Sovereign Ladies: The Six Reigning Queens of England

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Sovereign Ladies: The Six Reigning Queens of England

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 276 ratings · 45 reviews

"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, V...more

Hardcover, 554 pages

Published September 4th 2007 by St. Martin's Press (first published 2006)

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Feb 08, 2009 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: british history dorks, feminists

Recommended to Kelly by: Sarah

Shelves: history-british, history, owned, grande-dames

This is a study of how being a woman affected the six women who ruled England ostensibly on their own- Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anne, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. It chronicles both the negative effects- how unwilling many people were to accept a female sovreign, how concepts of what women should be and do worked against them, how merely having a female body affected things- marriages, pregnancies, children, and the positive effects- how many of these women used the concepts of femininity in...more This is a study of how being a woman affected the six women who ruled England ostensibly on their own- Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anne, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. It chronicles both the negative effects- how unwilling many people were to accept a female sovreign, how concepts of what women should be and do worked against them, how merely having a female body affected things- marriages, pregnancies, children, and the positive effects- how many of these women used the concepts of femininity in place during their time to manipulate those around them and keep themselves secure when many a man might have found it hard to talk themselves out of trouble, and especially many discussions about how female archetypes- the goddess, the mother figure, the Virgin Mary (of course), the grandmother- kept them enshrined. Waller goes so far as to imply that it is Victoria and Elizabeth II's reigns that are largely responsible for keeping the British monarchy in place, and this may not have been possible had they not been women. I really enjoyed reading the struggles, triumphs and utter failures of these six women and their families with female active agency and power, and I thought she made some largely ignored points about the psychology that ran beneath all of these reigns.

Waller is extremely sympathetic to all six of these ladies. This was my only major problem with the book- I felt that she was on a mission to exonerate all six of them from all or most of any wrongdoings they may have committed during their lives by gaining sympathy for their plight as a female sovereign in a man's world. I found it particularly pronounced in Mary I's section and Elizabeth II's. In the first, she tried to exonerate 'Bloody' Mary of all responsibility for the destruction of churches and burnings of heretics that went on during her reign, which seemed wildly ridiculous to me. Elizabeth II's section largely read like royal propaganda. She makes sure to say that Elizabeth has deficiencies as a mother and that she's overly indulgent of her family due to not giving them enough of her time- but as a sovereign she appears to worship her as perfection. I just wish that the tone hadn't been quite so determinedly one-sided in examples, because it cast doubt on the rest of the chapters, which I found very well informed, balanced as impartial as a feminist lens reading is going to get- I particularly liked the chapters on Mary II and Victoria.

All in all, highly recommended- but not as a history- as a psychological study of women wielding power in a world where the system is built to tell them to do no such thing. There is also a worthwhile B-plot study of the transition from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy to the "democratic" symbolic monarchy of today. (less)

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Dec 27, 2008 Mark Gaulding rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a very effective look at the six women who have been queen regnants in England. Until Bloody Mary, there had never been a queen in power. There had only been Queen consorts. For all of her faults, Mary earns a healthy respect from this book's analysis of the unique predicament she found herself in. Women were thought of as helpless, worthless beings and here she found herself with no precedents in the history of mankind for a woman in charge. Her step-sister Elizabeth found herself faced...more

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Dec 03, 2009 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was an indepth look at all 6 Queens of England. Super interesting as I didn't know that much about Mary II or her sister Anne
(ruled 1702-1714) who was responsible for setting Great Britian on it's path for Queen Victoria's (ruled 1837-1901) "the sun never set on her empire". A couple of interesting facts: Queen Elizabeth I (ruled 1558-1603)(Henry VIII's daughter) and Mary Queen of Scots were enemies with Mary claiming to be the rightful ruler with the dipute settled by Queen Elizabeth...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Ting rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sovereign Ladies scrutinizes the six reigning queens of England: Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anne, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. The idea of a regnant female is one that through the ages has proved an uncomfortable topic. Questions have been raised time and time again of the fitness of a woman to rule in a man’s world tied as they are to their physical bodies and the expectations of females in marriage and childbearing.

