Customer Reviews

Sovereign Ladies: Sex, Sacrifice, and Power---The Six Reigning Queens of England

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History is one of those subjects that endlessly fascinates me. And one of my favourite times and places is England. So it was pretty much a given that I would pick up Maureen Waller's latest study on the six women who have ruled as monarchs in their own right.

The six women here enjoy a unique position in history, ruling alone (with one exception) and helping to shape what we now know as England. Each one had a very different personality and would help to provide plenty of legend and mythology to what we think of as a Queen. One of them is still living, and several have become icons in the modern mind.

Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anne, Victoria and Elizabeth II, are probably better known than their male counterparts. They have been the subjects of innumerable books and films, and have inspired the arts, social custom and were often the catalysts for change in the time that they ruled.

I have to say, I was not that impressed by this book. Each queen is covered in a series of vignettes, most of them rather scanty and feeling rushed, despite the attempt of the author to provide some historical and personal details. If that wasn't enough, Waller also tries to include some psychological insights, and also some medical theories as to why each woman behaved the way she did. The result is a thin narrative that doesn't really satisfy.

Technically, the stories are written in a bland, matter-of-fact way that left me feeling rather bored by the stories, despite quite a bit of drama that occurs in each life. What I was hoping for was something new -- after all, how many more biographies of Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria can the market handle? And Waller has already written an outstanding book about Mary II and Anne titled <a href="http://www.epinions.com/content_139498786436">Ungrateful Daughters</a>, about James II and the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

Along with the narrative, there are two inserts of colour and black and white photographs, as well as genealogical tables. The bibliography is about the best thing here, giving plenty of ideas for further research.

Summing up, I would recommend this one for someone who doesn't know very much about the subject, but if you've already read biographies about these women, and are looking for something new, it's going to be a pretty dull read. Throughout the book, my attention kept wandering and I found myself bored silly. That's not a good sign, especially with history. Waller has already proved that she can do much better than this, and it's a real disappointment overall.

Three stars overall. Somewhat recommended.

Seven personalities, not six, are on display here, the reigning queens' and Ms. Waller's.

She doesn't condescend to the reader or get too lofty either; she assumes you're pretty educated, anyway, if you're reading this work, but not an expert on this subject. I loved her "voice;" it was friendly, highly personal--yet her research was impressive. I can't imagine trying to make sense of the huge amounts of often conflicting information.

Like Antonia Fraser, Waller assumes the reader has a good command of foreign languages, so if, like me, you last opened a Latin book sometime in the 80's be prepared to miss a point here and there.

In some places, I noticed sparks of startling misogyny. For example, Edward, son of Henry VIII was dying and his caretakers dismissed his physicians and brought in "a female quack." Well, maybe she was a quack and maybe she wasn't, but Edward was dying anyway and Ms. Waller didn't criticize the males who failed to save him. (Frankly, I wouldn't want to be treated by a medieval or Ren doctor of either sex.) In another section, she praises Elizabeth II for thinking "like a man." Hardly words I'd expect from a woman writing about comparatively powerful women!

Waller succeeds in finding the personalities of all the queens, and since I never found anything interesting about either Anne or Mary II it was fascinating to feel them in particular come alive.


All in all, I greatly enjoyed this book that gave wonderfully readable stories of the queens that were more than regents.

AN EXCELLENT BOOK THAT IS INFORMATIVE AND EXTREMELY INTERESTING. ALTHOUGH I AM FAMILIAR WITH EACH SOVEREIGN I LEARNED MUCH MORE THAN I EXPECTED TO. THE INSIGHT INTO THE TIMES MADE EACH SEGMENT RELEVANT. A VERY WORTHWHILE READ.

Sovereign Ladies scrutinizes the six reigning queens of England: Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anne, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. The idea of a regnant female is one that through the ages has proved an uncomfortable topic. Questions have been raised time and time again of the fitness of a woman to rule in a man's world tied as they are to their physical bodies and the expectations of females in marriage and childbearing.

The six queens in this book vary in how they coped with the accident of history which put them on the throne. Although England does not have the Salic Law of France which prohibits women from ruling it was never a comfortable prospect. It was felt that women were to provide heirs and that their minds and intellect were not capable of handling matters of state. The lives of these six incredible women bely as well as refute some of these beliefs. Their lives were a constant struggle to rule amongst men and to fulfill their function as women to provide an heir-male.

Mary I failed in statesmanship and the provision of an heir, undeniably Elizabeth I was one of the greatest monarchs in English history but she too failed to provide an heir, Mary II let her husband William III rule in their joint names, Anne ruled well and efficiently but could not give England an heir despite the fact she gave birth to seventeen children, Victoria provided the heir but during her reign the monarchy devolved into the constitutional monarchy England has today, and Elizabeth II fulfilled her mission to provide an heir and continues to serve as a figurehead and an example to her people and reigns without actually ruling.

