Dynasty: The Stuarts: 1560-1807

I've always been fascinated by the Stuarts, and have done my fair share of reading about them, so this book was a shoo-in on my Xmas list. And I'm glad I got it! In no particular order, here are my observations: *The book is written from a Scottish perspective, which I liked because it gave some new angles. In most books the Stuarts seem to burst full-blown on the scene, with little space given to their background and history in Scotland. Indeed, Scotland itself usually gets only a cameo appearance here and there, and then only in the context of its perpetual alliance with France. This book remedies that, devoting a good bit of detail to the Stewart/Stuart family history and their relationship to their mother country. The role of Scottish affairs in the politics of the day is also treated, which gave me some new insights, which I very much liked. *The book is very readable, dealing with the Stuarts in terms of their personalities and personal lives more than their role in politics. If you want an exhaustive treatment of the political aspects of their reigns, this might not suit you, but it does bring the monarchs to life. *The author presents the strengths and weaknesses of the Stuarts pretty forcefully, but without telling the reader what to think. His description of James II, for example, begins with a repeating litany of how "stupid" (his word) James was, but then compliments James on his eye for detail and military ability. It's left for the reader to decide what outweighs what. That can be a little disjointing, but in the end I appreciated it because it will make the reader want to check out other books to help him/her make up his/her mind. *The chapter on Charles II points up, yet again, the crying need for a new biography of Catherine of Braganza. I just cannot understand why she always gets glossed over, when she lived a long, eventful, and interesting life. Just for the fact that she introduced tea drinking to England, you would think she'd be sacred to the British, but somehow she keeps getting swept under the rug. I keep hoping to see someone write a bio, but it has yet to happen. *There are a few Scottish words sprinkled through the book that American readers will need to look up. I won't spoil it for you, but just have a dictionary or Web connection somewhere in the house for when you come across one. Inevitably, a book this size can really only give a slightly detailed overview of the monarchs. I wish it could've been twice as long, with twice the detail, because it was a really enjoyable read. I would recommend for a Stuart newbie that you read this but also be sure to read a book from an English perspective to get a fuller picture. You won't be sorry you bought this one, though.

Having read a few books devoted to different people and aspects of the Stuart years, I was looking for this kind of overview. This book did the job and had the dimension of a Scottish perview -quite fitting since this is the home of the Stuarts. I'm a lay reader, but found this complicated story easy to follow with the expection of some of the church politics, esp. those of the Kirk. The section on Mary Queen of Scotts (who's story is well known) was a bit long, but otherwise the balance was good. There was interesting material on Mary's father, and I am even more intrigued by her unsung mother, Mary Guise, who held this difficult kingdom together for many years despite being foreign, Catholic and female. Mary had the most famous botched monarchy, but her progeny didn't do any better. It just took the men a little longer to wreck things for themselves and others. Amazing, that after all the turmoil of the Stuarts, and relative calm of Cromwell, (as MacLeod tells it) the people still wanted a monarch. To these American eyes, the Stuarts seem far too much trouble for whatever it is they were perceived to have contributed. The affection for James II, upon his death, demonstrates the emotional conflict the people seemed to have about this institution. James I and VI seemed to understand his role and the day to day administration of things. He seems to be a good hearted, intelligent and complex hillbilly. His son and grandsons appear to want to BE king, but since they feel they are chosen by God there is no need to involve the people ("clean different things", says Charles I). They were oblivious to the chaos they caused. These monarchs grew up in uncertainty and turmoil with minimal parental guidance. To this, add a Messiah complex, but it's a Messiah complex without a cause other than wearing a crown. I'd be interested in a psychologist's view, something like "The Stuarts on the Couch". This is fascinating history, especially in contrast to the button down risk averse holders of this office in recent years.

A welcome guide to the complex era of the Stuarts. No dry and boring stuff here. Macleod peppers the text with opinion (generally correct - debunks the current vogue of labeling folks such as Queen Anne and William III as homosexuals for example), making for a quick read, and not a bad introduction to the period. Not an all-encompassing history (try works by Coward for that, or Fraser's Charles II for a definitive biography) of the time, but focusses on the Scots point of view, introducing this American to a few new "scottish-isms". Overall, a fun book on a highly complex period of British history.