The six queens in this book vary in how they coped with the accident of hist...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Jenny Karraker rated it 4 of 5 stars

I know this is more of a summary than a review, but I wanted to include details that I often forget shortly after reading a book. This book was very informative, and it was interesting to see each Queen's strengths and weaknesses and how they played out. Not being English, it was difficult to follow the genealogies and know what certain terms meant/implied (dukes, counts, earls) especially when people were given new titles of rank when they married or accomplished something great. Reading this b...more I know this is more of a summary than a review, but I wanted to include details that I often forget shortly after reading a book. This book was very informative, and it was interesting to see each Queen's strengths and weaknesses and how they played out. Not being English, it was difficult to follow the genealogies and know what certain terms meant/implied (dukes, counts, earls) especially when people were given new titles of rank when they married or accomplished something great. Reading this book made me glad I live in this century in the United States where women are treated with more equality and where success in life isn't determined by how many male children you have ( esp since I have 4 wonderful daughters). The author doesn't emphasize historical events, but the role gender played. The author seems to sympathize with Mary Tudor-- her father Henry VIII rejected her bc of her not bring a male heir and constantly threatened to kill her, and separated her from her mother Catherine with whom she was very close (sounds like she may have attachment issues). The author asserts that the 400 people martyred for their Protestant faith were much fewer than died in persecutions in other countries at that time. The author assets that Fox's Book of Martyrs was a propaganda tool of the Protestants filled with errors used to discredit the Catholics. That book has been revered in the christian circles i run in, so it was surprising to see it criticized. Mary didn't read people well and relied on her position as Queen rather than personal influence. In contrast, Elizabeth knew how to work the crowds and continually put herself in front of them to garner support, perhaps bc of the difficulties she experienced in her younger days. As a child, she was considered a bastard bc of her father's divorce of Catherine and marriage to Anne Boleyn, was also rejected by her father bc of her sex, was probably abused, and then Imprisoned when her sister Mary reigned. She was highly educated, had her father's drive, and had great people skills. She never made rash decisions, knew when to compromise, and never allowed herself to be bullied. She seems to have been able to overcome her childhood difficulties in a way that Mary didn't. Mary II, daughter of James II, married William of Orange and moved to the Netherlands. Supporting her husband's faith and politics, she was considered a traitor to her catholic father. She was glad to share the reign in England w her husband, and enjoyed the domestic pursuits of gardening and charity work. She died young at 32, scorned by her father but adored by the people. With her sister Mary II, Anne was removed from her catholic family as a child and raised by Protestant clergy and was thoroughly indoctrinated against Catholicism. She married Prince George of Denmark,and left no living heirs despite 17 pregnancies. Despite her health difficulties, dull personality, and lack of education, she determinedly did what she thought was right, understood timing, and chose good men to lead. Bc of her mercy and compassion, she made few enemies and was looked upon as the mother of the English nation. Victoria grew up in England, of noble but poor parents, forced to live cheaply in the countryside and deliberately kept apart from her decadent Hanoverian relatives. Having been groomed by her uncle Leopold for the throne, she followed his advice about being above petty politics. Despite her position as constitutional monarch, she eagerly kept herself informed of parliamentary decisions and insisted on influencing those decisions. Having her marriage arranged since infancy, she married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and fell passionately in love w him, though she did keep him on a short leash financially. Having nine children who all survived childhood, her role gradually shifted to child rearing, while Albert exerted more influence as he became her personal adviser, confidante, secretary and minister. Despite her dowdy figure and wearing of bonnets vs crowns, the people embraced her motherly image. She visited wounded soldiers (Crimean war), was photographed and became a household image. Visiting his errant son, Prince Albert caught a chill and died. Victoria was unconsolable, yet lived another 40 years. Her close servant, John brown, seemed to be able to snap her out of her depression and was a lifelong friend and confidante, though gossip attributed more. He and Disraeli brought her out of retirement to become a queen-empress who reigned over an empire on which the sun never set. As England's political power decreased, the magic of monarchy seemed to increase. She was given a military funeral, and details were broadcast round the world. Elizabeth II was the daughter of Albert, whose older brother the Prince of Wales eventually gave up the throne to marry the American divorcee Mrs Simpson. Albert is the focus in the recent movie The King's Speech. Elizabeth loved horses and races and instituted those at Ascot. Being attractive, strong, and of good personality she was a propaganda hit for the British in WWII, not having been sent away to to Canada like many privileged children. She married Philip Mountbatten, whom she met prior to WWII and corresponded. The wedding was broadcast around the world, and she became an instant celebrity. Philip had given up a promising naval career to marry her, and was somewhat frustrated by his limited duties as her husband. Though she loved her people and always put their interests above her own, she kept a certain distance between herself and never stepped over the boundary between informality and familiarity. She had 3 healthy children, but put her duties as Queen above those of motherhood, some saying she neglected them. All three had rocky marriages that ended in divorce, which makes you wonder what the big deal was about Edward having to vacate the throne to marry Mrs. Simpson. Times had certainly changed, but she has been the rock that has preserved the monarchy despite its loss of political power. What amazing women these people were as they sought to rule in a man's world yet keep the feminine touch.(less)