This book was absolutely fantastic! I loved every minute of it and I didn't want it to end. Eloquent is the word that I use to describe the way in which Waller has wriiten about the 6 female sovereigns. I think what I like about the book is she gets very personal about the monarchs she writes about, which is a good thing even when she has to be critical because it helps the reader understand why the monarchs did certain things. For example why did Mary I burn all those Protestants when she was queen? Because she truly believed Catholicism was the one true religion, and from that one can understand better that she didn't do it because she was evil, I don't condone what Mary did but how can you say Mary was bad if she honestly believed that what she was doing was right, another other person especially another soveriegn (who was Supreme Governor of the church in charge of hundreds of thousands of mortal souls) would have done the same (acted on what they believed to be the right choice), you have to put the situation into context, you have to remember that this was a time when people were also killed for treason, and tortured for information and also killed because of differing religious beliefs (heresy). This book is an all rounder you get the monarch on a personal level and family life, life and relationship of the monarch with her country, parliament, privy councillors and also other European nations. I really can't fault this book at all. And there's pictures too! A-maz-ing!

Maureen Waller, British Historian, made what could be dry history interesting to non-historians with this brilliant book covering the 6 women who wore the crown in their own names; Tudor sisters, the Catholic, Mary I and her half-sister the Protestant, Elizabeth I; the descendants of Mary Queen of Scots the Stewart sisters, Mary II (who ruled with her Dutch husband, William III) followed by her sister Queen Anne; Queen Victoria, the longest reigning British monarch; and the current Queen Elizabeth II who may very well surpass Victoria's longevity on the throne.

Without a doubt the most interesting, formidable, educated, politically astute and powerful of all these queens was Elizabeth I. She was an absolute sovereign monarch who not only reigned by ruled; a far cry from her namesake Elizabeth II, who can only suggest, advise, the Prime Minister & parliament who rule the commonwealth in her name. In 1837 when Victoria came to the throne a great many powers still remained in the sovereign's hands, and with the worldwide expansion of the colonial system durng her reign "the sun never set on the British Empire" yet was also during Victoria's reign that powers were slowly but permanently moved to the Parliament.

The Stewarts were fascinating because it was least familiar though their post-reformation reigns took place when Britain fought some of its greatest battles with the French and Protestant England again to to face the religious question for the fist time since the Elizabethan period. Mary & Anne's father, James II, while a widower and heir to his childless brother Charles II's throne, married a Italian Princess and converted to catholicism. James II's reign was cut short when the English with the help of the Dutch in the person of his son-in-law, William of Orange, in the name of the Protestant faith, forced him from the throne and alon with his wife, James II's daughter Mary, ruled in England in the duel Monarchy of William & Mary, although William was said to be the true power to which Mary "as a good wife" quite happily deferred. Queen Anne had an interesting friendship with Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, whose family gained prominence under her reign, and would claim a bigger stake in history with their descendant Winston Churchill serving as Prime Minister during England's greatest hour.

The small portion of the book alloted to the current Queen was not new, just more of the same gossipy material covered for decades in the tabloids. Although Ms. Waller, commends her unwavering dedication to her duty, she is compared less favourably with her predecessors because she in fact does not rule England, rather her reign is more about ceremony & tradition. Personally she is a emotionally stronger version of her great great grandmother Queen Victoria, an unimaginative woman, although great learner and hard worker, with a strained relationship to her eldest son & heir, and takes more delight in her horses & dogs than in engaging her people. Her inability to connect to her people, reached a crisis point upon the death of the Princess of Wales, and the monarchy could have easily yielded to republicanism when the Queen had to be dragged from Balmoral Castle back to London to comfort her people. Fortunately, the young PM Tony Blair much more astute about the body politic in the age of mass media shouldered her through this crisis, and has since regained her popularity.

In an age when monarchy is a quaint but archaic ideology, the English may quite possibly be seeing the last of it with Elizabeth II. Yet even in the most modern of societies we still long for pomp & circumstance that royalty are so good at. Brilliantly stated by Walter Bagehot author of the classic treatise "The English Constitution" "The more democratic we get the more we shall get to like state and show, what have ever pleased the vulgar,".

