Review: Margaret Tudor

Margaret Tudor

Queen of Scots

Sarah-Beth Watkins

I so enjoy reading and learning about, what is for me at least, the lesser known Tudors. While I was aware that Henry VIII had two sisters, I didn't know that much about them. At times reading about Margaret, the oldest sister, I felt almost sorry for her. So often in her life, she seemed torn between her allegiance to her two countries of England and Scotland and her husbands and her brother. The one constant for her was the interest of her son James V which she put above everything else. It seems a pity that he didn't necessarily appreciate that as he came into his own as King of Scotland. It also appears that she would have found the distance and distrust between her son and her brother painful to bare.

This book provided a fascinating look into the life of a complex and vital woman who seemed so close to power at times but so isolated and alone at others. I also enjoyed the last chapter which charts Margaret's legacy and that of her offspring. It helps put everything that followed her into context.

Thanks to Chronos Books for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.