Upon finishing Giles Tremlett's biography of Katherine of Aragon, I've come away with an even deeper respect for Henry VIII's first Queen.

In this day and age, there has been so much written on the six wives of Henry VIII, and many more that declare Anne Boleyn as the greatest of them all, while the others have been neglected. Indeed, Tremlett's biography was the first since the early seventies to focus solely on Henry's first Queen. And it proved long overdue. Tremlett gives us the portrait of a woman who was not merely a matronly wife who defied a king; she was a strong willed and highly intelligent...

On 14 July 1486, Queen Margaret of Denmark died at Stirling Castle. By her side was her son James, Duke of Rothesay, the future King James IV of Scotland. One source claimed that on her death bed Margaret said to her son, 'I pray you, through your obedience as my son, to love and fear God, always doing good, because nothing achieved by violence, can endure.' If indeed Margaret did speak such words then they would prove tragically prophetic for within two years her son would depose his father, King James III of Scotland, dying in mysterious circumstances; twenty five years later James IV would...

Today when we think of being a princess we imagine a romantic adventure reminiscent of Cinderella who lives happily ever after in a fantastical castle. The reality was that life for a woman was precarious at best; with intrigue, war and disease rife throughout the centuries. The prospects for a princess were no different, but sometimes these royal women proved to be more resourceful than the average Disney heroine in their strength of will to survive the harshest obstacles. One of these princesses was Elizabeth Stuart.

Early Life:

Born into Scottish royalty, Elizabeth Stuart was the daughter...

On 22 February 1540 a Queen was crowned. She was Marie de Guise, mother of Mary Queen of Scots, one of the most famous women in Scottish history. Sadly, Mary's failures eclipse the successes of her mother, a far better politician and leader in her own right. Qualities that were useful in everyday life but proved crucial in dealing with the Scottish nobility upon the death of her husband, King James V.

King James was an intelligent, if emotionally insecure, monarch who was loved by his people if not by his nobility. And after losing the battle of Solway Moss, he is said to have died of a broken...

Alexander II, King of Scots, often referred to as Scotland's Alexander the Great for his complete unification of Scotland as one country during his lifetime. His methods were successful yet brutal, uniting all the kingdoms under one crown; the unified Scotland that we proudly hail from today.

And yet within two generations his dynasty would be wiped out when his son died leaving his only living heir being his granddaughter Margaret aka the Maid of Norway who tragically died on route to Scotland, dying in the Orkney Isles, ending the Dunkeld line for good.

What followed was one of Scotland's most...