So High a Blood

Expertly researched, zestfully written, acutely intelligent in its historical judgements, this masterly biography finally does justice to a forgotten Tudor princess -- John Guy Ring’s grasp of the sources is masterly and she condenses them into wonderful pen portraits of Margaret’s acquaintances … Her accounts of complex or contested events are attractively concise … An excellent biography of a woman both architect and victim of Tudor politics, “a woman who made unfixable mistakes but also realised tremendous ambitions”. The price exacted by those ambitions was terrible, particularly for Margaret and those she loved best, and Ring’s treatment is worthy of the Greek tragedy that passed for her life **** * Daily Telegraph * Impeccably researched **** * Sunday Telegraph * One woman who has inexplicably escaped the trawl until now, Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, is the subject of Morgan Ring’s exuberant debut biography – and if you haven’t heard of her, you have missed a historical treat Nigel Jones, Spectator, 6 May 2017 -- Nigel Jones * Spectator * This is a fresh, very readable take on a period that continues to fascinate * History Revealed * Morgan Ring has written an absorbing account of Margaret’s life, and has found a fresh angle from which to view the Tudor court, which is no mean feat’ -- Mathew Lyons * Times Literary Supplement * Ring’s impeccable biography traces how this neglected child of a down-on-her-luck Scottish queen ended up a feared grande dame with a network of spies * Daily Telegraph *