Daughters of the Winter Queen: Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia, and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots

by Nancy Goldstone Narrated by Laura Kirman

Overview

The thrilling family saga of five unforgettable women who remade Europe.

From the great courts, glittering palaces, and war-ravaged battlefields of the seventeenth century comes the story of four spirited sisters and their glamorous mother, Elizabeth Stuart, granddaughter of the martyred Mary, Queen of Scots.

Upon her father's ascension to the illustrious throne of England, Elizabeth Stuart was suddenly thrust from the poverty of unruly Scotland into the fairytale existence of a princess of great wealth and splendor. When she was married at sixteen to a German count far below her rank, it was with the understanding that her father would help her husband achieve the kingship of Bohemia. The terrible betrayal of this commitment would ruin "the Winter Queen," as Elizabeth would forever be known, imperil the lives of those she loved and launch a war that would last for thirty years.

Forced into exile, the Winter Queen and her family found refuge in Holland, where the glorious art and culture of the Dutch Golden Age indelibly shaped her daughters' lives. Her eldest, Princess Elizabeth, became a scholar who earned the respect and friendship of the philosopher René Descartes. Louisa was a gifted painter whose engaging manner and appealing looks provoked heartache and scandal. Beautiful Henrietta Maria would be the only sister to marry into royalty, although at great cost. But it was the youngest, Sophia, a heroine in the tradition of a Jane Austen novel, whose ready wit and good-natured common sense masked immense strength of character, who fulfilled the promise of her great-grandmother Mary and reshaped the British monarchy, a legacy that endures to this day.

Brilliantly researched and captivatingly written, filled with danger, treachery, and adventure but also love, courage, and humor, Daughters of the Winter Queen follows the lives of five remarkable women who, by refusing to surrender to adversity, changed the course of history.

Editorial Reviews

MAY 2018 - AudioFile

The descendants of Mary, Queen of Scots are brought to life with Laura Kirman’s highly enjoyable narration of Goldstone’s absorbing new history. Elizabeth Stuart, the Winter Queen, was the granddaughter of the doomed Queen Mary and daughter of King James I of England. Elizabeth married Frederick V, who briefly reigned as the King of Bohemia. The marriage—a happy one—produced 12 children, including four remarkable daughters, each of whom distinguished herself in traditionally male vocations: mathematics, painting, and writing, presaging great trends of the Enlightenment. Though the listener is at a slight disadvantage without a printed genealogy of this intricate family, the dramatic and labyrinthine politics of seventeenth-century European royalty are easily understood, thanks to Kirman’s well-modulated and expressive performance. D.G.P. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

The New York Times Book Review - Miranda Seymour

Goldstone's forthright and often witty asides keep this complicated story bowling along at a terrific pace…Lively and well-researched, Daughters of the Winter Queen offers a timely introduction to a turbulent period in Britain's past relations with Europe.

Publishers Weekly

03/05/2018
“It is simply not possible to fully understand the seventeenth century in all of its exuberant, glorious complexity without this family,” proclaims Goldstone (The Rival Queens) of Elizabeth Stuart (1596–1662), daughter of James I of England, and her children. This lively, well-researched group biography focuses as much on the mother as on her more famous daughters. Elizabeth’s marriage to Frederick, Elector Palatine—a powerful count, but still far below her in rank—was very happy but plagued by political disasters; for nearly 30 years, Elizabeth toiled to reclaim his territory for her children. Among those children were the daughters whose stories Goldstone tells: Princess Elizabeth, an intellectual equal to and intimate correspondent of Descartes, who eventually became abbess of a Protestant convent; Louisa, a talented painter, who converted to Catholicism before also becoming an abbess; Henrietta Maria, who died shortly after marriage; and Sophia, a spirited matriarch, who finally restored the family fortunes when her eldest son became King George I of England. Goldstone occasionally overreaches, making somewhat unlikely sweeping claims (for example, that the fearlessness and persistence of Elizabeth and her daughters was necessarily due to their descent from Mary, Queen of Scots), but clearly presents a captivating story with empathy and humor in a relaxed, entertaining, modern voice. B&w plates. (Apr.)

