Elizabeth I

This is a very well written and apparently well researched book, giving excellent information and analysis about Elizabeth I and her world. But it is maddening in one respect. Somerset very often gives only the month and day, but not the year of the event she is talking about. Apparently, she assumes if she's told you the year 5 pages ago, you remember it. But that is not so, at least for me, especially as I may set down the book for a day or half day, and then resume reading without going back to find her last year. For me, it would be far more useful to tell me the year, and skip the month and day. The full exact date may be useful and important for scholars, but at least for reasonably well informed readers it is not necessary to know.

For most of this book, I was wondering what it was about Elizabeth I that made her so famous through the centuries. The legend of Gloriana and her Golden Age were nowhere to be seen in the detailed descriptions of marriage negotiations, her hesitant and lukewarm foreign assistance, or her being duped by the French king. Where were the sweeping reforms and brilliant handling of foreign and domestic affairs that would surely characterize the reign of such a remarkable woman?It wasn’t until the last six pages of the book, when Somerset assesses Elizabeth’s reign, that her true achievements finally emerge. Her success was not in grand events, but in the stability and prosperity she brought to her kingdom. Elizabeth kept England out of costly foreign entanglements. She maintained the overall peace at a time when other monarchs faced rebellion and civil war. She restored national confidence and international prestige. She established a national church that would have broad appeal. She upheld the interests of the crown without encroaching on the interests of her subjects.Somerset offers a detailed and informative portrait of Elizabeth that at times defends decisions and rationales while at others describes her in unflattering terms. When Elizabeth expressed anger, she “shrieked” and “screamed,” words which undermine any reasonable basis for her opinion. Fortunately, these instances are rare and readers are more often treated to descriptions of the various conundrums Elizabeth faced: her personal feelings toward marriage and the pressure to marry; the problems arising no matter who the lucky man was, English or foreign; the pressure to name a successor; how to deal with Mary Stuart; powerful continental enemies who could overwhelm England if provoked, the rise of Puritanism. And these were after her accession. Prior to that, Elizabeth walked a tightrope for survival under both her siblings, her wits and courage all that kept her alive.Elizabeth was blessed with extraordinary luck throughout her reign, but Somerset points out that she took advantage of that luck. Her councilors were instrumental to the running of the kingdom, but she was the one who appointed them. Elizabeth’s military strategies were often sound; the problem was that her generals failed to follow them.Elizabeth I comes across as a woman who ruled on her own terms, and quite competently, at a time when women were not seen as capable of effective leadership. If the achievements of her reign were more quiet than dramatic, they are no less remarkable.

This book came used in excellent condition condition complete the dust cover. Seller was very prompt on delivery and providing a quality product.

If all that you know of Elizabeth I is what you know from Cate Blanchett's two movies, then you know nothing. Even if you learned that Sir Francis Walsingham was her advisor and Sir Walter Raleigh was her friend. In high school I got an "A" in world history, and in college I earned a minor degree in history. So, literally, I can convey SOMETHING about the Virgin Queen. Like me, she had red hair, and Sir Francis Drake was her champion. And before reading ELIZABETH I, I could have told you that Elizabeth was human and that she was imperfect and she made many mistakes.Still I did not know HER. So, like movie watchers, I knew nothing.For me, Anne Somerset's supreme achievement was to teach me the SPECIFICS of the first Queen Elizabeth's humanness. She brought this lofty person down to earth. As I read Elizabeth's story, her image as a great person of history disintegrated and she became just a person. But she remains close to heart.Please do not misunderstand. This lengthy, though easy-to-read biography is not a psychological treatise. Actually it reads pretty much like fiction. Bloody Mary serves as a villainess. Mary Queen of Scots provides intrigue. Sir Francis Drake leads us to adventure. The Spanish Armada injects suspense. The impulsive arrogance of Lord Exeter makes us shake our heads with admonition. And Elizabeth herself emulates Shakespeare by exiting the material plane with pathos.God save the Queen!Extras: Family tree showing descendants of Henry VII (Elizabeth's grandfather), sixteen photographic plates of period drawings and portraits, hundreds of footnotes, hundreds of bibliographic entries, index with detailed subtopics. Maps would have been helpful, but there were none.

