In Scotland’s Medieval Queens, Sharon Bennett Connolly delivers a sweeping yet intricately detailed exploration of the women who shaped the course of Scottish monarchy from the 11th to the 15th century. Far from being mere consorts in the margins of male-dominated chronicles, these queens emerge in Connolly’s hands as formidable political actors, cultural patrons, spiritual icons, and diplomatic bridges.

The narrative begins with Saint Margaret—whose sanctity, intellect, and reformist zeal elevated her to both royal and religious significance—and progresses through the complex legacies of her successors, concluding with the often-overlooked Margaret of Denmark. Connolly deftly weaves biography with political analysis, drawing attention to the shifting roles and perceptions of queenship within the Scottish context.

What makes this work particularly commendable is its balance of scholarly insight and narrative accessibility. Connolly’s command of primary sources is evident, yet the prose remains fluid and engaging. Each chapter reads as both a historical inquiry and a tribute—honoring the agency, resilience, and influence of women too often reduced to genealogical footnotes.

The book also excels in contextualizing each queen within the broader dynamics of European politics, dynastic alliance, and ecclesiastical power. The interweaving of English, Norman, and Scandinavian threads underscores Scotland’s position within the complex medieval tapestry, and how its queens—often foreign-born—played crucial roles in both integrating and preserving Scottish sovereignty.

Final Verdict:
Scotland’s Medieval Queens is a dignified and illuminating contribution to royal historiography. It not only restores visibility to neglected historical figures but also elevates the study of monarchy beyond battles and bloodlines. For readers of medieval history and gendered power, Connolly offers both clarity and reverence.

Rating: ★★★★★

Disclaimer: I read an advance copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A good overview of medieval Scottish history. Well researched. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy.

An interesting subject on which there aren't many books available. The author has clearly done their research and seemed knowledgable on the subject.

There was a fair bit of jumping around with the events and figures involved so I found the book quite difficult to follow, unfortunately, as I would have liked to learn more about these historical women.

House of Moray
- Gruoch of Scotland

House of Dunkeld (1058–1286)
- Ingibiorg Finnsdottir
- Margaret of Wessex aka Saint Margaret of Scotland
- Ethelreda of Northumbria
- Sybilla of Normandy
- Maud of Northumbria or Matilda,
- Ermengarde de Beaumont
- Joan of England
- Marie de Coucy
- Margaret of England
- Yolande of Dreux

House of Bruce (1306–1371) (Bruis)
- Elizabeth de Burgh
- Joan of the Tower
- Margaret Drummond

House of Stewart (1371–1707)
- Euphemia de Ross
- Anabella Drummond
- Joan Beaufort
- Mary of Guelders
- Margaret of Denmark
- Margaret of England
- Madeleine of Valois
- Mary of Guise

It’s much easier to see regnant and regent queens exercising power and authority, by ruling in their own right, ruling on behalf of an underage child or an absentee king, or standing in for a king who is incapacitated. It was harder for women to come to the throne and harder for women to overtly exercise power in some ways. And they were often second-choice successors: only in the absence of a male heir or if there was no other option to continue the dynasty. But at the same time, resistance to female rule wasn’t a given–especially if they ruled well.

Queens exerted great influence in religious patronage. Essentially, queens were expected to be the ultimate ‘good woman’–a model of virtuous behaviour. They were expected to represent contemporary ideals.
One advantage that foreign princesses had over internal queens was the backing and standing of her dynasty. Building a network of support was crucial to a medieval queen’s success, as was effective networking at court. Foreign princesses were expected to maintain good relations on both sides.

Maternity was absolutely central to queenship, and not just in the Middle Ages. Queens were under a great deal of pressure to produce children because dynastic continuity and dynastic survival were crucial.A queen’s perceived failure to produce an heir can threaten their position and even be grounds for divorce.

Ultimately, Queens were running their households, their lands, engaged in the political and ceremonial aspects of royal life, and they often had to be on the move.

Scotland’s medieval queens faced war, betrayal, and tragedy. From St. Margaret to Margaret of Denmark, they loved, lost, ruled, and died for their nation. This book explores Scotland’s dramatic medieval history through their eyes.

This book is interesting and provides a good overview of medieval Scottish history. It’s written in such a way that the story of each queen can be read independently. For this reason, some information is repeated (for instance, the story of a king might be told in both his mother’s and his wife’s chapters).

