How to overcome the problem of being a female ruler when the sex was considered inferior? Does a queen take a husband and, if so, how does she reconcile the reversal of the natural order, according to which the man should be the master? A queen's first royal duty is to provide an heir to the throne, but at what cost? Each faced personal sacrifices and emotional dilemmas in her pursuit of political power. Elizabeth I and Victoria each gave their name to an age, presiding over long periods when Britain made significant progress in the growth of empire, prestige, and power. Without Mary II and Anne, the Glorious Revolution of 1688 might not have taken place. With the exception of Mary I, they are among England's most successful monarchs. In the last millennium there have been only six English female sovereigns: Mary I and Elizabeth I, Mary II and Anne, Victoria and Elizabeth II. Prompted by religious bigotry and the emotions that beset every family relationship, this palace coup changed the face of the monarchy, and signaled the end of a dynasty.Maureen Waller has written a fascinating narrative history-a brilliant combination of drama and biographical insight on the British monarchy-of the six women who have ruled England in their own names. Acclaimed historian Maureen Waller re-creates the late Stuart era in a compelling narrative that highlights the influence of the royal women on one of the most momentous events in English history. Anne did nothing to earn her father's forgiveness, and she declared her brother an outlaw with a price on his head. The sisters quarreled to the day of Mary's death at age 32. And even as the crown descended on her head, Mary knew she had incurred a father's curse.

Distraught from being betrayed by his own children, James fled the kingdom. Jealous and resentful of her hated stepmother, Anne had written a series of malicious letters to Mary in Holland, implying that the Queen's pregnancy was a hoax-a Catholic plot to deny Mary her rightful inheritance. But Mary and Anne also played a key role. Seven prominent men sent an invitation to William of Orange-James's nephew and son-in-law-to intervene in English affairs. James II's drive towards Catholicism had alienated the nation and his two staunchly Protestant daughters by his first marriage, Mary and Anne, the ungrateful daughters who eventually usurped their father's crown and stole their half-brother's birthright. In 1688, the birth of a Prince of Wales ignited a family quarrel-and a revolution.

Ungrateful Daughters by Maureen Waller