The Tragic Daughters of Charles I: Mary, Elizabeth & Henrietta Anne

The daughters usually get less attention and this aims to redress that. It was more of a brief overview than an in depth review. If you haven't read anything else about these characters then you will get more out of it than we did.

From an historical point of view, this was an interesting book and one felt that the author had done decent research.The publisher seems to have let it down as there were mistakes and a shocking lack of punctuation which made it almost impossible to understand in some places,

Far more has been written about the sons of King Charles I and his queen, Henrietta Maria, than about the daughters who were born of the couple—perhaps understandably, since both Charles and James became kings. But with such works as Lady Katherine Knollys: The Unacknowledged Daughter of King Henry VIII, The Tudor Brandons, Catherine of Braganza, Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots and Anne of Cleves already under her belt, author Sarah-Beth Watkins seeks to address this by shedding light on the lives of three of the daughters— Elizabeth, Mary, and Henrietta Anne—in her new book, The Tragic Daughters of Charles I. Covering three biographical subjects in one work is no mean feat and would be daunting for many a historian, but Watkins—wonderfully utilising primary sources throughout—pulls it off with aplomb.The book was a bit too short for the subject matter (only 165 pages including references). The cover features a wonderful portrait of Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, but there aren't any interior images of any of the three women but several of men (Cromwell, Louis XIV etc). Also, I really wish that an Index was included because that is just such a help for researchers and general readers alike. These things aside, The Tragic Daughters of Charles I is a well-written and enlightening work which provides a concise and informative overview of the lives of these three often-overlooked princesses, whilst retaining an accessible style which will no doubt be welcome for readers of the Stuart period, new and old alike.[I received this book in exchange for an honest review and a longer version has been submitted to the Royal Studies Journal].

I never knew there was so much drama and gossip surrounding Charles I's children. They are not figures I have ever thought too deeply about, as although I love the seventeenth century, royal history has never been my thing. However I really enjoyed this historical narrative, in particular I liked Watkins's use of primary sources to illustrate and bring to life the thoughts and feelings of the Stuart family.The book begins with the dramatic beheading of Charles I and focuses mainly on the effect this had on the lives of his children and the wife he left behind. In particular his daughter's Mary, Elizabeth and Henrietta Ann, all of which led separate lives in different countries in the name of duty, enduring unhappy marriages, multiple pregnancies and it seems at periods of loneliness.I feel that the book straddles the line between a serious biography and a dramatised version of the Stuart's lives. It doesn't quite manage to be entirely serious due to the inclusion of more salacious sources, but to be honest I quite liked that. It is a good read for entertainment and an overview of the Stuart family. It contains a wealth of primary sources that I wouldn't have otherwise had the opportunity to read, which is a definite plus point for me. I didn't know that so many of the Stuart's personal letters had survived.Henrietta Ann’s life was particularly interesting, with her French Catholic upbringing, philandering husband, love of the arts, and the love for her siblings which really came across. The book chooses to focus on the 'tragic lives’ of Charles's daughters, however it also highlights much of the joy and friendships they formed.

An enthralling and fascinating look at a tumultuous period of history, and I loved learning so much about the family of Charles I - it's books like these that make me wish I'd 'got' history at a much younger age as I used to think it was all just very boring and a list of dates! This book is far from that and it is a real life royal soap opera with all the goings on over the years!Not only does it feature Charles I and all that he was facing, but it looks behind him to his young family and what happened to them when everything was kicking off between the royalists and the parliamentarians. It strips away the pomp and ceremony that normally surrounds a royal family, and you get to see the struggles and the squabbles that enveloped this family as they were torn apart and had to face a very uncertain future.I loved the added depth to the story that the royal letters between various members of the family added and it was surprising how much the siblings shared in letters between one another - they were very open and honest especially not knowing if they'd ever see one another again as they were all living apart and in different countries.With many scandals rocking England and France at the time it was just fascinating to have it all set out in chapters covering the various years, and seeing how the young girls grew up and what was expected of them in marriage, and in dealing with ill health made their stories so touching and often tragic and this book has helped me connect with these young women and I'm glad their stories are being shared in this way.