes are full of secondary sources—but she does cite and quote from relevant letters and memoirs. And original research tends to be dry while this book is a ton of fun.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book a lot and look forward to more from this author. Sadly, her biography of Empress Maria Theresa won’t be published for another year!
April 15, 2024
If I learned anything from my limited viewing of the 80s television program, Dallas, it is that being part of a successful family can be somewhat tedious. In this regard, the Ewings have nothing on the Stuarts, who, beginning with James I in 1603, have served as British monarchs ever since, although they are no longer called Stuarts because the male line proved generally incompetent, provoking both the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution.
In this book, Nancy Goldstone focuses on the daughter of James I, Elizabeth, and her four daughters who were influencing European history from the continent, while their male siblings and cousins were wearing out their welcome in England. Royal Europeans of the 17th century seem to always have been in search of suitable spouses and Elizabeth, who had twelve children, was doing her best to keep up with the demand. Her daughter Sophia had seven, with the result that many 18th century European monarchs, or their spouses, were Stuart descendants.
But these women were more than baby machines. In many cases they were much more politically adroit than their husbands and they discussed philosophy with Descartes, religious freedom with William Penn, and art with the Dutch Masters. Goldstone makes a persuasive case that the female contributions to the history of the Western World are undervalued.
In this book, Nancy Goldstone focuses on the daughter of James I, Elizabeth, and her four daughters who were influencing European history from the continent, while their male siblings and cousins were wearing out their welcome in England. Royal Europeans of the 17th century seem to always have been in search of suitable spouses and Elizabeth, who had twelve children, was doing her best to keep up with the demand. Her daughter Sophia had seven, with the result that many 18th century European monarchs, or their spouses, were Stuart descendants.
But these women were more than baby machines. In many cases they were much more politically adroit than their husbands and they discussed philosophy with Descartes, religious freedom with William Penn, and art with the Dutch Masters. Goldstone makes a persuasive case that the female contributions to the history of the Western World are undervalued.
September 1, 2019
This was well written; a fast, enjoyable and entertaining read.
This was more about the times in which these women lived than a biography of their lives.
I quite enjoyed this overview but for 2 notable exceptions.
At the beginning of the book the author presents what is clearly understood in modern times to be grooming for sexual inappropriateness as well as full out sexual assault, as a consensual relationship. I think this is done because James I was bisexual or homosexual. However at age 13 he is unable to consent to sex with his 30 yr old guardian. This is rape.
At another point the author compares William Penn, who was a settler and colonizer, with Ghandi who successfully talks colonizers into leaving his country. Yikes, that wasn't well thought out, huh?
William Penn is a hypocrite as colonization is ALWAYS violent. Occupied land can't be given away by a foreign monarch. His actions in 'settling' Pennsylvania were violent as fuck🤷🏽♀️
This was more about the times in which these women lived than a biography of their lives.
I quite enjoyed this overview but for 2 notable exceptions.
At the beginning of the book the author presents what is clearly understood in modern times to be grooming for sexual inappropriateness as well as full out sexual assault, as a consensual relationship. I think this is done because James I was bisexual or homosexual. However at age 13 he is unable to consent to sex with his 30 yr old guardian. This is rape.
At another point the author compares William Penn, who was a settler and colonizer, with Ghandi who successfully talks colonizers into leaving his country. Yikes, that wasn't well thought out, huh?
William Penn is a hypocrite as colonization is ALWAYS violent. Occupied land can't be given away by a foreign monarch. His actions in 'settling' Pennsylvania were violent as fuck🤷🏽♀️
August 28, 2018
I didn’t know what to expect with this book and was pleasantly surprised. It’s one of the best biographies I’ve read in a long time (maybe ever?). First off, James I is boring as hell, so I’ve never had much of a reason to read about the years after Queen Elizabeth I. Quoting the prince of Orange: “he is a strange fellow that will neither fight for his children nor pray for them!”
So I was shocked to find that James’ daughter, Elizabeth Stuart, was rad AF. Roughly ⅓ of the book is dedicated specifically to Elizabeth, her brief time as the Queen of Bohemia, and the turmoil that led to her to exile in the Netherlands. Reading more about Germany before it was actually a unified “Germany” is something I’ve always wanted to do, and is a truly fascinating piece of this book. Amidst it all, Elizabeth also managed to have 13 children, all of whom are included here.
The sheer number of children that Goldstone tries to follow is incredibly disorienting. Yes, we are grounded by the lives of Elizabeth’s four daughters (Elizabeth, Louise Hollandine, Henrietta Maria, and Sophia—which is already a lot), but we also find out what their siblings are up to along the way. It all comes full circle in the end when we see that Sophia’s son later becomes George I of England, but Mary, Queen of Scots being billed on the cover was a bit of a marketing ploy to me. There is already so much going on, I think the book would have been just as strong without her!
Honestly, this was an amazing departure from the usual Tudor stuff I pick up and is one of the few nonfiction books I hope to re-read one day.
See more of my reviews: Blog // Instagram
So I was shocked to find that James’ daughter, Elizabeth Stuart, was rad AF. Roughly ⅓ of the book is dedicated specifically to Elizabeth, her brief time as the Queen of Bohemia, and the turmoil that led to her to exile in the Netherlands. Reading more about Germany before it was actually a unified “Germany” is something I’ve always wanted to do, and is a truly fascinating piece of this book. Amidst it all, Elizabeth also managed to have 13 children, all of whom are included here.
The sheer number of children that Goldstone tries to follow is incredibly disorienting. Yes, we are grounded by the lives of Elizabeth’s four daughters (Elizabeth, Louise Hollandine, Henrietta Maria, and Sophia—which is already a lot), but we also find out what their siblings are up to along the way. It all comes full circle in the end when we see that Sophia’s son later becomes George I of England, but Mary, Queen of Scots being billed on the cover was a bit of a marketing ploy to me. There is already so much going on, I think the book would have been just as strong without her!
Honestly, this was an amazing departure from the usual Tudor stuff I pick up and is one of the few nonfiction books I hope to re-read one day.
See more of my reviews: Blog // Instagram
March 20, 2018
How did the heirs of the youngest daughter of the Queen of Bohemia become the Hanoverian kings of England? This gossipy history of the daughters of Elizabeth, sister of the executed Charles I, reveals the inside story. In a time when women were seen as chattel to be traded for high status, Elisabeth, Louise Hollandine, Marie, and Sophia made their own decisions about their futures. Fast-paced and a bit snarky, this fun read embodies what I love about history.
May 24, 2018
Or maybe the sons...
The Winter Queen of the title is Elizabeth, daughter of James VI of Scotland, later James I of England, and herself briefly Queen of Bohemia, through her marriage to Frederick, also known as the Palatinate. Elizabeth and Frederick produced an alarming number of children, the majority of whom lived into adulthood, and as their sons and daughters grew up and contracted marriages or made alliances, they spread their influence throughout the ruling families of 17th century Europe, thus being involved in all the major events (aka wars) of that turbulent period. The book is ostensibly about the four daughters who survived their childhood years – Elizabeth, Louise Hollandine, Henrietta Maria, and Sophia.
But in fact, the book is much more about the kings and sons than it is about queens and daughters. This is completely understandable since, at that period as in so much of history, women generally played a very small role in events, limited as often as not to being pawns in the diplomatic marriage market. There’s no doubt Elizabeth’s sons led much more interesting lives than her daughters, especially since only two of the girls married, and one of those died almost immediately afterwards. So I’m not complaining about the fact that Goldstone spent far more time with the men than the women – I’m merely pointing out that the title is a little misleading and the book may therefore set up false expectations in the prospective reader.
