This is a period of British history that I know the least about and it was a really interesting read.
The first part of the book explores the fate of Charles l and how his family survive by being separated across Europe. The close ties and genuine relationships of the royal children are fascinating.
Although the book focuses on the surviving daughters of Charles l, it really comes to life when discussing the French Court and Henrietta Anne.
Such an interesting woman whose family connections allowed her to play an important role in negotiations between France and England.

This book is a great introduction to the woman of the period and the fascinating, but shockingly short, lives they led and has whetted my appetite for the period.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

If the description for this book seems a little short, that's probably because there isn't a lot you can say about the daughers of Charles I. None of them would live for long, and none of them would ever truly escape the political turmoil brough about by the execution of their father (and subsequent Republic under Oliver Cromwell). This doesn't mean there lives weren't interesting - they were - it's just you get the feeling they could have been so much more hand history not played them such a rubbish hand.
I didn't know much about the Stuart monarchy, and knew even less about Charles I, when I started reading this book, but now feel like I've had a great introduction to a truly chaotic era. By focusing on Charles' daughters, I don't feel like I was overwhelmed with facts, figures and dates I won't be able to remember, making it a great way to start learning more about this period in my countries history.
This was aided by Sarah-Beth Watkins' writing style, which I'm a big fan of. She makes history easy to read and engaging and has a great way of bringing female characters to life, even when she obviously as limited material to work with (history was, after all written by men who thought women weren't worth much more than to a good marriage). I can't recommend her books enough and woudl put this near the top of the list.

Sarah-Beth Watkins has done a great job writing a compact yet informative book. This is well written and the history just jumps out of the pages.

Being the first time I have read any of author Sarah Beth Watkins works, I have to say it definitely will not be my last. Written with historical facts, The Tragic Daughters of Charles I , was a page turner! The three daughters of King Charles I lived short, tragedy filled lives. This wonderful work of non fiction shows that the royal court is not all about parties and beautiful ball gowns. I highly recommend this informative and easy to follow book!

Once again Watkins has delivered a solid book on another spect of European History. The daughters of doomed Charles I of England either died young or made marriages that were difficult to navigate,. The author provides straight forward a narrative that is a pleasure to read, I always enjoy reading about the royal houses of Europe and how closely they were all entertwined. Any reader of history and women’s history will enjoy this latest contribution.

The author is a great storyteller. This book made history come to life. Readers who saw the Versailles series on TV will like this book.

My rating: 🌍🌍🌍🌍 4/5 globes

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 excellent history of the turbulent period of 17th-century England, seen through the lives of CharlesI's daughters. We see how they reacted and were treated during the Rebellion that ended in their father's execution. We see how the last surviving daughter worked hard to create alliances between her brother (Charle II) and her brother-in-law (Louis XIII).

With plenty of quotes from primary sources, it's an interesting look at a not well-known part of history.

Highly readable non-fiction of the daughters of Charles I of England. Watkins research goes into the lives of Charles's daughters and their tragic, relatively short lives. Life of royalty was not all ball gowns and tiaras and Watkins shows the loneliness and lack of control women had at the time. Recommend to readers of Alison Weir.

The Tragic Daughters of Charles I by Sarah-Beth Watkins was a short, but yet informative read on the short lives of Charles’ wife, Henrietta Marie, and his daughters: Marie, Elizabeth, and Henrietta Anne.
The novel was factual, and demonstrated the sadness, and perhaps loneliness of being royalty. The greatest tragedy is mostly exhibited by the loveless marriages that the daughters were a part of as well as the difficulties navigating the waters of court life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Chronos Books for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review. 3.5/5 stars.

There were quite a few good things I enjoyed in this book. The inclusion of lots of well footnoted historical correspondence made the women come alive quite fully, I really enjoyed the illustrations included as well. I liked a pretty well rounded story it presented. What I had more of an issue with was the style of the writing. It was a bit too sensational for my liking and not professional enough for a serious biography.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

I have read two historical non-fiction books written by Sarah Beth Watkins and this one is my third. I love her writing style and how she structures her books. The Tragic Daughters of Charles I is another great read from her. Again the story is narrated like fiction but is supported by the historical letters and references which is really good. Her writing style is very easy yet it makes the book very interesting without resorting to any complexity. Another advantage is that she keeps her points precise and simple without the need to write unnecessary pages to explain one point or an event.

The book has ten chapters and each chapter concentrates on a particular themed story. In the beginning chapters, we get to know about King Charles I and his wife Queen Henrietta Maria and the problems they are facing with the English Civil War. In the later chapters, we get to know about their daughter (Mary, Elizabeth, and Henrietta Anne) and the misery life they lived.

Don't be fooled by the length of the book because it is full of useful information. So if like myself you love historical books then you should not hesitate in picking up this. I give The Tragic Daughters of Charles I: Mary, Elizabeth & Henrietta Anne a solid 4.0 stars out of 5.0.

