Product Description

The relationship between Queen Elizabeth I of England and her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, is one of the most complex, tempestuous and fascinating in history. United in blood but divided by religion, the two women were in some ways uniquely close; in others, poles apart. Championed by English Catholics as the rightful Queen of England, Mary was nevertheless given protection by her cousin after she was deposed amid outrage at her immoral behaviour. Rumours of papist plots involving Mary were rife and Elizabeth was put under extreme pressure to be rid of this dangerous threat to her sovereignty and to the Protestant church in England. After much reluctance and procrastination Elizabeth finally signed Mary's death warrant. Alison Plowden shows how political fear brought out the worst and yet the best in these women, and how history was overshadowed for centuries afterwards.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79693 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Alison Plowden, formerly a script writer and editor for the BBC, has written many historical biographies, including Tudor Women, The House of Tudor, and Elizabeth I.

Customer Reviews

excellent, readable, impossible to put down
Ms. Plowden writes very well, at a lively pace. I could not put the book down. The title does not deceive - the deadly feud between two very different queens in the British Isles in the 16th century is exactly what the book is about. The story in itself is very interesting and this is one of the best recounts of it I have read. It is quite on a par with the Stephan Zweig famous book about Mary Stewart. The description of the two women is so detailed and thorough that it is almost fiction-like. And yet Ms. Plowden willingly conceded that some elements of this drama will forever remain a mystery. I found it fascinating to read a description of how an initially manageable situation gradually, through the actions mostly of one of the two protagonists, becomes an inescapable tragedy. This was the first book by Ms. Plowden I have read and it certainly put me in mind of reading her other books. I would recommend 'Two Queens in One Isle' to anyone interested in a fairly serious and well-written history read on the 16th century European politics.