Dr Amy Hayes
Euphemia Ross was the first queen consort of the new Stewart dynasty, which began with the ascension of Robert II in 1371 and which would dominate the Scottish kingdom for centuries to come. Yet surprisingly little is known about her. Generally Euphemia merits one or two lines in political histories of the Stewarts, and she is often thrown together with Annabella Drummond (wife of Robert III) as an ‘early Stewart queen’. Such a comparison does Euphemia no favours, as she did not leave the dramatic impression on chronicle sources that Annabella did, and unlike Annabella none of her letters or complaints to parliament survive. Nonetheless, Euphemia was a queen consort in her own right, and she deserves to be brought out from under Annabella’s shadow. She may not have left heavy traces in the historical record, but those traces she has left offer a fascinating glimpse into the lifestyle of a 14thcentury Scottish queen.