Goldstone writes breezily, with a great deal of affection towards her subjects, and with a lot of humour. The history can sometimes feel a little superficial – she is trying to cover a lengthy and complicated period in a relatively compact book – but it’s fun, and the characterisation is great. I use the word ‘characterisation’ intentionally, because she tells her story almost as if she were writing a novel – a comedy of manners, perhaps, with the odd episode of tragedy thrown in to leaven it. I feel that all sounds a little dismissive, and I don’t mean it to be. There’s lots of history in here, clearly excellently researched, and the non-academic style makes it approachable and easily digestible. The book is a pleasure to read, which is not something that can always be said about history books!
The first few chapters give a biography of Elizabeth (the Winter Queen) and then in the latter two-thirds or so of the book, Goldstone moves on to the daughters, rotating through them, giving them each a chapter in turn. So in total each daughter merits around four chapters. You can tell from this that we largely get a broad overview of their lives rather than the detailed minutiae that tends to appear in a single subject biography. Given the fact that in reality none of the women lived particularly exciting or historically significant lives, I felt this was plenty.
But in fact, most of the chapters start with one of the daughters and then promptly swing away to her brother, husband, suitor or male friend. We follow a couple of the sons to England where they were involved in the events leading up to and following the execution of Charles I. Through Elizabeth, we spend some time in the company of her friend and teacher Descartes. Henrietta Maria married but then died too young to have much of a story to leave, poor thing. Through Louise, a skilled painter in her own right, we learn something about the artistic movements of the time. And through Sophia, the one who married and lived, we are taken into the politics of succession – the various manoeuvrings of those in power to gain territory through war, alliance and inheritance, again told mostly through the men’s stories.
Along the way, Goldstone brings the characters, male and female, to life by including their own words from correspondence and journals and by telling anecdotes about them. This gives a great and, I assume, accurate feel for their different personalities, and Goldstone delves back into their childhoods to show how their early experiences helped to mould them into the women (or men) they became. On the whole, the daughters seemed to be a pragmatic bunch. The various religious shenanigans in Europe meant that there was a limited pool of suitable matches for impoverished Protestant princesses, so those who didn’t marry took religious orders – one converting to Catholicism to do so. Sophia was the one who interested me most, not only because her life as a daughter, wife and mother of powerful men meant that she was more involved in events, but because she loved to write and had a witty, acerbic style that gave a real feeling for her and for the people she somewhat wickedly observed.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. That particular period of history is complicated by all the religious squabbling and ever-shifting allegiances so my eyes glazed over from time to time, but Goldstone does an excellent job of simplifying it and helping the reader through the maze. I thoroughly enjoy her writing style and would mention that her footnotes are not to be glossed over – often the best humour in the book is hidden in them. The book wasn’t quite what I was expecting, and the daughters weren’t as interesting as I’d hoped, on the whole, but there was plenty to keep me engaged in the stories of the sons, fathers and husbands. Next time though, I’d hope Goldstone could find women who were more interesting in their own right (as she did with Catherine de’ Medici and Marguerite de Valois in her previous book The Rival Queens) or not set up false expectations in her title. Not every book has to have a feminist angle, especially when there isn’t one, and The Children of the Winter Queen would have worked just as well, I feel. Recommended. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Little, Brown Book Group.
www.fictionfan.wordpress.com
The Winter Queen of the title is Elizabeth, daughter of James VI of Scotland, later James I of England, and herself briefly Queen of Bohemia, through her marriage to Frederick, also known as the Palatinate. Elizabeth and Frederick produced an alarming number of children, the majority of whom lived into adulthood, and as their sons and daughters grew up and contracted marriages or made alliances, they spread their influence throughout the ruling families of 17th century Europe, thus being involved in all the major events (aka wars) of that turbulent period. The book is ostensibly about the four daughters who survived their childhood years – Elizabeth, Louise Hollandine, Henrietta Maria, and Sophia.
But in fact, the book is much more about the kings and sons than it is about queens and daughters. This is completely understandable since, at that period as in so much of history, women generally played a very small role in events, limited as often as not to being pawns in the diplomatic marriage market. There’s no doubt Elizabeth’s sons led much more interesting lives than her daughters, especially since only two of the girls married, and one of those died almost immediately afterwards. So I’m not complaining about the fact that Goldstone spent far more time with the men than the women – I’m merely pointing out that the title is a little misleading and the book may therefore set up false expectations in the prospective reader.
Goldstone writes breezily, with a great deal of affection towards her subjects, and with a lot of humour. The history can sometimes feel a little superficial – she is trying to cover a lengthy and complicated period in a relatively compact book – but it’s fun, and the characterisation is great. I use the word ‘characterisation’ intentionally, because she tells her story almost as if she were writing a novel – a comedy of manners, perhaps, with the odd episode of tragedy thrown in to leaven it. I feel that all sounds a little dismissive, and I don’t mean it to be. There’s lots of history in here, clearly excellently researched, and the non-academic style makes it approachable and easily digestible. The book is a pleasure to read, which is not something that can always be said about history books!
The first few chapters give a biography of Elizabeth (the Winter Queen) and then in the latter two-thirds or so of the book, Goldstone moves on to the daughters, rotating through them, giving them each a chapter in turn. So in total each daughter merits around four chapters. You can tell from this that we largely get a broad overview of their lives rather than the detailed minutiae that tends to appear in a single subject biography. Given the fact that in reality none of the women lived particularly exciting or historically significant lives, I felt this was plenty.
But in fact, most of the chapters start with one of the daughters and then promptly swing away to her brother, husband, suitor or male friend. We follow a couple of the sons to England where they were involved in the events leading up to and following the execution of Charles I. Through Elizabeth, we spend some time in the company of her friend and teacher Descartes. Henrietta Maria married but then died too young to have much of a story to leave, poor thing. Through Louise, a skilled painter in her own right, we learn something about the artistic movements of the time. And through Sophia, the one who married and lived, we are taken into the politics of succession – the various manoeuvrings of those in power to gain territory through war, alliance and inheritance, again told mostly through the men’s stories.
Along the way, Goldstone brings the characters, male and female, to life by including their own words from correspondence and journals and by telling anecdotes about them. This gives a great and, I assume, accurate feel for their different personalities, and Goldstone delves back into their childhoods to show how their early experiences helped to mould them into the women (or men) they became. On the whole, the daughters seemed to be a pragmatic bunch. The various religious shenanigans in Europe meant that there was a limited pool of suitable matches for impoverished Protestant princesses, so those who didn’t marry took religious orders – one converting to Catholicism to do so. Sophia was the one who interested me most, not only because her life as a daughter, wife and mother of powerful men meant that she was more involved in events, but because she loved to write and had a witty, acerbic style that gave a real feeling for her and for the people she somewhat wickedly observed.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. That particular period of history is complicated by all the religious squabbling and ever-shifting allegiances so my eyes glazed over from time to time, but Goldstone does an excellent job of simplifying it and helping the reader through the maze. I thoroughly enjoy her writing style and would mention that her footnotes are not to be glossed over – often the best humour in the book is hidden in them. The book wasn’t quite what I was expecting, and the daughters weren’t as interesting as I’d hoped, on the whole, but there was plenty to keep me engaged in the stories of the sons, fathers and husbands. Next time though, I’d hope Goldstone could find women who were more interesting in their own right (as she did with Catherine de’ Medici and Marguerite de Valois in her previous book The Rival Queens) or not set up false expectations in her title. Not every book has to have a feminist angle, especially when there isn’t one, and The Children of the Winter Queen would have worked just as well, I feel. Recommended. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Little, Brown Book Group.
www.fictionfan.wordpress.com
January 2, 2023
First of all, kudos to author Nancy Goldstone for the gargantuan research effort into this sprawling family she must have undertaken to create this most readable history ... a history that sweeps from Mary, Queen of Scotts to King George I.