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Jun 13, 2010 Cris rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british, history, biography-memoir, tudors

Bleah. The authors of most biographies I've read seemed to like the person he/she was writing about. Or, at the very least, find them interesting. But Waller seemed to hold all six of her subjects in contempt and sometimes disgust.

Waller was blatantly judgemental about the queens and made flat statements about each queen without even attempting to justify the statements. Sometimes, especially in Queen Victoria's bio, Waller's statements flatly contradicted themselves. Admittedly I'm a fan of El...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Christie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, royalty, big-books, england, books-with-pictures

This book is an introduction to the six queens of England who ruled in their own right: Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anne, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. It explores each queen's reign in depth and shows how being a woman influenced their time on the throne for better or for worse. It shows the way their subjects and counselors reacted to their gender, reviling some and glorifying others and sometimes going back and forth between the two. The book addresses issues that apply to all women such as b...more

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Oct 24, 2007 Patricia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, biography

Interesting histories of the six reigning queens of England, but steeped in politics. If you're looking for pure biography with lots of lurid details this is not the book to find it in. But it does give a nice historical and cultural context to each of the queen's reigns.

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Mar 18, 2012 Aposprout rated it 4 of 5 stars

I like that this book focused more on the relationship of the Queens to their throne. Each monarch viewed the monarch in her own distinct way - and thus ruled in her own way. It helps that I've read a bit on each Queen and so knew enough of the basics that I wasn't lost. Some background was helpful because each reign is touched on relatively lightly.

However, you do get a good sense of each Queen's strengths and weaknesses. Their attitudes towards their role and the struggle they each had to fac...more

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May 09, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts-and-historical

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Sep 05, 2012 Des rated it 3 of 5 stars

Kinda fells a little bit short of my expectations especially when it reached the later parts of Victoria and Elizabeth II, but overall a good book. Gives a good insight in the lives of the six English queens and Waller does a good job of comparing and contrasting the ruling styles of the first four queens but for some reason the same zest that she gives in that comparison and contrast kind of fades with Victoria and Elizabeth II. Still three stars

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Jan 26, 2010 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: biography, women in history

Recommended to Heather by: library search

I checked this out to read the section on Victoria after seeing the movie "The Young Victoria". The movie is a good period piece with an interesting love story but I wanted to know some of the facts. I found that Waller was very accessible to someone unfamiliar with Victoria's reign. I enjoyed her style and felt that she provided a fairly comprehensive introduction to the subject in the space allotted. I liked it well enough to see what she had to say about the other monarchs.

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Jul 20, 2012 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: women's history buffs, royal history enthusiasts

Shelves: victorian, tudor-nonfiction, stewart

An absolutely fascinating examination of the rule of women of England/Great Britain. Maureen Waller brings to life the six women, all remarkable in their own unique ways, who stepped up to sit on the throne. Each faced their own respective challenges, and Waller delved into the details of how they managed their subjects (few of which were keen on being ruled by a woman) and survived everything thrown at them.

The book started out a bit slow with the section about Mary I, I admit. The biographical...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Meg rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I first noticed this book, I wasn't sure how I was going to like this but I found that I enjoyed it much more than I was willing to. There were things that I did know from other books, but more oft than not there were things that I have no clue of. I can honestly say that I was never truly interested in Mary II or Anne I's rule, but after some of the topics that were covered in this book I will have to find more about their lives and rules.

