The Life of Elizabeth I

Having read Weir's non-fiction, The Princes in the Tower, and thoroughly enjoyed it, I knew that this biography of Queen Elizabeth I would be worth investing in as well. It was much more than that. Impeccably researched and beautifully written, Weir's work on arguably one of the most significant English historical figures is a tour de force. Commencing before Elizabeth's birth in order to provide a familial, cultural, social and religious context for the monarch she was to become, Weir quickly establishes the fraught times into which the second daughter of Henry VIII was born. The period leading up to Elizabeth's ascension to the throne is well known: the decapitation of her mother, Anne Boleyn, for apparent treason when she was only three; her half-brother Edward VI becoming king at nine, dying at 15 and, in order to ensure England remain Protestant removing his sisters', Catholic Mary and Protestant Elizabeth from the succession in favour of his cousin Lady Jane Grey; Lady Jane's ousting in favour of Mary after only nine days; England plunging into religious schism as Catholicism was restored and heretics burned, suspicion of heresy and treason falling upon young Elizabeth, who living with Henry's last wife, Katherine Parr had to endure the unwelcome (?) sexual attentions of her step-mother's new husband Thomas Seymour, as well as having to hide her Protestant leanings from her older sister- and that's just some of the events! Witness to so much turmoil, when Elizabeth finally took the throne at 25, in 1558, it's no wonder that she took a more moderate line on religion, refusing 'to open windows on men's souls' or that she was reluctant to relinquish her unexpected but hard won autonomy and power to a husband. After 'Bloody Mary's' reign, Elizabeth was regarded by many as a saviour of the country, but her sex was always, even by those who respected her fierce intellect, ability with languages, and creativity (she was a gifted poet, musician and translator of the classics) struggled with her sex. Weir carefully explores the way Elizabeth kept both the Privy Council and the Commons dancing to her tune, enduring and appearing to consider their constant demand for her to find a husband and thus produce an heir while actually procrastinating continuously. Weir offers both psychological and practical reasons for Elizabeth's 'Virgin Queen' status that are fascinating and plausible. Virgin or not, 'Gloriana' enjoyed and encouraged the attentions of men and was a consummate flirt. Men were attracted to her power and, one imagines initially at least, her beauty. Robert Dudley, the Earl Of Leicester, his “stepson”, the Earl of Essex, Raleigh, Drake, foreign princes and dukes came into her orbit, but only a fortunate few were not destroyed by the encounter. Mercurial, demanding, vain, whip smart and with an enormous capacity to understand her people, proud, generous, haughty, Elizabeth was a handful. Prone to tears and tantrums, she also succumbed to flattery, particularly in her declining years. Not all men fell for or pretended to yield for her charms (though none could deny her intelligence) and the queen, Weir makes clear, had a knack for surrounding herself with talented and loyal men such as William Cecil (Lord Burghley), his son, Robert, and Francis Walsingham. Women too, while not Elizabeth's preferred company to keep, were among some of her closest and most beloved companions, such as Kat Ashby. Earning the love of her people, the enmity of Catholic Europe, and the grudging admiration of her closest counselors, Elizabeth ruled England for decades, escaping assassination attempts, rebellions and Catholic uprisings, two papal bulls, never mind the Spanish Armada and countless attempts to marry her off. Weir not only gives us a fabulous portrait of the queen on the throne, but the woman beneath the white make-up, wigs and sumptuous gowns. This is a marvellous biography that brings Elizabeth and the period to which she gave name to life. The problems - famine, greed, failed harvests, plague, disease, Catholicism - and the triumphs - the flourishing of the arts (theatre, writing, poetry, pamphlets, music, art) exploration, creativity, firmer establishment of the Protestant faith - with her unerring eye, gifted imagination and erudite mind. This is for lovers of history and those who enjoy a terrific read.