Second, thank you to the author for her excellent story-telling ability. She amassed a humongous amount of information and fashioned it into an intriguing, fast-moving biography/history of a family that, like Samuel Pepys, was involved in so many defining 17th century events.
Although its focus may be on the daughters, the book also takes deep dives into the lives of their mother and father, their brothers (there were 13 siblings in all, wow), their spouses, their children, grand-children and prominent friends. The reader comes away with a sense of what it was like to live in a royal/scholarly family located in several European countries: Bohemia, Germany, Holland, France, Great Britain during the 17th century.
Goldstone benefitted from the fact that this family, particularly the women, were prodigeous letter-writers. She generously punctuates the book with excerpts from these letters, and deftly uses them to move the story along.
I listened to the audio version of the book, and although a complex story, I had no difficulty following along.
Highly recommended, especially for those interested in history and biography of these turbulent times.
Second, thank you to the author for her excellent story-telling ability. She amassed a humongous amount of information and fashioned it into an intriguing, fast-moving biography/history of a family that, like Samuel Pepys, was involved in so many defining 17th century events.
Although its focus may be on the daughters, the book also takes deep dives into the lives of their mother and father, their brothers (there were 13 siblings in all, wow), their spouses, their children, grand-children and prominent friends. The reader comes away with a sense of what it was like to live in a royal/scholarly family located in several European countries: Bohemia, Germany, Holland, France, Great Britain during the 17th century.
Goldstone benefitted from the fact that this family, particularly the women, were prodigeous letter-writers. She generously punctuates the book with excerpts from these letters, and deftly uses them to move the story along.
I listened to the audio version of the book, and although a complex story, I had no difficulty following along.
Highly recommended, especially for those interested in history and biography of these turbulent times.
November 19, 2021
Another excellent placement to reveal the crux and intersects of a century in which the Stuarts were on the throne in England. Also in which the entire European continent was noble embroiled to the settling of territories and districts from territory states to much more settled country wide identity/organization. Wars upon wars with mercenary and paid knights as soldiers beyond the home guard brand.
Nancy Goldstone shows her snark in many of the footnotes. I doubt all will appreciate some of the suppositions of judgment. Especially on the 13 year old James I being seduced by the 30 year old. And also some of the other summations taken as they were within the wider picture. Yet, as 9 year old girls marry and entire life's are settled too within months of birth within this period? I DO feel the opposite about Nancy Goldstone's footnotes than several of these other readers' reviews do. They reflect the common sense juxtaposition to reflect the 17th century reality. Superb.
Skip the next paragraph if you only want to parse this book. Which I did not think was as esthetically perfect as the 4 Daughters of Henry II, but as close as could be in this after Reformation musical chairs and identity obsessed period of HUGE mechanical and scientific (not to speak of art) changes.
I appreciate the equivalency of her own eyes (Nancy Goldstone's snark remarks). Some of those very determinations and thoughts have settled with me too in studying this period in the past. Especially under Charles I and all the Oliver Cromwell Roundhead fanaticism. When this present USA/ western civ. "woke" period started some years ago I felt/saw/define it almost exactly like the same as the intolerance of religious feeling that happened with the Roundheads. The same tone and chide and anger too. Only under another twist of definition. But very much more religion fervor cored and supercilious arrogance than anything else. In the same us/them judgment and censure to cancel. Also with the almost worst possible hypocrisy of leaderships too. James I and Charles I- peace but without a smidgeon of either common sense or practicality. And often in leaving close or closer high and dry at the same time. Lethargic and really unintelligent too for the most part. Continually disinterested. Not a trait for leaders.
The Winter Queen, Elizabeth Stuart, had a life that was completely the result of the various weak and weird men in her dynasty. This book makes you really wonder what could have occurred if those early firstborn son deaths would not have occurred. Just as with Arthur dying and leaving Henry VIII in the earlier century. Or if Rupert had been the Winter Queen's firstborn.
But these women, the daughters, living as they did mainly in Holland, Germany, France or in other locations other than England for most of their lives! That was certainly quite a window. Also how not only personality but a quirk circumstance of who was "in" or who become "out" would also defuse any married life some of them might have desired because timing was just off. Best not be born in a time where there are few right sided religion or hierarchy partners available. And yet again, disease. Age 50 being old and 60 ancient.
This book gave me insight into this period which definitely held less context rich core in past studies for me. Always the Tudors or periods after the Revolutions being SO MUCH more crux issued studied than this period was.
A hard read. But a delight too. Especially in all the erudite or language exercise or/ and skills which these women and some of their offspring embedded themselves within as "doing their job".
I can't imagine a life having more than a dozen children in which you live at the top of the "goods and services" hill while embedding in one place and language after another. While whole 5 or 6 years (up toward a decade) you don't see individual children or have more than 2 or 3 in any one place. Leyden was the only location where some offspring had more than 4 to 6 years running. You'd better learn 3 or 4 languages well.
Within 1400-1700, it seems to be that the primary role of European monarchs was to raise funds for conquest (title to govern territory) and display while/toward associating the most highest rung players/movers/shakers for PR at the same time. And within that period, it seems that only a very few men were good at that whole picture. More women were. Particularly some mothers and aunts. These books feature the how and the why for that larger framed holds to power. And the lives of these siblings within their realities.
Nancy Goldstone shows her snark in many of the footnotes. I doubt all will appreciate some of the suppositions of judgment. Especially on the 13 year old James I being seduced by the 30 year old. And also some of the other summations taken as they were within the wider picture. Yet, as 9 year old girls marry and entire life's are settled too within months of birth within this period? I DO feel the opposite about Nancy Goldstone's footnotes than several of these other readers' reviews do. They reflect the common sense juxtaposition to reflect the 17th century reality. Superb.
Skip the next paragraph if you only want to parse this book. Which I did not think was as esthetically perfect as the 4 Daughters of Henry II, but as close as could be in this after Reformation musical chairs and identity obsessed period of HUGE mechanical and scientific (not to speak of art) changes.
I appreciate the equivalency of her own eyes (Nancy Goldstone's snark remarks). Some of those very determinations and thoughts have settled with me too in studying this period in the past. Especially under Charles I and all the Oliver Cromwell Roundhead fanaticism. When this present USA/ western civ. "woke" period started some years ago I felt/saw/define it almost exactly like the same as the intolerance of religious feeling that happened with the Roundheads. The same tone and chide and anger too. Only under another twist of definition. But very much more religion fervor cored and supercilious arrogance than anything else. In the same us/them judgment and censure to cancel. Also with the almost worst possible hypocrisy of leaderships too. James I and Charles I- peace but without a smidgeon of either common sense or practicality. And often in leaving close or closer high and dry at the same time. Lethargic and really unintelligent too for the most part. Continually disinterested. Not a trait for leaders.
The Winter Queen, Elizabeth Stuart, had a life that was completely the result of the various weak and weird men in her dynasty. This book makes you really wonder what could have occurred if those early firstborn son deaths would not have occurred. Just as with Arthur dying and leaving Henry VIII in the earlier century. Or if Rupert had been the Winter Queen's firstborn.
But these women, the daughters, living as they did mainly in Holland, Germany, France or in other locations other than England for most of their lives! That was certainly quite a window. Also how not only personality but a quirk circumstance of who was "in" or who become "out" would also defuse any married life some of them might have desired because timing was just off. Best not be born in a time where there are few right sided religion or hierarchy partners available. And yet again, disease. Age 50 being old and 60 ancient.