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

In this fascinating history of the queens of Scotland, Sharon Bennett Connolly brings a wide variety of women from St. Margaret, Matilda, Elizabeth de Burgh, Margaret Tudor, and Margaret of Denmark to life in this brilliant new release. With each chapter focusing on a different queen, her life, time on the throne, and her legacy, each woman gets a chance to shine throughout this book. As dynasties change and the role of queen of Scotland evolves, Connolly guides readers through centuries of history and brings each woman to the forefront of the page. Including lesser-known queens along with more famous ones is a sure way to introduce new women to all readers, both familiar with Scottish history and unfamiliar with it, and the book is well-written, readable, and absolutely enjoyable. With the digestible chapters and the coherent and cohesive organization of the book, readers will love this title as a brilliant addition to the current historiography of Scotland and its royal family, while historians will appreciate Connolly’s attention to detail and work with primary sources. Excellently written, deeply enjoyable, and an engaging read, history fans will love this new history of powerful, capable, and clever Scottish queens and their place in history.

A slow start and a difficult task when the evidence about Scotland’s medieval queens is so limited. However, the book was well written and split into organised chapters - albeit they were quite long!

Each chapter would have benefited from a family tree especially where names were complex.

The formatting was not great of this version to kindle which did inhibit the progress slightly; as quotes were at times unclear.

Overall a great and fascinating portrayal of the impact of scotlands queens on its history and showcased well how much queens supported their kings.

This was a bumpy ride, I struggled to get through the first half of the book. It felt messy with each story jumping back and forth, repetitive details and little to no information on the actual Scottish Queens. Additionally, the genealogy was excessive and exhausting to read. History books dealing with royal lines generally need it, but not as detailed as this. I would gladly have preferred a simple family tree chart.

On a positive note, Ms. Connolly presented an impressive and well researched account of this time period. I was drawn into the second half, starting with Robert the Bruce and his daughter Marjorie. I also wanted to add, a 5 out of 5 for the beautiful cover art. It’s what initially drew my eye to this book.

Overall, this was a decent read. Just go into this knowing that the Queens have limited historical records and, despite the title, you will primarily be reading about Scotland’s Medieval Kings.

A special Thank You to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

From before the Norman Conquest of England to the Tudor times, Scotland was an independent neighbour and often enemy of England. Coveted by her southern relation, the kings of Scotland often had to fight to retain their thrones. Much is written about the men but less so about the women. In this book Bennett Connolly attempts to redress that balance with a supportive exploration of the lives of the wives. Unfortunately for many there is little extant evidence but weaving the lives of these women into a more generalised history of the nation is an interesting perspective.

Meticulous research shows. This book proves that.

This author did a deep dive to reveal the Scottish queens who impacted the state, the church and their husbands. Heretofore, only knew of Macbeth's wife. Even then thought Shakespeare's portrayal was of a vindictive, social climbing woman. This book provided a fairer interpretation as well as introducing the reader to other women (wives, daughters, mothers) who ruled the Scottish realm.

This book reminds the reader that Great Britain history is not confined to England and its Kings and Queens.
Scotland has a place at the (history) table too.

#ScotlandsMedievalQueens #NetGalley

This ARC was provided by the publisher, Pen & Sword-Pen & Sword History, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I very much struggled at the beginning of this and kinda lapsed into boredom but I totally did myself a favor and persevered.It is written in a scholarly fashion so don't let that put you off.By the time I got to the Rise of the House of Stewart I was absolutely fascinated.The stories of the queens are inserted into the accounts of the kings and are quite political so basically there are only bits and bobs on the actual queens themselves.Mostly what are on official records such as births, marriages,land endowments, building and church foundings and deaths.There are personal details but they are pretty sparse.I would recommend though if you are researching Scotland as the information seems sound and informative.

A very useful reference for the period.

If reading as one book it can get repetitive as it often recaps events from previous chapters, however to jump in & read solely about the people you're interested in it is very thorough. The early queens chapters are understandably short on detail about the women themselves & have more to do with the kings & what happened during their reigns.

I'll be referencing this one in my upcoming essay so many thanks.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This book had me at hello, during the introduction the author mentions that the starting point for the book was her son insisting she set the record straight about Lady MacBeth. As someone who is always annoyed at Shakespeare’s depiction of Gruoch I was sold.

I knew vague details about most of these women from history at school and a previous book about Scottish queens, but this brought so much more detail to a period that isn’t often written about outside of the wars of independence.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves medieval history, especially women’s history and the history of Scotland

I chose this book based on its title. I expected medallions of individual queens – information about their lives, the reasons for their marriages, and what they experienced at the Scottish court. Instead, the book offers a view of Scottish history through the eyes of these queens, exactly as the last sentence of the annotation claims: *This is the story of Scotland through their eyes*.

What really surprised me was the number of characters that appear in the book. The story flowed very well, and I truly enjoyed reading it, as if I were reading a thrilling novel. Additionally, I learned many historical facts, such as about the first queen who has a preserved portrait from her time.

