Arbella: England's Lost Queen Book Review

In Arbella: England’s Lost Queen, Sarah Gristwood quite ably caught the essence of Arbella Stuart’s sad, train wreck of a life which reflected her "too royal of a lineage" and the English monarchy’s paranoia of a rival claiming the throne.
This worry was reflected years earlier by the beheading of the Duke of Buckingham, Anne and Mary Boleyn’s uncle, for offending Henry VIII (Elizabeth’s father) with "too royal blood in his veins."
Throughout her life, she was considered a threat; first by her cousin Elizabeth I and then by Mary Queen of Scot’s son, James I. Living her life under pseudo house arrest, she was prevented from marrying until well into her 30's for fear of producing a male heir who could claim the throne of England. Since Elizabeth was childless, the line of succession issue reached a fever pitch.
In an almost parallel universe, Arbella was kept isolated as was Mary Queen of Scots (the mother of James and cousin to Elizabeth). With Mary Queen of Scots a prisoner under the roof of her grandmother, Bess of Hardwick and her 4th husband, Arbella spent many hours with the displaced Scottish Queen tending their tapestry. After Mary’s death, Arbella continued her lonely existence occasionally being invited to court only to be sent away again.
Finally, when she was in her 30's, Arbella took it upon herself to marry a Seymour who was also of royal bloodlines not to mention 10 years her junior. By marrying without the monarchs’ consent, both were considered traitors and she was sent to the country while Seymour was imprisoned in the Tower of London. A botched escape ended with her capture and his reaching freedom on the mainland.
It was never clear if she went truly mad as her rambling writings would point to but surely the years of confinement, boredom and an unfulfilled life had to have taken its toll. In the end, she died from starvation in the Tower of London, all the while hanging onto the simple hope that she and her husband would reunite and finally be allowed to live a normal life.
How sad that such potential would be wasted and even more tragic that most people do not know of her existence. Hopefully, this excellent book will change that. Until next time...