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Ungrateful Daughters: The Stuart Princesses Who Stole Their Father's Crown

5 star:		(7)
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2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ungrateful Daughters treats the last days of the house of Stuart as seen through the perspectives of the major characters: James II, Mary of Modena, Mary II, William of Orange, and Queen Anne. It begins essentially with the restoration and ends with the handover of power to the Hanovers.

The material is absorbing and the book was seemingly quite well-researched. However, for me, much of the pleasure was spoiled by Waller's organisation and tone. The narrative is not linear, but shifts with the perspectives of the different players. I found the effect jarring and occasionally confusing. I also heard more than I wanted of Waller's opinions about the people involved (particularly Queen Anne).

I am often willing to forgive a history writer some harsh asides, but I was not willing to forgive Waller. I found her judgements heavy-handed and they made me suspicious of how (and from what perspective) she was telling the story. Too bad-- because it is a really great story.

This should not discourage others from reading the book-- it is still a reasonable use of time for the story itself. I am planning to keep it in my collection-- at least until a better author writes a new approach to the material.

We have all heard that the last invasion of England was in 1066. Well, we are wrong. The last *succesful* invasion of England was in 1688 (the *last* invasion of England was 1745, and of Great Britain 1798). Yes, we know that James II was deposed by the Prince of Orange, but we are not really taught the details in schools. Perhaps it is to embarrassing that 15000 Dutch soldiers occupied London and the south, that the lawful King was usurped by his own daughters and nephew, and that his younger daughter led the smear campaign against their father and step-mother.
It is not a pretty story, but an interesting and important one that Ms. Waller tells us. It is as much a story about religious intolerance as about petty, vindictive, ruthless, scheming, and stubborn characters.
What strikes me is how volatile the UK was because of religion, still over onehundred years after Henry VIII went protestant, and what enormous power individuals could wield, even private citizens like Lady Marlborough.
If it is one thing I have to say against this book is that I think the author concentrates to much on the gossip and petty rivalries between the protagonists, and does not totally succedd in explaining why they are important.

"Ungrateful Daughters" demonstrates (yet again) the absurdity of the warming pan plot and the legitimacy of James II's son. But the enjoyment in reading about the events of the time is diminished by a confusing narrative which jumps back and forth as well as the persistent theme of blaming everything on Anne.

Both Anne and her sister were raised as Children of State. Their upbringing was directed by Charles II and his ministers with the goal in mind of creating staunch Protestant heirs to the throne. From their earliest childhood they were brought up to disdain the religion of their father and stepmother and with a firm belief in popish plots. That in their adult years, they fulfilled this role shows them to be grateful Daughters of State more than ungrateful daughters to James.

This book is worth reading for it's strong narrative of events surrounding the birth of James' son and its recounting of the events in the revolution itself. However the reader must keep and open mind about some of the conclusions. "Ungrateful Daughters" chronicles the events and aftermath of the Glorious Revolution. The bloodless coup that removed James II from the English throne and installed his Daughter Mary and her husband William as joint monarchs. Maureen Waller, the author, writes not of high politics but rather tells the story of a family split by politics, religion, and perhaps even simple jealousy. While the title references both daughters, it is the younger Anne, who Ms Waller sees that the prime villain of the piece.

Maureen Waller's narrative of events is divided into three sections. In the first third of the book, she provides biographies of each of the main participants in the family drama. This is then followed with a narrative of the events surrounding the revolution itself and King James' escape to France to join up with his wife and infant son. The last third of the book presents the reigns of Mary, William, and the last Stuart, Queen Anne.

In an ironic twist the revolution's direct cause was the one thing all Kings strive for - the birth of a male heir. However, King James II was a Catholic king in a protestant country. While many of his subjects we displeased with the favoritism shown by James in promoting Catholics to high office, they were content to bide their time and await the reign of his daughter. When James announced that his young wife was pregnant, many Protestants began to see this a danger to the reformation and the country. Rumors were spread that the pregnancy was a hoax; that James was planning to foist an unroyal infant on the nation, and that the infant was to be raised a catholic to prevent the monarchy from falling back into protestant hands. To prevent this from happening, Protest nobles invited James' son-in-law, Prince William of Orange, to invade England in order to protect his wife's claim to the crown and to rule England in her name. James' escape to France proved a convenient excuse for Parliament to declare that he had abdicated the Throne and then award it to his heir Mary and her husband.

