David H. Elias

In 1596, Elizabeth Stuart was born to James IV of Scotland (soon to be James I of England when Queen Elizabeth I died) and Anne of Denmark. In 1616 she was married to Frederic V, the Elector Palatine of the Rhine (part of the Holy Roman Empire). On his part, it was a love marriage (and they married on Valentine’s Day); she was far less enthusiastic but found him tolerable. She is ambitious; he is not.

They lived happily in Heidelberg for a while; Elizabeth had 13 children. When the Bohemians overthrew their king, Ferdinand, Frederic was elected to that post. But his rule only lasted a few months before Ferdinand regained his throne and Frederic and Elizabeth had to flee. The Princes of Orange at the Hague took them in and supported hem. But they were not supported in the style to which they were accustomed, and this grated Elizabeth to no end. She conducted an incessant letter writing campaign, seeking aid from Parliament, her brother Charles (who was now King of England), and the English ambassadors.

It’s an interesting story, and we get to see it from the POV of a largely ignored character in history. But the story drags at times; there is just not enough of Elizabeth’s life that is interesting for a book of this size. I found myself really wishing at times that the author hadn’t made it so detailed, although I did enjoy the parts about Elizabeth and Walter Raleigh, and Descartes.

Elias does a good job of recreating the language of the era. Elizabeth is an important figure in that her descendants went on to become kings and queens of England. Elizabeth just does not come off as a compelling character; her scheming and complaining get very tiring after a while. The death of her beloved brother Henry left her shattered, and perhaps unable to love again. It’s the only explanation for her disregard for her children and husband.… (meer)

A decent little book, very similar to every book about a royal woman. There was a bit too much complaining for my tastes. The narrator would spend page after page asking existential questions like what is it to be a woman and what is it to die, etc. It was very meta at times, but also very boring. I can ponder feminism in the seventeenth century on my own. I don't need to read someone else's musings, especially when they take up so much of the book. In my opinion, the strength of the book is the beginning, where we get to hang out with Shakespeare and see a few of his plays. I could have easily lived without the Rene Descartes sections, but that's really a matter of preference.

I recommend for those interested in the Stuarts or interested in the start of the Hanoverians, as it's through this Elizabeth that they trace their link to James I. Interesting history, made somewhat boring because of its similarity to the tale of nearly every highborn woman between 1100 and 1800. I wish more time had been spent describing Heidelberg and Prague and less time on how annoying it was to have to give birth thirteen times, but honestly, who wouldn't complain about that?… (meer)