Daughters of the Winter Queen

March 5, 2018
“It is simply not possible to fully understand the seventeenth century in all of its exuberant, glorious complexity without this family,” proclaims Goldstone (The Rival Queens) of Elizabeth Stuart (1596–1662), daughter of James I of England, and her children. This lively, well-researched group biography focuses as much on the mother as on her more famous daughters. Elizabeth’s marriage to Frederick, Elector Palatine—a powerful count, but still far below her in rank—was very happy but plagued by political disasters; for nearly 30 years, Elizabeth toiled to reclaim his territory for her children. Among those children were the daughters whose stories Goldstone tells: Princess Elizabeth, an intellectual equal to and intimate correspondent of Descartes, who eventually became abbess of a Protestant convent; Louisa, a talented painter, who converted to Catholicism before also becoming an abbess; Henrietta Maria, who died shortly after marriage; and Sophia, a spirited matriarch, who finally restored the family fortunes when her eldest son became King George I of England. Goldstone occasionally overreaches, making somewhat unlikely sweeping claims (for example, that the fearlessness and persistence of Elizabeth and her daughters was necessarily due to their descent from Mary, Queen of Scots), but clearly presents a captivating story with empathy and humor in a relaxed, entertaining, modern voice. B&w plates.

Starred review from March 1, 2018

Goldstone (The Rival Queens) once again places a much-deserved spotlight on remarkable women from European history. In this case, the enduring ancestral legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87). Mary's granddaughter Elizabeth Stuart, known as "the Winter Queen," is less familiar than that of her grandmother, who was beheaded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1587 (nine years before Stuart was born). But the story of the Winter Queen and her colorful brood of children--one of whom fathered King George I--rivals that of the Tudors. Goldstone's journey begins with Mary's brutal beheading and takes us through the eventual ascension of her son to the throne, triggering a series of dramatic generational events that include jealous gun-wielding queens, shifting loyalties, scandalous affairs, unprecedented marital arrangements, endless war, and religious fanaticism. Most importantly, we learn of the impressive power and influence of Stuart and her four daughters, which endures to this day. VERDICT A compulsively readable account of an otherwise unfamiliar royal family. Goldstone writes with knowledge, humor, and ease--a masterly storyteller who steers clear of overly academic language. Ideal for amateur Tudor historians who wish to be introduced to a lesser-known yet equally fascinating royal family.--Erin Entrada Kelly, Philadelphia

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2018
The story of how one remarkable woman's drive to survive secured the succession of the British crown to this day.Elizabeth Stuart (1596-1662), daughter of King James I, was 6 years old when her father, son of Mary, Queen of Scots, succeeded Queen Elizabeth I as the king of England. Elizabeth was married to Frederick, Elector Palatine of the Rhine, a marriage many considered to be beneath her royal status. The reasoning behind the marriage was that James I would support Frederick's claim to become king of Bohemia. In his usual manner, it was a claim that James promised but never delivered. The Bohemian revolt of 1618 brought an offer to Frederick to assume the throne, which he quickly did. Unfortunately, the Hapsburgs and Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand took umbrage and quickly recovered the kingdom. Frederick and Elizabeth ruled for only one season, thus the title of Winter King and Queen. Living at the court of the Prince of Orange, they struggled to regain their titles. Fortunately, the Prince of Orange left Elizabeth a significant piece of the West India Company, which contributed to a new army to regain Frederick's realm. However, it was not to be, and then came the Thirty Years' War, which precipitated Frederick's death in 1632. Though the narrative could have devolved into a complicated morass of intertwined royal families, Goldstone (The Rival Queens: Catherine de' Medici, Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, and the Betrayal that Ignited a Kingdom, 2016, etc.), a seasoned historian, effectively keeps the lines clear as she relates Elizabeth's repeated, frustrated attempts to secure strong marriages for her children under trying circumstances. Her children's stories are fascinating, as well--e.g., one daughter had a long correspondence with Descartes, another with Leibniz. Ultimately, it was her youngest daughter, Sophia, who secured the family's future as the Electress of Hanover.A great book for history fans seeking illumination on the connections of European royalty.

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March 1, 2018
Goldstone (The Rival Queens, 2015) relates the eminently readable tale of Elizabeth Stuart, dubbed the Winter Queen, and her four lovely, talented daughters. Virtually sold off into marriage by her father, James I, Elizabeth, the granddaughter of Mary Queen of Scots, was viewed, as many women of her station, as a valuable pawn in an elaborately orchestrated game of political chess. Married to an insignificant German count in an ultimately thwarted high-stakes gambit, Elizabeth had a convoluted yet significant association with the bloody, tumultuous Thirty Years' War. Fleeing Bohemia and seeking refuge in Holland, she raised her four daughters?who formed the female nucleus from which every English monarch beginning with George I, including the memorable Victoria, and the indomitable Elizabeth II, has sprung in unbroken line ?amid the artistic, philosophical, and scientific renaissance that characterized the seventeenth-century Dutch golden age. The story of these five women, each remarkable for individual reasons and in her own right, both illuminates and is offset by Goldstone's vividly rendered European backdrop.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)