Many thanks to the publisher Chronos Books and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in return of an honest and unbiased review.

I found this book to be informative and very easy to follow. I appreciated that the focus was on women who despite their contributions to historical politics are often overlooked for their male counterparts. It seemed to me that Henrietta Anne was the true focus in the end, and her story is so fascinating that maybe we would have been better off with a book entirely about her life. But I understand the decision was made to show her in stark contrast to her siblings, which still made for a great read. The book did seem a little short and maybe at the end a bit rushed, but I still thought it was enjoyable considering this doesn't seem to be an era or group that gets a lot of literary attention.

The period of the English Civil War has not historically been an area of reading interest to me; however, a number of fiction and non-fiction books have crossed my path over the last couple of years and my interest has been piqued. I will preface that statement by saying I was not unfamiliar with the historical aspects.

It is against this backdrop that Sarah-Beth Watkins, rather than focusing on the more famous sons, introduces us to Charles I's three eldest surviving daughters - Mary (1631 - 1660), Elizabeth (1635 - 1650), and Henrietta Anne (1644 - 1670). There were two other daughters, Anne (1637 - 1640), though she did not survive childhood (toddler-hood), and baby Catherine (b&d. 1639).

Watkins presents the lives of these young women in accordance with the chronology of Charles I. We are treated to a family history before we start with the elder of the daughters, Mary Stuart, and then each successive daughter, their lives intertwining, not only with each other, but also with their brothers and mother.

I have not in the past actively sought out books on any of the offspring of Charles I, though Watkins' book does collate the biographical information of the surviving daughters into one. Whilst I would have preferred each daughter to have her own dedicated chapter or chapters, combining them does cut down on the repetition of information, and the use of time markers as chapter headings does given us an idea of where they are placed in the chronology of both their father Charles I and their brother Charles II's reigns.

What I enjoyed, and what readers will enjoy, are the final chapters which sums up the genealogical legacy of Mary and Henriette Anne.

Full review @ Melisende's Library

This book is quite informative.
I imagined it would be a real story, but it is narrated well, with many inserts from real history that has been documented. Flows quite quickly, but I did get lost with so many names to remember and where they situated in the royal family

I was invited to receive an ARC from NetGalley on this. I love history so much that this book was just a page turner! I love the hustle and bustle over court life. The behind the scenes of it all. Secret notes and blood lines and rank. I had no idea these siblings had to go through so much and I was very sad at the end. This is a must read for any history lover. KUDOS

This was a relatively quick and comprehensive book on the lives of the (surviving) sisters of Charles II, who are so often overlooked when exploring the life of the monarch. It gives a solid introduction in the women, from their births and incredibly tumultuous upbringing during the English Civil War, to their subsequent marriages and lives abroad in France and Holland, commulating in their early deaths. I felt the text did I pretty good job all round of summing up a complex period of British history, and explained the various histories and major players in the women’s lives relatively well. It also gives a glimpse in Charles II’s early life as an outlawed king, and the various difficulties he faces before his return to England as monarch, which was a nice touch.

This is by no means a complete historical guide to the sisters, and a large portion of the book centres mainly around Henrietta Anne, the youngest sister who would become Madame, sister in law to the great Sun King himself, Louis XIV. She in particular has an interesting life, often playing advocate and referee between Louis and her brother Charles in their quest for power and European domination. It’s also her children with Phillipe who would go on to dominate the European family tree.

I do think the author tends to play on the side of sensationalism as opposed to facts at times, referencing court gossip surrounding the Queen of France for drama instead of presenting the true life events, with no solid references to back up her claims. Large portions of the text are also taken up by primary sources, such as letters between Charles and Henrietta Anne, which could have been better spent in the index as they detracted from the ‘story’ at times. I also would have liked a bit more information on the day to day court life that Henrietta Anne experienced, as I know that the French Court was at the forefront for fashion and often complicated and complex daily rituals.

I’ve read better biographies of both Louis and Charles II which touch upon the sisters lives briefly in relation to these two powerful men, but I’ve never read a biography so dedicated solely to the women, and for that I can certainly appreciate this for what it is and hope there are more biographies to come of these forgotten women behind the men of the era.

The Tragic daughters of Charles I.
After reading the authors previous book on Anne of Cleves (Which I loved, and highly recommend), I was very pleased to receive a digital advance reader copy of this book on the three daughters of Charles I, Mary, Elizabeth, and Henrietta Anne.

I love Sarah-Beth' s writing, she completely draws you in and you find yourself becoming lost in the pages of her work.
The story is told in such an informative and engaging way, that you can't help but feel for the girls and the hard times they endured.

I found this hard to put down, a fascinating story of a time that I'm now compelled to find out more about.

5 stars.
Thank you to the Author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in return for an honest review.

A fascinating book, throughly tells the story of king Charles 1 daughters and how the revolution impacted their lives
and what happened to them, can't wait to read more from this author