Sovereign Ladies is the story of the six women who have ruled Great Britian. You might call it a tale of the good, bad, ugly and beautiful!
Historian Maureen Waller writes in an accessible style which adds to our knowledge of these important historical women. Waller's book discusses in scintillating chapters the following queens:
1. Mary I (reign-1553-1558). Bloody Mary so called because of the over
300 Protestants burned at the stake during her reign. Mary followed Edward IV her Protestant half brother to the throne. Mary was the daughter of Katherine of Aragon the first wife of Henry VIII. Henry had divorced Katherine in order to wed Anne Boleyn. Katherine had failed to produce a male heir to the throne. Mary wed Phillip II of Spain but failed to have a child. She was a devout Roman Catholic not liked by the British people. Her relationship with her half sister Elizabeth was convoluted. At one time she imprisoned Elizabeth in the Tower of London.
Her attempt to align England with the papacy failed and she died after a short and inglorious reign.
2. Elizabeth I (1558-1603). The greatest queen and possibly the greatest ruler in English history she was good Queen Bess beloved by her people.
During her long reign the Spanish Armada was defeated; England lived under a policy of religious toleration; Shakespeare and his fellow playwrights produced great plays; North America was explored and Virginia named after the Virgin Queen. Elizabeth never married though she was often courted. Elizabeth was a brilliant intellect speaking several modern and ancient languages. She surrounded herself with savvy advisors. In 1587 she ordered the execution of her cousin Mary Queen of Scots due to the latter's involvement in conspiracies designed to dethrone Elizabeth and restore England to the Roman Catholic faith. The cult of Elizabeth was wide and she was considered a modern incarnation of the Virgin Mary. She was the daughter of the beheaded Anne Boleyn and the formidable and evil Henry VIII. Countless novels, movies and biographies of this complex ruler pour off the presses.
3, Mary II. (1688-1694) Mary was the daughter of James II (he reigned from 1685-1688). James II was a Roman Catholic who was forced into exile in 1688 to be replaced by William of Orange the Protestant from the Netherlands. William and Mary reigned as co-monarchs. Mary was a bright woman and a good queen. She loved her husband, England and learning. She was childless and died young. Mary was a strong Protestant unlike her father James II. In 1690 James II lost the battle of the Boyne in his attempt to unseat William and Mary.
4. Anne (1702-1714). Anne was the younger sister of Mary II and the daughter of Catholic James II. She was duller than her sister Mary and plotted against her father. Anne became Queen of England following the death of King William. She was constantly pregnant by her mediocre husband George of Denmark. None of her 16 pregnancies resulted in the birth of a healthy child. Her children died in childbirth or expired prior to adulthood. Her best friend was Sarah Churchill the wife of the famed soldier John Churchill but the two later had a bitter quarrel never reconciling. England grew in power during Anne's reign. She was an ordinary woman who was thrust into power.
5. Victoria (reigned from 1837-1901). There is the Elizabethan age and the Victorian Age. Elizabeth and Victoria are not only the two greatest of the queens chronicled by Waller but the two greatest monarchs of Great Britain. Victoria was the daughter of the Duke of Kent one of the many dissolute sons of George III. She ascended the throne following the death of her uncle William IV. Victoria was not beautiful and had a willful and imperious nature. She became queen as a young girl being tutored by her beloved father-figure Prime Minister Palmerston. She would later come to rely on Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli a Tory. Victoria detested the Liberal Prime Minister Gladstone.
Victoria's great love was for her German husband Albert. She and Albert had nine children; she became known as the grandmother of Europe. Kaiser Wilhelm II was her granchild as was Tsar Nicholas of Russia. When Albert died in 1861 Queen Victoria went into seclusion for many years. She worshipped Albert sleeping with a picture of him in his coffin each night.
Under the prodding of Disraeli she emerged in the 1870s as a visible presence on the political scene. She favored the emergence of the middle classes and had a keen mind. Victoria was very fat with a 48 inch waistline in middle age. She did not get along well with the playboy Prince of Wales Edward who became King Edward VII when she died in 1901.
During her reigin Britain ruled over a quarter of the globe. She became Empress of India and her image was seen on everything from the penny postage stamp to vases. Her storng sense of morality and service is commendable. Victoria loved England and the English loved her. A great queen!
6. Elizabeth II (1953-present). Elizabeth "Lillibet" was the oldest daughter of King George VI and his wife Mary of Teck. W@hen the old king died Elizabeth and her dashing Greek husband Phillip were on tour in Kenya. Elizabeth was raised in a cocoon along with her spoiled sister Margaret. During her long reign Britain has declined in power. She has been a better queen than a mother. Three of her four children have divorced. She lost popularity when Charles divorced Diana and wed his love Camilla Parker Bowles. Elizabeth lacks imagination but has been a good ruler of what is sometimes called "The Firm" of Royals. Elizabeth has endured and is much admired throughout the world.
Waller's book contains no new historical revelations and is written as popular history for a general audience. As a longtime fan of the British Royalty I did enjoy this book. It will both entertain and enlighten the reader. I look forward to future books by this young historian.