Review: Daughters of the North by Jennifer Morag Henderson

Synopsis: Mary, Queen of Scots’ marriage to the Earl of Bothwell is notorious. Less known is Bothwell’s first wife, Jean Gordon, who extricated herself from their marriage and survived the intrigue of the Queen’s court.

Daughters of the North reframes this turbulent period in history by focusing on Jean, who became Countess of Sutherland. Follow her from the intrigues of Mary’s court to the blood feuds and clan battles of the Far North of Scotland, from her place as the daughter of the ‘King of the North’ to her disastrous union with the infamous Earl of Bothwell – and her lasting legacy to the Earldom of Sutherland.

Whilst the focus of the reign of Mary Queen of Scots has quite naturally been on the lady in question, her reign, intrigues, and ultimate downfall, very few of those who were present have actually been the focus of their own dedicated narrative. In Daughters of the North, Henderson "reframes" or "shifts the focus" of the Stuart Queen's narrative to the north of Scotland - a place where we find her contemporary and possible rival, Jean Gordon.

Jean's life is detailed in two parts - the first focusing on her childhood and her time at the court of Mary Stuart (c. 1545 - 1576); and the second dedicated to her own sphere of influence amongst her family and the new political power base of the regency of the infant King James (c. 1576 - 1617).

What many may not realise is that, for better or worse, the Gordon family held the delicate balance of power in Scotland in their hands.  This was not fully realised and appreciated until after the family's downfall which created a power vacuum and a deadly rivalry for political control. The young Jean had not only witnessed the deaths of her father and brother, but the loss of her home and the ignominy of being in service to the one person responsible - Mary Stuart. Like many women of not only her own age but of that before, Jean was forced to abandon the man she loved to marry one she disliked for political reasons.

We then delve deeper into Jean's marriages - all three of them - her family life, and the role of both herself and her husband in the North and at the court of King James VI of Scotland (later I of England). Through it all, Jean clung tightly to her religion, which was at odds with the nation, and gathered many enemies along the way - the Gordons devoutly refused to convert from Catholicism.

Jean was rather a unique figure - by the later 16th century, women had begun to have agency within the local economy and were able to wield some influence in their own circles. For Jean - the circle was always the family, and those linked by blood or marriage, were drawn and held tightly within. Even in her 70s, Jean was still seen as a person who had the potential to be influential, someone powerful who needed to be controlled, as she had a strong belief in what was due to her family and  actively and steadfastly promoted her family interests.

Aged in her 80s when she died, Jean had outlived all her brothers and sisters, all three of her husbands, four of her children, two queens, and one king. As matriarch of the Gordon family, she was the glue that held it all together, and on her passing, it collapsed in a heap around the remaining family members.

Henderson brings her extensive research to the fore in crafting a highly readable narrative around a woman who lived during a tumultuous time in Scottish history. The reader will be amazed and in awe of this incredible woman, who story was deserving of being told in its own right.

Further reading:

• Jean Gordon (wikipedia)
• The Sutherland Book - Volume 1 - Memoirs
• The Sutherland Book - Volume 2 - Correspondence
• The House of Gordon