This book gave me insight into this period which definitely held less context rich core in past studies for me. Always the Tudors or periods after the Revolutions being SO MUCH more crux issued studied than this period was.
A hard read. But a delight too. Especially in all the erudite or language exercise or/ and skills which these women and some of their offspring embedded themselves within as "doing their job".
I can't imagine a life having more than a dozen children in which you live at the top of the "goods and services" hill while embedding in one place and language after another. While whole 5 or 6 years (up toward a decade) you don't see individual children or have more than 2 or 3 in any one place. Leyden was the only location where some offspring had more than 4 to 6 years running. You'd better learn 3 or 4 languages well.
Within 1400-1700, it seems to be that the primary role of European monarchs was to raise funds for conquest (title to govern territory) and display while/toward associating the most highest rung players/movers/shakers for PR at the same time. And within that period, it seems that only a very few men were good at that whole picture. More women were. Particularly some mothers and aunts. These books feature the how and the why for that larger framed holds to power. And the lives of these siblings within their realities.
June 10, 2025
Nancy Goldstone profiles women who are not always well known. This book covers the Winter Queen, Elizabeth Stuart (granddaughter of Mary Queen of Scots through James I, VI ) and 4 of her daughters: Elizabeth, Henrietta, Louise and Sophia. Two sons, Rupert and Frederick, are featured, and one son, Edward has a cameo.
James I’s marriage priorities were for his sons to unite his royal the family with those of Spain or France. A high profile protestant husband for his daughter Elizabeth could hamper those negotiations. Frederick, a protestant, who had wealth but not royalty, would be low enough in profile to not interfere in James’s ambitions for his sons.
When Bohemia overthrew its Catholic monarch, Frederick and Elizabeth seized the opportunity to have the throne. They were overthrown as quickly as they were crowned and so began what was almost a lifelong quest to raise armies to fight to get it back. Elizabeth’s father, James, still looking to France and Spain would not support their efforts and later Charles I could not. They lost their fortune, and Frederick’s life, attempting to recapture Bohemia.
Goldstone follows this family as it lives on the largess of those monarchs who would support them. They set up a court (not clear what this was; it seems like a household) in The Hague. As resources dwindled and the status of Charles I, Elizabeth’s royal brother, turned desperate it became more and more difficult to obtain pensions and arrange marriages for the four daughters. A scandal made it worse. Some of the daughters fled to protect their reputations.
The oldest daughter Elizabeth chose the life of the mind, studying with Rene Descartes and advising William Penn. Henrietta Maria, to ease the family budget accepted, a marriage far away into the royal family of Transylvania and died young. Louise Hollandine, a painter, chose a monastic life. After an unusual courtship, in a far from ideal marriage Sophia preserved the Stuart bloodline -
--in the British monarchy (George I, her son)
--in Prussia (Frederick I, her grandson and Frederick the Great her great grandson)
--and in Austria (Marie Antoinette, her great-great granddaughter).
Son, Rupert fought to save his uncle’s (Charles I's) hopeless cause in the English Civil War; Karl Ludwig chose negotiations over war and Edward, educated in France, went fully native - converting to Catholicism.
Despite a few overly long portions (Descarte and Penn for example) the book is a good read. There were a few new things for me, such as Queen Henrietta’s role in her husband’s failed attack on Parliament and George I's Stuart blood line. There was some description of the 30 years war and its resolution. There color plates and B & Ws show those profiled. The index worked and the genealogical chart is clear. There is a good map.
"The Rival Queens" is hard to beat, but this may be Goldstone's best work (as her husband poses). Those with knowledge of the Stuarts will appreciate this well researched work.
James I’s marriage priorities were for his sons to unite his royal the family with those of Spain or France. A high profile protestant husband for his daughter Elizabeth could hamper those negotiations. Frederick, a protestant, who had wealth but not royalty, would be low enough in profile to not interfere in James’s ambitions for his sons.
When Bohemia overthrew its Catholic monarch, Frederick and Elizabeth seized the opportunity to have the throne. They were overthrown as quickly as they were crowned and so began what was almost a lifelong quest to raise armies to fight to get it back. Elizabeth’s father, James, still looking to France and Spain would not support their efforts and later Charles I could not. They lost their fortune, and Frederick’s life, attempting to recapture Bohemia.
Goldstone follows this family as it lives on the largess of those monarchs who would support them. They set up a court (not clear what this was; it seems like a household) in The Hague. As resources dwindled and the status of Charles I, Elizabeth’s royal brother, turned desperate it became more and more difficult to obtain pensions and arrange marriages for the four daughters. A scandal made it worse. Some of the daughters fled to protect their reputations.
The oldest daughter Elizabeth chose the life of the mind, studying with Rene Descartes and advising William Penn. Henrietta Maria, to ease the family budget accepted, a marriage far away into the royal family of Transylvania and died young. Louise Hollandine, a painter, chose a monastic life. After an unusual courtship, in a far from ideal marriage Sophia preserved the Stuart bloodline -
--in the British monarchy (George I, her son)
--in Prussia (Frederick I, her grandson and Frederick the Great her great grandson)
--and in Austria (Marie Antoinette, her great-great granddaughter).
Son, Rupert fought to save his uncle’s (Charles I's) hopeless cause in the English Civil War; Karl Ludwig chose negotiations over war and Edward, educated in France, went fully native - converting to Catholicism.
Despite a few overly long portions (Descarte and Penn for example) the book is a good read. There were a few new things for me, such as Queen Henrietta’s role in her husband’s failed attack on Parliament and George I's Stuart blood line. There was some description of the 30 years war and its resolution. There color plates and B & Ws show those profiled. The index worked and the genealogical chart is clear. There is a good map.
"The Rival Queens" is hard to beat, but this may be Goldstone's best work (as her husband poses). Those with knowledge of the Stuarts will appreciate this well researched work.
March 29, 2022
On the whole I very much enjoyed reading this, though I did get a bit bored of all the wars at various points, I realize that's what actually happened and it's hard to excise them from the text when it's so important, but they are never going to be my favorite part of ANY history. It's really amazing how little time separated Sophia of Hanover from being Queen of the United Kingdom. And how this one family acts as an excellent exemplar of the various religious battles that were taking place across Europe during this period.
May 23, 2018
Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of James I (and therefore granddaughter of Mary, Queen of Scots) was married to a lesser noble, Frederick, Elector of Palatine, with the promise that her father would support his efforts to win the crown of Bohemia. James--not exactly know for being fair and honest when it wasn't expedient--backed out of the promise, an act that sent Elizabeth and her family into exile and ultimately led to the devastating Thirty Years War. Despite the loss of his crown and the years of political turmoil, Elizabeth and Frederick got along well; in fact, they produced 13 children, eight sons (two died young) and five daughters (one died at age three). Goldstone's book focuses on the couple's three surviving daughters, the youngest of which, Sophia, ended up named heiress presumptive to the British throne and launches the Hanoverian dynasty, thus fulfilling her grandmother's legacy. The eldest, Elizabeth, was known for her scholarship in languages, mathematics, history, geography, and the arts. She corresponded with and even challenged Rene Descartes, and later, as a Protestant Abbess, befriended William Penn. Both men dedicated books to her. Her sister Louise Hollandine was a talented portrait painter. She shocked her staunchly Calvinist family by fleeing to France and converting to Catholicism at the age of 39; she later took holy orders and also became an abbess. Henriette Marie married a brother of the Prince of Transylvania; sadly, she died of unknown causes at the age of 25, and her husband died only a few months later. Sophia wed the Elector or Hanover. When it appeared that neither William III, now widowed, nor the future queen Anne would produce heirs, Parliament enacted the Settlement of 1701, which required any ruler to be Protestant, making Sophia the heiress presumptive. It was her son Charles Louis who later took the throne of Great Britain as George I.