I can't say this book was a quick read; even though I'm normally a speedy reader, this took me almost two weeks to plow through. I didn't once set it aside in favor of something else, though, which is a big mark in its favor. One negative, that I'm hesitant to even call "negative" since it's certainly not the author's fault, is that QE1's court had so very many people passing through that it was hard to keep them straight; this wasn't a novel where the characters were introduced in a way that supported the story! As hard as it could be at times to keep track of who's who - especially when you've got people who take up titles in favor of their names - I will say it gave a vivid picture of what life in the Elizabethan court must have been like. It also did a very nice job of taking the legend that is QE1 and making her real. Weir was very careful to refer to her sources to back up the assertions she made, and she was similarly careful to point guesses out as guesses, and explain how she came to her conclusions. I suspect that while, on the one hand, someone very familiar with QE1's life (in a way I was not) wouldn't necessarily get much new information out of this...but on the other hand, I, who wanted the straight story rather than new tidbits, was personally reassured when I didn't have to work too hard at figuring out what to be skeptical of. The writing itself was well done as well. Weir didn't use Elizabethan English (except for the direct quotes), but she did manage to strike a tone that wasn't wholly modern, either. (Her insertions of definitions for her quotes, when they contained wholly unfamiliar words the average person couldn't be expected to puzzle out using context clues, was also appreciated.) Incidentally, I also enjoyed the author's note at the end, where she critiques modern day films about QE1, and points out which are at least somewhat factual and which are made up out of whole cloth. I'm a little abashed to admit that it was one of the latter that got me interested in the queen in the first place, but I'm happy to have been set straight. It's funny how, in some ways, that era is so different from what we have that it was almost like reading a fantasy. And then something else would come along that shows how little politics have changed. This was a glimpse into a fascinating era of history, one that fleshed out some of the vague stuff from old history lessons (the defeat of the armada, Henry's wives...), and it was dense and informative and engaging all at the same time. I'll certainly be hunting down more of Alison Weir's work.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this biography and learning about Elizabeth I. This is not a novel but it is an easy history to read. I had many misconceptions about this lady which the book addressed in historically factual information from contemporary sources. Since I have been studying and reading books covering the period of English history from 1066 to present this was a great find and being Alison Weir was an added bonus. Whenever she has written on the time frame that I am currently reading, I rely on her to give me facts in a very readable form and when it is possibly fiction she gives me the sources and their standing in the scholarly literature. The book did a great job of portraying how Elizabeth grew up around the intrigues of Henry VIII's court, when she was in favor, and her and the peoples' great admiration of her father. She loved the processions and the admiration of the people and she understood from this came power. Elizabeth saw and learned from Henry's mistakes as well as those of her siblings, Edward VI and sister Mary I. Henry VIII began the break with the Church in Rome to suit his own needs for a heir and opened the door to Protestantism in England. Then his son's tutor and counselors were able to keep the protestants in power around the child king. When Mary I gains the throne she is determined to turn the religion of her small island back to the Church of Rome, marries a leader of the inquisition, and gets involved in foreign wars which depletes the treasury of England. Therefore Elizabeth understood she could never marry because if she did she would have to relinquish her rule to that of a foreign husband. I particularly enjoyed learning about her private life and appreciate the way the Ms. Weir gave you the facts and allowed you to draw what conclusions you would about the "virgin queen", for real no one knows more. I think since she was introduced to passion in her teens makes the story of her reign so much more poignant because she knew what she sacrificed for her kingdom. Her love and talent for dancing I did not know until I read this book, but the collection of dress I had heard some information on but she like all of us would wear "old comfortable" when she had the chance. Her diplomacy was unique to her personality. Not ever rushed to decisions she learned to use this technique to her advantage, when in doubt, dither. She very well knew that when a monarch gave a decision it was final. I believe that she knew her father regretted and was haunted by the taking of Anne Boleyn's life but he had an agenda. He and the people around him did not know genetics but they had seen the pattern, first babies live then no more live births. I always find the genetics and other modern sciences applied to the historical period I am reading fascinating. All in all this is a very scholarly study of the reign of Elizabeth I and you also get a little peek into her personal life and the times of her era. I hardily recommend the book to the casual reader as well as to the historian.

Excellent book, well written, well researched, well "assembled". Ms. Weir broke Elizabeth's life into "categories" - one chapter described the religion (Catholic vs. Protestant) conflict and how it affected various factions in England and Europe, one described the "cast of characters" in her life and how they affected her decisions, one described in detail the clothing, jewelry and crowns that Elizabeth wore, one described the various castles of that era in both England and Scotland, etc. There were many characters in her life, and it could have gotten confusing really quick, but Ms. Weir did an excellent job of presenting them in such a way that it was easy to keep track of who was who. Most books about Elizabeth tends to focus on her relationship with Mary, Queen of Scots, and this one does too, but most of the focus of this book is about Elizabeth's relationships with her court, with the crowned heads of Spain, France and the Netherlands, the pope's interference in England, and daily life in 16th century London. I couldn't put it down, just ordered Alison Weir's book about Mary, Queen of Scots. If it's as good as this one, it's definitely worth the price of admission.