From the Publisher

"Goldstone's forthright and often witty asides keep this complicated story bowling along at a terrific pace...Lively and well-researched, Daughters of the Winter Queen offers a timely introduction to a turbulent period in Britain's past relations with Europe."—Miranda Seymour, New York Times Book Review

"Goldstone is a master juggler. She tells a good story, always with a delightfully light touch. In the process, extraordinary women are given the attention they deserve."—Gerard DeGroot, The Times of London

"Goldstone is a thrilling narrator of this complicated history. Yet the achievement of a work like this is not merely its command of a vast and dense web of the past, but also its incredible literary merit. Daughters of the Winter Queen is nothing short of page-turning, an exceptional work of scholarship that reads like a favorite novel filled with political intrigue, romantic scandal, and more than one dark-of-night escape."—East Hampton Star

"A fascinating feminist story."—The Coil

"This rich and complex story of a seventeenth century queen who lost her throne, and her four defiant daughters, is compulsively readable. Combining rigorous research with a vivid writing style, Nancy Goldstone illuminates the women who have often been left in the shadows of history, and reminds us that fascination with royalty is nothing new."—Charlotte Gray, author of Reluctant Genius: Alexander GrahamBell and the Passion for Invention and Gold Diggers: Striking It Rich inthe Klondike

"Goldstone (The Rival Queens) once again places a much-deserved spotlight on remarkable women from European history...A compulsively readable account of an otherwise unfamiliar royal family. Goldstone writes with knowledge, humor, and ease—a masterly storyteller who steers clear of overly academic language. Ideal for amateur Tudor historians who wish to be introduced to a lesser-known yet equally fascinating royal family."—Library Journal (starred review)

"Goldstone relates the eminently readable tale of Elizabeth Stuart, dubbed the Winter Queen, and her four lovely, talented daughters...The story of these five women, each remarkable for individual reasons and in her own right, both illuminates and is offset by Goldstone's vividly rendered European backdrop."—Booklist

"Though the narrative could have devolved into a complicated mass of intertwined royal families, Goldstone, a seasoned historian, effectively keeps the lines clear as she relates Elizabeth's repeated, frustrated attempts to secure strong marriages for her children under trying circumstances. Her children's stories are fascinating, as well...A great book for history fans seeking illumination on the connections of European royalty."—Kirkus

"A lively, well-researched group biography...Goldstone presents a captivating story with empathy and humor in a relaxed, entertaining, modern voice."—Publishers Weekly

MAY 2018 - AudioFile

The descendants of Mary, Queen of Scots are brought to life with Laura Kirman’s highly enjoyable narration of Goldstone’s absorbing new history. Elizabeth Stuart, the Winter Queen, was the granddaughter of the doomed Queen Mary and daughter of King James I of England. Elizabeth married Frederick V, who briefly reigned as the King of Bohemia. The marriage—a happy one—produced 12 children, including four remarkable daughters, each of whom distinguished herself in traditionally male vocations: mathematics, painting, and writing, presaging great trends of the Enlightenment. Though the listener is at a slight disadvantage without a printed genealogy of this intricate family, the dramatic and labyrinthine politics of seventeenth-century European royalty are easily understood, thanks to Kirman’s well-modulated and expressive performance. D.G.P. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2018-02-06
The story of how one remarkable woman's drive to survive secured the succession of the British crown to this day.Elizabeth Stuart (1596-1662), daughter of King James I, was 6 years old when her father, son of Mary, Queen of Scots, succeeded Queen Elizabeth I as the king of England. Elizabeth was married to Frederick, Elector Palatine of the Rhine, a marriage many considered to be beneath her royal status. The reasoning behind the marriage was that James I would support Frederick's claim to become king of Bohemia. In his usual manner, it was a claim that James promised but never delivered. The Bohemian revolt of 1618 brought an offer to Frederick to assume the throne, which he quickly did. Unfortunately, the Hapsburgs and Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand took umbrage and quickly recovered the kingdom. Frederick and Elizabeth ruled for only one season, thus the title of Winter King and Queen. Living at the court of the Prince of Orange, they struggled to regain their titles. Fortunately, the Prince of Orange left Elizabeth a significant piece of the West India Company, which contributed to a new army to regain Frederick's realm. However, it was not to be, and then came the Thirty Years' War, which precipitated Frederick's death in 1632. Though the narrative could have devolved into a complicated morass of intertwined royal families, Goldstone (The Rival Queens: Catherine de' Medici, Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, and the Betrayal that Ignited a Kingdom, 2016, etc.), a seasoned historian, effectively keeps the lines clear as she relates Elizabeth's repeated, frustrated attempts to secure strong marriages for her children under trying circumstances. Her children's stories are fascinating, as well—e.g., one daughter had a long correspondence with Descartes, another with Leibniz. Ultimately, it was her youngest daughter, Sophia, who secured the family's future as the Electress of Hanover.A great book for history fans seeking illumination on the connections of European royalty.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173717535
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	04/10/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

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