Goldstone provides many details of life at court and in exile, of the daughters' education and quests for suitable spouses, and of the upheaval caused by the religious wars. Her research is meticulous and exhaustive. Overall, an intriguing look into the lives of four 17th-century royal women who struggles to survive and to find themselves.
Goldstone provides many details of life at court and in exile, of the daughters' education and quests for suitable spouses, and of the upheaval caused by the religious wars. Her research is meticulous and exhaustive. Overall, an intriguing look into the lives of four 17th-century royal women who struggles to survive and to find themselves.
August 1, 2018
**I received an advanced reader’s copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
Goldstone examines the Queen of Bohemia, Elizabeth Stuart, and her four daughters in this captivating history. Much is known about King James I of England, his son Charles I, and the ensuing English civil war. Little is known (or written) about James’ daughter, Elizabeth, whose actions also cause a war. In turn, her daughters find themselves involved in conspiracies and tragedies and undesirable circumstances. But, each, along with their mother, possess the courage and independence their ancestor, Mary, Queen of Scots, showcased throughout her tumultuous life.
Thanks to Goldstone, the women’s stories come to life in an enthralling narrative. Peppered with witty and at times sarcastic one-liners, Goldstone shows how each woman and their interests and politics played a role in their current time, and how their influence can still be felt in contemporary times. Among the women’s stories, Goldstone also perfectly describes Europe’s atmosphere in the seventeenth century – the royal power plays, the wars, the customs, etc.
I absolutely loved this book. It’s compelling. It’s hard to put down. At times, it reads more like fiction than nonfiction, given the crazy antics that some would do in order to gain political power. Ultimately, though, it gives voice to women who rarely are mentioned in histories. One would think that these women, especially Elizabeth Stuart, would be satisfied to know that all of the sacrifices made in their lifetimes helped their descendants remain on the English throne today. A must read for royal enthusiasts and/or those interested in women’s history. Five stars.
Goldstone examines the Queen of Bohemia, Elizabeth Stuart, and her four daughters in this captivating history. Much is known about King James I of England, his son Charles I, and the ensuing English civil war. Little is known (or written) about James’ daughter, Elizabeth, whose actions also cause a war. In turn, her daughters find themselves involved in conspiracies and tragedies and undesirable circumstances. But, each, along with their mother, possess the courage and independence their ancestor, Mary, Queen of Scots, showcased throughout her tumultuous life.
Thanks to Goldstone, the women’s stories come to life in an enthralling narrative. Peppered with witty and at times sarcastic one-liners, Goldstone shows how each woman and their interests and politics played a role in their current time, and how their influence can still be felt in contemporary times. Among the women’s stories, Goldstone also perfectly describes Europe’s atmosphere in the seventeenth century – the royal power plays, the wars, the customs, etc.
I absolutely loved this book. It’s compelling. It’s hard to put down. At times, it reads more like fiction than nonfiction, given the crazy antics that some would do in order to gain political power. Ultimately, though, it gives voice to women who rarely are mentioned in histories. One would think that these women, especially Elizabeth Stuart, would be satisfied to know that all of the sacrifices made in their lifetimes helped their descendants remain on the English throne today. A must read for royal enthusiasts and/or those interested in women’s history. Five stars.
March 22, 2022
A long and mainly interesting read about a period of European history I know little about. It focuses on some of the descendants of Mary, Queen of Scots - fascinating people who led complicated and interesting lives. The bloody Thirty Years War in Europe, the beheading of their relative Charles I, the English Civil War, the Restoration of Charles II, the complex intermarriages amongst the royal houses of Europe, the blossoming of art and philosophy, the battles over religion. Love, joy, loss, grabs for power, betrayal, disappointment.
Ultimately and perhaps ironically, Mary's direct descendant, a German, became George I of England, beginning a new royal dynasty that continues today. There were numerous others who had a more direct claim to the English throne, but George was a Protestant, and the English had firmly rejected Catholicism and all of its proponents, which wiped out so many potential claimants to the throne. Interestingly, another of Mary's descendants was the tragic Marie Antoinette of France, although Marie plays no part in this story.
Goldstone has a readable style which makes the complex events fairly straightforward to follow and understand. Her somewhat wry asides add the occasional personal comment to the narrative. Although the book felt quite long, it was well-written and interesting overall. I would consider reading more by this author.
Ultimately and perhaps ironically, Mary's direct descendant, a German, became George I of England, beginning a new royal dynasty that continues today. There were numerous others who had a more direct claim to the English throne, but George was a Protestant, and the English had firmly rejected Catholicism and all of its proponents, which wiped out so many potential claimants to the throne. Interestingly, another of Mary's descendants was the tragic Marie Antoinette of France, although Marie plays no part in this story.
Goldstone has a readable style which makes the complex events fairly straightforward to follow and understand. Her somewhat wry asides add the occasional personal comment to the narrative. Although the book felt quite long, it was well-written and interesting overall. I would consider reading more by this author.
March 30, 2018
This is the story of Elizabeth who would marry a man who became the King of Bohemia. While she gave birth to 13 children these four girls were the only ones to make it to adults. The story focuses mainly on Elizabeth until her death when more about the daughters is revealed.
Starting out in Scotland and England the author takes us to the palaces of Europe and is full of details on the wars, all the political messiness, love affairs doomed to fail,betrayals and murder even.
The daughters were individuals with unique talents. Elizabeth, the scholar, Louise was an artist, Sophia was a writer and Henrietta, well, she was a beauty. Two of the girls will become abbesses, heads of convents, never marrying. One sadly died young and the other went on to almost become the Queen of England, when her son became King George I.
Goldstone tells this story with an ease that even a novice history reader will be able to understand. I would say the book is heavy on Elizabeth until she dies, so I would have liked to have seen more about the daughters. But this story of love, loss, tragedy and triumph was one I thouroughly enjoyed.
I really enjoyed this book and if you are a Tudor lover, you must read this one!
Netgalley/April 10th 2018 by Little, Brown and Company
Starting out in Scotland and England the author takes us to the palaces of Europe and is full of details on the wars, all the political messiness, love affairs doomed to fail,betrayals and murder even.
The daughters were individuals with unique talents. Elizabeth, the scholar, Louise was an artist, Sophia was a writer and Henrietta, well, she was a beauty. Two of the girls will become abbesses, heads of convents, never marrying. One sadly died young and the other went on to almost become the Queen of England, when her son became King George I.
Goldstone tells this story with an ease that even a novice history reader will be able to understand. I would say the book is heavy on Elizabeth until she dies, so I would have liked to have seen more about the daughters. But this story of love, loss, tragedy and triumph was one I thouroughly enjoyed.
I really enjoyed this book and if you are a Tudor lover, you must read this one!
Netgalley/April 10th 2018 by Little, Brown and Company
August 24, 2025
This book starts out with the queen mary of Scot’s execution and her son James I as king. It ends with James I great grandson being crowned George I. James sent his daughter Elisabeth to be married and she never saw her father again. She was queen of Bohemia one year, and called the winter queen. She never felt his love and it influenced her life . It ends with Elizabeth’ grandson becoming George I. I recommend it to anyone interested in this branch of the family.