After the successful invasion, William became preoccupied with cementing his hold on the government and using English resources in his war against Louis XIV of France The relation ship between the Queen and Anne soon deteriorated as they quarreled over Sarah Churchill. After Mary's death from smallpox, Anne and William reconcile outwardly, but animosity remained throughout the rest of William's reign.

Anne's reign began in 1702 following the death of her unpopular brother-in-law. The premature death of Anne's son in 1701 meant that Anne would be the last Stuart monarch. It was a time of great success for Anne as England became the most powerful nation in the world thanks to its successful war against France ended in 1713; it was also a time of great sadness as Anne was to loose many of her former friends and favorites as she grew into the role of queen and attempted to implement her own policies. Anne's death in 1714 was end of the Stuart line. By the act of settlement in 1701 the throne passed to the Elector George Ludwig of Hanover.

Maureen Waller's book might as easily have been called "Ungrateful Anne". The author places much responsibility for the Glorious Revolution on Anne. Her position in the English court gave her greater access to information than her sister possessed. Mary was frustrated at Anne's failure to be at the birth of the Prince James and her inability to provide more accurate and unbiased facts surrounding the birth. It is Anne who always gets the role of bad apple. Anne who kills one younger sibling with an accidental exposure to smallpox. Anne who refuses to give up her court favorites at her sister's request. Anne who sends Mary nasty notes about their stepmother.

Mary is portrayed as devoted to her husband William and interested in making sure that a changling is not allowed to usurp the crown. James II is a doting father and Mary Beatrice is a loving, if naïve, stepmother who can't imagine how Anne or Mary would not be overjoyed at loosing her own place in the succession.

The narrative structure of the first third of the book focuses on each of the participants in turn. This means that a great deal of material is covered repeatedly. To some extent this is useful as each time it is from a different perspective, however it comes off primarily as redundant since the author is advocating for her perspective against Anne in each of these sections.

I found this book to be excellent and fun to read, primarily because the author's frame of reference is family dynamics and personality painted against the larger backdrop of historic events.

The story is primarily about the Glorious Revolution in which the Catholic James II lost the throne of England to his daughter and son-in-law; Mary and William of Orange.

Whereas Charles II had as many political talents as Bill Clinton, his dull brother, James II, unfortunately lacked insight into interpersonal relationships, diplomacy at the personal and national level, and intelligence. He embraced Catholicism at a time that only 3% of the English population would admit to being Catholic and when Louis XIV was enacting deadly policies against the Protestants in his country. His daughters had been reared Protestant and the entire power infrastructure of England was Protestant.

Mary was certainly a sympathetic figure as portrayed here. She was 6 feet tall and appeared to be a big-boned girl. She towered over the other women in the court. She towered over her husband, William. Her motivations for taking the crown of England from her father were greatly influenced by her Protestant religion and her devotion to her husband who served as the few checks on the military agression of the absolute dictator, Louis XIV. Her death and funeral are touching and William's devotion to her was interesting considering his tendency to be attracted to handsome Dutch blond army officers.

William is portrayed as calculating, strategic and cripled. His homosexuality is briefly discussed in hypothetical terms. Other historians have indicated that the weight of evidence is that he was indeed homosexual. He was the major political force that held Louis XIV in check, a task he persued all his life with success despite the fact that his opponent was king of the largest European power at the time.

Ann is first portrayed as the most ungrateful of the two daughters. Her treatment of her step-mother Mary of Modena and her campaign of disinformation regarding her younger half brother's birth reveal her to be scheming with the ability to twist the facts for her advantage. Yet in the later parts of the book, she appears to be the pitiful captive of the Churchills, especially the maniacal,out-spoken Sarah Churchill. The quotations from the letters between Queen Ann and Sarah Churchill reveal an almost lesbian attachement in their youth and a spiteful angry co-dependency in their old age.

The book is a wonderful read. The characters were so well developed and portrayed that the history of the times came alive.

Maureen Waller's Ungrateful Daughters seem to be perfectly titled since she protrayed both daughters of James II in pretty negative lights. The book deals with the events around the Glorious Revolution but it read more like a mini-biographies of James II and his two daughters. Of the three, Anne comes out the worst, probably because most readers probably knows all about James II but there isn't much written about Anne who comes out looking like a backstabbing hypocrite.