The beginning of the book, which deals with Lady Macbeth, caught my attention because I learned new things about this famous character, who is often only seen through Shakespeare's play.

If you want to learn more about Scottish history in detail, this book is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pen and Swords History for a free digital review copy. This is my honest review.

Loved this! What an informative look into Scotland's history. I would recommend this to anyone looking to expand their knowledge of great Britain!

I had high hopes for Scotland’s Medieval Queens but was sadly left wanting. It is Medieval Scotland and Scotland adjacent, however, I can’t say it truly centres the women. I appreciate there is limited information available on this topic and I will commend the author on their excellent research, but they could have pushed much deeper into those stories and explored further through this lens.

I will also say there is something about the way Sharon Bennett Connolly discussed Gàidhlig throughout that makes me really uncomfortable. There are sections where I understand these were views held by the monarchy and wider English society with direct quotes from writing during that period. However, the framing around these sections was poorly worded or maybe completely misunderstood by the author. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck… The attempt to wipe out a language and have it branded barbaric is a classic colonialist move and the wider context around this aspect could have been handled much better in this book.

The bibliography was well done and I think this is a helpful stepping stone for many people wanting to explore the monarchy in medieval Scotland. The writing style is very accessible and overall, this is a rather easy, if frustrating, read.

Both engaging and informative, this was a book I very much enjoyed reading. The writing was smooth and the Queens lives and times where fun to read about.

Scotland’s Medieval Queens by Sharon Bennett Connolly is exactly the kind of historical deep dive that hits the sweet spot between rigorous research and captivating storytelling. It’s a sweeping, intricate portrait of the women who helped shape Scotland’s turbulent past—full of power, tragedy, love, and betrayal. Connolly doesn’t just dust off their stories from the footnotes of history; she gives these queens a commanding presence that pulls you in and keeps you riveted.

The book spans centuries, starting with the saintly Margaret of Wessex, who not only influenced Scottish religious practices but also became a cultural icon, and moving through queens like Elizabeth de Burgh, Joan Beaufort, and Margaret of Denmark—each of whom faced their own uniquely brutal challenges in a country where political alliances could turn deadly at a moment’s notice. Connolly excels at showing how these women were not passive figures standing behind their royal husbands but formidable players who navigated war, imprisonment, heartbreak, and betrayal with remarkable resilience.

One of the standout elements of this book is how Connolly places these queens’ stories within the larger context of Scottish history without losing sight of their personal narratives. Scotland’s medieval period wasn’t exactly known for peace and quiet—it was a time of bloody wars for independence, political upheaval, and relentless power struggles. Yet despite this chaos, these queens were not just collateral damage or pawns. They wielded influence in ways both public and private, whether through strategic marriages, diplomacy, or sheer tenacity.

Connolly’s writing is accessible without sacrificing depth, making it feel more like you’re hearing fascinating stories over a pint in a cozy pub than slogging through a dry history textbook. And while she doesn’t shy away from the darker elements of their lives—imprisonment, loss, betrayal—she also gives space to moments of love, hope, and even triumph. The love story between Joan Beaufort and James I, for example, is romantic and tragic in equal measure, and Connolly captures that complexity beautifully.

If I had any critique, it would be that a few sections felt slightly rushed—some queens, especially those who lived quieter or less dramatic lives, didn’t get quite as much narrative weight as their more infamous counterparts. But to be fair, it’s hard to balance such a wide range of figures without some stories taking center stage.

At 4.5 stars, this book is an absorbing read that will appeal to both history buffs and casual readers alike. Connolly has a gift for bringing these medieval queens out of the shadows and placing them squarely in the spotlight where they belong. If you love history told through the lens of the people who lived it—and you’ve always wanted to know what life was really like for the women who had to navigate Scotland’s violent, unpredictable political landscape—this book is an absolute gem.

I enjoyed this well-researched book but much of it was speculation because not that much is really known about Scotland’s medieval queens. There seemed to be more information about the kings in this book! However, they are all interesting. Many of them were not only good wives and mothers - they also founded abbeys and supported religious houses, took a hands-on approach to the management of estates and even had good diplomatic skills.

Queen Ermengarde, for example, was influential in public affairs and even negotiated with English emissaries. Queen Joan found her purpose in pursuing peace between Scotland and England. Queen Annabella secured the Stewart dynasty, furthered treaties abd corresponded with foreign courts. Queen Mary, wife of James III founded a hospital and established a friary for the Franciscans.

Any lover of Scottish or royal history would enjoy this book.

This was really informative and has a narrative that makes it easy to follow. I think histories that try to cover a lot tend to get lost easily and don’t have a cohesive narrative. This was cohesive and didn’t drag on.