Hello!
In 2020, I read a book about women throughout Scotland’s history; it was literally called “Women of Scotland” by Helen Susan Swift. This was a book I had hoped would allow me to feel better about my heritage. I had just found the truth of my dad’s family folklore. I had heard we were part Native American for a very long time. Even my dad was told about it when he was younger, so we had expected it to show up on his AncrestyDNA analysis. Sadly, he does not have any connection to that sort of lineage, and I was so upset by the news, that I automatically knew I would be considered a brute or colonizer. However, we did find out another piece of the lore was in face right, he has a large percentage of belonging to Scotland and Wales.
I am the resident Tudor historian in our family, so I was thoroughly excited to combine them to create this lovely pack of knowledge to other members of his family. The Scottish part wasn’t as forthcoming as I’d like it to have been. I haven’t been interested in William Wallace or Robert the Bruce, (nor any of the King Arthur tales either!), maybe because of the importance on them being men, so I had a difficult time of bonding with them, It was a nice change to learn about so many women and what they had to go through in their time of history, that once I found this book, I knew I’d enjoy it just the same!
An “enlightening and fascinating” exploration of Scotland’s royal women, from Lady Macbeth to Mary Queen of Scots and beyond (Booklist).
The lives of the Scottish queens, both those who ruled in their own right and the consorts, have largely been neglected in conventional history books. One of the earliest known Scottish queens was none other than the notorious Lady Macbeth. Was she really the wicked woman depicted in Shakespeare’s famous play? Was St Margaret a demure and obedient wife? Why did Margaret Logie exercise such an influence over her husband, David II, and have we underestimated James VI’s consort, Anne of Denmark, frequently written off as a stupid and willful woman? Rosalind K. Marshall delves into these questions and more in this entertaining, impeccably researched book.
“A broad, impressive historical work and solid introduction to Scottish history from an oft-ignored perspective: that of the queens who exercised power whenever and wherever they could find it.” —Foreword Reviews
taken from Amazon.
Now, you’re probably confused about why the author has titled the book “queens and consorts,” and I will explain before we get too far into the review itself.
To be considered a Queen, you would have been born and raised as a princess. A person’s family tree is important because the tree itself will show you which bloodline is connected to the royal family or in some cases families. If you were born as a princess and are officially named as an heiress to the throne, that would mean you would be a Queen in her own right, which means, it is your right as you were born of royalty, but after you are married, your spouse would be given a title of Prince or Princess, not as King, mainly for political reasons.
Now, if you were not born as a royal princess, and as a commoner, you would assume the role of Queen Consort after your husband’s ascension to the crown. For some places, you would be named as Princess Consort instead, but I think in modern times, it’s just as acceptable for a woman to be named Queen Consort, especially if she has shown her loyalty to the royal family and its subjects.
I think many people assume that the British Royal Family has always had control over Scotland and other places that is considered part of its United Kingdom. However, at one point of time, both Scotland and Ireland were free to have its own monarch, but after a series of political wars, royal bloodline goes extinct, and religious views, Things can happen that would result in a collapsed kingdom. Ireland has had its own issues, going back even further through Scottish’s own timetable.
What Rosalind has done, is she goes from the earliest of queens of Scotland, which is most of what everybody calls her, Lady Macbeth, but I know her to be “Lady Gruoch” as she was the main character in a historical or Shakespearean retelling, The Celtic Blood series, by Melanie Karsak. Despite the fact that Rosalind and Helen give you as much as important information they can find about these early women, you don’t feel as though they were really real. And unfortunately, you really feel it all the way until you arrive at the story of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1461 until 1714 with the final Queen being Anne.
One of the things you have to understand about royal families, especially medieval times, is that having a daughter can be beneficial for everyone. A royal princess or being from a high-ranking aristocratic family, can mean that you will not have control over your maidenhood. If you want to live out your life as a nun, you may have a father, brother or uncle pimping you out for money and land. What is even worse, is that a lot of times these girls are usually underage, the youngest I’ve seen is two to four years old, and oddly enough you can be considered a spinster at the age of 30. The younger you were to bear as many children as possible, the better the outcome for everyone.
‘Alas, I would be a queen!’
If you are on the hunt to read more about Scottish women, queens or not, then I highly suggest you check out both Scottish Queens, 1040-1714: Queens and Consorts Who Shaped a Nation and Women of Scotland: A Journey Through History soon. You will learn more about the notable ladies like Lady Mcbeth, St. Margaret, and Henrietta Maria of France, to maybe some more unknown ones like Ermengarde of Wessex, Euphemia Ross, and The Maid of Norway. If you are a member of Kindle Unlimitied, you can read the SQ book on there for free!
Have you read “Scottish Queens” or any others by Rosalind K. Marshall before? Is there a specific queen you have always had an eye for in the past or presently?
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