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 new book, acclaimed biographer 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 that is also an amazingly intimate portrait, The Life of Elizabeth I is a mesmerizing, stunning reading experience.
Introduction: Elizabeth's England
Chapter 1. 'The Most English Woman in England'
Chapter 2. 'God Send Our Mistress a Husband'
Chapter 3. 'Disputes over Trifles'
Chapter 4. 'Bonny Sweet Robin'
Chapter 5. 'Presumptions of Evil'
Chapter 6. 'Dishonourable and Naughty Reports'
Chapter 7. 'The Daughter of Debate'
Chapter 8. 'Without a Certain Heir'
Chapter 9. A Matter Dangerous to the Common Amity
Chapter 10. 'Things Grievouser and Worse'
Chapter 11. 'A Dangerous Person'
Chapter 12. A Vain Crack of Words
Chapter 14. 'A Court at Once Gay, Decent and Superb'
Chapter 15. 'The Axe Must Be the Next Warning'
Chapter 16. 'Less Agreeable Things to Think About'
Chapter 17. 'Princely Pleasures'
Chapter 19. 'Between Scylla and Charyhdis'
Chapter 20. 'Practices at Home and Abroad'
Chapter 21. 'The Tragical Execution'
Chapter 22. 'Eliza Triumphant'
Chapter 23. 'Great England's Glory'
Chapter 24. 'We Are Evil Served'
Chapter 25. 'The Minion of Fortune'
Chapter 26. 'The Sun Setteth At Last'