June 6, 2018
A well-written book; the prose is engaging and accessible. My only criticism is that large sections of the book are not, in fact, about the daughters of the Winter Queen. The first third or so of the book is a discussion of the historical background. When the daughters finally make their appearances, there is a brief section on each of them and then the remainder of that chapter is largely given over to describing the actions of the *sons* of the Winter Queen. It is not until the final chapters of the book that the daughters come more into focus. I understand the reasoning -- the sons were off *doing* things, while the daughters were mostly just waiting around to be married off -- but it was still a little jarring.
That said, this was still an entertaining and interesting read.
That said, this was still an entertaining and interesting read.
November 11, 2020
I loved this book! The wealth of data that the author has access to, including many letters written by the Winter Queen (Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King James I of England) and her family, help create a fascinating history of 17th century Europe. There doesn't seem to be a single major event in Europe that didn't touch this family In some way, and often tragically. Well researched, well-written, and just a great read. I had trouble putting it down. Highly recommended.
December 28, 2021
Non Fiction> English History 1600s
The lives of these four women makes for wonderful material to make an entertaining book. I'm familiar with Mary Queen of Scots, Catherine Medici, and King James so I already had some context for this story that probably made it easier for me to follow.
It is also very interesting to see how some of the conflicts that escalated into WWI have deep roots. That's another period of history with which I am already acquainted (not nearly on an expert level, but understanding some of the basics). I really look forward to some more titles that fill in some of the timeline from 1700 to 1900.
The lives of these four women makes for wonderful material to make an entertaining book. I'm familiar with Mary Queen of Scots, Catherine Medici, and King James so I already had some context for this story that probably made it easier for me to follow.
It is also very interesting to see how some of the conflicts that escalated into WWI have deep roots. That's another period of history with which I am already acquainted (not nearly on an expert level, but understanding some of the basics). I really look forward to some more titles that fill in some of the timeline from 1700 to 1900.
July 26, 2018
Daughters of the Winter Queen is nominally about the 4 daughters of Elizabeth Stuart and Frederick of the Palatinate. It really is just a history of the 30 years war, English Civil War, and a biography of the Winter Queen and Princess Elizabeth and Sophia, her eldest and youngest daughter, with some mentions of her sons and other daughters. In short, it was unfocused in the extreme. This is not a biography. One daughter's sections were so bare, that she was mentioned only a few times with caveats of there being no documentation but she must have felt this way because something happened to a relative. The same daughter, even on the flap, is only distinguished as beautiful. Her life really was not here. Louisa as well is described as a good artist, but it had no effect on anything, and she was just another courtly figure until the tail end of her life. IT boggles my mind why someone would set out to write a biography on people when they did nothing and there are few sources for them. The two sisters that were featured were also the ones the author had sources for. The title of this book was completely misleading because in the 30 years war and the English Civil War, these sisters played very small roles, if at all. Sophia, the youngest sister, was interesting for her memoirs and role in the Hanoverian succession, which is what the entirety of the end of the book is about, thank god. Elizabeth was interesting in that she corresponded with Descartes, but that is certainly no reason to write a full biography on her. The Winter Queen was interesting and focused on here, but the title leads you to believe the book is about her daughters, who either did little during her lifetime or nothing at all. The events around them were interesting, the war and the civil war, but the latter, while it affected them, they had no role in. She assumed that because something happened to a relative they had never met or corresponded with, they felt something for them. It was a whole lot of assumptions about the sisters (at least when they were mentioned because for tens of pages at a time they might not be). Their brothers were interesting, leading various militaries and helping various nations, but they weren't focused on enough to give a good view sadly, only sporadic descriptions if they happened to be involved in either of the two wars. Like this review, this book was just horrendous in focusing on its subjects and drifted around because the author seems to have noticed the subjects were largely ciphers with little documentation for most of their lives (except Sophia). If this book gave some more pages to the brothers, then you could call this a mediocre family biography. If you removed mentions of the sister, it would be a decent history of the period. But its not. It floats around between them, getting nothing done. The author also used some questionable sources, like Agnes Strickland, known for her romanticisation of many queens, and drew many conclusions because these sisters were largely not important enough to have any historical evidence about them, again except Sophia and maybe her eldest sister Elizabeth. And this Mary Queen of Scots connection!! Why was this included? it was irrelevant to the story and only showed up at the beginning and end, seemingly forced onto this book by someone who thought slapping her name on it would make it more appealing. This book was probably not the worst offender, but after seeing so many poorly sourced, unfocused books about subjects the author tries to push some created importance on, this just got the brunt of my rage. If you want to read about these sisters, go to the bibliography and find the singular biographies of them, maybe they'll be better as they focus only on the two sisters that did something because this book is a mess. Thanks for reading all the way down here. Authors, find actual, numerous, hard sources on your subjects before trying to write a book on them.
June 5, 2018
I found myself thinking at one rather long point that this book proves that American thought was better than European thought since the middle kids of this enormous family seemed to mostly prove that the rich women in the 1600s had nothing better to do with themselves than try to marry advantageously and if failing at that, go into religious houses. This reflection alone lost the book a few stars. Elizabeth of Behemia was a fascinating person. It is too bad she was married off to a somewhat weak man whose position shaped the rest of her life and many of her kids' lives. 'It is too bad she wasn't married to Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden who matched her energy and ambition' opines the author and I would agree with her assessment. Her eldest daughter, Elizabeth (the beginning of names being reused far too frequently and unwisely!) was brilliant intellectually, to the point that even Descartes deeply admired her. Nonetheless, when she got older and realized that her mother's financial resources were really pinched, she ended up going into an abbey, as head of the institution, which was first deeply resented then finally accepted by the inmates who had had other plans for the next abbess. However, she continued a vigorous intelectual life. Another daughter, dealing with the same financial situation, took a similar route but ended up as abbess of a CATHOLIC institution in France! The author made her opinion about Louise clear when she condemned her for her cruelty and/or weakness in not opposing the French persecution of Huguenots which was pretty barbaric. One daughter died shortly after marriage to someone she didn't really want but of course, didn't get any opinion on. The fourth daughter was a vivacious woman named Sophia who achieved the pinnacle of the family's ambition by making it certain that her direct line of sons and grandsons ended up ruling England to current days. Actually, she herself might have become queen if she had only lived another 54 days or so! So the author did basically make her point, that several daughters were remarkable, for any time, let alone the time they lived in. Nonetheless, towards the end, the book became a rather confusing mishmash of similar names (too many Fredericks, Augustus and Georges for starters!). More detail might have helped. The end seemed to feel rather rushed. If the middle two sisters had had a little less space and that space given to the remarkable Sophia, I would have enjoyed this more.
Recommended for Women's History or even just English history if people are curious how on earth Germans ended up ruling the British kingdom.
Recommended for Women's History or even just English history if people are curious how on earth Germans ended up ruling the British kingdom.
September 23, 2018
I read The Rival Queens: Catherine de' Medici, Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, and the Betrayal that Ignited a Kingdom in 2015 and was amazed how sloppy Goldstone is with facts and dates (review of that book.) Yet, when I decided to pick up this book, I was still surprised to see that Goldstone made mistakes again. Let's throw out some examples!
Chapter 1 begins on page 11. There is a footnote on page 13 that most Scottish princesses stayed with their mothers and Mary, Queen of Scots lived with her mother until she was engaged and sent to France. It should be further explained Mary was betrothed as a toddler and was sent to France at age five. Goldstone is trying to prove a point that Mary wasn't taken off to her own castle and raised by nurses, but considering Regents were trying to keep the Queen and Queen Dowager from being kidnapped by Henry VIII while he was leading attacks on Scotland, the point is completely lost.
