Books I read in March 2022

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I thought I would manage to hit 4 books this month as we started off March with a little holiday at Center Parcs and took a pile of books with me.

But typically the first week back at work absorbed so much time that I ended up reading a lot less for the rest of the month.

As with previous posts, these were all books on my "to be read" list in my planner, and this time they were all new reads!

Agrippina

You may not be aware of this, but my background is in ancient history. Both my BA and MA were awarded for the subject. Like many, I found that I needed a bit of a break from the subject after four solid years of study. But when I did return I found that my interests had changed and that I was more interested in medieval history.

That means it's been a while since I picked up a book on any kind of ancient subject, apart from the occasional dabble in ancient egyptian queens. But a lot of people on Twitter recommended Emma Southall's biography of Agrippina and I decided to go with it and put it on my wishlist for Christmas.

I'm so glad I did, because when I got round to reading it I found I couldn't put it down! I loved this book. I loved the way Southall addressed the problems with the sources and explained where they came from. I loved that she clearly stated her own personal opinions, rather than trying to dress them up as facts or insinuate that they were the only true way of interpreting the sources. And I loved the writing style, it's possibly the first classical book I've read that liberally sprinkles swear words throughout the text.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. I'm looking forward to re-reading it again in the future. It's one that is never going to end up in my charity shop pile, and that's probably the highest statement I can make about any book I've read.

Tragic daughters of Charles I

This was quite a small book but still fascinating.

When it comes to the children of King Charles I, many would be vaguely familiar (or at least just aware of) his two eldest sons since they became King Charles II and King James II.

But Charles and his wife Henrietta Maria also had several daughters who survived infancy; Mary, Elizabeth, and Henrietta Anne. This book looks at the lives of the girls and how they were uprooted, first by the Civil War and their father's execution, and later by the restoration of the monarchy and their eldest's brothers return to England and Scotland.

I really like books on royal women as find princesses tend to be forgotten about in favour of their brothers. Although this book is quite small at just -- pages, it contains a wealth of information about the Stuart princesses. It's also written in quite an accessible style, I wasn't putting it down constantly to check things on Google.

If you've always wanted to learn more about the Stuarts then this is definitely one to consider buying.

House of Beaufort

If you've indulged in some historical fiction (book or TV) over the past few years then you may be familiar with the Beaufort family through Margaret Beaufort, the mother of King Henry VII of England.

This book the rise and fall of the Beaufort family, from their origins as bastard grandchildren of King Edward III, to their prominence in English and Scottish politics, and their fall as the Wars of the Roses picked them off like fish in a barrel before Margaret Beaufort's son claimed the throne.

I was a bit wary of this book simply because I am very bored of the Wars of the Roses. It feels like the York - Lancaster fight has been done to death in recent years, much like the Tudors before them. However, some members of the family were key players at the time and so I couldn't ignore them forever.

Overall the book is very well researched, and I really feel like I got a lot of information on most of the family members. But it was mostly the men that I ended up learning a lot about. Despite the fact that the first generation of Beauforts featured Joan, Countess of Westmorland, and a later Beaufort descendant was Queen of Scotland, I came away with the feeling that I had learned very little about the women.

It's a good read, I found it very accessible and learned a lot from it. But if you're hoping to learn as much about the Beaufort women as the Beaufort men then you will sadly end up a little disappointed.

Like this post? Find out which books I read in February 2022.