A very well-researched yet accessible book on the Stuart/Stewart dynasty. I took an Early British history course in college so I had a little bit of retained knowledge from that, but Heather Darsie managed to fill in the gaps of my memory while also relaying new (to me) information such as the Stuart’s start in Scottish royalty. And unlike my professor, for material that can sometimes be pretty dry imo, Darsie does a fantastic job of getting the point across in a succinct way without making me want to snooze. The poems that the author selected that were written by or for the Stuart spouses were a really lovely addition as well.

Thank you NetGalley, Pen & Sword and Heather R. Darsie for the opportunity to review this eARC!

English royal history is filled with fantastic stories of triumphs and tribulations, grand romances, and divorces that shook the foundations of the monarchy. It is also filled with struggles over religion, wars both inside England and with foreign nations, and heartbreaking child losses. We often think about the spouses of the Plantagenets and the Tudors when we think about royal romances, but we shouldn’t forget about the dynasties that came after, like the Stuarts. So how did the Stuart dynasty come to be and how did the unions between monarchs and their significant others affect the dynasty and England? Heather R. Darsie explores this often-overlooked dynasty and the stories of their marriages and romances in her latest book, “Stuart Spouses: A Compendium of Consorts from James I of England to Queen Anne of Great Britain.”

I want to thank Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I didn’t know much about the Stuarts before reading this book, except for those associated with the Plantagenets and the Tudors. I wanted to learn more about the Stuarts because I tend to stop after the death of Elizabeth I, so when I heard that Darsie was writing a book about the consorts of the Stuart dynasty, it was intriguing to me.

Darsie begins by explaining that she will be exploring the entirety of the Stuart dynasty, starting with its patriarch Walter Fitzalan, Stewart of Scotland for David I of Scotland in the 1100s. It is a fascinating story of how the family went from serving the monarchy to being the rulers of Scotland, all the way up to 1406 when James I became King of Scotland. The first royal consort that Darsie discusses might be familiar to anyone who knows about the origins of the Tudors, Joan Beaufort. We then track the Scottish story of the Stuarts through the death of Mary Queen of Scots through their significant others such as Mary of Guelders, Margaret of Denmark, Margaret Tudor, Madeleine of Valois, Marie de Guise, Francis II of France, Henry Stewart Lord Darnley, and James Hepburn 4th Earl of Bothwell.

It was under James VI of Scotland that things changed drastically for both England and Scotland as James became King James I of England with the death of Elizabeth I, and so James’ wife Anna of Denmark became the first Stuart Queen of England. This is the segment that I thoroughly enjoyed because they were new stories for me. We have Henriette Marie of France, a Catholic queen who married Charles I who was a Protestant, which did not have a happy ending as we get to see the English Civil War play out and the execution of Charles I on January 30, 1649. Darsie also includes the stories of the women who married Oliver Cromwell and his son Richard Cromwell, both Lord Protectors of England when the monarchy was not popular. Eventually, the Stuarts returned to their place on the English throne with Charles II and his queen Catherine of Braganza; followed by the women who married James Stewart Duke of York, Anne Hyde and Mary of Modena. James would become James II before the Glorious Revolution led by William of Orange, which led to the co-rulers William III and Mary II. Finally, we reach the tragic tale of Queen Anne of Great Britain and her Prince Consort George of Denmark.

I was so impressed with the amount of stories over centuries that Darsie was able to cover in this book. It was a fantastic introduction to Scottish Stuart history, how the dynasty survived, and created international relationships that allowed England to thrive. There were tales of tragedies, but there were also alliances that created stronger bonds, religious rifts, and romances. This was another triumph for Darsie and it is a book that made me interested in reading more about the Stuarts. If you are like me and you want a book that is a fantastic introduction to the Stuart monarchs and their consorts, I highly recommend you read, “Stuart Spouses: A Compendium of Consorts from James I of England to Queen Anne of Great Britain” by Heather R. Darsie.

I love reading about historical women from all walks of life. This book, as the title suggests, is about Stuart queens. It gives the reader a short biography of the different queens and gives other information about the Britain in the late 16th to the early 18th century. A good start into the Stuart era.

I especially enjoyed the timelines and the family trees the author included at the start of the book. Made it easy to follow.

‘The Stuart family line began in the 12th century with Walter Fitzalan.’

A great introduction for anyone wanting to learn about the Stuart period.

We learn about Margaret Tudor, Marie de Guise, to George of Denmark to name a few.

‘Margaret was an expert at intrigue and certainly had no fear of standing up against men for what she believed was best for her children and Scotland.’

Wonderful look into the people that walked through their lives with the powerful people of their days and and age. A very good read!!