I never cease to be amazed that with all the world knows about the Tudors that reading about them never becomes tiresome. I am not a scholar, just a lover of English history, and this is a marvelous book that I looked forward to reading during every free moment i could find. Elizabeth was indeed, a most remarkable woman, very much her father's daughter, and more. As a woman, this is very gratifying to me. Even though in her time a woman sovereign was largely thought to be something of a burden in ways, Elizabeth was a blessed and much-needed gift to her country and people. All can see that she had real backbone. She had her shortcomings, too, of course.....vanity, moodiness, sometime indecision, and others, but she was a good, stable, larger-than-life monarch that was much loved, respected, and sometimes feared by her Council, her Parliament, and her People. The book is packed with detail on Elizabeth and also with insights on those who served and loved her -- Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester; Sir William Cecil; Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex, and others. Treatment of Mary, Queen of Scots and King Phillip of Spain also quite interesting. The book is very compelling, making one feel one is "right there" in the 16th century -- with the cold and damp of England, the pageantry, the chamber pots, the marvelous clothing, the unbelievable wealth in jewels, the plague, heads coming off at the block....my only regret is that i will never again read this for the first time. Shouldn't be missed by those fascinated by English history or Tudor buffs like me.

Quotations are everywhere and many times seemingly just to prove she knows how to use the apostrophe key: As well as playing skilfully on the lute and virginals, the Queen `composed ballets and music, and played and danced them'. Be prepared for many long quotations in old English that are followed by no "translation:" `Harm not yourself for bootless [useless] help, but show a good example to comfort your dolorous yoke-fellow. Now that Nature's common work is done, and he that was born to die hath paid his tribute, let the Christian discretion stay the flux of your immoderate grieving, which hath instructed you that nothing of this kind hath happiness but by God's Divine Providence.' For a non-Brit, it can be difficult to understand not only some terminology, but also grasp the implication of the reference. Some examples are: peerage; MP; Order of the Garter; the difference between an Earl, Duke, Sir, and Lord. There are many Latin and other foreign words and terms that also have no translation, causing whatever point is being made to be lost entirely.

This book is very long so you really need to be a big fan of Tudor and Elizabethan England to get through it. It is very well written and does cover a very long reign in one comprehensive volume. You learn a lot about Elizabeth (obviously) but also her courtiers and the people who ran the government during her reign. Some very interesting parts were how Weir covers Elizabeth's relationship with Dudley and Cecil and Mary Queen of Scots. You get a lot of analysis and written accounts between her and her court favorites to illustrate how she really felt about them. One of the high points to me was Weir's descriptions of the elaborate progresses Elizabeth took and how she related to her subjects on these progresses. The description of her famous 1575 Kenilworth Castle visit was extremely entertaining to read and really puts you there like you were a visitor yourself. The political history is very well written by only complaint is that there is a lot and I do mean A LOT about Elizabeth's marriage arrangements. Since ultimately none of these work out it would be better if some of these were cut short for more details on other parts of 16th century life. While you learn a lot of 16th century politics I found the book a bit lacking in details about life in the 16th century as well as military history. There is one part that Weir mentions that when the Earl of Licester (dudley) was sent as a general to fight in Netherlands that war had changed since he had last been a battlefield commander. It would have been great to know how it had changed. You get excessive details in some places but basically none here where it would have been nice. Overall it was a good read but just know what your getting into. The part about the Armada was well written and gives it a solid place in the book that it deserves. Although again, I would have liked a bit more detail on this too. What weapons and armour did the militia have? How many levies were shires expected to provide? I know it is not a military history but a little more would have been nice.

The research into Queen Elizabeth's life is phenomenal. So much detail, yet it isn't at all dry and reads like a novel. Much documentation here, including letters and speeches. I had no idea what a complicated and fascinating woman she was.

What a joy to read, I am very pleased to have bought this excellent book by Allison Weir, Elizabeth The Queen. I find the chapters a real joy of a complex subject as little promps or reminders crop up as aides to previously mentioned names or events. And also thanks to previous better informed comments from readers here on Amazon.

Great book a fascinating exploration of one of the greatest monarchs the world has seen

Je lit ce livre avec passion I read this book wirh great passion.

A fascinating, richly detailed story filled with intrigue and the engaging personalities of Tudor England and of Elizabeth I

I enjoy Ms Weirs writing style. The fact written in a narrative that is interspersed skilfully with original text. Although I am not a scholar of history, she has draw me into appreciating the perspective and issues of the time. Thoroughly researched, humble and honest in its approach. Congratulations and I will keep reading more!