Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Jan. 31, 2025
Sharon Bennett Connolly’s newest historical collection, “Scotland’s Medieval Queens: From St. Margaret to Margaret of Denmark” is an exhaustive examination of the women behind the Crown throughout Scotland’s history. Starting as early as the 11th century, with the real-life Lady MacBeth, Connolly discusses the roles the royal women played behind the scenes.
“Queens” is inundated with family histories and timelines, made even more complicated by the numerous Kings (there’s always a I, II and III, if not IV of every royal male name) from both England and Scotland, so it is definitely not a book for those with a minor passing curiousity. As was the way, most of the Royals that we have any record of at all were males, and often they had multiple wives (or wives and mistresses), so be prepared to take ample notes and pay close attention if you want to retain any of the “who’s married to who and when” parts of history.
Obviously, there is very little documentation the farther back you go, so Connolly’s earliest queens (from the 11th century) are most just regurgitation of the information on record. As history passes and more documents and data are recorded, we get a bit more detail although it still won’t give you everything you’re looking for (due to lack of information, not any omission by Connolly).
There were some fascinating family sagas within the pages, and some seriously disturbing facts (the youngest Queen was seven years old and married to the ten-year-old King), and it was these little details that kept me interested. I didn’t particularly care for how many James’ slept with how many Margarets’ or how many Edwards or Williams were in power, or who their ancestors were, but the intricate details of how rulers were chosen and how early relationships were forged was fascinating (there were so many marriages that were “disbanded” by the Church because the bride and groom were too closely related). Speaking of the Church, you can’t talk about any time in Scotland’s history without discussing the relevance and the influence of the Church, and Connolly pays homage to the respect and honour the citizens of that era paid to the church and its important members.
“Scottish Queens” is intense, in depth, fact heavy and intricate, but it is a must read for anyone who is a hardcore history nut, or who loves ancestry and genetic connections, especially among the Royal Families of Scotland (and England). This book was hard to get through in parts, definitely more informational and educational than entertaining, but it was worth the read.

Scotland's Medieval Queens is such a good book If you love Scotland's history. Such a good pick! I rated this book 5 stars because it's THAT good. So beautifully written too.