The Life of Elizabeth I

Product arrives exactly as described with great care.Fantastic read. I recommend any of Allison Weir's nonfiction studies on the Tudor Period.

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.

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.

This book has so many interesting facts told in a flowing narrative that gives the reader many ways to admire and respect Elizabeth 1. She was endlessly fascinating in her time, and I finished the book with great respect for her intelligence and courage and steady rule over her long reign. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning what "Elizabethan times" really means.

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

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

This is a superb over all account of the life of the complex Queen Elizabeth 1. Alison Wier has certainly made the most of the primary source material she is privileged to delve into, covering the vast amount of relevant people and events who were an important part of the Elizabethan era. This is a huge thick tome of imformation but as Alison herself says in this book, “you cannot please all of the people all of the time” and some have said she should have delved even further into Mary Queen of Scots or the Aramada etc. which I thought took up too much in the book, and if you think about it, I could also say she should have delved further into at least nine other people in Elizabeth’s life whom are of interest to me, but if Alison Weir had done this on each and every person, this book would have had to have been written into ‘volumes’. I devoured this book in one go and once finished I re read it again so I could absorb all of the details of Elizabeth’s life. I have read many books about Elizabeth and none of them touch this for its accuracy and vast detail. It is a superb account of an Elizabethan woman who in 2017 still holds fascination and intrigue.

I like Alison Weir, though more for her non fiction than for her fiction. She's factual but never dull and brings her subjects to life with an immediacy that many other authors fail to summon. I'd recommend any of her histories of this era.

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!