My old college sociology professor once wrote a book entitled, "Nuts, Sluts, and Perverts." It's too bad that this name had been taken for it would have been an excellent title for this book. The Stewarts were indeed a strange lot and John MacLeod has given us a good account of their lives.The author's story really begins with Mary Queen of Scots, although he does spend a little time on her predecessors. From the tragic figure of Mary, MacLeod takes the reader through to the last of the line, Henry IX, the brother of Bonnie Prince Charlie. For the most part these people just seem to have been in over their heads and two of them literally lost their heads. There were some accomplishments under the Stewarts however, most notably during the reigns of Charles II and Queen Anne. To be honest, it might have been hard for any dynasty to last through this period in English history. With Anglicans, Catholics, Presbyterians, Puritans, Quakers, and several other groups in a virtual state of war with each other these Stewart wardens of the asylum had their work cut out for them. The most telling story in this work clearly illustrates the almost comic opera that was the Clan Stewart. Charles II had several illegitimate children, one of whom made every effort to take the throne from James II upon Charles' death. Finally James had had enough and his nephew lost his head. Shortly after the execution someone decided that the deceased had left behind very few portraits. They therefore sewed the head back on and had one last portrait painted. This book is written as a popular history and the author clearly states that there is no new information to be found in his work. Those who have studied the Stewarts (I prefer the Scottish spelling) before will not want to bother with this book. On the other hand, for those of us who know very little of this dynasty and have had a hard time trying to figure out the who is who of the Stewart line, this is a very helpful book. It's not too deep and overwhelming but just a basic look at the facts. Sometimes however the author's sentence structure is a little hard to follow and there is a tendency to use phrases from various languages without a translation. Also, while MacLeod may have been trying to give his reader a feel for the times, there does seem to be some anti-Catholic bias to be found. He also goes a little over the top in his comments about Queen Anne's weight, to the point of being silly in fact. In spite of these flaws however, this book would be a good start for someone just beginning to delve into Scottish or English history. I enjoyed it a great deal.

History belongs to the victor. The stuarts were not victorious so history has not been kind to them - mind you they were not the most noble of families either ! Like all scots their's was a tribal mindset and this contributed to their downfall as well as moving further ands further (back) into the Roman Catholic Church - not a wise move if your ancestors were Presbyterian or your masses were Anglican ! The reader of this book will be enlightened to a period in Scottish and world history little understood. It is why a Nationalist Protestant Scot can be a Jacobite for the sake of Scottish rule but cringe at the thought of a Catholic on the throne in the same breath.John Macleod is a gifted writer - he conveys depth in a style that is refreshing - he makes no attempt to conceal the fact that his work is a popular history as is his previous work The Highlanders - A History of the Gaels (a good read as well). Do not read this if you are expecting references to other works except a few at the back. The style of John Macleod does not allow for this - which is why it flows so well.Some of the insights that i learnt included that the King James from the King James Bible fame actually was a Scot, being the son of the famous Mary Queen of Scots. As well as being a very gifted and knowledgable individual he was a barbarian in his attitude to life and property. I plead ignorance to anything of Royalty - I am an Australian. This book also allows the reader to pick up on errors in protocol such as the current english queen actually being Elizabeth the First - because under the union of the crowns the Scots line came first - but as with many things the scots were outdone by their tribal (clan) nature and the evil english !What struck me the most about this particular work is that as you read the constant calamities that befell the Family your actually start to feel for their stupidity - Bonnie Prince Charles came withina wisker - if he had the ticker - of taking back the crown ! You see them as a family with weakness that was expliotated by all and sundry - the coup de grace was of course the switch to a portestant Royal line with the Hannoverians - some 34 places out of succession - to call this illegal does not do this cruel twist of fate justice.THere is of course some overlap between this work and Macleods previous as you would expect with any literary individual - the one draw back in this work was that the pretenders chapter is short I would have like it to be longer with perhaps some more detail - but to be honest after the Hannoverians ascended to the throne the stuarts really did just disappear. Alas the Bear Gates will not be opened for some time.I recommend this work of some 360 pages which has a few illustrations as well. It will make you look at a period of time through Scottish eyes and realise that although the stuarts were their own worst enemy they also certainly brought to life a period of history that otherwise may have been written off as dul