Elizabeth I (Routledge Historical Biographies)

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Elizabeth I was Queen of England for almost forty-five years. The daughter of Henry VIII and Ann Boleyn, as an infant she was briefly accepted as her fatherx2019;s heir. After her mother was executed at her fatherx2019;s command she was declared illegitimate and led a sometimes scandalous existence until her accession to the throne at the age of twenty-five. Elizabeth oversaw a vibrant age of exploration and literature and established herself, the "Virgin Queen", a national icon that lives on in the popular imagination. But Elizabeth was Englandx2019;s secondfemale monarch, and was greatly influenced by the experiences and mistakes of the reign of her half-sister, Mary I, before her. During her reign, Elizabeth had to perform a complicated balancing act in religious matters. As religious wars raged in Europe, Elizabeth herself a moderate Protestant, had to manage an inherited Catholic realm and the demands of zealous Protestants. The importance of such familiar features of Elizabethx2019;s reign as the presence in England of Mary Queen of Scots and her enduring efforts to take the throne, the Spanish armada, and the origins of English colonial expansion beyond the British archipelago all receive fresh attention in this engaging book. This new biography sheds light on Elizabethx2019;s early life, influences and on her personal religious beliefs as well as examining her reign, politics and reassesses Elizabethx2019;s reluctance to marry, a matter for which she has been much praised, but which is here judged one of the second queen regnantx2019;s more problematic decisions. Judith M. Richards takes an objective and rounded view of Elizabethx2019;s whole life and provides the perfect introduction for students and general readers alike.

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Judith M. Richards was previously senior Lecturer at La Trobe University and is now a history research associate there. Publications include x2018;Mary Tudorx2019; in this series, and a range of essays covering sixteenth and seventeenth century historical issues, with a particular focus on monarchy.