Overview

This is the story of Elizabeth I's inner circle and the crucial human relationships which lay at the heart of her personal and political life. Using a wide range of original sources - including private letters, portraits, verse, drama, and state papers - Susan Doran provides a vivid and often dramatic account of political life in Elizabethan England and the queen at its centre, offering a deeper insight into Elizabeth's emotional and political conduct - and challenging many of the popular myths that have grown up around her. It is a story replete with fascinating questions. What was the true nature of Elizabeth's relationship with her father, Henry VIII, especially after his execution of her mother? How close was she to her half-brother Edward VI - and were relations with her half-sister Mary really as poisonous as is popularly assumed? And what of her relationship with her Stewart cousins, most famously with Mary Queen of Scots, executed on Elizabeth's orders in 1587, but also with Mary's son James VI of Scotland, later to succeed Elizabeth as her chosen successor? Elizabeth's relations with her family were crucial, but just as crucial were her relations with her courtiers and her councillors. Here again, the story raises a host of fascinating questions. Was the queen really sexually jealous of her maids of honour? Did physically attractive male favourties dominate her court? What does her long and intimate relationship with the Earl of Leicester reveal about her character, personality, and attitude to marriage? What can the fall of Essex tell us about Elizabeth's political management in the final years of her reign? And what was the true nature of her personal and political relationship with influential and long-serving councillors such as the Cecils and Sir Francis Walsingham? And how did courtiers and councillors deal with their demanding royal mistress?

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9780199574957

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Reviews

One of the best Elizabethan historians writing today has come up with a brilliant new approach to the Queen and her reign, achieving fresh insights into Elizabeth through her relationships with the people who mattered most to her. Doran understands that such relationships were almost always political as well as personal, and her shrewd analysis brings the Queen, her court, and her government into sharp focus. The leading characters of the Elizabethan age come vividly to life, making this book essential reading for both professional historians and everyone who enjoys gripping historical writing. Helen Hackett, author of Shakespeare and Elizabeth: The Meeting of Two Myths

An erudite and scholarly look at the life of one of the most important monarchs in English History The Good Book Guide Excellent... a compelling panorama of personalities...the scholarship of Susan Doran shines through... Literary Review, Anna Whitelock immaculately-researched account of the last Tudor monarch's relationships with her courtly circle. Eastern Daily Press meticulously researched...This is a balanced, well-argued picture of Elizabeth Historical Novels Review

One of the best Elizabethan historians writing today has come up with a brilliant new approach to the Queen and her reign, achieving fresh insights into Elizabeth through her relationships with the people who mattered most to her. Doran understands that such relationships were almost always political as well as personal, and her shrewd analysis brings the Queen, her court, and her government into sharp focus. The leading characters of the Elizabethan age come vividly to life, making this book essential reading for both professional historians and everyone who enjoys gripping historical writing. Helen Hackett, author of Shakespeare and Elizabeth: The Meeting of Two Myths An excellent, lively, and readable account of the court of Elizabeth I and its personalities. Any reader who wants to understand the story of the reign through many of its key players should find it compelling. Stephen Alford, author of The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I

Author Information

Susan Doran teaches at St Benet's Hall and is a Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College, Oxford. She has published numerous books on Tudor history, including most recently The Tudor Chronicles (2008). Her work has included consultancies for the media, and she has edited catalogues for three major exhibitions in London. She has regularly been interviewed for radio and TV programmes. She is married with two adult children.

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