The author definitely didn't paint any of the Stuarts here in any great favor. While James seem to be a caring and loving father superficially, its appears that he never did bonded with his daughters that much, always womanizing or being involved in his Catholic faith which proves to be a great dividing point within the family. Mary came out the best in this book although she whole heartedly supported her husband's effort to overthrow her father. At least, her motives were more reasonable and sincere then Anne who came out..as written above, as some sort of malice filled harpy with her friend Sarah Churchill.

I would like to rate the book as 3.5 stars since it can be quite informative and interesting reading. However, the weakness in the book lies in its presentation of its characters, its all negative and read like a tragic soap opera in many areas. The author don't take a stand in her book and it felt like Stuart bashing all around. Something good did come out of all this but the author don't seem to notice it.

Waller's book on the human side of the Glorious Revolution is riveting. Few books have managed to show the Stuarts as something other than cardboard figures, but this one is fascinating and well-written to boot.

This book is an exciting and entertaining look at the power struggle in Restoration England, and how the divide between Catholics and Protestants caused a King to be dethroned by his own daughters. I really liked Ms. Waller's tone and her storytelling abilities, using the actual letters written between Queen Mary and Princess Anne, making them seem that much more real to us as the reader.

I also like it that you can't really see a bias for or against any certain person or religion...you will read good things and bad things about everyone involved, you'll feel anger and pity for these people and their lives. I was completely engrossed from start to finish.

Maureen Waller's contention is that the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688 occurred due to religious differences that came to a head due to royal pregnancy. King James II was a Catholic and his two daughters were Protestant. When James' Catholic wife became pregnant, leading Protestants including James' oldest daughter Mary, married to the King's nephew Prince William of Orange, encouraged her spouse to take the crown from her father. When James II turned to the military to defend him, he found the army and navy deserted him. His other daughter, Anne, a Protestant, supported William and Mary. Ironically, Anne became the last Stuart ruler as neither she nor her sibling had children so the throne passed down the Hanoverian line after her.

UNGRATEFUL DAUGHTERS is a terrific telling of one of the key events and its aftermath (approximately a quarter of a century) in English history. Based on a tremendous assortment of documents, especially secondary sources, readers obtain a close look at the period and why the change occurred in an entertaining manner. Historical fans obtain a close look at James II whose pompousness never enabled him to understand the opposition until he was exiled to France. The book also looks deeply at what motivated his daughters, his replacement as king, and later his exiled son. However, purists need to realize that Maureen Waller juxtaposes modern day values on late seventeenth England, which is difficult to accept because religious choices of that era were much more dramatic and eternally painful than today. Still this is a wonderful biography that British historical buffs will enjoy and learn from.

Harriet Klausner

If ever there were a family that deserved a biography like this it is the Stuarts. From the blood of Mary Queen of Scots rose a dynasty of strangely unattractive Kings and queens, culminating in the two daughters of James II. These two Queens of the stuart house, Mary II and Anne I have not had the same exposure to biography as other rulers of England, (such as Elizabeth or Victoria) and perhaps this is as much about their length of reign as anything - however they did preside over one of the most interesting periods and actions in British History. That is the deposition of their father to rule in his favour.

Waller, I thought, handled the material well, I was not disturbed by the jumps and only really noticed it in some of the reviews here. It is well written and well thought out. The unsympathetic portrayal of Anne especially can easily be explained, she was really a very unsympathetic character and her faults reminded me strongly of the George IV a century later, with a tendency to self-justification and general whininess. Something I expect you can do if you are Queen, but also perhaps a hang over from a century earlier when the annointed Ruler of the realm really did hold extraordinary powers and did not need to answer to any other power in the land apart from their own. A fundamental problem with her Grandfather who lost his head over that belief.

Over all I enjoyed it. As far as dysfunctional families go this is one interestingly flawed family, with its own bitternesses and a great deal of wealth and power at stake.

I would definitely recommend this as a good read for anyone who hasn't dipped into the period before.

I loved this book. It is well written and contains such detail that the characters truly come to life. I have many books on the Restoration and none of them describes James, Duke of York and his second wife Maria Beatrice and the "ungrateful daughters" better. Many jucy details. What they wore, how they looked, their quirks and peculiarities give a much fuller picture of the court and courtiers. This book is an easy read and would engage a reader who does not like usual history books. This does not mean it is light. It's the writing of an author who is a keen observer of the subjects.