This was a fantastic book about Scotland's Queens, I really didn't know a lot about the Queens and learned a lot in this book. Sharon Bennett Connolly wrote this perfectly and was glad I was able to read this.

A delightful and thoroughly researched book on the early Queens of Scotland. As not much is known on many of them (which unfortunately was not uncommon during those times), the author does a painstakingly good job of trying to piece their lives together by analyzing their husbands. A must read for any monarchy history fan. Always a bonus from me when it contains pictures! Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

As usual, history is told from a male dominated perspective. Without a doubt there are many women who have influenced the shape of events over millennia, but their story is rarely recorded. I have to confess I know very little about medieval queens, particularly the Scottish monarchs. Sharon Bennett Connolly has assembled a diverse cast and made an excellent job of recounting their role. Behind the scenes, usually, these women were playing a key part in political and court intrigues whispering sense and reason into the ear of their husbands ( and others) and without doubt helped to keep Scotland a strong, fearsome and independent country.

This book is so well written; it deals with the complexities of clan wars, struggle for power, isolation and foreign allegiances in a way that’s easy for the non academic reader to follow with interest. It’s like an adventure story in places and I had a strong sense of the heart of these women. The research appears meticulous. There’s an extensive bibliography with reference to primary and secondary sources. A great resource for further reading. A comprehensive index and best of all, at the end of the book there are numerous plates depicting some portraits and places associated with individuals. I’ve really enjoyed this title.

Scotland has a fascinating history. While it was still a male dominated world, there were a few women that managed to leave their mark in history.

There were some medieval queens that managed to do more than some of their predecessors. With the ever-changing attitudes and political landscapes, these women were often a tie that could help bind a treaty. They were mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters.

This was a pretty good read. For many of the early queens, there is not a lot of new information or really any information, so much of that was a refresher, but for the later queens we have much more.

Dive into this book and get a look at not only these grand ladies, but the men and political realities that they were dealing with each day. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is full of facts, interesting tidbits, and more. Of course, this is history, so some may find it to be a harder read than others, but I could not read this fast enough.

Spend a day in the Scottish wilds and read about these medieval queens.

A nice introduction to the history of these medieval queens that I’m sure one could use as a start of point for writing about one of the women; a reference book. Easy to follow and like always, I love that family trees/linages are included to reference back to when reading. Makes it a bit easier to keep track of your different Margarets, for example.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Jan. 31, 2025
Sharon Bennett Connolly’s newest historical collection, “Scotland’s Medieval Queens: From St. Margaret to Margaret of Denmark” is an exhaustive examination of the women behind the Crown throughout Scotland’s history. Starting as early as the 11th century, with the real-life Lady MacBeth, Connolly discusses the roles the royal women played behind the scenes.
“Queens” is inundated with family histories and timelines, made even more complicated by the numerous Kings (there’s always a I, II and III, if not IV of every royal male name) from both England and Scotland, so it is definitely not a book for those with a minor passing curiousity. As was the way, most of the Royals that we have any record of at all were males, and often they had multiple wives (or wives and mistresses), so be prepared to take ample notes and pay close attention if you want to retain any of the “who’s married to who and when” parts of history.
Obviously, there is very little documentation the farther back you go, so Connolly’s earliest queens (from the 11th century) are most just regurgitation of the information on record. As history passes and more documents and data are recorded, we get a bit more detail although it still won’t give you everything you’re looking for (due to lack of information, not any omission by Connolly).
There were some fascinating family sagas within the pages, and some seriously disturbing facts (the youngest Queen was seven years old and married to the ten-year-old King), and it was these little details that kept me interested. I didn’t particularly care for how many James’ slept with how many Margarets’ or how many Edwards or Williams were in power, or who their ancestors were, but the intricate details of how rulers were chosen and how early relationships were forged was fascinating (there were so many marriages that were “disbanded” by the Church because the bride and groom were too closely related). Speaking of the Church, you can’t talk about any time in Scotland’s history without discussing the relevance and the influence of the Church, and Connolly pays homage to the respect and honour the citizens of that era paid to the church and its important members.
“Scottish Queens” is intense, in depth, fact heavy and intricate, but it is a must read for anyone who is a hardcore history nut, or who loves ancestry and genetic connections, especially among the Royal Families of Scotland (and England). This book was hard to get through in parts, definitely more informational and educational than entertaining, but it was worth the read.

Scotland's Medieval Queens is such a good book If you love Scotland's history. Such a good pick! I rated this book 5 stars because it's THAT good. So beautifully written too.