For many, the history of the Stuarts (or Stewarts) rings bells of familiarity. Many have heard of the ill-fated Mary Queen of Scots, King James VI and I, or maybe even King Charles I. But, how did the Stuart line start? And, how did it end? Stuart Spouses: A Compendium of Consorts from James I of Scotland to Queen Anne of Great Britain by Heather R. Darsie tells the story of the Stuarts through its consorts. A huge thank you to Pen & Sword Books and Net Galley for providing a copy of this book.

The Stuart story begins in the 12th century when a Walter Fitzalan travelled from England to Scotland to serve King David I. Fascinatingly, Fitzalan rose to the position of Steward of Scotland. And thus, the surname Stewart was adopted. Throughout this book, readers will travel through the centuries to encounter the familiar, and not so familiar, Stuart spouses from the first consort, Euphemia de Ross, to the last Stuart consort, George of Denmark.

To write such an account of the Stuarts is no small undertaking. At the start of the book, Darsie acknowledges that its purpose is to provide readers with an overview of the Stuart monarchs and their spouses. As someone who spends a lot of time in the Tudor period, I feel that this book has sparked my own interest in the Stuarts. Not only does this book introduce readers to countless individuals who may previously have been unfamiliar, but it has also helped to make some important links between people and events occurring from the 15th-17th centuries in England and France.

This book is rich in detail. Furthermore, the style of writing is highly accessible. Stuart Spouses is filled with fascinating stories, and frequently draws on the primary sources to further build on the lives of these enthralling individuals. Additionally, the inclusion of a selection of relevant poems in the appendix beautifully complements the main body of text to bring the Stuart monarchs and their spouses to life.

Stuart Spouses: A Compendium of Consorts from James I of Scotland to Queen Anne of Great Britain is a well written and truly fascinating read that will whet the appetite of its readers. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to learning more about the Stuarts in the future.

Stuart Spouses: A Compendium of Consorts from James I of Scotland to Queen Anne of Great Britain by Heather R. Darsie was published by Pen & Sword Books in the UK on October 2nd, 2024.

A fascinating look at the queens and consorts who loved and hated the rulers of Scotland and forged an empire.

Stuart spouses focuses on the often disregarded by history consorts of the Stuart monarchs. I found it to be a well researched and fascinating portrait of people who were so important at one time in history but have been largely overshadowed by their spouses. I will definitely be adding this to my bookshelves and don’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone interested in this period of history. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review..

I have once again turned to the Stuarts in my non-fiction reading! This has definitely been my Stuart year and I’m happy to be rounding it out with Stuart Spouses: A Compendium of Consorts from James I of Scotland to Queen Anne of Great Britain by Heather R. Darsie. I requested and received an eARC of this title via NetGalley. When thinking of the Stuarts, the first things that often come to mind are sex and tragedy. Charles II was known for his numerous lovers, James VI & I for his dalliances with men, Charles I for the end of his reign, and Anne for her numerous, devastating miscarriages and deaths of her children. The Stuart consorts have often existed in the background, but in Stuart Spouses, Darsie pulls them from the shadows and brings their stories to the forefront.

I think when looking at this title, due to my own silliness, I expected this to be a quick overview from Anne of Denmark to George of Denmark. Stuart Spouses starts much earlier, with the first Stewart monarchs in Scotland. This was an unexpected surprise and I found this material to be really interesting. Most of my nonfiction reading centers on the English monarchy, so I had many gaps in my knowledge here that were filled in as I read Darsie’s work. Darsie also chooses to include Elizabeth Bouchier and Dorothy Maijor, the wives of Oliver and Richard Cromwell. Although not much is known about either women, I really appreciated their inclusion. It helped to smooth the gap between Henriette Maria and Catherine of Braganza and was very interesting reading. I found Elizabeth Bouchier to be particularly fascinating. I think my favorite section, however, in Darsie’s compendium was the bit about Madeleine of Valois the “Summer Queen.” Her story is both somewhat romantic and tragic. I also found the sections about Mary of Modena and George of Denmark to be very informative, as these are both figures that I have frequently encountered in my reading but felt I didn’t know much about.

I really appreciated Darsie’s direct writing style. Everything is explained very succinctly and in a very straightforward manner. The author doesn’t offer character judgments of the individuals presented in the text, but rather allows the reader to make their own inferences from the facts and anecdotes presented in the text. As previously mentioned, without thorough investigation (you know, like glancing at the “James I of Scotland” in the title), I initially thought this book would be something slightly different. It certainly exceeded my expectations. Rather than simply reaffirming or deepening my understanding of the English Stuart monarchs and their consorts, it expanded it (clearly I need to read a bit more Scottish history!) In Stuart Spouses, Daisies weaves together a rich tapestry of history that is both accessible and immensely enjoyable to read.

I really enjoyed getting to learn more about the Stuarts, I know a lot about the Tudor era but not the Stuarts. It was written in a way that worked in this type of book and thought Heather R. Darsie wrote this perfectly. It had that history element that I was expecting and glad it was so well done.