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

by Maureen Waller

Book Overview

In 1688, the birth of a Prince of Wales ignited a family quarrel and a revolution. James II's drive towards Catholicism had alienated the nation and his two staunchly Protestant daughters by his first marriage, Mary and Anne. They are the 'ungrateful daughters' who usurped their father's crown and stole their brother's birthright. Seven prominent men sent an invitation to William of Orange---James's nephew and son-in-law---to intervene in English affairs. But it was the women, Queen Mary Beatrice and her two stepdaughters, Mary and Anne, who played a key role in this drama. Jealous and resentful of her hated stepmother, Anne had written a series of malicious letters to her sister Mary in Holland, implying that the Queen's pregnancy was a hoax, a Catholic plot to deny Mary her rightful inheritance. Betrayed by those he trusted, distraught at Anne's defection, James fled the kingdom. Even as the crown descended on her head, Mary knew she had incurred a father's curse. The sisters quarreled and were still not speaking to each other when Mary died tragically young. Anne did nothing to deserve her father's forgiveness, declaring her brother an outlaw with a price on his head. Acclaimed historian Maureen Waller recreated the late Stuart era in a compelling narrative that highlights the influence of three women in one of the most momentous events in English history. Prompted by religious bigotry and the emotion that beset any family relationships, this palace coup changed the face of the monarchy, and signaled the end of a dynasty.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031230711X
• ISBN13: 9780312307110
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 454 Pages
• Weight: 1.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Great History/Great Biographical Information

Ungrateful Daughters is a beautifully written book that I highly recommend to any English history nut. I not only felt as if I knew each person intimately, but the sequence in which the author writes keeps it fast-paced and interesting. It is the first book I've read about the latter Stuarts (and I've read many) that kept me involved from start to finish. It is a skillful study of personalities, motives and all the human strengths and weaknesses everyone of us possess. Ms. Waller presents the political influences on the women in question in an engaging manner - a great accomplishment since politics during the Stuart reign are so complex one can easily be overwhelmed by them. Ungrateful Daughters is one of the best historical biographies I have ever read!

A great read.

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.

An enjoyable history

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.

Excellent book!

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.

Gripping tale of religion dividing a country and a family

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.