Five Euphemias: Women in Medieval Scotland, 1200 - 1420

by Elizabeth Sutherland

Through the lives of the five women, all related, all called Euphemia, and one of them Queen of the Scots, Elizabeth Sutherland provides a unique insight into a popular period of Scottish history. While medieval battles are well recorded, there is little written about the important influence of the women behind the scenes. Through arranged marriages, profitable alliances were made, territory gained and bridges built. But the women--though technically the possessions of their menfolk--were far from passive creatures. There are accounts of bravery and love affairs, papal separations and religious devotion. It was a turbulent time in Scottish history, and this original book casts new light on the Scots' fierce fight for freedom.
The women around whom this volume is structured are (1) Euphemia, daughter of the first Earl of Ross (13th century); (2) the mysterious Euphemia who was the wife of the third Earl of Ross (late 13th century); (3) Queen Euphemia (14th century); (4) her niece, married to a crusader (14th century); and (5) Euphemia Leslie, Countess of Ross, the hunchback heiress who entered a convent (15th century).

Genres: Nonfiction

284 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 1999

About the author

Elizabeth Sutherland had an Orcadian father and a mother from Fife, which, she claims, makes her a Pict. After training at Edinburgh University to be a social worker, she married an Episcopalian clergyman and lived in four Scottish parishes, ending up in Fortrose, on the Black Isle.

On her late husband's retirement in 1982 she took over Groam House Museum in Rosemarkie and was responsible for its becoming a Pictish Centre. Her work on Coinneach Odhar - the Brahan Seer - established her as a serious historian. The subject was especially relevant, as he ended his days in a burning barrel of tar at Chanonry Point, Fortrose.

Recently she has turned her hand to Black Isle local history in a series of pamphlets for Black Isle Press.

Biography, bibliography and excerpts available at Am Baile: The Highland Council's Literary Landscapes.

Reviews

[Barbara Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for research. It was exactly what I needed.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sutherland has a pretty readable history here, but I felt as though she was trying to cram in too much non-women specific history here to supplement what is unknown. This is not to say that greater issues of the time period would not have affected these women, because Sutherland deftly shows how greater events DID affect their lives. However, my main interest in this book was finding out about the daily lives of Scottish women during the Medieval period, and due to the focus on specific women about whom little is known, there was less of a focus on daily life than I would have liked to see. The problem I had with Sutherland's writing was that every aspect of Scottish history from that area and time period was related to make up for the lack of information about five specific women, and as a result, much of the discussion on women in general was lost.

I will say that when she focused on daily life, the book was very intriguing. Even if little is known about the Euphemias in question, Sutherland supplemented their daily life with what was known about women in similar areas and connecting time periods. I wish she had focused more on this, rather than the "five Euphemias." An intricate review of the lives of women in general during the time period, with anecdotes and research from several sources would have painted a broader picture of women in Medieval Scotland, whereas the focus on the specific five (when there is such a dearth of information on those five available) left me wanting more insight.