On page 15: "...in May 1567, Mary scandalously wedded her former husband's killer...Mary's second husband managed to elude capture but the Queen of Scots was not so lucky." Nancy, dear, this was her third husband. You already mentioned how Mary became Queen of France by marrying the Dauphin and the disastrous marriage with Lord Darnley. Bothwell was number three.
On pages 17-18, in reference to James VI/I: "He had his first homosexual affair when he was thirteen, with his thirty-year-old cousin Esmé Stuart, Seigneur d'Aubigny, recently arrived from the court of Henri III, king of France (also homosexual), and his intimacy with handsome young men persisted into adulthood, despite his marriage to Anne." Besides being a badly written sentence, Esmé was older. Being born in 1542 (yeah, fact-checking is easy Nancy) he was 37. It's also noted in most other histories the while infatuated and quite close to each other, the word "affair" would be too much in this situation.
Even in the family tree, there are a few mistakes with dates. Karl Ludwig, Maurice, and Edward all have birth or death dates about a year off.
As I said before, interesting people and could be a good book, but incredibly sloppy with information.
Chapter 1 begins on page 11. There is a footnote on page 13 that most Scottish princesses stayed with their mothers and Mary, Queen of Scots lived with her mother until she was engaged and sent to France. It should be further explained Mary was betrothed as a toddler and was sent to France at age five. Goldstone is trying to prove a point that Mary wasn't taken off to her own castle and raised by nurses, but considering Regents were trying to keep the Queen and Queen Dowager from being kidnapped by Henry VIII while he was leading attacks on Scotland, the point is completely lost.
On page 15: "...in May 1567, Mary scandalously wedded her former husband's killer...Mary's second husband managed to elude capture but the Queen of Scots was not so lucky." Nancy, dear, this was her third husband. You already mentioned how Mary became Queen of France by marrying the Dauphin and the disastrous marriage with Lord Darnley. Bothwell was number three.
On pages 17-18, in reference to James VI/I: "He had his first homosexual affair when he was thirteen, with his thirty-year-old cousin Esmé Stuart, Seigneur d'Aubigny, recently arrived from the court of Henri III, king of France (also homosexual), and his intimacy with handsome young men persisted into adulthood, despite his marriage to Anne." Besides being a badly written sentence, Esmé was older. Being born in 1542 (yeah, fact-checking is easy Nancy) he was 37. It's also noted in most other histories the while infatuated and quite close to each other, the word "affair" would be too much in this situation.
Even in the family tree, there are a few mistakes with dates. Karl Ludwig, Maurice, and Edward all have birth or death dates about a year off.
As I said before, interesting people and could be a good book, but incredibly sloppy with information.
August 19, 2022
Elisabeth Stuart was considered the Winter Queen because she was queen of Bohemia for just a winter. The daughter of James I of England, she was married to Frederick of the Palatinate who was offered the crown when the Czech nobility refused to accept the strictly- Catholic King Ferdinand of the house of Hapsburg. Of course, Ferdinand wasn't happy that part of his empire was given away by upstart nobility and so starts the Thirty Year War. The family fled to the Dutch Republic and Elisabeth remained in exile there from 1621 until she returned to England shortly before her death in 1662.
Of course, each chapter focuses on one of the 13 children they had - well, the 10 that survived infancy. Charles who became Elector Palatine after his father's death. Rupert along with brother Maurice fought in the English Civil War with his cousin Charles I. Elisabeth, the eldest daughter, a learned woman who carried on philosophical discussions via mail with Rene Descartes before becoming an abbess. Louise Hollandine, a talented painter who converted to the Catholic faith and became a devote abbess in France. Edward who fell in love with a French noblewoman, converted to Catholicism and kept a distant but cordial relationship with his family. Henriette Marie died shortly after her marriage to a Transylvanian prince. Philip became a mercenary soldier, eventually dying in one of the French civil wars. Sophia - who was the presumptive heir to the throne of Britain - married the elector of Hanover and it was her son, George, that became George I of England, bringing the Hanover family to the throne.
It's well researched and certainly gives some insight on the dynamics of various realms struggling for control and to expand their domains into neighboring territories. The battles that were the legacy of many younger nobility sons. As for Mary, Queen of Scots - her son James, did gain the throne but in turn, it was through her granddaughter that her descendants managed to keep it until the death of Victoria.
2022-171
Of course, each chapter focuses on one of the 13 children they had - well, the 10 that survived infancy. Charles who became Elector Palatine after his father's death. Rupert along with brother Maurice fought in the English Civil War with his cousin Charles I. Elisabeth, the eldest daughter, a learned woman who carried on philosophical discussions via mail with Rene Descartes before becoming an abbess. Louise Hollandine, a talented painter who converted to the Catholic faith and became a devote abbess in France. Edward who fell in love with a French noblewoman, converted to Catholicism and kept a distant but cordial relationship with his family. Henriette Marie died shortly after her marriage to a Transylvanian prince. Philip became a mercenary soldier, eventually dying in one of the French civil wars. Sophia - who was the presumptive heir to the throne of Britain - married the elector of Hanover and it was her son, George, that became George I of England, bringing the Hanover family to the throne.
It's well researched and certainly gives some insight on the dynamics of various realms struggling for control and to expand their domains into neighboring territories. The battles that were the legacy of many younger nobility sons. As for Mary, Queen of Scots - her son James, did gain the throne but in turn, it was through her granddaughter that her descendants managed to keep it until the death of Victoria.
2022-171
May 28, 2020
http://www.bookwormblues.net/2020/05/...
I ended up getting this book from the library riiiiiiiiiiiiight before it shut down due to the pandemic, so I’ve had it sitting in my house for nearly two months now. I finished it very early on. I was almost done reading it when everything shut down, so now it’s been just looking at me and I feel bad, because this book is so good, other people need an opportunity to read it.
On the plus side, the library book drops and reservations seem to have opened up again, so there is that.
ANYWAY.
I am not very well versed in any English monarch that came after Elizabeth I. I am really interested in all the really early ones, and the Tudors have always fascinated me, but there’s a gigantic, gaping hole in my knowledge between Elizabeth I and now. This particular book was an impulse grab. I saw it on the shelf and decided to just go for it. I’m glad I did, because it ended up absolutely loving it, and it’s started me on a bit of a bender regarding both historical women in power, and this particular period of English history.
Essentially, this book is telling the story of the descendants of James I.
Daughters of the Winter Queen starts out with a beheading, as all good books do. Mary, Queen of Scots was uh… reduced in height, but her beheading was a brutal, horrible affair where the axe missed and then it sort of hacked through her neck. When her head was lifted up for the amassed crowd to see, her lips were still moving. Then, Goldstone shows how her son, James VI of Scotland became James I. He moved his court down to England and set himself up to rule.
Perhaps my one issue with this book as a whole is regarding the discussion of James I’s sexuality. It’s interesting, but shouldn’t be a thing from which his character rests. However, at a very young age, James was manipulated by those in power around him, and often it was done by sexual means. For example, when he was 13, he started up a homosexual affair with an influential man who was 30. Now, perhaps this was done willingly, but I have a really, really hard time looking at a relationship between a confused 13-year-old teenager and a 30-year-old man as anything but coercion and statutory rape, at best.
But James, had no real adult influences that were just looking out for his well-being, rather than wanting something out of him, was easy to manipulate. Even into his adulthood, he spent a good chunk of his life drunk, and apparently when he’d drink a lot (which was often) he’d become rather crass. He wasn’t popular even amongst his own government.
