The Life of Elizabeth I
-
-
4.4 • 55 Ratings
-
-
- $5.99
-
- $5.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An intimate, captivating biography of Queen Elizabeth I that brings the enigmatic ruler to vivid life, from “the finest historian of English monarchical succession writing” (The Boston Globe)
“An extraordinary piece of historical scholarship.”—The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Perhaps the most influential sovereign England has ever known, Queen Elizabeth I remained an extremely private person throughout her reign, keeping her own counsel and sharing secrets with no one—not even her closest, most trusted advisers. Now, in this brilliantly researched, fascinating chronicle, Alison Weir shares provocative new interpretations and fresh insights on this enigmatic figure.
Against a lavish backdrop of pageantry and passion, intrigue and war, Weir dispels the myths surrounding Elizabeth I and examines the contradictions of her character. Elizabeth I loved the Earl of Leicester, but did she conspire to murder his wife? She called herself the Virgin Queen, but how chaste was she through dozens of liaisons? She never married—was her choice to remain single tied to the chilling fate of her mother, Anne Boleyn?
An enthralling epic, The Life of Elizabeth I is a mesmerizing, stunning chronicle of a trailblazing monarch.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Weir describes herself as a social historian but admits that when chronicling the lives of the flamboyant Tudors, it's impossible to keep domestic politics and world affairs apart. One could hardly ignore the threatened depredations of the "invincible" Spanish Armada or pass over the intrigues of Mary Queen of Scots as she struggled to seize the throne and return England to Roman Catholicism. Weir has already negotiated the complex matrimonial life of Elizabeth's father in The Six Wives of Henry VIII and the early lives of the resulting progeny in The Children of Henry VIII. After a lonely and often perilous childhood during which Elizabeth was once imprisoned in the Tower and was nearly executed at the behest of her half sister, Queen Mary, 25-year-old Elizabeth ascended to the throne when Mary died. The prevailing expectation was that she would speedily marry a strong man who would then take over as king: as Elizabeth herself admitted, it was commonly thought that "a woman cannot live unless she is married." Elizabeth did nothing of the kind and, as Weir details, she did quite well for herself manipulating the royal marriage mart of Europe. Weir uses myriad details of dress, correspondence and contemporary accounts to create an almost affectionate portrait of a strong, well-educated ruler loved by her courtiers and people alike. Hot-tempered, imperious Elizabeth has been the subject of innumerable biographies, many very good. But Weir brings a fine sense of selection and considerable zest to her portrait of the self-styled Virgin Queen.
Customer Reviews
Good but complement with other books/resources
This particular book about Queen Elizabeth although pretty good might be of greater interest to women than men as it spends what seems like excessive space to the issue of her remaining single rather than more detail on issues of state and decision making. The author does, however, gradually make it clear the important reasons for concern about marriage or not, need for male heir, and potential problems in succession as related to preserving domestic political and social stability. It is clear she was a very successful if somewhat subdued leader although fond of pomp and luxury. Her devotion to good governance and remaining in touch via annual progresses are discussed and interesting. She sought good counsel obtained by mainly carefully chosen experienced advisors. The issue of her alleged indecision and procrastination with associated positives and negatives in decision making is not fully developed although she presided over numerous military victories and defended England itself from direct attack. How exactly she related to her advisors seems somewhat lacking as one would expect that archives still have transcripts or summaries of their discussions which would elucidate the manner of their thinking and logic that could be compared to how these issues might be addressed today. The book could have benefitted by sources that revealed how her ministers and others actually saw her, what they really thought of her, free of the ritualized defacto rather ridiculous required sycophancy. Elizabeth I's reign spanned many decades of impactful events within and external to England and as she was very accomplished and set important precedents as a female monarch she is worthy of further reading about and continued analysis. This book as a single viewpoint should be complemented by other resources to better understand her, her leadership, and how she influenced her times and events that occurred as well as those that did not.
Scammed
I paid for the book and it wouldn’t let me open it so I deleted it and now it’s saying I have to pay again what a waste of my money:(