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Feb 12, 2011 Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Really good overview of the differences between all the Queens of England who were queens in their own right, rather than by marrying a king. Just the difference between Queen Mary and her sister Queen Elizabeth I, after both survived Henry VIII, is remarkable, as well as seeing how Queen Victoria's personality really changed the nature of monarchy, especially for women. A little dull in spots but good fun.

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Jan 30, 2009 Christopher rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although ostensibly a study of how the six queens regnant of England exercised the traditionally masculine power of sovereignty, this hefty book is essentially six mini-biographies. And although there are a few lines at the start and finish concerning the general theme of the mixture of feminism and monarchy, this work largely limits itself to these six woman with no reference being paid to female monarchs from other counties. That being said, this work succeeds very well as biography, and is in...more

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Oct 16, 2010 Rebecca Huston rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: england, non-fiction, politics, royals

Covers the six women who ruled England in their own name: Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anne, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. It's interesting, but not much more than a brief description of each. Fine if you don't know much about these women, but rather so-so if you do. Not really worth it for me.

For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_41103...

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Feb 01, 2010 Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, read2010

This book covers the six reigning Queens of England, defined by the author as those Queens Regnant who were crowned and anointed - in this case Queens Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anne, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. This was a big, fat book - but eminently readable because the author writes the history so well. Though it is non-fiction, each Queen's life reads like a story, using history and documents without being a dry litany of facts and dates. For example, Mary Tudor's happy early childhood i...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Fleeta rated it 5 of 5 stars

LOVED this! Snippet bios of the six regnant queens of England. Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anne, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. Really interesting and sharp. As someone who prides herself on her knowledge of the British monarchy, I enjoyed this fresh take!!

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May 02, 2010 Dawn rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

I'm trying to get through this repeat of many histories already written. Problem for me with this one is the constant shuffling around and back and forth of the time frames/dates/events within each biography. What's so hard about telling a story in order? I can't see why it was necessary and find it frustrating at times. A good snooze book when you have insomnia.

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Jul 22, 2012 Jodie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nice to look a bit deeper into the reigns of Mary I, Mary II and Anne, who are definitely over shadowed by the two Elizabeths and Victoria - Anne, in particular, ruled over a fantastically interesting period of British history and deserves a lot more kudos.
A solid introduction to the queens of England!

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Nov 29, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

A fairly unbiased and easy read. Anyone who is interested in the English monarchy will find this book enjoyable and informative.

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Nov 19, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-history

A look into the lives of the six reigning queens of England: Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anne, Victoria and Elizabeth II.

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Jul 11, 2010 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: the-tudors

An excellent overview of the Queens of England: Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anne, Victoria, and Elizabeth II.

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May 01, 2009 Rosary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy-history

I am loving this book and have learned a great deal about how each of the six Queens Regnant handled things. Also, apparently Queen Victoria was a lusty wench when it came to her husband. Why do we think of Victorians as prudes?

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Feb 11, 2010 Bookworm rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, own

A good biography of the six queens regnant of England. It isn't quite so much straight history as it is a study of the queens themselves--their attitudes, and how they dealt with the attitudes of the men around them. One can also trace through the books how the styles changed from truly ruling to merely reigning.

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Jun 05, 2012 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I knew a lot about Mary I and Elizabeth I and bought mainly for the other queens, as well as another new way of looking at them, in comparison with each other. Britain with a Queen mostly seems to work! I love having history presented in different ways even if I know a lot of the facts already. Brilliant.

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May 10, 2013 Champagnesnob rated it 2 of 5 stars

Have read too many dedicated biographies of these women for this overview to be as enlightening as it could have been.

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May 02, 2011 Jenine rated it 3 of 5 stars

A popular history book. I enjoyed reading about the qveens. And learned for the first time to distinguish Mary I from Mary Queen of Scots! No wonder that period had always seemed confused to me.

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Feb 21, 2012 Forgottendreamr rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

This was a good book, until the section on Elizabeth II where it turned into a propaganda platform.

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About Maureen Waller

Maureen Waller was educated at University College London, where she studied medieval and modern history. She received a master's degree at Queen Mary College, London, in British and European history 1660--1714. After a brief stint at the National Portrait Gallery, she went on to work as an editor at several prestigious London publishing houses. Her first book was the highly acclaimed 1700: Scenes...more

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Books by Maureen Waller

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

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