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

By Maureen Waller

Book Overview

In the bestselling tradition of authors Antonia Fraser and David Starkey, Maureen Waller has written a fascinating narrative history---a brilliant combination of drama and biographical insight---of the six women who have ruled England in their own names. ? In the last millennium there have been only six English female sovereigns: Mary I and Elizabeth I, Mary II and Anne, Victoria and Elizabeth II, who celebrated her eightieth birthday in 2006. With the exception of Mary I, they are among England's most successful monarchs. Without Mary II and Anne, the Glorious Revolution of 1688 might not have taken place. Elizabeth I and Victoria each gave their name to an age, presiding over long periods when the country made significant progress in the growth of empire, prestige, and power. All of them have far-reaching legacies. Each faced personal sacrifices and emotional dilemmas in her pursuit of political power. How to overcome the problem of being a female ruler when the sex was considered inferior? Does a queen take a husband and, if so, how does she reconcile the reversal of the natural order, according to which the man should be the master? A queen's first duty is to provide an heir to the throne, but at what cost? In this richly compelling narrative, Maureen Waller delves into the intimate lives of England's queens regnant in delicious detail, assessing their achievements from a female perspective.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312338015
• ISBN13: 9780312338015
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 576 Pages
• Weight: 1.99 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.0" x 1.9" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Interesting book on Queens

Adult book about Queens of history

History Well Written

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,...

Sovereign Ladies is the fascinating story of the six reigning queens of Great Britain

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...

A great read.

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...

Good for a first-timer

If you are not at all familiar with the six reigning Queens of England, than this is the book for you. It was informative, concise, not too biased in one direction or the other, and showed a bit of each ladies personality. It is the type of book to spark a persons interest in doing additional research on each monarch, on an individual basis. My reason for four stars, instead of five, is that I am VERY familiar with the British...