Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne

Books

"An abused child, yet confident of her destiny to reign, a woman in a man's world, passionately sexual - though, as she maintained, a virgin - Elizabeth I was to be famed as England's most successful ruler. This new biography, by concentrating on the formative early years - from her birth in 1533 to her accession in 1558 - shows how her experiences of danger and adventure formed her remarkable character and shaped her opinions and beliefs. A tale of one young woman's turbulent, courageous and seemingly impossible journey towards the throne, it is the story of the making of a queen.". "David Starkey re-creates a host of extravagant characters, madcap schemes and tragic plots, while using original documents to point up the importance of the rituals of power and life at court. Elizabeth, whose own Protestant faith was personal and sophisticated, was extremely judicious in her handling of Reform, as in her choice of advisors and councilors. Here, too, is a fresh view of the famous rivalry between the ...