Product Description

Published to accompany a Channel 4 series, Starkey turns the paradox into a person. This new approach to the enigma of Elizabeth's character presents a retelling of her reign, her love for Robert Dudley, the tragi-comedy of her suitors, her epic struggles with Mary and Philip II and the final debacle of her relationship with Robert Devereux.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6764 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, Good Queen Bess; Elizabeth I holds a unique place in the English imagination as one of the nation's most powerful, charismatic and successful monarchs. Elizabeth is usually imagined as the icy, untouchable figure memorably recreated on screen by Bette Davis and Judi Dench, but that vision of Elizabeth ignores the turbulent years of her early life, from her birth as the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in 1533, until her accession to the throne in 1558 following the death of her sister Mary. It is these early years which are the subject of David Starkey's fascinating Elizabeth I, written to accompany his television series about the life of Elizabeth.

Starkey argues that in her first 25 years Elizabeth "had experienced every vicissitude of fortune and ever extreme of condition. She had been Princess and inheritrix of England, and bastard and disinherited; the nominated successor to the throne and an accused traitor on the verge of execution; showered with lands and houses and a prisoner in the Tower". He draws on his skills as a respected Tudor historian to produce a deft account of the religious, political and dynastic maelstrom of mid-16th century England that reads "like a historical thriller". The book carefully picks its way through the finer points of contemporary religious conflict and the peculiarities of Tudor court ceremony, whilst also exploring the formation of Elizabeth's character in relation to a murdered mother, a charismatic father, a tortured sister, and a predatory guardian. Highly readable and written with verve and pace, this is a fascinating account of the young Elizabeth. --Jerry Brotton

Review
Elizabeth I is hardly a neglected figure, but Starkey?s analysis of her life before her accession to the throne at the age of 25 manages to treat the subject in a new and exciting way. As he points out, in order to understand the woman it is essential to know about the child, and Elizabeth?s youth could hardly have been more troubled ? her mother executed when she was two, a succession of stepmothers, an unstable father, possible sexual abuse by her stepfather and a narrow escape from being executed herself under the orders of her sister Mary. However, Starkey avoids the temptation to over-dramatize Elizabeth?s traumas. Rather than getting bogged down with psychological analysis, he sets her youth in the context of the court as a whole. He emphasizes the continuity of much of her life and is particularly good at writing about her household staff, who were the most important people in her day-to-day life but tend to get neglected in traditional accounts. He is also very astute when looking at her relationships with members of her family as seen through their letters, and demonstrating how what might seem to be standard letters and gifts actually illuminate these relationships. For instance, Elizabeth sends her stepmother Catherine Parr a translation of a book about the Protestant faith, allegedly to demonstrate her fluency in Latin, but also emphasizing their shared interest in religious reform. The most interesting and novel aspect of this book is Starkey?s analysis of court ceremonial. Every public action, even the most minor, had significance at the Tudor court and Starkey shows what each one meant and what it said about those involved. This gives an insight into the 16th-century mindset which is essential for an understanding of the world in which Elizabeth operated. Starkey knows all his facts backwards, so can choose his evidence carefully and never overloads the reader. The story he has to tell is gripping in itself, and his fascinating depiction of Elizabeth?s world prevents any staleness caused by overfamiliarity. He clearly admires Elizabeth and by the end of the book the reader has lost any tendency to see her as a victim. In fact, our main emotion is a desire to find out what happened next ? and to read Starkey?s take on it. (Kirkus UK)

From the Publisher
The revised edition of the Number 1 Bestseller
'Fresh and lively...vivdly told...He sets before us not only the woman behind the throne but the girl behind the woman' Sunday Times

‘The best account in English of the early years of Elizabeth…one of the most zestful pieces of narrative history written…a racy read and first-rate history’ Evening Standard ‘What a page turner! A white knuckle ride through history…inspired research, from the clues embedded in the portraits to court ceremonial to the often circumlocutory letters’ Time Out

A woman in a man’s world, confident of her destiny to reign, intensely intelligent, passionately sexual yet (she said) a virgin, Elizabeth was to become England’s most successful ruler. Finding her way through the labrynthine plots that surrounded the court, she had live by her wits, surrounded by betrayal and suspicion, not knowing who to trust with her desire to be queen, and to be a lover, too…

‘I found myself compelled by David Starkey’s vivid recreation of the hazardous uncertainty of Elizabeth’s early life, her successive exclusions from the centre of power, the studiedly ambiguous answers she offered her interrogators, her inevitable implications in conspiracies and narrow escapes from execution’ TLS

‘Combines a relaxed and unfussy style with a thorough knowledge of the period and a sharp eye for detail. Elizabeth’s life makes for a compelling story and Starkey tells it well’ Spectator ‘Subtle analysis, up-to-date research and balance between speculation and fact. An Elizabeth for our times’ Independent