Enter Elizabeth Stuart, who is the daughter of James I and Anne of Denmark (of whom the name “the winter queen” spawns). The first half of the book details much of Elizabeth’s life, how she was raised, the things that filled up her days, and then her marriage to the man who would eventually become the king of Bohemia, and relocation to be with him. Together, they had a whole bunch of kids. Somewhere around thirteen of them. Elizabeth spent a good chunk of her married life either always pregnant, or recovering from childbirth.
Elizabeth lived a very harrowing life. I don’t think it really hit home until I read this book just how terrifying it must have been to move all the way out to Bohemia to live with a guy she really didn’t know, and this was common for women throughout history. You, as a woman, were expected to leave your home, knowing you’d likely never see it again. You’d live in some far-flung corner of the world you’d likely only heard of, but never been to, surrounded by people you didn’t know, who probably only had a passing interest in your mother tongue. It must have been terrifying.
Through her marriage to Frederick, also known as the Palatinate, she lived quite a colorful life. She even became the queen of Bohemia for a brief spell, and while most of this book focuses on Elizabeth and her life, it does talk quite a bit about her four daughters that survived into adulthood: Elizabeth, Louise Hollandine, Henrietta Maria, and Sophia. However, you’ll find a lot more here about kings and their sons than about her daughters. In truth, this is understandable, because at that time so much more was recorded about men than about women, but Goldstone did a great job at parsing out the details of their lives with the information she had, and I found them to be living, breathing women despite having less information about them.
Throughout marriage alliances and betrothals, Elizabeth Stuart ended up seeding her dynasty all over Europe, which is quite incredible, especially considering how little was known or even spoken of these women until this book was written. Goldstone also sets the foundation for the Stuart dynasty, and why the Hanovarians were given the right to rule the British Isles. Ultimately, this book is a story of power and influence, giving voice to women who were actually quite influential in their times, and who have, for one reason or another, lost their voices to the dust of time.
Goldstone has a knack with writing. She inserted just enough humor to keep things light, while also making sure she stayed academic. She has a lot of sources, which she draws upon for her writing of the book. I really enjoyed not just the writing, but the way she approached a subject I literally knew less than nothing about, and managed to make it not just interesting, but educational at the same time. This, in my opinion, is how history should be written. More, I have to give her credit for breathing life into powerful women that would have otherwise likely remained largely forgotten.
I ended up getting this book from the library riiiiiiiiiiiiight before it shut down due to the pandemic, so I’ve had it sitting in my house for nearly two months now. I finished it very early on. I was almost done reading it when everything shut down, so now it’s been just looking at me and I feel bad, because this book is so good, other people need an opportunity to read it.
On the plus side, the library book drops and reservations seem to have opened up again, so there is that.
ANYWAY.
I am not very well versed in any English monarch that came after Elizabeth I. I am really interested in all the really early ones, and the Tudors have always fascinated me, but there’s a gigantic, gaping hole in my knowledge between Elizabeth I and now. This particular book was an impulse grab. I saw it on the shelf and decided to just go for it. I’m glad I did, because it ended up absolutely loving it, and it’s started me on a bit of a bender regarding both historical women in power, and this particular period of English history.
Essentially, this book is telling the story of the descendants of James I.
Daughters of the Winter Queen starts out with a beheading, as all good books do. Mary, Queen of Scots was uh… reduced in height, but her beheading was a brutal, horrible affair where the axe missed and then it sort of hacked through her neck. When her head was lifted up for the amassed crowd to see, her lips were still moving. Then, Goldstone shows how her son, James VI of Scotland became James I. He moved his court down to England and set himself up to rule.
Perhaps my one issue with this book as a whole is regarding the discussion of James I’s sexuality. It’s interesting, but shouldn’t be a thing from which his character rests. However, at a very young age, James was manipulated by those in power around him, and often it was done by sexual means. For example, when he was 13, he started up a homosexual affair with an influential man who was 30. Now, perhaps this was done willingly, but I have a really, really hard time looking at a relationship between a confused 13-year-old teenager and a 30-year-old man as anything but coercion and statutory rape, at best.
But James, had no real adult influences that were just looking out for his well-being, rather than wanting something out of him, was easy to manipulate. Even into his adulthood, he spent a good chunk of his life drunk, and apparently when he’d drink a lot (which was often) he’d become rather crass. He wasn’t popular even amongst his own government.
Enter Elizabeth Stuart, who is the daughter of James I and Anne of Denmark (of whom the name “the winter queen” spawns). The first half of the book details much of Elizabeth’s life, how she was raised, the things that filled up her days, and then her marriage to the man who would eventually become the king of Bohemia, and relocation to be with him. Together, they had a whole bunch of kids. Somewhere around thirteen of them. Elizabeth spent a good chunk of her married life either always pregnant, or recovering from childbirth.
Elizabeth lived a very harrowing life. I don’t think it really hit home until I read this book just how terrifying it must have been to move all the way out to Bohemia to live with a guy she really didn’t know, and this was common for women throughout history. You, as a woman, were expected to leave your home, knowing you’d likely never see it again. You’d live in some far-flung corner of the world you’d likely only heard of, but never been to, surrounded by people you didn’t know, who probably only had a passing interest in your mother tongue. It must have been terrifying.
Through her marriage to Frederick, also known as the Palatinate, she lived quite a colorful life. She even became the queen of Bohemia for a brief spell, and while most of this book focuses on Elizabeth and her life, it does talk quite a bit about her four daughters that survived into adulthood: Elizabeth, Louise Hollandine, Henrietta Maria, and Sophia. However, you’ll find a lot more here about kings and their sons than about her daughters. In truth, this is understandable, because at that time so much more was recorded about men than about women, but Goldstone did a great job at parsing out the details of their lives with the information she had, and I found them to be living, breathing women despite having less information about them.
Throughout marriage alliances and betrothals, Elizabeth Stuart ended up seeding her dynasty all over Europe, which is quite incredible, especially considering how little was known or even spoken of these women until this book was written. Goldstone also sets the foundation for the Stuart dynasty, and why the Hanovarians were given the right to rule the British Isles. Ultimately, this book is a story of power and influence, giving voice to women who were actually quite influential in their times, and who have, for one reason or another, lost their voices to the dust of time.
Goldstone has a knack with writing. She inserted just enough humor to keep things light, while also making sure she stayed academic. She has a lot of sources, which she draws upon for her writing of the book. I really enjoyed not just the writing, but the way she approached a subject I literally knew less than nothing about, and managed to make it not just interesting, but educational at the same time. This, in my opinion, is how history should be written. More, I have to give her credit for breathing life into powerful women that would have otherwise likely remained largely forgotten.
July 3, 2020
one of the best books I've ever read. It is beautifully written and the author's witty tone makes it very easy to follow, even though Elizabeth Stuart and her daughters ended up related to basically every royal family: so many names! so many weddings and children! It's all thanks to Nancy Goldstone if the book didn't end up being boring and just full of the same names all over again.
Elizabeth Stuart has quickly become one of my favourite historical figures, together with her son Rupert and her youngest daughter Sophia. They were all very practical but also very sassy, and I love that.
I didn't know the author had a BA in history so that was another nice surprise :D If I manage to find her other books, I will definitely read them (especially the one about Joanna I of Naples, who has always fascinated me)
Elizabeth Stuart has quickly become one of my favourite historical figures, together with her son Rupert and her youngest daughter Sophia. They were all very practical but also very sassy, and I love that.
I didn't know the author had a BA in history so that was another nice surprise :D If I manage to find her other books, I will definitely read them (especially the one about Joanna I of Naples, who has always fascinated me)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 346 reviews