Elizabeth I: Renaissance Prince
This is an incredibly well-written biography of one of England’s historical icons. Giving a background on her birth and her mother’s disgrace and downfall, it charts her rise from an imprisoned princess, at peril from a jealous half-sister, to an almost mythical figure: Britannia personified.
With clear cross-references and a thorough list of primary sources, it clarifies periods in Elizabeth’s reign which have been obfuscated and confused over decades – her long dalliance with Robert Dudley, her relationship to King Philip II of Spain (brother-in-law, suitor and mortal enemy), her ever-patient adviser William Cecil and her almost insane patience with Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex.
This biography is both informative and enthralling. It is grounded in facts, keeps speculation to a minimum (and even that little is well reasoned), and cuts through the legend to give a glimpse of the real Elizabeth, cunning and naïve, generous yet petty. Lonely, but resolute in her intention to rule a country she adored as a Prince cut from the mould of Machiavelli, to drag it from medieval superstition and habits to being an independent power.
