In a sense, the House of Stuart ended three times: with the execution of Charles I in 1649, in 1688 when the Glorious Revolution deposed James II and in 1694 when Queen Mary died childless. From the time that James VI, King of Scotland, came to the throne in 1603 until the death of the last Stuart monarch, Anne, in 1714, a Stuart sat on the throne of England for only 93 of those 111 years, while others ruled England for 18 years during this period. The sickly Stuarts were simply unable to sustain their rule in England and in this work, Frederick Holmes, a distinguished professor of medicine, looks at the medical history of the Stuart dynasty, concluding that the aggregate medical problems and medical misadventures of the Stuarts brought the family down, so that parliament rose to fill the vacuum created. In other words, if it had not been for the physical frailty of James I, James II and Charles I, the course of British history might well have been very different.
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Frederick Holmes is Edward Hashinger Distinguished Professor of Medicine Emeritus at the University of Kansas Medical Centre and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Sue Bentley
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was very disappointed in this book because of the way it was put together, which was somewhat sloppy. The "thread" kept getting lost and then picked up and the structure was all over the place. Also there were an irritatingly large number of repeated chunks, so for example we kept getting told that Charles II "died prematurely from mercury poisoning". The first time, in the chapter devoted to Charles, it was interesting but the same sentence kept getting slotted. There were constant "potted timelines" inserted into the text too, as though the reader may have forgotten that Anne and Mary were sisters since it was last mentioned.
The medical content was very interesting and well explained, but the historical content was poor and rambling, and too skimpy by half. The doctor should have worked with a good historian and a proper literary Editor.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Deborah
Format:Paperback
I found this book fascinating. I can't agree with the premise that the Stuart dynasty's loss of power and the corresponding increase in parliamentary power was primarily caused by the Stuarts' various health problems; however, I've no doubt those health problems did play a significant role. Of primary importance was the failure of Catherine of Braganza to provide Charles II with a legitimate heir and the failure of Mary II and Anne to produce heirs.
One of the reasons I find this book so interesting is that the author, Frederick Holmes, not only has a Master's degree in History, but he is also a medical doctor, a fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the Royal Society of Medicine. Because of this, his diagnoses of the medical conditions of various members of the Stuart family carries more weight. He admits "there is always arrogance in making diagnoses on another physician's patient, particularly at a remove of time." He qualifies his diagnoses as `certain', `possible', `doubtful' and `uncertain meaning'. For example, take William III, who was only a Stuart on his mother's side but was also married to a Stuart. Holmes states a diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia as the cause of William III's death is `certain'. The causes of his failing health before his death--pernicious anemia, hypothyroidism and or sub-acute bacterial endocarditis--are `possible'. There are cases, such as the reason why William and Mary did not have children that cannot be determined from the information available.
I read the review by Sue Abbott, and I do agree that the organization of the material is sloppy.... Read more ›
One of the reasons I find this book so interesting is that the author, Frederick Holmes, not only has a Master's degree in History, but he is also a medical doctor, a fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the Royal Society of Medicine. Because of this, his diagnoses of the medical conditions of various members of the Stuart family carries more weight. He admits "there is always arrogance in making diagnoses on another physician's patient, particularly at a remove of time." He qualifies his diagnoses as `certain', `possible', `doubtful' and `uncertain meaning'. For example, take William III, who was only a Stuart on his mother's side but was also married to a Stuart. Holmes states a diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia as the cause of William III's death is `certain'. The causes of his failing health before his death--pernicious anemia, hypothyroidism and or sub-acute bacterial endocarditis--are `possible'. There are cases, such as the reason why William and Mary did not have children that cannot be determined from the information available.
I read the review by Sue Abbott, and I do agree that the organization of the material is sloppy.... Read more ›
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Making the dead boring royals exciting
14 Jan 2005
By P. Trieb
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
When broadcast news of "the Royals" assaults my ears, I tend to flee the room. I never dreamed I'd read a book on English royalty, much less their maladies. I confess, the only reason I bought "The Sickly Stuarts" was that I personally know the author. But am I glad I did! What a fascinating, well-researched page-turner. Who needs fiction when the real stuff reads so well. It is penned in an engaging and witty style, neither condescending to the non-medical, or overly simplified for the author's peers. One benefit I had unavailable to most readers: in my mind I could hear Dr. Holmes' rich bass voice as I read these fascinating tales of the disease, disability and death of a dynasty. A helpful index, thorough footnotes, enlightening appendices, and an exhaustive bibliography strengthen the scholarship of this book. I have only one suggestion for a subsequent edition, that for those of us unschooled in the history of British royalty, an appendix include a chart showing the relationships between all the historical characters described. And it should include a health warning: Reading of this volume could lead to sleep loss.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Why I'm Glad I Was Born in the 1950s, not the 1650s
13 Dec 2011
By Deborah
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I found this book fascinating. I can't agree with the premise that the Stuart dynasty's loss of power and the corresponding increase in parliamentary power was primarily caused by the Stuarts' various health problems; however, I've no doubt those health problems did play a significant role. Of primary importance was the failure of Catherine of Braganza to provide Charles II with a legitimate heir and the failure of Mary II and Anne to produce heirs.
One of the reasons I find this book so interesting is that the author, Frederick Holmes, not only has a Master's degree in History, but he is also a medical doctor, a fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the Royal Society of Medicine. Because of this, his diagnoses of the medical conditions of various members of the Stuart family carries more weight. He admits "there is always arrogance in making diagnoses on another physician's patient, particularly at a remove of time." He qualifies his diagnoses as `certain', `possible', `doubtful' and `uncertain meaning'. For example, take William III, who was only a Stuart on his mother's side but was also married to a Stuart. Holmes states a diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia as the cause of William III's death is `certain'. The causes of his failing health before his death--pernicious anemia, hypothyroidism and or sub-acute bacterial endocarditis--are `possible'. There are cases, such as the reason why William and Mary did not have children that cannot be determined from the information available.
I do recommend this book for the information on the practice of medicine in the 17th century and on the health of the Stuart dynasty.The Sickly Stuarts: The Medical Downfall of a Dynasty
One of the reasons I find this book so interesting is that the author, Frederick Holmes, not only has a Master's degree in History, but he is also a medical doctor, a fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the Royal Society of Medicine. Because of this, his diagnoses of the medical conditions of various members of the Stuart family carries more weight. He admits "there is always arrogance in making diagnoses on another physician's patient, particularly at a remove of time." He qualifies his diagnoses as `certain', `possible', `doubtful' and `uncertain meaning'. For example, take William III, who was only a Stuart on his mother's side but was also married to a Stuart. Holmes states a diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia as the cause of William III's death is `certain'. The causes of his failing health before his death--pernicious anemia, hypothyroidism and or sub-acute bacterial endocarditis--are `possible'. There are cases, such as the reason why William and Mary did not have children that cannot be determined from the information available.
I do recommend this book for the information on the practice of medicine in the 17th century and on the health of the Stuart dynasty.The Sickly Stuarts: The Medical Downfall of a Dynasty
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