If you want to know the reign of Elizabeth in depth and not simply as an overview, this is definitely the book to read. In 575 pages of relatively small font, Anne Somerset spells out who this remarkable woman was. Somerset never lost my attention. It definitely takes time to read this book but few monarchs deserve this kind of in-depth study as much as Elizabeth. Somerset never lets the reader get bogged down in any information that is not carefully explained. The author weaves the names, dates and events into an ongoing narrative that is easy to follow and never leaves the reader hanging. As other reviews have noted, Somerset is unbiased about the strengths and weaknesses of Elizabeth. She presents the negatives about her character, such as the Queen's indecisiveness and her attachment to a couple less than ideal males, in a way that gives insight into Elizabeth. The story never turns into a tabloid version of the Queen. And Somerset clearly points out the positives about this monarch who could dominate the men around her in an England that never before saw a woman like this one. This is a great biography, well worth the time put into reading it. Unless you are a professional historian, you will come to know Elizabeth as well as any 21st century person can. I highly recommend the book.

I enjoyed this very much. Many years ago I read Alison Weir’s biography but since then I have read much more about the Tudors especially Henry VIII. Weir is great on the atmosphere of the Court and the key decisions that had to be made but Somerset lets you feel the dramas in full.The first part of this book details Elizabeth’s childhood – she spent substantial periods either imprisoned by her Catholic sister Mary either in the Tower or house arrest and even before that her life and status were very uncertain especially during her father’s reign.When she became Queen the two major problems she had to deal with were the complete assumption by those around her that she would quickly marry, and the anxiety about religion which ravaged Europe throughout the sixteenth century.Elizabeth never married but it wasn’t until her triumphant victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588 thirty years after her accession that her courtiers and advisers stopped nagging her about this – they just could not understand that a woman was capable of ruling or remaining a virgin from choice, although it was not an easy choice for this beautiful woman with such an engaging personality.As for religion she again chose a middle way and stuck to it firmly and beyond a point stamping down on debate and controversy to keep the peace.Her courtiers were her pride and joy but also almost her downfall. They helped her maintain her sanity and a joyous mood at Court which mostly translated to her subjects but sometimes got out of hand at considerable cost to Elizabeth personally and the country at large. They also at times, especially John Hawkins and Francis Drake served her beyond all expectation.Behind all these events lay the subtleties of her relationships with her advisers, especially Burghley and his son Cecil, Hatton, Leicester and Sussex.In particular she was very fortunate in Burghley whose wisdom, loyalty and objectivity never let her down.Reading this book felt like reading a great novel. I have read hundreds of biographies at least half of them political ones, but I have never read one so well written and constructed and based on such a thorough and coherent understanding of the personalities involved.There is one possible exception to this. The account of Mary Queen of Scots while I cannot find fault with it is written strictly from the point of view of the English. Nothing wrong with that for this is a biography of Elizabeth. But don’t read this book and expect to find a fair or rounded portrait of the Scots queen.Incidentally I came to this book off the back of the Glenda Jackson TV portrayal of Elizabeth fifty years ago and highly recommend it.

A very detailed and informative book. I learned a great deal about this impressive queen in a mans world.However my only criticism is that the paper is too thin. I was continually turning over more than one page which is extremely frustrating. It’s the reason I only gave it 4 stars. The book deserves better

A really good book for everyone, who is interested in Elizabeth I and her reign.Main pros:1) the author's neutrality, presenting narrative, allows to make your own conclusions;2) Elizabeth is placed in the context of her time and space - one must remember that her actions and decisions were influenced by various events abroad and at home, morals of the 16th century's society, politics of the day, opinions of people around her and her own uneasy experiences. Somerset explains it all very well.

At last a biography I can understand! Well written and easy to read.

Anne Somerset has really done a fantastic job of going into the accounts of Englands most famous and inspiring historical Queen. I would strongly advise you purchase this as its a must read.